| Author | Message | ||
     No_rice |
i actually dont have a for sure answer on this. do our xb's bypass the oil cooler until the engine reaches the right temp or not? obviously wondering because its getting cold and i will still be riding. guess i have just never really thought about it or checked into it. | ||
| Jkhawaii |
last time I checked, no the oil dose not bypass the cooler. guess you have to stuff a rag into the cooler when its cold out | ||
| Skully |
I stuff some soft foam in the intake of my oil cooler for the next few months. | ||
| Fx1200 |
I have noticed that my XB's oil temp will remain low on a cool (52-55 degree) morning. This is after a 45 mile run at 70-75 mph. I commute with this XB and I am concerned enough about the overcooling of the oil that I am installing a thermostat which will bypass the cooler until the oil reaches 180 degrees. The thermostat was purchased online for $40.00 plus shipping from www.alamomotorsports.com. The hose and fittings may be bought from NAPA auto parts or a industrial hardware store. | ||
| Punkid8888 |
WOW, thats pretty sweet. I would like to know how it works as that seams like a good idea. Also how did you know your oil temp? do you have an oil temp gage on the bike and if so where did you install it? | ||
| Hogs |
HEy , Just take one or two of your black socks and stick in the oil cover as cheap as it gets and no extra oil line fittings, weight, and places for more leaks, have been doing this for too many years, no PLMS. when the temp gets down to 5 - 10 degs. or less leave it in there and forgot about it until spring... why complicate things... "KIS" in other words KEep it Simple, and ride... | ||
| Xb9 |
This brings up a good point- question is, is it really a problem to have the oil "too" cool? The oil is helping to cool the engine.... with cooler ambient temperatures, and cooler oil temps, it is that much more efficient in removing heat from the engine. If cool oil temperature is really a "problem" with cold ambient temperatures, I would think that the Buell engineers would have put a thermostatic control on it. I doubt they overlooked this. | ||
| Spiderman |
Yes there is a problem with runnining a engine too cool. Your combustion chamber is designed to burn with X amount of eficency with X amount of heat. This is why you hear knocking when the motor is too hot etc. Running the engine too cool can cause incorrect burn in the chamber causing poor performance and fuel mileage. | ||
| No_rice |
and if it's cool enough, the oil wont flow through the motor as good as it should either. | ||
| Swordsman |
I would imagine that so long as your cooling fan is still trying to come on, you don't have to worry about it. Mine's still coming on in 45-50 degree weather. I don't have the gear to ride in anything colder! ~SM | ||
| Vaneo1 |
ermmm, I dont get it. Isnt the engine supposed to be OIL/ AIR COOLED? Isnt all of this defeating the purpose? Why? Were do you guys live? Are you afraid of the oil freezing? Isnt the engine gonna be fine since there is still combustion? Do you use anti-freeze in your fuel? Ah hell what do I know Im here were it avgs. about 75-80 year round. Im really interested in the first couple of questions | ||
| Hogs |
Vaneo1, Your right you don`t get it...! In your temps. you need not to worry... Think of it this way on the extreme do ya know what molasses is, then think of that when you go and start your machine up when its Cold Brrrrrr, Do ya think that wd. Flow? Your Bearings would say Hey what the heck is this stuff... | ||
| Az_m2 |
In addition to the motor running more efficiently at a certain temp, I think it's also necessary to get the engine up to normal operating temp to burn off condensation that can build up in the motor. | ||
| Xbeau12s |
Too cold = 2 Viscous = bad for bearings. | ||
| Fullpower |
There is most certainly not any sort of thermostat nor bypass. I stuff a shop rag in my oil cooler, for the cooler months. | ||
| Slaughter |
Too cold also means higher pressure at higher RPM's. Let the beastie warm up thoroughly. I've seen oil filters blown apart and filter gaskets fail at the track in winter. | ||
| Xb9 |
I'd love to ask the appropriate Buell Engineer this one. I don't think cool oil is going to lower the combustion chamber temperature enough to affect combustion, or hurt fuel economy beyond what the ECM can handle with the head temperature sensor. I ran my bike last December (in Ohio) while monitoring the head temp voltage, and although it ran cooler than it does in the summer, it wasn't that far off once warmed up. It did take a little more time to reach normal temperature, but not extreme. Muti-viscosity oil should handle the viscosity issue, no? I always allow a longer warm up time before taking off as the temperature get's colder. I used to think the same thing, first year I had my XB I was stuffing socks in it too, but then I started thinking about it, and when I monitored the head temp voltage last year, it convinced me that it's not a concern.  | ||
| Buellman39 |
If your concerned about oil viscosity, they make a 0-40 synthetic oil now that should address any issues with flowing when cold. | ||
| Buellman39 |
Yes i have had several customers that i build motors for that where running 20-50 in the cold and had connecting rod failures. The piston pin scores and locks up, then the rod breaks. Changing to 0-40 or 5-30 in the cold has taken care of this problem. please let your bike warm up and keep the rpm's down for the first few miles on a cold day. | ||
| Buellman39 |
Remember your oil is still thick on a cold day no matter how much you plug your oil cooler up. | ||
| No_rice |
i dont think i've seen a 0-40 anywhere. | ||
| Buellman39 |
5-30 will work just fine over the winter if you can't find it. Yamaha makes 0-40. | ||
| Slaughter |
Pic from a race in December. A couple racers blew oil filter gaskets - this guy blew apart the oil filter body itself! Took out the next 2 guys going into the turn before the red flag. (he fell just after the pic was taken)  | ||
| Sloppy |
Cold oil will lead to increased sludge. Cold oil is unable to evaporate the water that will mix with your oil. Water formation is part of the process of combustion. The colder the engine, the more blowby you get and the more you contaminate your oil with both fuel and water. Engines are not designed to run on fuel & water contaminated oil. The bearings, oil pump and filter are all designed to run in oil at a certain viscocity range so don't beat on the engine until you're at temp. Cold engines and hot engines all suffer from bad Juju. Minimum bulk oil temperatures should be at ~ 150 F (that's my best guess based on my background, perhaps a Tribologist can chime in?) to get the water to evaporate. If you can't get it high enough then change the oil more frequently. There is no thermostat on your factory cooler due to the bean counters. If you think you need one then get an instant read thermometer from Wally Mart and see what your bulk oil temperature is. If it's too cool for your driving pattern then look up Dennis Kirk and order a thermostat. Or, change your oil more frequently during the colder months. | ||
| Xb9 |
Good points, especially on getting the moisture out of the oil. Maybe someone needs to design a thermostat controlled heater for the oil tank?  Seriously, running a 0-40 or 5-30 and changing it often should do the trick, and keep that motor running cool. Buells sure feel like they make more power when it's cold (after warm up)  I'm trying to think of what the owners manual says for oil viscosity in colder temps (don't have it handy). Seems to me it didn't recommend going that low of a viscosity..... 10w30 or 10w40 was the lowest I think. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Remember the first number in oil (ie the 20 in 20W50) represents the viscosity at freezing temp, and the second number represents the viscosity at normal operating temperature. So if cold weather is a concern run a synthetic diesel oil like shell rotella 5W40 or the organic version 15W40. The lower W or should I say "winter" # will get you the correct viscosity for cold starts. Cold starts are the real issue here, so unless you are riding in -25 deg I imagine you are still going to eventually get to normal operating temperature (albeit a bit more slowly than if the ambient temperature were 80 deg). Warm ups baby!!!!!!long warm ups!!!!! | ||
| Punkid8888 |
I am Surprised no one makes a Oil Heater for the Hardcore riders. They got them for cars and some are as simple as putting a special dipstick in that has a heating element on it. I imagine you could rework that design into our dipstick. (hmm maybe thats a good winter project for me). Or just get a heated Garage, yea that would work nice. | ||
| Brucelee |
M1 0W-40 is a good oil for very cold climes. Red Lime makes an excellent 5W-40. Both have very good flow at low temps, much more so than you would get from a DINO oil with the same weights. I presume the Buell manual temp chart would be our guide here. (Message edited by brucelee on November 02, 2006) | ||
| Tpoppa |
Doesn't anyone read the manual? Buell has already figured this out, below 40 degrees, use 10w40. Problem solved. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Hey FX what catagory did you find the thermostat under??????????? I cannot seem to find it under cooling or oil coolers....or do you have a part number. | ||
| Fx1200 |
www.alamomotorsports.com/pmc/Cat_page14.html The thermostat is installed and working well.  | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Thanks a million......and Pictures too.....the unit is larger than I though. Summit racing close to me has them in stock.... Just gives me a reason to take a ride this weekend. | ||
| Cereal |
How about just taking the scoop off? | ||
| Perry |
Now that's a good idea - I'm going to try it! | ||
| No_rice |
well i had a cover made for the whole thing, but since my stupid camera is messed up and wont download i have no pics to show. grrr | ||
| Fx1200 |
The image is deceptive. The unit is about 3" by 3.5" without the fittings. It is much smaller than the charcoal cannister that comes with the CA models. | ||
| Bébèrt |
Just found this thermostat at Hillbilly-motors. I fits between oilfilter and enginge.Look nice (159€)   |
