[brianinmaine]

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Just curious if anyone here ever flushed out the motor with a quart of
kerosene mixed in the oil. Did it hurt the clutch? Just
thinking about trying it since the old oil has been sitting in there a
few years before I got the bike (80 GL1100).
To flush or not to flush... that is the question?

 

[PatinIdaho]

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Hi. I would put a quart of MMO in it then top it up with fresh oil and filter. Run it real easy for about 300 miles then change oil and filter again with what ever oili plan on using.

Pat

 

[exavid]

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I'd go along with Pat, fresh oil with a little Seafoam or MMO. Once the engine is hot and the oil is thin it will flush things out just fine. Run a few hundred miles, try to do it over a reasonably short time so you won't hold this oil in the engine too long.

 

[Gearhead76]

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I'm not sure about the seafoam stuff, but the mmo marvel mystery oil,
Really thins out the oil, I don't think I would ride her too long,

I've used the stuff in cars, and after running a car for 10 min the oil comes out like water, I don't think I would ride with it in.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[RedWinger]

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[brianinmaine]

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Thanks all for the suggustions. I saw on other forums where
people used kerosene and it did worry me whether or not to try it... I
guess I'll just stick with MMO. Thanks!

 

[Renegade]

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UseMMO or SeaFoam... Be careful with Kerosine. It has a high flash point, but can still explode. I always found MMO to be the best for flushing engines with no damage.. Run it for just 100 or 200 miles...

 

[GWNorman]

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Kerosene/parrafin is not very kind to clutches, it softens the friction material. I'd personally avoid this.

 

[twisty]

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brianinmaine wrote:

Just curious if anyone here ever flushed out the motor with a quart of
kerosene mixed in the oil. Did it hurt the clutch? Just
thinking about trying it since the old oil has been sitting in there a
few years before I got the bike (80 GL1100).
To flush or not to flush... that is the question?

brianinmaine, using kerosene to flush out engines has been used for years. As far as kerosene mixed with oil hurting anything? That depends on how you look at it. The kerosene/oil mix by itself won't actually hurt anything as long as that mixture isn't operated under a working engine load or high RPM's. The problems arise with anything (dirt wise) it would break loose & carry to the oiling system or cylinder walls. There isn't much oil film strength in that thin mixture so there wouldn't be very good dirt isolation or dirt suspension capabilities.

Using a kerosene/oil mix as a flushing agent was used mainly in the days before detergent oils & with poorly ventilated engine crankcases with lots of heavy crankcase crud build-up. Modern engine oils with good dirt suspension characteristics, great oil detergent packages, good crankcase ventilation, coupled withtight bearing clearances make crankcase flushing obsolete. In fact it could really cause more harm than good.

If you are really intent on flushing your engine crankcase just do an oil & filter change, then run the bike through a few hot engine cycles, then change the oil again.. Modern engine oils have a better flushing ability than kerosene does sodoes a great job of removing impurities.

Twisty

 

[Frenchy]

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One thing to keep in mind, no matter what you put in you oil. When you drain your oil, there's still oil left in the motor. I would guess around two cups (seems like 2 gallons). I've found that no matter how well I drain a motor, more oil comes out when I tear it apart.So keep in mind that when you change the oil, you will still have a diluted mix of what ever you put in...... :?

 

[SoulvilleUSA]

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Gearhead76 wrote:

I'm not sure about the seafoam stuff, but the mmo marvel mystery oil,
Really thins out the oil, I don't think I would ride her too long,

I've used the stuff in cars, and after running a car for 10 min the oil comes out like water, I don't think I would ride with it in.

But that's just my opinion.

Per the product's website, Seafoam is basically mostly pale oil with naptha. Pale oils are what painters call "drying oils" because they assist in the removal of moisture which allows paint to dry faster... thus the pale oil helps remove moisture in the compartments. Napthas are solvents, which help remove carbon and other deposits. Always use this stuff outside of the garage as it does create prodigious amounts of exhaust fumes while it is working its way through the engine. (when using it through the feul system to clean the carbs) I don't reccomend using this as a every-so-many-miles maintainance product though, nor would I reccomend any solvent regularly. I have seen plastic and rubber engine components literally eaten away by fuel additives and injector cleaners. My policy is clean it when it needs it. I also agree with Gearhead... I would run in idle, parked,to keep any torque to a minimum on the engine parts.