Start below freezing?

[Guest Gooz]

Does starting a Guzzi motor with 20W50 at temperatures below freezing do any damage the the motor or any internals?

[BrianG]

Does starting a Guzzi motor with 20W50 at temperatures below freezing do any damage the the motor or any internals?

70343[/snapback]

 

Having lived in Canada all my life......... I'd suggest that it's a bad idea unless you at least thin the oil, or warm it somehow. Even a 100W bulb (trouble light) placed close to the oil pan, for an hour, will substantially heat the oil.

 

Up north, we used to add (about 5% of the oil volume) gasoline to the oil of the aircooled aircraft engines to thin the oil before starting them if they had sat long enough to cold-soak.

 

Better to drop that oil and run 5W-30 if you are going to operate it in those temps.

[mdude]

Story: I have a mate who's a Bentley/Aston Martin mechanic. One winter morning he got a phone from a very wealthy customer with several supercars in his collection. Among them a mint Aston Martin DB5 (remember; the James Bond Aston?), worth appx 120.000 english pounds/220.000 $.

 

The guy asked " I took the Aston on a ski holiday friday, but the temperatures has fallen and I wonder if its safe to start the engine below -5 Celcius?". My friend, who has explained this to him several thousand times before, and also very strongly advised against taking such a precious car with wafer thin alu body and no rust protection whatsoever out on salty, icy winter roads, is shocked but explains calmly that "no, You shouldnt sir, the engine needs at least 12 C before its safe to start it. It'll blow. Let it stand where it is and I'll collect it for you with a trailer"

 

The wealthy moron tells him to shove it, basically. That my mate just wants to screw him and sneek money out of him, and that he'll do what the hell he want with his own property. "but of course, Sir..."

 

10 minutes later he calls again. "Think I'll need a trailer after all, something is not right here". He had tried to start it, and blown it. Cracked crank, cracked block, cracked rods, cracked everything. The restoration of the engine alone cost him a cool 30.000 pounds/56.000 $.

 

Don take lightly on stiff motor oil.

[v50man]

10W40 and a quart of Rislone..............

 

Fire the beast......................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DeBenGuzzi]

Story: I have a mate who's a Bentley/Aston Martin mechanic. One winter morning he got a phone from a very wealthy customer with several supercars in his collection. Among them a mint Aston Martin DB5 (remember; the James Bond Aston?), worth appx 120.000 english pounds/220.000 $.

 

The guy asked " I took the Aston on a ski holiday friday, but the temperatures has fallen and I wonder if its safe to start the engine below -5 Celcius?". My friend, who has explained this to him several thousand times before, and also very strongly advised against taking such a precious car with wafer thin alu body and no rust protection whatsoever out on salty, icy winter roads, is shocked but explains calmly that "no, You shouldnt sir, the engine needs at least 12 C before its safe to start it. It'll blow. Let it stand where it is and I'll collect it for you with a trailer"

 

The wealthy moron tells him to shove it, basically. That my mate just wants to screw him and sneek money out of him, and that he'll do what the hell he want with his own property. "but of course, Sir..."

 

10 minutes later he calls again. "Think I'll need a trailer after all, something is not right here". He had tried to start it, and blown it. Cracked crank, cracked block, cracked rods, cracked everything. The restoration of the engine alone cost him a cool 30.000 pounds/56.000 $.

 

Don take lightly on stiff motor oil.

70352[/snapback]

HAHA rich ppl are so funny... could have cost him what maybe $500 max instead 100 times that. But is the DB5 really that fragile? not that I would take such a sweet car anywhere but to cruise the beach on a cool day(as in what 30C)

[dlaing]

Notice that from the above chart that it is roughly just as bad to start a bike with 20W50 at -15ºC as it is to start a bike with 5W30 at -30ºC.

Following that logic, the guy who toasted his Aston Martin was probably running straight SAE30 or 40 Yak Fat...or maybe the Aston Martin has narrow oil galleys or something...

FWIW I think synthetic 5W50 is the no brainer way to go.

0W40 is probably better for a Canadian Winter, and 20W50 is probably better for Southern California down to just a hair above freezing

[dlaing]

I wonder if the bikes that added oil spraying (2003-2004+) require a little thinner winter grade

Allegedly the Californias with the hydraulic valve adjusters need just the right weight oil, so if you own one of them, you might only want to ride in mild weather...

[mdude]

Following that logic, the guy who toasted his Aston Martin was probably running straight SAE30 or 40 Yak Fat...or maybe the Aston Martin has narrow oil galleys or something...

 

70453[/snapback]

 

Think you are right on both: single grade mineral oil, narrow galleys, tight tolerances... from what I have heard the straight sixes of AM are quite venerable. The later V8 is much more reliable.

[Greg Field]

Use a good synthetic oil, and you will have no problems. After startup, wait a minute or so, and then drive off gently. Warm the oil in this way for 10-15 minutes before giving it stick. Until the oil reaches 30 degrees C or so, your oil bypass valve is dumping most of the flow back in the pan. That is why you should never rev it hard until the oil is falrly warm.