5w30 or 20w50?

can i run 5w30 oil or 20w50 in my 83 xj550?also can i use a higher cca battery?how can u tell if u have chipped teeth on the flywheel?is there a visual inspection or do i have to pull the case apart?

 

you'll hear chipped teeth when cranking the motor.

20 50 above 40 degrees. 5 30 below is what the manual says. (basically).

 

I've never seen a 5w30 that wasn't "ENERGY CONSERVING". You don't want to use an energy conserving oil with a wet clutch. I believe the book calls for 20W40 above 40 degrees and 10W30 below 60 degrees. I always just ran a 10W40 in my XJ.

The only limit on cca is the space under the seat. You won't harm the starter by using a higher rated battery.

The flywheel does not have teeth. Perhaps you should describe the problem you are having.

 

Sounds like a starter clutch problem and the oil might be a contributing factor...

 

i never quite understood this either... so what about temperatures above 60 degrees and below 40 degrees?
excuse me for any obvious answers but like my signature says, I'm just here for the education. don't take this as a smart*** question either. I've spoken with a wal-mart salesperson about this and he couldn't give me a straight answer

 

I stick with 10w40 HP4 blend year round. This provides easier starting and shifting, and the airheads run cooler.

 

i ran 20 40 because of the engine being air cooled. i don't thik you can buy 20 40 anymore.

5 30 would be a defenite advantage in winter time for easier starting.

 

I just run diesel weight oil. It helps keep the air cooled engine cooler. On a hot day (which most people ride in) that engine get so hot that the extra cooling capacity of the old really helps.

 

NOT 5W anything! That is car oil!

20W40 is still available for motorcycles, although 20W50 is much easier to find.

The best thing to run is motorcycle specific oil, like Castrol 4T. Next best would be Shell Rotella or one of the "diesel specific" oils.

I run 20W40 in my 550s when it's chilly out, and 20W50 during the warmer part of the riding season. MOTORCYCLE oil; although Castrol GTX is still OK until it gets "friction modified."

Start there; the 550 isn't known for the starter clutch issues that often plague the bigger bikes.

 

hi , i found the castrol GTX 20w-50 took ages to warm up and shifting was fairly hard for the first 15 minutes of riding,i changed to the 4T 15w-40 and noticed the difference straight away,easier changes much quicker, having said all that ,this was my experince only and my bike, it could be different with yours,im in queensland australia and it gets fairly warm, cheers

 

If you draw this out you'll see they overlap:

+.....................60........... 40........................-
<=================|
.........................|==================>
20W40....................................................10W30

60 degrees and above = 20W40.
40 degrees and below = 10W30.
Between 40 and 60 either is acceptable

 

Have any of you tried the Castrol Act Evo X–tra 4T? I think you can get it in 20w40.

 

20 w 50 always. I use the ultra cheap Walmart Tech brand in the blue container.

When I first got the bike it had shifting problems. After a few oil changes it was fine. I think that the OP never changed the oil or used crap car oil.

 

Yes. And yes you can. I have it one of my 550s right now; but the bike is down for the winter, so I'll have to report back in the spring.

It's a semi-synth, I'm taking a chance based on the fact that they swear it's for high-revving 4-cylinder motors and they swear it's perfectly compatible with wet clutches and will make them happy.

We shall see. The reason I want to try it is it's getting harder to find conventional 20W40 (my Spectro source is drying up) and I don't want to run 20W50 when it's chilly out. I don't regularly ride in cold enough weather to merit 10W anything.

I may run the ACT>EVO right through the summer and see how it does.