Transmission Oil
#32
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The clunk is caused by the input shaft is spinning when the gear is selected- clutch is not fully disengaged.
If your primary oil level is too high it can/ will cause the clutch to drag causing the clunk. Improperly adjusted clutch will can cause the clunk. Heres another thing you can try, especially when cold, after the engine is started and the clutch lever is in, wait a couple of seconds before you drop the shifter, give the clutch plates a moment to seperate. It works if everthing else is correct.
Note: Starting the bike in gear with the cluch in works but adds load the the starter motor.
If your primary oil level is too high it can/ will cause the clutch to drag causing the clunk. Improperly adjusted clutch will can cause the clunk. Heres another thing you can try, especially when cold, after the engine is started and the clutch lever is in, wait a couple of seconds before you drop the shifter, give the clutch plates a moment to seperate. It works if everthing else is correct.
Note: Starting the bike in gear with the cluch in works but adds load the the starter motor.
#33
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well, seeing as how their product is gl5, and they say not to use it, i'm not seeing this as a pitch to use their product (unlike the amsoil white paper).
their conclusions are based on the fact that in the gl5 oils, there are sulfurs that are acidic to brass and copper. i was doing a lot of reading last night, and from what i can tell, 'modern' gl5 has buffers in it that are supposed to mitigate the yellow metal erosion, but no one is really sure how long those buffers actually last.... a lot of applications that use gear oil have much longer service intervals than our trannies (even at the recommended 20k interval) so the sulfur buffers may still be doing there job, but i guess the only way to really tell is to have an oil analysis done. supposedly gl4 oil has sulfur in it as well, but at a much lower level.
if you're tranny oil is gl5, look on the label and see if it says 'yellow metal safe'. you can also check the msds and look for the copper corrosion numbers, 1a is absolutely no discoloration (ie corrosion) and 1b is slight.
if you want more info on it, go to bobistheoilguy.com and do a search on 'yellow metal'..... i'm still looking for the 'definitive' answer
their conclusions are based on the fact that in the gl5 oils, there are sulfurs that are acidic to brass and copper. i was doing a lot of reading last night, and from what i can tell, 'modern' gl5 has buffers in it that are supposed to mitigate the yellow metal erosion, but no one is really sure how long those buffers actually last.... a lot of applications that use gear oil have much longer service intervals than our trannies (even at the recommended 20k interval) so the sulfur buffers may still be doing there job, but i guess the only way to really tell is to have an oil analysis done. supposedly gl4 oil has sulfur in it as well, but at a much lower level.
if you're tranny oil is gl5, look on the label and see if it says 'yellow metal safe'. you can also check the msds and look for the copper corrosion numbers, 1a is absolutely no discoloration (ie corrosion) and 1b is slight.
if you want more info on it, go to bobistheoilguy.com and do a search on 'yellow metal'..... i'm still looking for the 'definitive' answer
It is appreciated...
#34
![Default](https://www.hdforums.com/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
well, seeing as how their product is gl5, and they say not to use it, i'm not seeing this as a pitch to use their product (unlike the amsoil white paper).
their conclusions are based on the fact that in the gl5 oils, there are sulfurs that are acidic to brass and copper. i was doing a lot of reading last night, and from what i can tell, 'modern' gl5 has buffers in it that are supposed to mitigate the yellow metal erosion, but no one is really sure how long those buffers actually last.... a lot of applications that use gear oil have much longer service intervals than our trannies (even at the recommended 20k interval) so the sulfur buffers may still be doing their job, but i guess the only way to really tell is to have an oil analysis done. supposedly gl4 oil has sulfur in it as well, but at a much lower level.
if you're tranny oil is gl5, look on the label and see if it says 'yellow metal safe'. you can also check the msds and look for the copper corrosion numbers, 1a is absolutely no discoloration (ie corrosion) and 1b is slight.
if you want more info on it, go to bobistheoilguy.com and do a search on 'yellow metal'..... i'm still looking for the 'definitive' answer
their conclusions are based on the fact that in the gl5 oils, there are sulfurs that are acidic to brass and copper. i was doing a lot of reading last night, and from what i can tell, 'modern' gl5 has buffers in it that are supposed to mitigate the yellow metal erosion, but no one is really sure how long those buffers actually last.... a lot of applications that use gear oil have much longer service intervals than our trannies (even at the recommended 20k interval) so the sulfur buffers may still be doing their job, but i guess the only way to really tell is to have an oil analysis done. supposedly gl4 oil has sulfur in it as well, but at a much lower level.
if you're tranny oil is gl5, look on the label and see if it says 'yellow metal safe'. you can also check the msds and look for the copper corrosion numbers, 1a is absolutely no discoloration (ie corrosion) and 1b is slight.
if you want more info on it, go to bobistheoilguy.com and do a search on 'yellow metal'..... i'm still looking for the 'definitive' answer
Also, the Bobistheoilguy site had zero results as far as any info on GL5 and/or yellow metal corrosion. The search bar limits the number of characters in your search which renders it nearly useless.
Thanks
Update: I went to the "bobistheoilguy" forum and found some useful insight and info. Several "knowledgables" there quoted scientific product studies. The conclusion was that although GL5 is designed for differentials no harm should come to a trans using this lube unless there is a specific manufacturer warning against using it. I think I'll change out to an MT just for giggles but it's nice to know that the GL5 I've been using will not trash my HD trans and that it would most likely outlive me even if never stop using it.
Last edited by Leftcoaster; 09-27-2010 at 12:25 PM.
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