What kind of oil to pour into the engine of an Alpha moped. Is it possible to put car oil into a motorcycle? Is it possible to pour car oil into a moped?

Classification

Oils have specifications. For example, according to the American API classification, as new products appeared, their indices changed: SA, SB, SC, SD, and so on, according to their letter for each generation. Modern automobile oils have already reached the SN indices, but motor oils have stopped at SH.

If you look at other classifications, you will discover something surprising: motorcycle oil is simply no different from automobile oil!

But why then do you have to overpay? Maybe it's all about the psychology of buyers and the high costs manufacturers pay for smaller packages? It's worth thinking about.

The procedure for changing the oil in a motorcycle, for reasons that are not entirely clear to the author, raises many questions, especially among novice motorcyclists. If there are a lot of high-quality information materials on automotive lubricants, regardless of the application, then in the field of motorcycle technology everything is more complicated.

There are many similar instructions on this topic on the Internet, but a significant part of them either do not represent any practical value or are downright malicious information.

So what kind of motorcycle engine oil should you pour into the engine? In this article, we will not just look at isolated examples of engines and lubricants suitable for them, but we will try to understand more deeply why it is necessary to do this and not otherwise. We will also dispel common myths in this area.

Synthetic, semi-synthetic or mineral water?

It is generally accepted that synthetic oils are of the highest quality and almost extend the life of the engine. On the other hand, as I wrote above, now any oil that has been certified in accordance with the API standard is suitable for use in the Alpha moped engine.

I have chosen a golden mean for myself: I introduce semi-synthetic imported manufacturers into the moped; The price of a liter of semi-synthetic oil is not much different from the price of petroleum products.

But only now it is rarely found on the shelves of semi-synthetic 15W-40. Mostly mineral oils are sold under this designation. Therefore, I fill the engine with 10W-40 oil as closest to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Marking and viscosity

Engine wear is affected by the oil viscosity parameter

. The required viscosity depends on the operating temperature of the engine and is usually specified in the operating instructions. The generally accepted standard for designating viscosity according to the American SAE method: 5W40, 5W30, 10W40, 10W50 or simply SAE 40, SAE 50. Moreover, the first number indicates the viscosity of the oil in a cold engine, the second - in one warmed up to operating temperature. The letter W indicates that the oil belongs to winter or all-season varieties. Summer varieties do not have this letter and the first number (SAE 30, SAE 40). The lower the first number, the better the engine starts in cold weather. But if there is no need to ride a moped in winter, there is no point in using liquid oil. In warm weather, high viscosity provides better lubrication of power unit parts, the oil film on rubbing surfaces is not destroyed, and dry friction, overheating and destruction of parts are prevented.

For summer, viscosity 10W40, 10W50, SAE 30, SAE 40, etc. is more suitable. The higher the viscosity of the oil when hot (second number), the better suited the oil is for hot operating conditions. In mid-latitudes, SAE 30 or SAE 40 is quite suitable. In hot countries, SAE 50 and even SAE 60 are used.

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How often should you change the oil in your moped?

In the operating instructions, the first oil change (on a new moped) is after 500 kilometers (TO-1). The second replacement is at 1500 km (TO-2). The third replacement is at 3000 km. (TO-3). Then every 2000 km. But there is an indication that if the moped is operated under increased loads and in dusty conditions, the oil needs to be changed (maintenance) more often.

Personally, I change the oil every 1500 km.

How much oil to pour into an Alpha engine?

The owner's manual says to fill the crankcase with 0.9 liters of four-stroke engine oil. In practice, it may turn out that not all of the old oil has left the engine. I usually do this: fill in 0.8-0.85 liters of oil, control its level with a dipstick and top up if necessary.

Where to fill oil in Alpha mopeds?

When faced with servicing a moped for the first time, many owners look for a separate oil filler neck on the engine. But in fact, the engine developers acted very wisely: oil is poured into the engine through the hole with the dipstick. It is located on the right side of the engine. To avoid spilling oil on the engine, I usually use a small plastic funnel bought at a hardware store; it makes filling quick and clean.

Quality Standards

Motor oils have various specifications indicating their quality: API, JACO and others.

The oil standard is indicated on the canister. After the letters API there is a letter designation of oil quality: from SA to SM. The S scale indicates that the oil belongs to gasoline engines; the quality scale is indicated by letters from A (low quality) to M (high quality). A total of 11 quality classes are provided: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, L and M. Products with specifications from SA to SE are currently almost never produced and are only suitable for older equipment manufactured in 80s or 90s. Modern mopeds and scooters consume oil of at least SF quality, but it is better if it is SH, SJ or SL.

SH - products for engines manufactured after 1994. SJ - for engines manufactured after 1996. SL – for engines after 2000. SM – for engines after 2006.

API-TA is required for two-stroke moped and lawn mower engines. For large capacity two-stroke engines of low power - API-TB standard. For powerful large-capacity two-stroke engines - the API-TC standard.

The Japanese JASO standard is intended for models of mopeds and motorcycles with a “wet” clutch, that is, a clutch operating in an oil bath. With this design, the power unit and clutch use the same oil. Accordingly, changing the transmission oil on the scooter will occur simultaneously with replacing the engine oil. Therefore, using a high quality, low friction product may cause this clutch to slip. JASO is suitable for motorcycles manufactured before 1994 or copied models of that time. For modern mopeds and scooters, you should choose JASO MA, JASO MA-1 with a high friction coefficient. The JASO MA-2 standard has an even higher coefficient of friction, but is intended for sports mopeds and scooters. JASO MB has a low coefficient of friction and is not suitable for wet clutch vehicles.

For two-stroke engines, the JASO standard has completely different designations. JASO FA - intended for use in developing countries. JASO FB is the minimum quality standard for Japan. JASO FC is a smokeless oil for a wide range of two-stroke engines made in Japan. JASO FD – for two-stroke engines with increased requirements for the quality of motor oils.

The European ACEA oil quality designation standard is often found. Grades ACEA A1 to ACEA A5 are intended for four-stroke gasoline engines (two-stroke engines are not produced in Europe). Moreover, category A2 denotes the lowest quality oil, and A4 - the highest quality. For engines with normal operating characteristics, category A2 is recommended. Category A3 is recommended for use in motors with high performance. Category A4 is used in motorsports. Certain categories A1 (with particularly low viscosity) and A5 (the latest oils) are not suitable for all engines and are used only in cases where this is directly specified by the manufacturer.

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Maintenance of the moped. Changing the engine oil.

Bykov K.P., Shlenchik T.A.

Changing the engine oil

The engine oil is changed after 1,000 km, and then every 2,000 km.

Changing the engine oil is done on a hot engine in the following order (Fig. 18): remove the oil dipstick (Fig. 18.1) and unscrew the nut to drain the oil (Fig. 18.2); drain the used oil (Fig. 18.3); After checking the condition of the sealing gasket of the oil drain nut, tighten the nut (tightening torque 2.3 kgcm); pour approximately 0.7 liters of oil into the crankcase through the hole for the oil dipstick (Fig. 18.4); reinstall the oil dipstick; start the engine and let it run for a few minutes at idle speed, stop the engine; Check the oil level and, if necessary, bring it to normal.

Rice. 18. Changing engine oil

How to understand modern oil labeling?

Recently, many brands of motor and transmission oils from various companies have appeared on sale: SHELL, BP, CASTROL, MOTUL, NESTE, MOBIL, TEXACO, ELF, TEDEX, VALVOLINE, TEBOIL, etc. How to make sense of all this abundance and understand the principle of oil selection ? All oils have many indicators indicated in the technical specifications, but we, as buyers, should be interested in only two of them: quality level (will it suit my motorcycle) and viscosity (is it suitable for the upcoming season and in general for this climate). The answer to these questions is contained in the labeling of any commercial grade - the globally accepted indexing system for motor oils.

Viscosity is determined and indicated according to the method of the American Society of Automotive Engineers SAE (SOCIETy OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS). The letters SAE on the label mean that the subsequent numbers characterize the viscosity of the oil. Only viscosity, and nothing more! The letter W (WINTER - winter) is placed in the designations of winter varieties (SAE 5W, SAE 15W), while summer varieties do not have any letter (SAE 40, SAE 50). In all-season varieties, in the viscosity marking, after the letters SAE, the winter indicator first follows, and then the summer indicator. Between the two designations there is usually a hyphen or fraction sign, and sometimes nothing at all. For example, SAE 15W-40, SAE 10W/40, SAE 15W40. An example of motor oil marking is shown in Fig. 16, and the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the use of motor oils for gasoline engines are given in Table. 4.

Table 4. Classification of the quality level of motor oils no API.

Now about assessing the quality of the oil level. Here, the qualification system developed by the American Petroleum Institute API (AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE) has become the international language. The Institute regularly tests all motor oils and, based on their results, assigns a quality index in accordance with the requirements of car designers. The letters API on the label precede the quality class symbols. There are two of them: S scale - use in gasoline engines; scale C - use in diesel engines. The steps of the quality level are indicated by Latin letters. The API system has 11 classes for gasoline engines (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, L and M) and 7 classes for diesel engines (A, B, C, D, E, F , G).

For gasoline engines, oils with the designations SF, SG, SH, SJ and SM are currently used, and for diesel engines - CD, CE, CF and CG. Oils of old brands - from SA to SE and from SA to SS - have passed the stage and are no longer produced. The container may be marked with the index SG-CE or SF-CD, allowing use in gasoline and diesel engines. Often on the packaging there are certificate numbers from car manufacturers, who assign them after factory tests. Examples of viscosity and oil class markings are shown in Fig. 19.

Rice. 19. Designation of motor oils: 1 - viscosity; 2 - quality class.

What kind of oil to pour into the Alpha moped engine.

Many questions arise from people who are servicing a moped themselves for the first time.

The operating instructions require the use of oil for four-stroke engines, API SE, SF, viscosity SAE 15W40.

Let's try to figure out what this means.