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  1. #1
    Active Member zbunker's Avatar
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    Question Foam or bubbles in the oil

    What is a good brand of oil that does not 'foam or bubble?'
    I had checked my oil on my 2012 RT ES 5. It read half way down the stick. That was after I drove around the town. The motor was operating temp, and I went through all the gears.
    This is with 13 hundred miles on the machine and after the 600 mile check up.
    The dealer sez that they use 'Seadoo 10-40 synthetic'
    Well that stuff foams, and that's okay.
    I know through reading the posts there are other brands that do not foam.
    Guess I am from the old school. Like automobiles transmissions that has foam on the stick, means there is trouble afoot. It just kinda makes my head feel better
    Any suggestions?
    Thanks
    Ron

  2. #2
    Motorbike Professor
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    "Half way down the stick?" That would indicate oil that was way over full. Half way between the add and full marks is about perfect for most Spyders. I hope that is what you meant. That level tends to keep the oil out of the airbox. With an SE, however, you may have to stick closer to full. Keep in mind that the oil level on a Spyder is measured with the dipstick screwed in, unlike most motorcycles.

    With a dry sump engine, air bubbles in the return oil are not uncommon. The scavenger pump has to be large enough to keep the sump evacuated, so it will pump a little air when there is not quite enough oil in the sump to fill the pump. In general, it is nothing to worry about, but you do not want to use an oil that won't release the bubbles quickly, and allows foam to accumulate. You also do not want an oil that "traps" the bubbles, turning milky in the process. That stuff can harm bearings when it is pumped back to the engine.

  3. #3
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    Default

    Valvoline 10w 40 synthetic motorcycle oil--specs below:

    Oil Composition: Synthetic
    Oil Type Included: 4 - Stroke
    Pour Point: -38.2
    SAE Oil Weight: 10W40
    Standards: Exceeds API Services SJ/SG/SF, JASO MA2
    Type: Plastic quart bottle

  4. #4
    Active Member zbunker's Avatar
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    Default Oill Types That Don't Foam

    Quote Originally Posted by NancysToy View Post
    "Half way down the stick?" That would indicate oil that was way over full. Half way between the add and full marks is about perfect for most Spyders. I hope that is what you meant. That level tends to keep the oil out of the airbox. With an SE, however, you may have to stick closer to full. Keep in mind that the oil level on a Spyder is measured with the dipstick screwed in, unlike most motorcycles.

    With a dry sump engine, air bubbles in the return oil are not uncommon. The scavenger pump has to be large enough to keep the sump evacuated, so it will pump a little air when there is not quite enough oil in the sump to fill the pump. In general, it is nothing to worry about, but you do not want to use an oil that won't release the bubbles quickly, and allows foam to accumulate. You also do not want an oil that "traps" the bubbles, turning milky in the process. That stuff can harm bearings when it is pumped back to the engine.
    Sorry for the miss information. I meant to say HALF-WAY BETWEEN FULL AND THE ADD line on the dip stick. (With the stick screwed in)
    It just feels disconcerting that at the 13 hundred mile mark on the odometer, and the stick shows 1/2 between add and full, after seven hundred miles, I am hoping I have not purchased a machine that BRC sez that kind of oil loss in the motor is "within specks."

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