Bought myself some Halfords semi-synthetic 15W40 for my BMW motorcycle (dry clutch so OK). Meets BMWs grade and specification BUT a general note on can says the oil is not suitable for post 1980 vehicles with fuel injection. Why?
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I suspect it is because Halfords attract a lot of customers who know nothing about engines or oils and will walk in and pick up a can of whatever is cheapest because their oil light has come on or they have a leak they can't be bothered to get fixed.
Modern engines need oil that is thinner when cold.
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A semi-synthetic not suitable for post-1980 vehicles with fuel injection? With no disrespect, are you sure? That would seem to wipe out most of the market.
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Which oil was this? The one in the container as below
tinyurl.com/kkmee
or a motorcycle-specific oil?
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It's almost as though is ie a typo and should be pre 1980 which would make some sense but why injected engines. Regards Peter
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My guesses are:
- Maybe some fuel pumps are oil lubricated
- Something to do with FI cars having a more precise mix meaning less chance of oil dilution.
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Checked the can and it actually says suitable for most non-fuel injected engines post 1980. I concede that it does not actually say unsuitable for fuel injected engines.
Checked for similar exclusions on the Castrol website and they also imply that anything beginning 15W or 20W is not for modern engines.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I would have thought that anything beginning 15W or 20W would be suitable for running engines hard in warm environments or running any engine at all in hot environments.
From the Castrol site:
"SAE Viscosity Grade: 20W-50 Temperature Conditions: Above 20° F
Descriptions: Provides maximum protection for high-performance, high-RPM racing engines. Excellent choice for high temperature and heavy loads such as driving in the desert or towing a trailer at high speeds for long periods of time."
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I hope you have bought engine oil for a motorcycle? Car engine oils are designed for the engine, where as bike oil lubricates the engine aswell as the gearbox,with special additives in for this purpose.
Contact Simon or Guy at www.opieoil.co.uk and they will advise you on the best oil for your motorcycle.
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BMW has separate gearbox oil and separate final drive oil and a dry clutch. No need to buy bike specific engine oil.
Never had a bike with combined engine/gearbox oil- sounds like the old Mini. Is that modern practice then?
I got the 15W40 engine oil grade recommendation from the owners handbook as being suitable for -10C up to +30C, IIRC.
Stil not sure why the Halfords semi synthetic oil is not recommended for fuel injected engines.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I have a Halfords container in front of me.
5w/30 part synthetic-suitable for the latest high effiviency engines including all modern Ford from 1998 on.
10w/40 part synthetic-suitable for most modern multivalve,turbo or fuel injected engines where synthetic protection is essential.
10w/40 enhanced mineral-suitable for most fuel injected engines.
15w/40 part synthetic-suitable for most non-fuel injected engines since 1980 where synthetic protection is preferred.
15w/40 enhanced mineral-suitable for most non-fuel injected engines since 1980.
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I was just going to post something similar.
The purple tubs say "suitable for most non-fuel injected engines....."
It doesn't say you can't use it un fuel injected.
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Thanks for all the responses. I remain puzzled as to what the note on the purple tub is meant to convey. Apart from confusing me.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Why does fuel-injection (instead of a carb) affect the type of oil that can be used?
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I suppose the trouble is these items are dumbed-down.
Instead of API SAE & ACEA peformance and viscosity ratings that a customer can compare to their owner's manual, they relegate these to 7 point text on the back and instead use marketing and branding tosh with the usual buzzwords and sales slogans. Either you know how to choose an oil or you don't and trying to make it so that anyone can choose an oil whether they know how to or not just causes contradictions and confusion.
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Oil specifications have changed over the years and the latest changes were to cater for FI rather than carbs.
SAE "W" grades were added in 1952 as it became apparent that engines could not be started in Cold Winter Climatic conditions with some SAE 30 oils. The "Winter" (W) performance was originally defined as viscosity at 0°F or -11.8°C.
SAE 5W and later SAE 0W grades were added as thinner "economy" oils needed to be defined.
Additional test specifications for winter performance were added to "W" requirements as engines failed mechanically in cold climate immediately after initial start, due to oil starvation.
SAE 15W and SAE 25W grades were added to further narrow the performance definitions in Winter Climates.
In 1970's minimum high temperature high shear specifications were added for performance at 150° C, when it became obvious that engines suffered from excessive wear or even seized at high speed high temperature operation such as long distance interstate driving or towing in Hot Summer climate.
So the changes to SAE J300 Standard were usually, a reaction to "fix" an existing problem with lubricants that caused engine problems in service. This was either due to viscosity breakdown when hot or failure to flow when cold. In either case, resulting in catastrophic engine failures.
Last few SAE J300 Standard changes were proactive. They were legislated jointly by the auto and engine manufacturers, as well as, the lubricating oil producers, before any problems in the field occurred. This was based on research tests in the laboratories, and therefore done in anticipation of problems before they had chance to occur.
Many of these specification changes were necessary because today?s cars equipped with electronic fuel injection and electronic ignition will start immediately at much lower temperatures.
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Mgbv8: text pasted from the Synlube site?
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