03 Lemans maintenance

[bikelee]

Just bought this bike and I'm gonna do some maintenance such as change all the fluids (brakes, clutch, trans, engine oil, rear drive) as I do not know the history of this bike. I am gonna change the engine oil and filter on my 03 Lemans. Never done it before.  I want to take the sump off and clean the mesh filter. I DO NOT want to start an oil thread but I found 4 bottles of 5W-40 Agip synthetic motor oil that are sealed that I bought 5 years ago but I have 2 questions: Should I use 5 year old oil (it was 13 dollars a bottle. Hate throw it out )and is 5W-40 ok to use far as weight goes ? I see many people use 20W-50 but the owners manual says 5W-40.

 

Also should I put a hose clamp on the oil filter to keep it from loosening ? . I'm gonna use the oem UNI filter. I am thinking I should use a new pan gasket also.

 

I am replacing the air filter also as it looks like a mouse made a little home in there. I checked very closely but it appears no wiring was touched.

 

I plan to do more things later but want to start with this stuff first.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks !!

[GuzziMoto]

I use 20w/50. Do you know what the previous owner used? I personally think that using an oil with good protection for flat tappets ( high zddp levels and such) is more important then the exact weight rating of the oil. One judge of protection is the API rating, SG is my preferred. Oils that meet newer API standards are not allowed to have as much anti-wear additives like zddp in them. So to me an oil that is SG rated would be best. Beyond that you might have an oil that is SG/SJ rated or SG/SJ/SM rated. The later would be the worst choice in my opinion.

 

As a side note here, a 5w/40 uses a 5 weight oil for the base oil and adds viscosity modifiers to increase the viscosity to equate to a 40w oil at higher temps. A 20w/50 uses a 20 weight base oil and viscosity modifiers to increase the viscosity to equate to a 50w oil at higher temps. That is one of the reasons I use the 20w/50 oil, I prefer the heavier base stock. But for my riding the thinner oil is not needed (i.e., no cold weather riding).

 

As to the weight of the oil, that is up to you. All I can say is if I had some oil laying around and it was the oil I wanted to put in the bike I would use it. If it was not the oil I thought was appropriate for the bike I would not use it. Even if you paid $20 a bottle for the oil it is still cheaper to eat that then risk doing serious damage to your motor. It is like riding on tires that aren't right for the intended use but you got a good deal on them. They can cost you more then you saved on them. So, the temps and conditions you ride in plus the type/weight of oil that was previously used in the motor (if you know that) would be up to you to decide.

 

As for the clamp on the filter, I do not use them but I do not take the sump off every oil change. If you use the clamp, which is a good idea, you are committing to taking the sump off as I am pretty sure you can't change the filter once clamped without removing the sump.

I have used the UFI filter but now I use NAPA Gold/WIX filters.

[Kiwi_Roy]

I would use it while the weather is still cool and perhaps change when things warm up.

After sitting so long the metals will have dropped out to the bottom so be sure to shake the bottles.

 

Yes to the hose clamp, it gives you peace of mind to know the filter is not unwinding as you ride down the road.

[Scura R]

As far as I know, pre 2003 uses 20w-50.

 

My book says 5w-40, but I use Castrol rally formula 5w-50(They give me a good deal on it, and I hope it`s a good oil for the bike).

[docc]

Manufacturers have been specifying thinner and thinner oils in recent years to reduce friction thereby increasing their fleet fuel consumption incrementally. This does not necessarily bode well for the long term owner.

 

my

[dangerous]

shit man ya have the oil... use it IMO I wouldnt use a synthetic oil in a Guzzi if I had to buy it, a semi is fine.

never heard of a filter unwinding, if it happened then some on shouldent have been farking with the bike to start with and what if the hose clip comes loose?. most add a molly slip to the box and diff, I never have, never noticed any differance.

 

Other than what ya have said, tappit clearance check all else if going well leave alone.

[GuzziMoto]

In Norway 10w/40 (or even 5w/40) could be just fine. But in warmer climates I would not use an oil that thin on an air cooled Guzzi. But that is me.

The filter unwinding issue is well documented and there are quite a few people who use the clamp. I am just not one of them. But that is not because I dismiss the concept, I do not want to take the sump off every time so I instead choose to be very careful about putting the filter on and not using brands of filters that seem prone to unwinding.

Everyone has to choose for themselves.