winter storage

 During a discussion about winter storage a week or two back, I mentioned
that I change oil before storing the bike and again when I bring it out of
storage.

Several seemed to think that was a waste of time and asked why on earth I
changed oil twice.  At the time I had no response other than that I always
did it that way so I didn't respond.  BTW, I've been riding for over 55
years so "always" is a very long time :-).

Anyway, yesterday I was reading a Suzuki manual to see if I'd missed
anything and noted that their recommendation was indeed to change oil
twice like I do.  The reason they gave for the second change in the spring
was that the oil might have become contaminated by condensation.

I rest my case :-).

 

Yes, sulphuric acid definitely does attack steel parts.

You might want to research "acid dew point" and consider the amount of
sulfur, if any, in your oil.

Refineries get "sweet" or "sour" crude oil that has varying
percentages of sulfur and they have equipment that separates sulfur
from oil.

Crude with more sulfur is called "sour" crude.

Sulfur is extracted and sold in elemental form, but sulfur dioxide and
hydrogen sulfides are still a problem
for the refinery equipment, as well as the environment.

When the refinery smoke stacks' temperature falls below the acid dew
point, the steel is attacked by sulfuric acid as water combines with
sulfur compounds.

I suppose that the Rotella oil that I am using (it's intended for use
in diesel trucks) has about twice as much sulfur as mineral oils
intended for cars.

Sulfur, zinc, and phosphorous combine to form a slick, glasslike
surface on overheated metal parts, so that's why truck oils and some
racing oils like Valvoline VR contain zinc dithiodiphospate (ZDDP or
ZDP on the label).

You can control condenation by limiting the amount of air that enters
your exhaust and intake systems

Just plug the exhaust pipe outlet while the engine is still hot
and tape off the rubber inlet snorkel on the airbox.

The crankcase breather hose goes to the airbox, so taping the snorkel
takes care of that point of entry to the engine.

Or, you can park your motorcycle in a heated garage so that
condensation doesn't occur at all.

Now, consider this:

You went through all the trouble of changing the oil before storage,
and you
changed the oil again when waking the motorcycle up for the beginning
of the riding season.

But now you know about acid dew point and sulfuric acid formation.

You're not going to park your motorcycle outdoors on a cold day, are
you?

I thought not. Just keep it in an environmentally sealed plastic
bag... ;-)

 


Pretty flimsy case there, counselor!

What was the date on that manual........1950 ??
And what was the storage period in question ??

Modern oils don't get "contaminated" by a slight amount of condensation.
The water simply "burns off" the first time the oil gets up to temperature.
AND
To get more than a slight amount, the conditions would have to be EXTREME or
the storage period MUCH longer than a few months.

My opinion remains unchanged.  A TOTAL waste of time and money.

 Larry Blanchard wrote:

So why not leave the dirty oil in there all winter and let it get
condensation, then change it in the spring. You know there isn't any
water in it after riding all summer. I've done it this way for 50 years
with no problems.



--
Claude Hopper          :)

☮       ☻       ¥

 On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:56:05 -0500, Claude Hopper wrote:


Have you done it your way for over 25 years on the same bike?  :-)

According to Suzuki, and other things I've read, the first change
is because the dirty oil contains contaminants that could cause corrosion
over the winter.

Look folks, this isn't a religious issue, at least not with me :-).  I
simply reported what I did for winter storage and, when questioned, a
manual that seems to support my methods.  If other methods have worked for
you, great.