Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin, 4,000 miles, 2004 Electraglide Harley TC88

[Greg K]

Posted for a fellow member of the VTwinFORUM forum ... Engine TC88 oil used: Mobile 1 VTwin 20W-50 oil mileage: 4,000m engine mileage: 23,846m date: 10/19/05 .............M1....UA Alum.........5.....6 Chrom.......1.....1 Iron.........14....15 Copper.....13....19 LEad..........2.....2 Tin............1.....1 Moly.......74....50 Nickel.......0.....0 Mang........0.....1 Silv..........0.....0 Titan........0.....0 Potas.......8.....2 Boron.....165...152 Silicon.......9.....9 Sodium.......6.....5 Calcuum..2249..2142 Magnes......29...415 Phos.......1162...911 Zinc........1484..1135 Barium..........1.....1 Blackstone Comments: The TC88 ... is wearing just about at par with most of them. The universal average column shows typical wear from this type of engine after 3,400 miles on the oil. the oil was used 4,000 miles, and wear was okay, showing no obvious problems. The brass/bronze flakes you noticed in the pan were probably from a copper part like a bushing that appears to be wearing normally. The viscosity read in the 60W range. The TBN was 5.8, plenty of active additive. You could try 5,000 miles on next oil and check back to monitor results. SUS @210F 105.5 should be 88-99 Fuel <0.5 should be <1.0 Insol 0.2 should be <0.6

 

[Greg K]

And the followup on the same bike but using Shell oil Engine TC88 oil used: Shell Rotella T 5W-40 oil mileage: 2,908m engine mileage: 26,754m date: 5/19/06

code:

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          Rot    M1    UA
Alum        4     5     6
Chrom       1     1     1
Iron       15    14    15
Copper     12    13    19
LEad        3     2     2
Tin         0     1     1

Moly       10    74    50
Nickel      0     0     0
Mang        0     0     1
Silv        0     0     0
Titan       0     0     0
Potas       0     8     2

Boron      31   165   152
Silicon    12     9     9
Sodium      4     6     5

Calcuum  2620  2249  2142
Magnes     70    29   415
Phos     1031  1162   911
Zinc     1339  1484  1135
Barium      2     1     1

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SUS @210*F: 69.5 should be 65-76 Blackstone comments: We found a mild increase to iron and silicon in this sample. Iron should not have increases since this oil was run less than last sample, thought his level is still well within the average range, so we aren't worried about it. it may show some mild corrosion form winter inactivity and will likely decrease next time, even if you run the oil longer the silicon may show a little dirt getting past the air filter, so you may want o have a look at this. It could also be from sealers if the engine has been opened and this isn't a problem. Everything else looks great at 26,754 miles. Rider comments: The iron was high because I installed new cams and lifters on this oil change and the silicon was most likely high for the same reason. I was also running an open Screaming Eagle air cleaner without the football in place. [ June 23, 2006, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Greg K ]

 

[Chris B.]

I just bought a 2006 1200 Sportster and I'm trying to decide what oil to use in it. Since it is air cooled I want to help keep it cool as I ride it hard. Should I consider M1 "V-Twin" 20w50 in my engine? I'm new to Harleys and I'm trying to figure out what would the best oil be for mt Sportster. Thank you!

 

[Heath]

HD would tell you screamin eagle synthetic.$$ Here is a recent white paper comparing motorcycle oils in vaious tests. https://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf

 

[Mackelroy]

Were they having oil usage on the Mobil1? Being the oil thickened to 60 weight, there must have been a little burn off going on.

 

[RevRider]

The thickening is not acceptable to me - Rotella stayed in grade...the thicker the oil gets, the less lubrication the engine gets... Just my worthless opinion, RevRider

 

[Titan]

You opinion is worthless ONLY if people don't take it seriously....because, you are correct!

 

[RevRider]

Hey Titan, Your post just notched up my self esteem a tad...thanks! You know, when you put out top dollar for a product, whether it is oil, or something, we do have a right to expect that product to perform to spec's. I'm not a chemist, so perhaps with a little more mileage, maybe the viscosity changes again, does it ebb and flow with time & mileage...I don't know. I would tend to believe it will continue to thicken, not thin. RevRider

 

[Titan]

Thickening is a sign of "aging" in an oil. It won't thin again unless due to severe fuel dilutional effects...either are bad. Most oils tend to shear a bit (thin) initially, some keep shearing for a while, others hold after the initial shear. Eventually, they all start to thicken. The best oils are those that shear little, then take a long time before they begin to thicken...i.e., they are most likely to stay in grade. These oils tend to synthetics with few Viscosity Index Improvers or Pour Point Depressants added to them.

 

[Mickey_M]

Quote:

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Were they having oil usage on the Mobil1? Being the oil thickened to 60 weight, there must have been a little burn off going on.

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Without a pre-use test in the same lab, it's hard to say whether it thickened. The 20W-50 Mobil 1 V-Twin has zero VI booster and little in the way of additives to "boil off". It has a very high flash point and is also extremely shear resistant. Basically it's a blend of two PAOs, a very polar blend lube, and a robust additive package. I've never seen it either thicken or shear down to any appreciable extent.