I have a 50cc scooter that I use in the summer months to go back and fourth to work. It was purcased on ebay so the seller has no idea what oil it uses. I have been using Mobil 1 10W30 oil w/ no problems. Would I benefit by switching over to the M1 Motorcycle 10w40 oil? The bike also needs gear oil, the person I bought it from said its ok to use 10w30 in there too while the local import bike shop said I need to use 80w90 gear oil, what are your thougts/recommendations for motor and gear oil?
50cc Scooter Oil Recommendation
- Thread starter carguy996
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You don't give us much to go on. What kind of scooter? Is it air-cooled or water cooled? What kind of transmission and/or drive system?
In the summer months water or air cooled I would use 20/50 or 15/50. These little engines work hard and the air-cooled engines get VERY hot.
In the summer months water or air cooled I would use 20/50 or 15/50. These little engines work hard and the air-cooled engines get VERY hot.
Sorry, its a Motofino MF-50QT6 50cc scooter imported from China. Its an air cooled 49.7cc engine and runs on an "automatic" CVT transmission. It runs consistently wide open throttle around 35-40mph, it does get very hot and I had some overheating problems w/ 5w30. My biggest question is for the gear oil, the owners manual is in Chinese which does me no good to tell what to put in the gear oil. The stuff that came out of it looked like regular oil. Ive read that I can use either 80w90 gear oil or 10w40 w/ no differences. Since this is my first bike I am just trying to get some information to make sure it lasts a long time.
That might be a good idea if it had a tranmission in the conventional sense.
It's probably a one stage non-shifting spur gear reduction. If so, it's not real fussy about what oil it gets. I would make sense to use whatever he uses in the engine, like the dealer says.
I agree XS650. Manufacturer specs should come first. The only thing I would consider about Chinese products is they may be recommending products that are available in their country. Different viscosities and synthetics may not be so common.
I'm sure a good 10/40 synthetic would do a fine job in both.
I'm sure a good 10/40 synthetic would do a fine job in both.
The oil in the trans really only lubricates 1 gearset and the axle itself. Neither of which have much load on them. Any oil will work in the trans.
I suggest a good quality synthetic such as Mobil 1 10W-40 motorcycle oil MX4t.
Chris
I suggest a good quality synthetic such as Mobil 1 10W-40 motorcycle oil MX4t.
Chris
I just bought a quart of the Mobil 1 MX4T, it was a little expensive but the guy said it was the best. Ive read that an 80w90 gear oil will work just fine but its not necessary. Is there any benefit/disadvantage to using a gear oil over the MX4T.
I run M1 synthetic 10/30 in my scooter trans. I have a Yamaha Zuma with a 70cc big bore kit and a gearing change. It runs 55MPH top speed. No wear issues at all in the trans with motor oil.
In fact, the aluminum housing is the bearing for the axle, as is yours. Motor oil is designed for such bearings. Gear oil is not.
Chris
In fact, the aluminum housing is the bearing for the axle, as is yours. Motor oil is designed for such bearings. Gear oil is not.
Chris
I could be wrong, but I do think the gear oil is not the correct choice for you trans. My reason is that the plain bearing axle needs an oil film similar to a camshaft in a car engine. It is simply a shaft in an aluminum casting. The rotation of the axle draws the oil in. The clearances are tight. So the oil must flow very well and produce decent film strength. Gear oil is not designed to lubricate plain bearings. Especially ones with such tight clearances.
Chris
Also, make sure to fill to exactly the proper level. My scooter was overfilled when I bought it and it leaked out on to the tire.
Chris
Also, make sure to fill to exactly the proper level. My scooter was overfilled when I bought it and it leaked out on to the tire.
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Do not second guess the manufacturer.
Transmissions can use motor oil, gear oil, and/or atf depending on their needs.
If the dealership is recommending gear oil when the manufacturer specifically recommends motor oil, then I would want to know their reasons for doing so. If they have been doing so with your model of scooter for years and people are logging thousands of miles successfully, you are good to go.
10/40 in both makes sense just change it often.
Transmissions can use motor oil, gear oil, and/or atf depending on their needs.
If the dealership is recommending gear oil when the manufacturer specifically recommends motor oil, then I would want to know their reasons for doing so. If they have been doing so with your model of scooter for years and people are logging thousands of miles successfully, you are good to go.
10/40 in both makes sense just change it often.
I switched over to gear oil then drove the scooter for a while since it was nice today and the gear oil got almost foamy so I drained it out, filled it w/ 10/40, drained that right away and refilled it and its good to go, I think motor oil is the best option for it, I have no idea what would have caused the gear oil to get foamy.
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