slice Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Ratbob you have that the wrong way round mate, oil is THICKER when cold and thins down when it gets warm. Tho it should never become THIN per se as it is required to maintain the minimum thickness as stated on the tin ie 10/30 10/40 and so on depending on the use and type of vehicle it is intended for. The same applies to different types of fuel, diesel will require warming when cold (below 15 degrees) before it can be used in the injectors. Thick and Thin Motor oil viscosity is expressed as a number. Thicker motor oil has a higher viscosity number. Thinner motor oil has a lower number. Multiple viscosity oils carry with them a range of numbers—10W–40, for example. In this case the 10 is a representation of the motor oil's viscosity when cold and is determined from tests conducted at temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The W stands for Winter. The 40 represents the viscosity of the oil when tested at an engine operating temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold Weather Startup The cold weather measure of motor oil viscosity is crucial to the ongoing survival of an automobile engine during the first few seconds of extreme cold weather operation. The old saying "Slower than molasses in January" also applies to motor oil. Engine damage can occur if motor oil is too thick due to cold and is unable to flow in between engine parts during a cold weather startup. Which viscosity of oil to use depends on the weather conditions where the car is operated along with manufacturer recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Might be a weak/failing oil pump. When oil is cold it is thinner, when it warms up it becomes thick so that it will stick to the moving parts to lubricate them properly. If the oil pump is weak then it will not be pumping correctly and it might be that due to a lack of oil the engine is losing compression, therefore loses power and stalls. Do not run the bike in this condition, absolutely take it to a mechanic and have the oil pump checked and have a compression test done. Oh dear, just when I thought peace was breaking out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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