Well, I run syn in my cars, truck and now my harley. I went to it at 700 miles and now have 2700 on the sportster. No problems yet. Now watch, I goto the garage and there is a big puddle.

I agree with OldFender, I work for an engine builder, and I would say if you have a leak, thicker oild is just a short term fix.
Hang Loose

 

I am new here. I have a 2006 883C that I have put about 1400 miles on in the past month and a half. I went in at 1000 miles and had sythetic put in during the service. The dealership recommended it and so I did it. I took it home and within a few days it started leaking some. I called the service center at the dealership. The manager said to bring it in and he would look at it. He replaced the air filter and said there was a kink in some sort of line (I am no gear head). He said it is fixed and says that I shouldn't have that trouble anymore. He did say that if I run it at high speeds or have too much oil in it, it is likely to spit some oil. He said it is not bad, just a nuisance. I cannot say enough good about ALL of the dealings I have had at the dealership so far.

 

I had my 1000K service done at around 750mi. and they used Syn-3. My 883 used about 1/2 qt. before the service during break-in; since then, I've only added a 1/2 qt. of Syn-3 when I got to around 2400mi. I'm not sure if this is a result of everything seating in, using the Syn-3, or both. I've always used synthetic in my cars. It was my understanding that the molecules are more uniform in size, and this helps to prevent the coke build-up especially on hot small passages (like the lines that feed turbos), helps keep a protective film on moving parts during start-up until the oil pressure comes up, and stays thin enough in cool weather to flow quickly during start/warm up. I have never had an engine problem in almost 30 years of driving, so I figure even if only part of what I've heard about synthetic is true, it's worth the extra cost.
One important point: when people first started using it, the common thinking was it would last longer between oil changes. I've never subscribed to that, and have always changed oil at a minimum of what the manufacturer recommends, and usually even more frequently. No matter what kind of miracle lubricant you might have in an internal combustion engine, it still has to suspend the contaminants generated...

 

If you break your engine in properly, get a good piston/ring seal, and everything is tuned, maintained, and working like it should, the EVO engines require very little oil compared to the older Shovel's and Pan's.

I keep very accurate records of gas mileage, oil consumption, and scheduled maintenance.

My latest oil and filter change was done after putting 2,700 miles on the bike (since the last oil/filter change). Most of these miles consisted of 60 to 70 MPH cruising, and during this period of time we were in a major heat wave, with daytime temperatures averaging 100+.. Even with those conditions I added less than 1/2 quart of oil during the 2,700 miles.

I have maintenance records of my 2005 1200C since day one, and it has used nothing but Mobil 1 20W-50 V-Twin (and Amsoil 20W-50 a couple of fills) since it was brand new. In fact, the previous owner had Mobil 1 used as a "first fill" at the dealership when he took delivery of the bike.

I also use a few ounces of Lucas Oil Stabilizer at each oil change, something I've done, and many of the guys I ride with have done the same, for many years. Some will say that the Lucas product is bad in one way or the other, but I just shake my head. I average 20,000+ miles each year on my bikes, and friends of mine average at least that many miles as well, so over the years we have put a lot of miles on various Harley's running the Lucas Stabilizer. No leaks, top ends don't chatter or sound like a can full of marbles, so apparently the engines don't realize that they are being 'abused' by using the stabilizer.

 

I just had my 1000K service done and forgot to talk to the guys about oil (which I should have done since I'd read enough posts about it in here). Now I have to call and ask them what exactly they used (just in case I need to top off). Lord knows what "20W50 Bulk" really means. I guess we'll see how it all works out.

 

I rebuild diesels everyday, and one thing that is consistent is the gaskets are not. Some leak and some don't. When I bought my 1200 it was a 2000 with only 5000 miles on it. It had a pushrod cover leak, and a cyl. base gasket leak. It had reg. hd oil in it. I think you either have a leak or don't. And everyone I've talked to are split on the "oil debate". A fella I know bought an 06 RG 6mos ago and has 11k with syn and no trouble. But another fella has a 99 Softail with over a 100k using reg hd oil. So who really knows.---Joey

 

I would go along with that and on that same line of thinking would'nt using lucas oil stabilizer be a temporary fix and a way of hidding the real problem? Me and a few guys are hanging out in the shop and thought???

 

I don't use Lucas because of any oil leaks.

Main reason myself and guys I know use it is to help with the elimination of 'dry starts', and to provide extra lubrication which really helps to quiet the "valve chatter" on V-Twin engines.

And I also use it in my other cars and trucks, including a few high performance 'project cars such as a 11.7 second 347" stroked Mustang, 12.6 second LT1 Caprice, etc...

I don't think the Lucas stabilizer is really a "stop leak product". It might help to condition various gaskets, but it's not a magic gasket fixer... In fact, I had to swap out a defective valve cover gasket on my 350 LT1 Caprice not long ago when it developed a small leak.

 

Nice caprice, it's got a sleeper/vice look. Must be nice!

 

Thanks....

Besides the Harley's I also have a number of high performance cars and trucks that I mess around with....

The Caprice is an ongoing project, and we started with one of the Police Package 9C1 LT1 vehicles as it already had the factory HD suspension, additional coolers, etc...

Here is what has been required so far to get it into the mid 12's..

PCM Programming, 160* Stat, LT4 ESC, EGR Delete, Air Pump Delete, Cold Air Induction, Tri-Y Headers, 2.5" Catback, Stage II Ported 2.02/1.60 Heads, 2600 TC, Eaton w/4.10, GM 845 Cam (214/224), and 1104/0929 Bilsteins.

Takes quite a bit to get these heavier vehicles into the 12's, or quicker...