Oil for a Genuine Stella 4T

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I have a question to ask of the oil gurus here. I just purchased a Genuine Stella 4T scooter. It's like a Vespa P-Series, but with a 4 stroke engined shoehorned under the cowls. Shared engine/transmission sump, wet clutch, air-cooled. I need some advice on what oil to use. Owners manual and service manual both say to use a 20w40 "multigrade of reputed make", oil fillcap/dipstick on the bike says 20w50. I believe the dealer used conventional Motul 20w50, I drained and filled at 150mi with Valvoline MC 20w50. I'm coming up on the 500mi oil change, then another at 1500mi and every 2000mi after that. I purchased 5qts of Mobil 1 15w50 at Walmart, should that be good for the bike? I was just reading a thread about a guy using it in his racing quad with good results. Or I was thinking could try Rotella T synthetic, would a 40 weight be fine? It's only 150cc, pushing perhaps 8-9 BHP. Stock jetting on the carb is a little on the lean side, thinking of rejetting the carb.
 
The mobil 15w-50 or the T6 should both adequately protect the engine without any issues. Flip a coin. I use T6 in my bike with no issues.
 
Is M1 suitable for a wet clutch?

And hey, another scooter rider!
smile.gif
 
You'll do fine with M1 15w50. No problem. If you are close to a Napa, see if they can order you some M1 5w50. Many Napa warehouses still have this product in stock. But you'll be fine with 15w50.

I'm a scooter ride. Big time. Never ran a "shift" scooter though. Maybe with the manual transmission, you'll stay in lower RPM's more than a traditional scooter. But my 50cc, 150cc, and 250cc scooters engine's spin high RPM's all the time. That's the nature of a CVT transmission in a low power scooter.

Therefore, I change my oil every 600-700 miles in my 50cc, and every 1000 miles in everything else. The oil just get beat to death and quickly shears out of grade.
 
I was researching the Stella 4T prior to buying my last Buddy 125 (recently traded on a Suzuki GZ250) and I believe there is a cartridge-type oil filter that needs to be replaced, but not sure where it exactly lives in the crankcase (I believe it is tucked in on the right side behind the rear wheel...you might have to have the wheel removed to change the filter; if so, a [censored] poor place to put it);

as far as oil goes...not sure; if you don't plan on beating the balls off of it with lots of wide open throttle riding, then a conventional 20w-50 motorcycle oil might do you well; I believe Mystik has a 15w-50 synthetic-blend heavy duty engine oil that might cost less than Mobil 1 15w-50;

whatever you choose...good luck and many miles of trouble-free riding
 
*** oil filter info ***
listed in the service schedule, but I can't find any mention of replacing it on page 26 (engine oil replacement) of the service manual:

http://iheartstella.com/resources/manuals/stella-4t-service-station-manual.pdf

but the filter does exist:

http://www.scooterworks.com/oil-filter--cartridge---genuine-stella-4-stroke-products-12491.php

talk to your dealer/shop about the oil filter replacement...might be something they engineered specifically for importation into the U.S.
 
I know where the oil filter is and, yes, it does require rear wheel removal. The air filter requires removing the lower rear shock bolt. I think the problem is they put a 4 stroke into a chassis designed for a much smaller 2 stroke. My commute to college and anywhere else is mostly 50+ MPH roads, so I will need a pretty shear and heat stable oil even with the low 2000 mi OCI. I just saw the Mystic syn-blend 15w50 in the Fleet Farm ad today, $28.99 for a 5 gallon pail after rebate. Also saw Walmart now carries SuperTech conv 20w50.
 
Should also mention like most small single cylinders, it's cold blooded, would dropping down to a 5-15winter oil or synthetic help some?
 
the lower the number before the W in a multigrade oil the 'thinner' the oil and the 'quicker' the oil will flow at ambient temperatures; on the same token the further the spread between the 2 numbers in a multigrade oil the more the polymers have to stretch to maintain viscosity & the more shear prone the oil is (eg: a 5w-50 oil will shear easier than a 15w-50; a 15w-50 oil will shear more easily than a 20w-50 oil); as far as synthetics go...the rule of thumb is synthetics will flow more easily at low temps and offer more consistent protection at higher temperatures, but conventional oils of today are much better than in past decades, so the 'value' of synthetic over conventional lies in the mind of the user...

personally, with an OCI of only 1500-2000 miles I feel paying for a straight synthetic oil is a waste since it gets dumped long before the oil reaches the end of its useful life...
 
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Stopped into Walmart to see if they had wheelbarrow tubes/tires because Fleet Farm was closed. Found three qts of QS Defy 10w40 on clearance. Thought I could use it in my two lawnmowers which are both 30wt spec'ed but really liked when I tossed in some thicker oil last year, both are close to 10 years old. Should I try some of the Defy for this next shorter 1000mi OCI and save the Mobil 1 15w50 for the full 2000mi OCI?
 
stopped by BMA Cycles in Bainbridge, PA (local Genuine dealer) to get my Honda Shadow inspected and asked their tech what they're using in the Stella 4T's coming back in for service...

dependent on what the customer wants...

synthetic...Amsoil 10w-40 Scooter Oil

conventional...Castrol GTX 10w-40 passenger car motor oil (they've been using Castrol GTX pcmo in scooters & motorcycles for years without incident); they also sell Maxima conventional motorcycle oil which would be my choice (from their selection) for conventional oil in a scooter which has higher amounts of additives for wear protection, cleaning, corrosion protection, and negating acid effects

I'm gonna widen this conversation a bit...for wet clutch applications avoid any oil that has the API starburst symbol and phrases 'energy conserving' or 'resource conserving' which have antifriction ingredients that might contribute to clutch slippage; following this advice opens riders up to a wider selection of oils to choose from (40 & 50 wt car oils, 30, 40 & 50 wt heavy duty engine oils, scooter oils, motorcycle oils)

I'll confess that even though I have a stash of Spectrto conventional motorcycle oil (clearance sale at Cycle Gear), I am currently using SuperTech 15w-40 in my Suzuki GZ250 and a witch's brew (various leftover 10w-40 motorcycle oils, 15w-40 oils, and a bit of 10w-40 car oils) in my Honda Shadow for short run OCI's for 'flushing' purposes; both bikes are running and shifting well...

if it were me, use the Defy for your next OCI (consider it the tail end of your break-in period) and switch to the Mobil 1 after that...I was just trying to let you know there are lots of choices (some very expensive) and many riders successfully use conventional or synthetic blend oils; one example is Shell Rotella T 15w-40 conventional which carries JASO-MA rating for motorcycle wet clutch applications (usually less than $4.00 per quart) that rivals many more expensive motorcycle/scooter oils

good luck and many miles of trouble-free riding!!!
 
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After thinking about it and reading some, probably going to skip the Defy, it doesn't strike me as a "heavy duty" oil, and go with a qt of HDEO for this oil change or maybe ST 20w50. The Defy will go into the lawn equipment.

If you're having good luck with ST 15w40 (HDEO, I assume?) in your Suzuki, that means it's a pretty good option. The GZ250 is probably harder on oil than the Stella, true air-cooled vs forced air-cooled.

Hopefully using Hiflo filters rather than the OEM doesn't void my warranty. The Hiflos I got on ebay for 5/$15 with free shipping, vs. $7.99 plus shipping for an OEM (which look like [censored]).
 
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my Honda, previous Yamaha VStar 650, and virtually every 4t scooter I've had got HiFlo Filtro's; would be using them on the Suzuki, but my shop didn't have any; for now it has a Suzuki brand filter with K&N 136's to follow...

HDEO's are a great alternative to traditional motorcycle oils (great protection & often cost less); I'd run HDEO in my Honda, but it seems to shift better with 10w-40 motorcycle oil
 
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Well, doesn't matter for now. Replaced the filter and went to torque on the cover nuts. Set my torque wrench to the 1.1 Kg-M specified, started wrenching...and the stud turned with the nut. Tried all four and the same thing. How does all four studs strip out? Improperly manufactured studs? Wrong size pilot hole? Factory stripped them out? Never leaked oil, either, cover and gasket were on tight and all four nuts came off with no problem. Bringing it in first thing in the morning.
 
I had hoped that LML (the manufacturer in India that makes the Stella) improved their quality control/quality assurance; I had a 2009 Stella 2T that was plagued with multiple minor issues (electrical -- pinched wires, blown fuses, electrical components grounding out on body panels; leaks -- 2T oil & transmission oil) that had me feeling unsure of the reliability (I'm not extremely mechanically inclined & lack patience for repetitive problems)...I let it fly the coop to regain my sanity;

hope yours doesn't have continuous issues...
 
I actually have a nagging suspicion that it was the dealership when they prepped the scooter. I don't think LML ships them over with filters or oil, and the dealer definitely changed the oil before I picked it up, the drain plug and bottom of the crankcase was slick with oil. Other than this, I haven't had a problem with the bike, it seems to be good quality and the dealer seems to have prepped it well (other than the stripped studs) and they have a good reputation in the scooter industry. They are a Vespa/Piaggio, Genuine, and Kymco dealer, all three big brands. The 4T also, from what I've been reading has not had nearly as many issues as the 2T did. Also, many of the problems with the 2T could have been dealer related, the scooters are shipped in pieces to the dealer and they assemble them. New dealers or those unfamiliar with the Vespa/P/PX/Stella design. Many of the wiring/electrical problems were related to the routing of wiring, wires pinching or rubbing, etc...
 
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Originally Posted By: NeuroticHapiSnak
Well, doesn't matter for now. Replaced the filter and went to torque on the cover nuts. Set my torque wrench to the 1.1 Kg-M specified, started wrenching...and the stud turned with the nut. Tried all four and the same thing. How does all four studs strip out? Improperly manufactured studs? Wrong size pilot hole? Factory stripped them out? Never leaked oil, either, cover and gasket were on tight and all four nuts came off with no problem. Bringing it in first thing in the morning.


I'm a big proponent of the use of the torque wrench, BUT...

...on my Honda motorcycles I've learned that any fastener that is anywhere near aluminum must be tightened by feel. The torque specs in the repair manual are way too tight and will often result in stretching or stripping threads. I do torque all the suspension fasteners to spec with a torque wrench.
 
good luck with the warranty repairs; have fun experimenting with different oils (part of the adventure of doing service/maintenance DIY); hope you get great service from your dealer and this is the only moderate/major issue that you encounter...
 
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