4-strokers: What oil do you use? What does your drained oil look like?

[Max-M]

My bike has a Huasheng F142 49cc four-stroke. I use Mobil 1 synthetic, 10-30. I've been changing the oil about every 300 miles. This is probably overkill. But with a crankcase that only holds about 1/4 of a quart, oil changes are nearly free -- even with the good Mobil 1 stuff. And the oil changes are very easy (and non-messy) with a "Drainzit" oil drain hose permanently attached to my engine's oil drain hole (pic attached). I bought the Drainzit from equipment2u.com.

My engine runs great, and I'm probably up to about the fifth oil change. But the new oil going into the engine looks like maple syrup, and the oil that I drain out when I change it is completely black. It feels normal between my fingers, and it smells normal. But -- again -- it is BLACK.

Any thoughts on this, anybody? Should I be concerned? What could be causing this?

Thanks...

 

[Skyliner70cc]

I run nothing but 5w40 diesel oil in my small 4 stroke engines and change oil every 50 hours or so except for my generator which gets about 150 hours of use before oil change during each long camping trip we take . Most small 4 stroke do not have oil filters and diesel oil is designed to hold lots of contaminants in suspension without damaging the engine. Diesel oil also has higher TBN (total base number to protect against acid) and superior additive package as compared to gas engine oil which makes it ideal in small engines.

Here are the gas engines I use diesel 5w40 in for many years without issues:
1. Pressure washer with subaru engine (this enine starts in first pull every time).
2. Briggs Stratton Lawn mower (its only 8 years old)
3. Honda Lawn Mower, it over 10 years old
4. Trike Bike with HS 49cc engine, Its 2-3 years old
5. 30" riding mower with 13.5 HP Briggs and Stratton .
6. 3300 Watt digital inverter generator. It is 2 years old and I run 12-14 hours/day when I go camping and I won't change oil in it while I'm camping. I've gone as high as 150 hours on it during a camping trip before changing oil at home. Its a Bolily chinese made generator and offers Honda quality (it is quiet, has auto-throttle, and is super reliable) at a Hyundai price.
7. 1.3 liter Wankel engine, 21 years old and I run 15w40 HDEO in summer and 5w40 diesel oil in winter
8. 1997 Ford Taurus 3.0L engine nothing but 5w40 diesel in it
9. Jeep Liberty with 115,000 miles, nothing but 5w40 in it since new but I'm cheating since it has a 2.8L 4 cylinder italian made diesel in it.
10. Jeep Grand Cherokee, nothing but 5w40 ESP ($10/quart) in it since new but I'm cheating since it has a 3.0 liter mercedes benz diesel in it.

 

[Barry]

Hello Max,
Which part # Drainzit fits the F142? I'm just finishing up a build with a shift kit and it looks like oil changes will be a pain with this kit.
Thanks
Barry

 

[Fabian]

@ skyliner

so why is normal 4-stroke oil recommended for petrol engines instead of diesel oil.

If diesel oil is a better lubricant, why doesn't every manufacture use it in "all" their engines???

 

[Skyliner70cc]

@ skyliner

so why is normal 4-stroke oil recommended for petrol engines instead of diesel oil.

If diesel oil is a better lubricant, why doesn't every manufacture use it in "all" their engines???

Several reasons:
Non-ESP diesel oils have higher additive package levels which can contaminate catalytic convertoers
Diesel oils are typically higher in viscosity and that hurts CAFE goals automakers have to meet.

Diesel oils are better lubricant in that they are designed to keep soot in suspension, handle high temps associated with turbochargers, and have longer lasting additive packages...many of these qualities aren't necessary in automobiles that are non-diesel. However, I feel that diesel oil will benefit a small aircooled engine that has no oil filter because of these qualities.


For my rotary engine (1.3L mazda rx7 vehicle), I use a ESP (Low SAP) diesel oil because it is designed to burn clean with no ash or other deposits. This is importaant to me since this engine is oil injected and injects from the oil pan into the engine to lubricate the apex seals.

 

[bigoilbob]

Hello Max M;

I'm with you on the Mobil 1 synthetic, but I would use the weight/grade recommended. If it's 10-30, fine. But if not, I recommend following directions. Lighter, or heavier, is not better. Especially if they recommend a lighter than 10-30 oil, the recommended Mobil 1 should be the best choice. As a petroleum engineer, I have tested viscosities of many oils, at many temperatures (part of our mud lab training). Mobil 1 viscosities changed less than any of the others with temperature. As for particle suspension, you are going to clean out your crankcase pretty well with any oil change. So called "diesel oils" might hold more c**p when cool/cold, because they have more gel strength, but nothing can beat the thin film performance (what you want in a small engine), of Mobil 1. I run it in my GX35 bike. It has a NuVinci hub, which enables me to have good low end performance, which, in turn, taxes the engine. I have had NO problems, but I am sure I would have overheated had it not been for the forced air cooling and the great thin film performance of Mobil 1 at higher temps.

 

[Fabian]

@bigoilbob

It's great to see that we have someone qualified in the forum to separate oil myth from oil fact.

Oil and oil/fuel ratios are such a emotionally driven subject and a topic that can quickly degenerate into non scientific tantrums; rants and tirades by those who are fixated on supporting their belief, which is the definition of a "religion" and in the case of those who are off the deep end, "fanaticism".
Combine the two concepts with people diametrically opposed to each others beliefs and you have the makings of "civil war" over the topic of oil and oil/fuel ratios.

It's not easy to stay clean and play it safe when hustling with the Ayatollahs who push the concept of an afterlife in heaven with 72 virgins but only if using their recommended oil at 200:1

 

[bigoilbob]

One critical caveat, and shame on me for not mentioning it. I'm an older guy, and my testing is also old. I am sure that mobil 1 is still the best, or among the best, but there are other synthetics out there that might be as good nowadays. Other folks might get me up to speed. But, synthetics still RULE. I don't care what additive packages (as amazing as they are) you put in motor oil refined from crude, the synthetics are the way to go. Whoops - screwed up again. My BMW Dakar 650 has a common lub source between the engine and (I think) transmission. It can not stand synthetic oil. I really don't know why, but BMW would have voided my warranty if I had gone that way. Moral - run a synthetic, of the recommended weight and grade, unless your manufacturer specifically says not to.

 

[Max-M]

Hey Barry: You want the Drainzit Model HON 1010 (fits the Huasheng's 10mm oil drain port).

I checked Equipment2u.com where I bought mine in May 2011 (for $13.99 + $7.94 shipping), and they're out of stock. But it sounds like you've probably got a source.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

One critical caveat, and shame on me for not mentioning it. I'm an older guy, and my testing is also old. I am sure that mobil 1 is still the best, or among the best, but there are other synthetics out there that might be as good nowadays. Other folks might get me up to speed. But, synthetics still RULE. I don't care what additive packages (as amazing as they are) you put in motor oil refined from crude, the synthetics are the way to go. Whoops - screwed up again. My BMW Dakar 650 has a common lub source between the engine and (I think) transmission. It can not stand synthetic oil. I really don't know why, but BMW would have voided my warranty if I had gone that way. Moral - run a synthetic, of the recommended weight and grade, unless your manufacturer specifically says not to.

Hmmmm, last time I checked Mobile 1 TDT 5w-40 is a diesel and Mobil 1 product....... Contrary to what was posted earlier, Mobil 1 on hundreds of used oil analysis postings on www.bobistheoilguy.com showed higher Fe wear levels then other synthetic oils...not sure how that relates to film strength but I'm thinking its not as good. Could it be that Mobil 1's oils are consistnetly on the thinner side of allowable range for a particular viscosity? Mobil 1's 5w30 is more like a heavy 5w20 and just barely squeaks on by as a 5w30. Regardless, I'll continue using 5w40 in most of my engines with several exceptions.