Welcome to Oils and Sprays. Just in case your wondering what kind of oil to get:
Two Strokes: Most older mopeds and motorized bicycles are two stroke engines that do not have motor oil in the crankcase. Instead the crankcase has a mist of gasoline with 2% or 4% two stroke oil blended in. The crankshaft and piston are lubricated by the gasoline mix. Two stroke oil is designed to be stable when mixed in gasoline, and to burn clean and not make black tar and carbon build up. Regular motor oil will work in a two stroke, but will leave a mess of tar in the engine and or gas tank. In the “old days”, the two stroke engines did use ordinary motor oil. But they had to use it or it would become tarry or varnishy from decomposition. They also “de-coked” their two stroke engines often. This practice has been completely eliminated by modern two stroke oils such as Champion.
Champion Synthetic Blend 2-Cycle Power Equipment Oil, with fuel stabilizer, is the two stroke oil that Myrons Mopeds recommends. It is a premium quality ashless motor oil for use in 2-cycle air cooled engines (with higher temperature demands). It combines Group II base oils and pure isobutene, rather than commonly used fragmented isobutene which can degrade faster at high temperatures. In addition, it contains several semi-synthetic additives providing excellent detergency and a dispersant to provide protection and performance. Super tough film, anti-foaming, anti-scuffing, fuel stabilizer, all beneficial.
Transmission oil: In a two stroke (2 cycle) engine, separate from the crankcase is the transmission case, which does have a pool of motor oil or automatic transmission fluid in it. The transmission oil or fluid needs changing every 2000 miles. Below is a chart showing what oil goes in what moped engine, and where to add it and check the level. Some mopeds have no transmission oil
Four Strokes: Most newer mopeds and scooters are four stroke engines, like cars, with motor oil in the crankcase. The oil for those is the same as for cars, such as 10-40W. Four stroke oil is motor oil. But unlike cars, the transmission shares the engine oil, like most motorcycles. Motorcycle (non catalytic exhaust) motor oils contain ingredients that are beneficial, but harm the catalytic converter. Motorcycles, scooters, 4-stroke mopeds with catalytic converters should use ordinary car motor oil.
1. Champion 2-cycle oil 12.8 ounce (5 gal mix) $5.50
2. Champion 2-cycle oil 2.5 ounce (1 gal mix) $2.00
3. Tri-Flow 2oz for cables $7.00
4. $12.00 Tri-Flow 6 ounce
5. $13.00 PJ1 blue label chain lube 13oz spray
6. $8.00 tire sealant Slime 8 oz
Transmission Oil Specified in Owners Manual: Often the specified oil is obsolete. In ATF, the old “Type A” (non-Ford) went on to become Dextron (Type B) in the late 1970’s, and then Dextron II (Type C and Type D), III, IV, V, and now “Dextron VI“, for most GM vehicles and pre-2004 Toyota automatic transmissions. 1970’s Tomos and Sachs mopeds specified ATF Type A. Tomos also specified motor oil 10W30. The old ATF “Type F” (Ford/Mercury) went on to become Mercon in 1987, as did “Type G” (Ford Europe), and then Mercon II,III,IV, and now “Mercon V“, for most Ford, Lincoln, Mercury automatic transmissions. 1970’s Puch and Kreidler mopeds specified ATF type F.
ATF Ingredients: Wikipedia says “Modern ATF typically contains a wide variety of chemical compounds intended to provide the required properties of a particular ATF specification. Most ATFs contain some combination of additives that improve lubricating qualities, such as anti-wear additives, rust and corrosion inhibitors, detergents, dispersants and surfactants (which protect and clean metal surfaces); kinematic viscosity and viscosity index improvers and modifiers, seal swell additives and agents (which extend the rotational speed range and temperature range of the additives’ application); anti-foam additives and anti-oxidation compounds to inhibit oxidation and “boil-off” (which extends the life of the additives’ application); cold-flow improvers, high-temperature thickeners, gasket conditioners, pour point depressant and petroleum dye.”
Type A versus Type F: Type A up till the 1970’s contained whale oil as a friction modifier. A modern friction modifier/reducer is glycerol mono-oleate. Type F contains no friction modifiers, but has a higher quality base. Modern vehicles have nine current ATF versions: ATF+4, Mercon V, Mercon LV, Dextron VI, ATF DW-1, SP-III, Matic-S, Toyota ATF-WS, Honda DW (ZF). Any of these will work in a moped transmission. They are only slightly different. ATF Mercon V would be the safest to use, since it does not have friction modifiers. Friction modifiers are better for the gears and bearings, to reduce friction and extend life, because part of the molecule clings to metal and part is a long chain that slides over metal easily. What’s good for the metal parts may or may not be good for the clutch. This is a current area of investigation.
Detergent versus Non detergent: Motor oils come with a detergent additive that keeps the dirt floating in the oil, so it can be removed by the oil filter. Non detergent motor oils allow the microscopic dirt particles to settle out. They are for engines and machinery that do not use oil filters but instead rely on manually removing the sludge from the bottom of the oil bath, as in machine shop equipment and small gasoline engines. Some rubber parts can get damaged from the detergent in the motor oil, in particular the Garelli 1-speed and 2-speed centrifugal solid rubber clutches. Garelli, Morini MO-1 and MO-2 call for 30W non detergent (ND), while Batavus/Trac, Demm, Derbi, Indian, Minarelli, Morini M-1 call for motor oil 30W, 40W or 10W40. See above chart.