1. Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

Ohlins Oil

Discussion in 'Vintage/Left Kickers' started by grouty, Jan 24, 2015.

  1. grouty Auto Lover ...

    Location:
    South West UK
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    78 390WR, 78 390 AMX, 500 Humph
    Other Motorcycles:
    works 73 CCM 520, another 73 CCM520
    As I seem to be rebuilding my own Ohlins for the 78 Auto now, I was wondering what grade of oil to use. The Ohlins stuff is expensive and hard to get. If you have rebuilt your own shocks, what weight of oil have you used and what make ?
    It has been suggested that I use Putoline Shock Oil at 7.5 Wt
    I have also been told the original Ohlins oil is the same (?) as the Auto trans fluid (Mobil HVI26).
    Any suspension guru's care to comment ....

    This is for the piggy back shocks.
  2. suprize Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Bendigo, Australia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    WR 400, bike in a box Moto Villa 350
    Other Motorcycles:
    ktm 300
    auto fluids are ~ 7-8 wt so that sounds about ok?
  3. Zomby woof Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2011 CR 150
    Covered here
    http://www.peterverdone.com/archive/lowspeed.htm

    Pay attention to the viscosity measured in cSt as SAE weight is a virtually meaningless number for suspension fluid. It looks like Maxima racing shock fluid light will do (and is cheap and easy to get) , if you decide to use the same viscosity as stock.
    I'm sure Kyle Tarry will chime in with some excellent suggestions.
  4. grouty Auto Lover ...

    Location:
    South West UK
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    78 390WR, 78 390 AMX, 500 Humph
    Other Motorcycles:
    works 73 CCM 520, another 73 CCM520
    Thanks for that link. Looking at that, it seems like the Mobil HVI26 Husky auto trans fluid is very close.
  5. Chayzed Pilot Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    So Cal
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2004 TC450,1978 390CR,1983 430 Wr
    Other Motorcycles:
    A gaggle of them
    I used Maxima medium which is around 7 wt and they seem to work fine for me.
  6. watto450 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Australia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1965 250, 1978 390 Auto, 1983 510 TX
    Ohlins shock oil and the Esso Univis J26 for the Auto are the same oil.. out here we can get Pentite MB15 which is a Mercedes-Benz suspension leveling fluid..which is (also) a direct Ohlins replacement according to the MB15 spec sheet..Ohlins shocks even get a mention in the spec sheet.. it is about $9 AUD a litre..:applause:
  7. everfree Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Bend, Oregon
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    86 430AE (2), 88 430AE, 87 430WR (2)
    Other Motorcycles:
    87 250 XC, 87 430 CR, '17 GG 300
    I am researching trans oil for my 430 Auto. It calls for Mobil UNIVIS J26 (now HVI 26). That line of hydraulic fluids have a very high viscosity at a wide temperature range. Oilfield drillers use Mobil UNIVIS HVI DH (downhole) which has even higher viscosity at high temps. Love to try that in my Auto.

    Knowing how hot my Auto trans gets, I can see why Husky specified this low weight - high viscosity oil. High viscosity oil doesn't shear easily under high temperature, reduces part wear, and does other good things. That stuff is critical for the Auto, which generates heat and wears so much you have to change the oil after every ride. I can see that without using the proper oil, you are just wearing out parts quicker than need be, not to mention hurting reliability.

    Mobil UNIVIS HVI 26 has a cSt of 25.8 at 40 deg C. At 100 deg C the cSt drops to 9.
    Ohlins Shock oil has a cSt of 28 at 40 deg C.
    Viscosity ratings can vary greatly between oils and manufacturers.

    The Peterverdone link above is a good one for details.
  8. grouty Auto Lover ...

    Location:
    South West UK
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    78 390WR, 78 390 AMX, 500 Humph
    Other Motorcycles:
    works 73 CCM 520, another 73 CCM520
    We used the Putoline oil for the shocks as that was what was in the workshop, and they work a treat. My delivery of Mobil HVI26 didn't arrive until after the shocks anyway. The gearbox works perfectly with the HVI26. If it was good enough for Husky to recommend, then I will stick to that.
    If the shocks need rebuilding in the future, then I will use the HVI oil.
    everfree likes this.
  9. Kartwheel68 Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Newnan, Georgia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    82 125XC, 250XC, 430XC, 430WR, 250CR
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 175WR , 76 250WR, 74 250 Mag
    Dont over think it, if you are going to use it for shocks and not in the auto trans, the viscosity is not that critical in a shim stack valving system.
    everfree likes this.