Ringding Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I've always run Silkolene Comp2 injector in my LC. However, I've ended up with a bottle of Castrol TTS Power 1 fully synthetic stuff. The Silkolene is semi. Can I just top the tank up when the oil light comes on or do I have to drain out the Silkolene before using the Castrol? TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Things may have changed in the last few years, but it used to be OK doing that. Mineral -> Synth was a big no-no as they'd react and clag up, but Mineral->Semi-synth->100% is (was) OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coose Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Mineral -> synthetic is also fine. It's the mixing of castor oils (such as Castrol R) with anything else that causes problems. In his youth, my brother used to put a splash of Castrol R in the tank of his Mk2 Valve. It smelt great but did it no favours whatsoever..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringding Posted October 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Aha! Thanks guys, that makes life a little easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Mineral -> synthetic is also fine. It's the mixing of castor oils (such as Castrol R) with anything else that causes problems. In his youth, my brother used to put a splash of Castrol R in the tank of his Mk2 Valve. It smelt great but did it no favours whatsoever..... In my defence, I was told that when I was 16 and knew no better. But once told, it stuck as I'm an unsympathetic numpty at the best of times, so not mixing was always teh way for me... Can you still get castor-based 2 stroke? Also, what's the deal with 100% synthetic pre-mix only oils? Needed some oil for the EXC200 we borrowed the other week but the stuff I got says words to the effect "Special off-road two stroke ESTER" and pre-mix only - the NS, when it runs, uses TTS which I'm fairly sure is injector or pre-mix. So does using 'just pre-mix' oil help in pre-mix bikes(i.e. does it mix up better when pre-mixed than an either/or oil?) or is it just a bit of a marketing con? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cagimaha Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 In my defence, I was told that when I was 16 and knew no better. But once told, it stuck as I'm an unsympathetic numpty at the best of times, so not mixing was always teh way for me... Can you still get castor-based 2 stroke? Also, what's the deal with 100% synthetic pre-mix only oils? Needed some oil for the EXC200 we borrowed the other week but the stuff I got says words to the effect "Special off-road two stroke ESTER" and pre-mix only - the NS, when it runs, uses TTS which I'm fairly sure is injector or pre-mix. So does using 'just pre-mix' oil help in pre-mix bikes(i.e. does it mix up better when pre-mixed than an either/or oil?) or is it just a bit of a marketing con? As far as I know you can mix semi-synth with either fully synth or mineral but Ive been advised against mixing fully-synth with mineral. As for castor oil you can still get it. Castrol still make R40. Also you can get an equivalent from Morris (MLR30) which is full of additives so its not as bad to use as the old stuff. I use it in a 350LC with minimal hassles. It is pre-mix only though. As for the difference between pre-mix only oils and pump ones its the viscosity or "weight" of the oil. Pre-mix only oil is usually thicker (40W or higher) which is too thick for a pump to deliver effectively. The thicker oil will mix better with the fuel and falls out of suspension less easily. Hope this helps, Ben. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Pre-mix only oil is usually thicker (40W or higher) which is too thick for a pump to deliver effectively. The thicker oil will mix better with the fuel and falls out of suspension less easily. Hope this helps, Ben. Cheers for the try, but what I mean is why, when there are now oils that can be used in injectors or as a pre-mix (and so, I guess, have a kind of 'multigrade' action in that they're thin enough to be equally good for use in injectors as well as having the characteristsic of a heavier oil for holding in a suspension), do manufacturers still make 100% synthetic purely pre-mix only oils? And secondarily, why 'just off-road bike' 100% synth purely pre-mix? It's, in my mind, a bit like buying 10w gearbox oil in winter and 50w in summer, instead of using 10w/50 all year round. IYSWIM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coose Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 What Cagihama said is correct - the pre-mix only oils are a heavier grade that pumps generally can't deliver. The reason for the heavier grade I can only assume is that it will give a heavier load-bearing capability, and that making a multigrade would possibly lower the quality of the oil. You can still get pre-mix only oils (such as Rock Oil Synthesis 2 Pre-mix - I used to use this in my TZ and still do in my KTM) and are the only oils that you should use in a competition bike. 100% synth injector oils are for the likes of Aprilia RS250, 500 Gamma, NS400 etc. and would be perfectly fine up to a reasonable state of tune. But, if you're hunting three-figure bhp figures from your Gamma you should be going pre-mix with 100% synth. I'm not sure why 100% "Off-road" synthetic (such as Putoline MX) - maybe it's because their target market is MX? I can't see it being any different from a standard 100% synth - I wouldn't expect your Gamma to grow knobbles and longer shocks! Castrol R40 is magical stuff - you can use it in 2-stroke gearboxes (in fact, it was spec'd in the manual for my '94 TZ250!), old Brit 4-strokes that require a single-grade and also as a 2-stroke oil, though I probably wouldn't use it as a 2-stroke as there are such better oils available nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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