Fall GS oil change.....Oh-oh...I have a problem

So, I had an errand to run and took the GS. I was gone about 1/2 hour and returned to the house and put the bike in the garage on the center stand. After about an hour of puttering around, I looked at the GS and said, maybe I should change the engine oil...the oil in there is more than a year old and, the engine has cooled down by now.

Out to the garage, out comes the pneumatic ratchet and the metric sockets and hex wrenches. I put the drain pan on the floor and remove the skid plates.

Out comes the drain plug and the warm engine oil begins its trip into my drain pan. Next, off comes the filter. I turn the filter over to drain it and to my surprise, the oil coming out of the filter looks fresh and clean if not a bit darker than new oil. I feel and smell the oil. It has all the appearances of new oil except for the slightly darker color. I'm thinking, "Hey, this oil is not nearly worn out...what am I doing wasting 3 plus quarts of Mobil 1 and a Purolator oil filter. These are valuable resources that should be consumed with care".

So, I dumped the drained oil into the funnel and return it to the engine. I refit the Purolator and button everything up. Pheeeeeeew, I just saved about $35.00 in oil and filter costs. That was close. :eek1























Now, many of you are thinking, "This guy is nuts refilling his boxer engine with old oil and a used filter". And, you would be right. So, settle down....no, I did not return the used oil to the engine and I did fit a new Purolator filter along with the new Mobil 1 15-50 synthetic engine oil.

But, after carefully inspecting the engine oil for odor and feel and general condition, it was apparent that this oil could have stayed in the engine longer and provided all the protection of a quality lubricant that was still performing well. I know, not very scientific but the best I could do without benefit of a UOA.

Moral? I am convinced that quality engine oil lasts waaaaaaaay longer than we think and as a result, we change our engine oils waaaaaaay too frequently.

So, you'll not be hearing of my next engine oil change for at least another 18 months or so. Until then, I still have that used Mobil 1 engine oil in my drain pan......so, stay tuned.

Cool!!! A UOA will tell if the viscosity is still good and TAN should give you insight if the additive package is up to snuff. A review of the solids will tell if the filter is doing its job. Although, thats a $40 oil test to see if $15 of oil is still good.

:huh

How many miles do you ride in 18 months?

TAN (Total Acid Number) analysis is more often used to determine fuel quality.

TBN (Total Base Number) is the indicator of the oil's health. It determines if there is remaining buffer capacity in the oil.

UOAs tell you more than just oil health. The UOA will tell you if the oil is protecting, cleaning, if you have a fuel leak and coolant leak, bad air filter, wear metals, pending needed repairs, etc.

Less than 10K miles, likely not enough to wear out the new Mobil1.

and how hard is the bike ridden?

Great thread def...should have everyone up in arms soon..

Like def, I subscribe to extended drain intervals..I run a Amsoil filter and Amsoil..I just change mine at 10K since it's easy to remember..

I am in the midst this week of servicing the whole bike since I have a shock out being rebuilt. Swapped on Knobbies yesterday (Runnin up to Seatttle for a photo shoot Sunday for a major brand catolog, thought it would look better..people hate it when I ride off road with my Anakees..) Anyway, thought to myself.."20K since I changed Final Drive and Tranny lube, so.."

When I drained the Final Drive, it looked brand new..not a hint of discoloration, smell..nada..was running 75W-140 but now that we live in a cooler climate I put -90 in..

I'll get to the tranny today or tomorrow, it will be darker, always is, but now at 70K it's starting to shift well..

Will change the oil this week as well..has 9500 on it +/-, two trips across country, high sustained RPM, that kinda thing.

Was just lookin' at my notes..been 25K since I did valves too..guess I need to get busy.

Let me put it this way, I still drive a 1995 Ford Taurus with well over 100,000 miles on it. My newest vehicle is my riding lawn mower (3 years old), my diesel motorhome is a 2000, my newest car is my 2001 Ford Windstar and the BMW is a 2001 vintage.

I don't ride hard meaning, I don't explore redline frequently, I don't show off on one wheel and I no longer race Mustangs and the last brake pads were installed two years ago.

So?.........you be the judge.

See, now that's the way you should care for your boxer...

As for the valves, I checked mine earlier this year but I didn't adjust them. They were all a little loose...the way I like 'em. I think I changed GL-5 less than a year ago so, I'm good for a couple more years there...I likely need a new air filter....the current one is 5 years old....Oh, I almost forgot, I did change a H1 low beam lamp 2 years ago (or was it 3....can't remember).

The tail/brake is now LED along with the little EU parking lamp in the high beam reflector so, those will never need changing again in my lifetime.

New rear tire so I'm good for two more riding seasons...

I think I'll install the HID I have had in the garage for 8 years...it's time.

If you think of anything else, let me know. Thanks.

Got it!

my VW TDI (2003) has 219K miles on it and the oil gets changed every 10K since new. Have to use synthetic so I use Shell Rotella or Mobile 1

Great news

We just bought a 2011 last Feb..lovin' it so far..

Our cars, motorcycles, trucks, boats and most anything that has an engine, are getting very expensive, even for those of us who are fortunate and have discretionary income to blow. However, I have learned in my later years that it pays BIG to take care of those things with engines if for no other reason than to make sure they are not using excess fuel.

When I hear of one of us spending large amounts of money (I mean $1000.00 or more) on an exhaust system, it seems, well........you've most of you likely seen my comments regarding these expenditures. In ten years, many of us will be retired, living on Social Security right?

Wrong....there won't be any social security...in fact, your hard earned retirement dollars won't be worth a flip...a loaf of bread will cost $10.00, a gallon of motor fuel? Who knows.

So, when I began this all but useless thread, I had something in mind. And that was to remind us all, this stuff (including the oil in the ground) we have should be carefully maintained and cared for 'cause one day, we might not have the money we have now.

So, save I say and don't change your motor oil unless it is at least 6000 miles old. And then, save the old oil for chain/bar oil for your chain saw.

Now, I gotta get outta here before the MOD takes me out behind the woodshed again.

Careful....that could be somebody's mom.

I agree. Good quality oil, especially synthetic, will get dirty before it is worn out. That's why I primarily go by color to determine if it is time to change. If it's dark, I figure it is like micro-liquid-sandpaper. If it's golden, I'm golden...

Herb, when you say, the oil gets dirty, just what do you mean?

While I applaud your efforts to extend your oil change interval by observing the color of your oil, remember, the oil filter on our engines keeps oil free of debris, abrasives and particles large enough to do damage unless you are using a particular oil filter brand...then, all bets are off.

Most engines with a quality oil filter keep the engine oil debris-free for 1000s of miles.

The oil wears out because the additives that are actually doing the work wear out. This is often determined by UOA (used oil analysis) which includes a chemical test (titration) to determine the oil's TBN.

Once the TBN number has strayed below 2, the oil is worn out and the protective additives are spent. A low TBN will allow acids to form and potential for corrosion plus the additives are no longer able to perform their function. However, the base stock may be perfectly healthy and the oil may still retain its viscosity.

So, one must be careful when evaluating oil quality without benefit of a UOA.

Additives in current motor oils include the following;

1- Boron
2- Calcium
3- ZDDP
4- Carbonates
5- Molybdenum disulfide
6- Succonates
7- VI improvers

There are others.

Some of these additives change their color rather quickly once heated in the engine, darkening the oil almost immediately. The darkening is NOT due to dirt unless your filter media has failed and is allowing oil to bypass filtration.

So, be careful when evaluating your oil based upon color.

Oil changes color a little bit right away, but I'm talking about long term build-up of contaminants. Even the best oil filters can only filter out particles down to a certain size, typically around 10-35 microns. Enough 5 micron particles will turn oil dark, and then it acts as a microscopic abrasive liquid.

Sometimes I use 0.45 micron fliters for groundwater sampling, and that will make water clear. Cloudy water will plug one of those filters after about 1/2 liter of flow, however.

Apples vs oranges. Filtering a water sample to remove turbidity or suspended solids prior to a colorimetric or spectrophotometric analysis uses a filter paper and a vacuum filtration apparatus. Because there is limited area, the paper does get blocked rapidly.

Ever take an oil filter apart? There is a large area of filter media that keeps the oil clean. Next time you change your oil, send a sample to Blackstone Labs and ask for a particle count and particle size distribution. You'll be surprised.

While there is some darkening of motor oil from combustion byproducts in a gasoline engine (diesel engine are exempt here...diesel engine oil soots very rapidly), most of the darkening comes from heat not dirt.

Oy vey.......

The wife's new A4 with the turbo 2.0 only requires oil changes every 10k as well. Synthetic from the get-go...I plan to stick to the 10k. I'm also in the camp that leans towards longer interval changes...especially for synthetics.

So it sounds like you have some good success, just tell me what brand oil and what brand filter you use on the Boxer...SOLD! :)