Changing Oil is Auto Oil OK

[ancy]

Changing oil in the Mule 1000 and was going to go with a synthetic. It says to use 10W40 for the litest oil. Is there a difference with synthetic. I also know I am not to use auto oil in my Rancher AT because of the tranny and clutch, does it matter in this mule? Just says SE or SF. Thanks

[bross]

Originally Posted by ancy

Changing oil in the Mule 1000 and was going to go with a synthetic. It says to use 10W40 for the litest oil. Is there a difference with synthetic. I also know I am not to use auto oil in my Rancher AT because of the tranny and clutch, does it matter in this mule? Just says SE or SF. Thanks

Sorry not familiar with the Mule's but what's it say in your owners manual? SE, SF are fairly dated standards and most modern "car" oils don't meet that spec anymore. Does the Mule require the JASO MA spec? I would stick with motorcycle oil. You'll find a million people who will say they have always used Castrol GTX or Shell Rotella in all their bikes and never had a problem, but as I said oils are changing and new auto oils just don't cut it in motorcycles anymore.

If you do decide to go with an auto oil stay away from anything with "Energy Conserving" in the spec circle, those oils are NOT compatible with wet clutches, but not sure if the mule uses a wet clutch or not.

As far as dino or synth, doesn't matter, oil is oil, synth is not more slippery than dino, and use the same weight synth or dino recommended in your manual for your area. Personally I run full synthetic Amsoil in all our vehicles. Normally run a 10W40 in the quads for the summer but just switched to a 0W40 for the winter, as I use one of the quads for plowing and the other gets used occasionally for fun in the snow.

[RCW]

NO! Do not use automotive oil in a Mule 1000, you will trash the clutch. The 1000 uses a motorcycle engine with wet clutch and requires motorcycle rated oil suitable for wet clutches.

[Hot Cruiser]

Shell Rotella T dino (15w-40) meets JASO specs, but because Shell doesn't market it as a motorcycle oil even though they recommend it for bikes, they don't pay the JASO license fee.

[Thumperacres]

RCW, is there and early and late version of the 1000? I don't remember my 1000 using a wet clutch. I got it in pieces and the out put is to the gear box via a typical external 2 sheave snowmachine style drive. Maybe that is why there is year of manufacturer disagreement between the Honda Dealer and I. Max

[RCW]

You are correct. The clutch was replaced with the torque converter for the Mule use of the LTD 450 motorcycle engine. I misspoke because I service them like the motorcycle engine they are but it is because of the transmission not the clutch. The key is the transmission and engine share the same sump and they need the correct oil to handle the sliding friction of the transmission components.

The year of manufacture disagreement is likely because at one time Mules that did not sell in the actual year of manufacture were registered in whatever year they sold. True of motorcycles in some states too. That creates a lot of confusion among owners and service folks both.

I agree, Shell Rotella T works very well.

[ancy]

I bought Shell Rotella T full synthetic oil SAE 5W-40 meets API service CJ-4/SM and a Wix filter. Will this Shell Rotella T work as good as the normal? The other thing I think that is funny is the fact they give you 3 different amounts for oil with out filter, with, and empty. I was going to use the lighter oil for winter and on my newer equipment the synthetic can go a lot lighter.

[RCW]

I used synthetic oils for years, but be careful if you are going to let the machine set for an extended period. Synthetics, with few exceptions, do not cling and provide rust prevention of the cylinder walls, transmission components, and crankshaft like conventional oils.

If you go synthetic, start it up every week and let the oil circulate to avoid internal rust.

[bross]

Originally Posted by RCW

I used synthetic oils for years, but be careful if you are going to let the machine set for an extended period. Synthetics, with few exceptions, do not cling and provide rust prevention of the cylinder walls, transmission components, and crankshaft like conventional oils.

If you go synthetic, start it up every week and let the oil circulate to avoid internal rust.

Sorry but that's a lot of mis-information. Synthetic oils are actually better for storage, and the worst thing you can do is to start a vehicle in storage. You'll rarely get the engine up to proper operating temperature, and you for sure won't get it hot enough to burn off any condensation, and it's that condensation created when a cold engine starts to warm up, that will cause rust, not what type of oil is in there.

From the Amsoil site in regards to storage protection...

"Delivers Superior Rust Protection
Motorcycles are prone to rust from storage, humidity and short drives. Rust can cause major damage such as roller bearing failure, uncontrolled wear, compression loss and blow-by. Good rust protection, however, comes by design and is not natural to engine oils. Unlike many motorcycle oils, AMSOIL MCV contains special anti-rust agents. It passes the ASTM D-1748 humidity cabinet rust test and clearly demonstrates superior rust protection (see photos below)."

Some good information here about oils in general...
White Paper - A Study of Motorcycle Oils

And no I'm not a dealer or affiliated with Amsoil in any way, just use the stuff.

From another site on synthetics and winter storage...
"Synthetic oils have a big advantage for winter storage. The increased film strength of synthetic oils means it takes considerably longer for the oil to all drain down to the oil pan, so when you finally do start your engine there's still a little oil on all the bearings. Also, synthetics offer superior protection for cold weather starts. If you drained out normal oil and replaced it with synthetic, you have to start the motor and run it for a minute to get the synthetic oil pumped all throughout the motor."
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