Amsoil 10W40 3, 6K mile runs, 02 Kawasaki ZRX1200

[rprx]

Been sitting on this data from 3 samples for a couple of months - time to share.

Latest sample: The oil went into service in Aug 2008. It saw 3 months of service, 5 months of winter hibernation, 7 months of service in 2009, 5 months of winter hibernation, and then finally 3 months of service this year for a total of 23 months. Previous runs were 12 and 13 months. In all 3 samples the oil filter was a Wix. The air filter is the original stock, and yes I think it is due to be changed.

For the past 2 years the ZRX has been relegated to a nice weather commuter, about 40 miles a day, of which 2 miles each way are stop and go in heavy traffic. Prior to that it was a mix of commuting and sporty riding.

I spoke to the testing lab (OAI, Polaris?) and asked about the rise in oxidation. They said it was due to a different analysis method from the previous two runs, and that based on the new method type, Amsoil has told them to expect a reading of 30 - 35 for virgin oil which is why it was not flagged.

Fuel was high on the last run - I did not do a good job of warming it up before the drain / sample

Sample Year 2010, 2008, 2007,
Time on oil: 23 months, 13 months, 12 months
Miles on oil: 6104, 6204, 6038
Miles on unit: 25705, 19601, 13397
Iron 15, 17, 21
Chromium 0, 0, 0
Lead 2, 2, 2
Copper 19, 29, 97
Tin 1, 0, 0
Aluminum 9, 12, 25
Nickel 0, 0, 0,
Silver 0, 0, 1
Silicon 18, 19, 29
Boron 0, 0, 1
Sodium 5, 2, 0
Magnesium 12, 13, 31
Calcium 3051, 3042, 3432
Barium 0, 1, 0
Phosphorus 1075, 1010, 1163
Zinc 1263, 1225, 1462
Molybdenum 43, 40, 42
Potassium 1, 0, 0

Physical Properties
Fuel 3.4, Visc100 13.1, 13.5, 13.15 ,

Additional Tests
Nitr 21, 11, 18
Oxid 42, 14, 8
TBN 7.32, 7.45, 8.83,

 

[Pablo]

Looks excellent. Other than the fuel - trust me it's happened to me as well. Sometimes I just don't warm the engine enough.

Very intelligent paragraph of Oxidation number. Most folks here don't understand that. I am a bit surprised the number is relatively low, given the fuel - but it really does tell me it was sampling technique not a permanent condition.

 

[rprx]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Looks excellent. Other than the fuel - trust me it's happened to me as well. Sometimes I just don't warm the engine enough.

Very intelligent paragraph of Oxidation number. Most folks here don't understand that. I am a bit surprised the number is relatively low, given the fuel - but it really does tell me it was sampling technique not a permanent condition.


Do you have an opinion on pushing the Wix filter more than two years? I would like to push this oil longer but Amsoil does not make a filter for this engine.

 

[sunruh]

a visc of 13.1 with 3.4% fuel is pretty awesome!

that copper of 97 from 3 years ago would have freaked a lot of people out. glad it has dropped so much. was probably a clutch basket bushing wearing in.

looks like some pretty good numbers for letting it sit through the winter. no real rust showing up in the sample.

dont see a reason to change what you are doing.

 

[Jim 5]

Really nice run there. I'd be really pleased with that engine if it's turning in numbers like this!

 

[Johnny]

If you riding style is not going to change, I would change the WIX filter every year and continue with what you are doing with the oil.

IMHO, other than the SSO 0W-30, their 10W-40 is the best PCMO they make.

I assume you are referring to this 10W-40:

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/amo.aspx

 

[rprx]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
If you riding style is not going to change, I would change the WIX filter every year and continue with what you are doing with the oil.

IMHO, other than the SSO 0W-30, their 10W-40 is the best PCMO they make.

I assume you are referring to this 10W-40:

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/amo.aspx


If my riding style changes, it will be slower.

Sorry for the confusion but it's the "motorcycle" oil, 10W40 MCF. I am not sure how much oil I would loose with just a filter swap. Changing that filter is sort of a pain. It hangs right off the bottom of the crankcase, which is why I am inclined to drain at the same time.

I have been very happy with this oil - it even seems to do well with the subjective "shifting effort" test.

 

[Johnny]

Looking at the specs for the AMO and MCF they look a lot alike.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: rprx
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Looks excellent. Other than the fuel - trust me it's happened to me as well. Sometimes I just don't warm the engine enough.

Very intelligent paragraph of Oxidation number. Most folks here don't understand that. I am a bit surprised the number is relatively low, given the fuel - but it really does tell me it was sampling technique not a permanent condition.


Do you have an opinion on pushing the Wix filter more than two years? I would like to push this oil longer but Amsoil does not make a filter for this engine.


I think Wix is a decent filter. I generally don't recommend any filter for more than a year, but I have no solid science for this recommendation. In fact it's based on Amsoil's warranty. Looks to me like you have no filter issues. Is their an M1 or Purolator for the bike? Both are good filters.

 

[rprx]

I have not seen either an M1 or Purolator for this motor. Like yourself, Pablo, I have no science behind it but my concern is the filter material holding up for more than a couple of years.

Having had some nice weather this year for commuting, maybe I can get 8-10k miles in over two years on this next run.

 

[Pablo]

I think two years max then - and honestly NEVER seen a filter fail in this range due to age.