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Who's using what oil?

my 04 warrior burns a bit of oil. last time i toped it up to right just under the full line the today the light came on when i was on a steep angle. went on level ground and waited a few minutes and it mesured bout 3/8 of the way down between the full and the empty line. i went close to 1000 kms during this time. is it anything to worry about?
 

LazyBastard said:
Mine wasn't burning much oil at all, only a little. I followed the charts on the jetting and upped it to 137.5 (from 135). My plugs are WHITE, even in warm weather. I may need some advise on this, wondering if I should go up to 140?

I think its from the seafoam. I tryed it out a couple of times in the gas this winter and after running found the plug tips were white as well. Were you plugs like that without running that seafoam?
 
Oil Baking - High tempature causes oil to bake and creates carbon, causing the rings to stick. Most modern auto and light truck engines today use low tension rings for fuel economy and increased horse power. Todays engines run alot hotter and higher RPMS than engines of the past. I believe Yamaha uses low tension rings in this High Performance engine also. They are not faulty rings, it is the oil that is baking causing the problem. It has been an issue for many years in the auto industrie. That is why you are seeing more and more manufactures recommending Semi and/or Full Sythetic oils for their vehicles. Synthectic oils have a much higher flash point, higher film strenght and clings to parts much better than Dino oil. This is a proven fact. If it was'nt for the higher temps, Dino oil would work ok, but sythetic oils are the future just like Yamaha is to the snowmobile industrie. Just my 2 cents worth! :Rockon: :4STroke:
 
Blaster-
If you have no Car-Quest nearby, maybe try Piston Ring; they're supposed to carry Seafoam. Failing that, e-mail Seafoam Sales from their website. They were very helpful in locating a dealer near me.

LB-
How much Seafoam did you add to the oil before you rode the *$@*)%#! out of it?
I thought I read that there was a danger in thinning the oil too much and damaging the engine if you rode it too hard or too far.
 
RX1Jim said:
I spoke to my dealer here in Poughkeepsie NY about the oil consumption issue. I was told Yamaha spec is the engine should consume no more than 1 qt in 1000 miles. That is ridiculous! The amount of oil consumed between oil changes should be negligible. Granted, we are spinning these engines pretty fast compared to most motor vehicles but 1 qt. in 1000 miles....... come on?????. My 03 has 5000 miles on it. It has the same usage pattern as others have stated: moderate touring/trail riding leads to VERY low, neglible consumption. Higher speed riding such as on the abandoned RR track trails in Quebec leads to using about 1 qt in 2500 miles but to me this is way too much. I wish we could collect a lot of data on this issue to see if the rings used in the 05 models are the answer. Changing the rings on this engine is a real pain since you have to split the crankcase halves. I'd be perfectly happy to do this on my engine (and for only the cost of the parts for anyone else) if I knew this was the answer. I've rebuilt dozens of engines and have always had acceptable oil consumption, i.e. neglible, as a result. The dealer also told me they see the same oil consumption in the Yamaha 4 stroke watercraft. I do not believe the manufacturer of the oil has anything to do with it. I was going to try using 10-30W rather than the 0-40W for the same reason LB stated but did not do any riding this year. I plan on keeping my 03 so I may change the rings to the part no used in the 05.

Another experienced engine builder, and someone else who agrees with me! I'm an engine machinist (ASE certified Master Engine Machinist) and I have always said, if any noticable amount of oil is used between oil changes, then there is a problem. 1 qt. is 1000 miles is a JOKE. Even with a high performance engine, its a joke. If engines used more oil at higher engine speeds, Formula-1 cars would need a 55 gallon drum to get through a race! And to tie things together, I also believe this is why some people are having problems with their venting...the oil from the vents is a SYMPTOM, not the CAUSE of the problems. If there wasn't so much blowby from the cylinders, there wouldn't be a need for such large and complex venting systems!

I'd love to be able to do leakdown tests on a bunch of RX-1s. In fact, I'm considering getting a leakdown test setup and if I do, I'll do leakdown tests on anyone who lives in New Hampshire or close to it, just for kicks to see what I find. Everyone does compression tests, but nobody does leakdown tests because of the extra equipment involved. Well my sled used a quart and a half on my last 100 mile ride, which was fast paced but not what I'd call high speed. My compression was almost normal according to the dealer (and my own test just before dropping the sled off to them), but my leakdown was 25-30 percent across the cylinders. Goes to show just because compression is normal, it doesn't mean there isn't a problem.

Jim
 
I just made the jump to Mobil 1 0W 40 this weekend on my RS Vector. Sled has 1671 miles on it now and was broke in with the Yamalube semi synthetic 0W 30.

Have to wait and see how the consumption goes next season. I've used no measurable oil to date with plenty of high speed riding.
 
i noticed a lot of crud in the evap tube when useing the yammilube...so at 600 miles i switched to amsoil 0w40..sled sits at 2148 miles with no measurable consumption ;)! IMO synthetic blend oils are a waste of money... :o|
 
sledheadgeorge said:
YAMALUBE 5W-30 ON A TURBO WARRIOR (SINCE NEW). OVER 5000 MILES AND NO ISSUES WITH MOTOR. :4STroke:

Over 6,000 now and no problems. ;)!
 
MEAT said:
Synthetic oils will oxidize and get dirty just as fast as as regular blend oils.I'm not saying don't run synthetic oils' but if you change your oil every 2000 km with a semi synthetic you wont have any lube issues. Oxidation and carbon happens before the additives wear out .... sample that. If you would rather change your oil after 5000 and think you'r doing your engine a favor cause its full synthetic,think again.

Exactly! I have tried to stress this to people. Synthetics do reduce friction, will flow better when cold, and protect the engine better. But there is more to oil than just breakdown, such as carbon, moisture, and other things that get past the rings and contaminate the oil. Run synthetic, but change it almost as often as regular oil! I have seen synthetic from several vehicles that the owners ran for 15,000+ miles. That synthetic comes out looking like old gear oil from a 200,000 mile differential!

I have an '03 with ring problems. I ran Dino oil until past the 2000 mile mark. I changed it a couple times before then. Around 2000 gibe or take (running off memory) I changed to Mobile-1 because people said it would help my oil burning. It didn't help a bit. The next couple changes I used Amsoil, and it didn't make any difference. I was burning 1 1/2 quarts by the 5500 mile mark. I won't be using synthetic again because it didn't help my situation, and when I need to buy oil on a trip, its harder to find synthetic. I change the oil and filter often, so I know the dino oil will be enough for me.

I do have to say the synthetic did let the sled start better in extremely cold weather. Last year we had a month where temps were around -20 or colder every night, and only got up to the single digits during the day.

Jim
 


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