250-500cc WR 250 2T 2004y Transmission oil ATF?

[Cezar]

Hi
I wonna know your oppinion about using ATF as transmission oil in 2T engine.
Did anyone try this? How about clutch performance?
I have AGIP DEXRON III with viscosity about 7,5 in operating temperature. Is it enough or better use 10W30 or 10W40 oil?

 

[Motosportz]

Does not sound like a good idea to me but would probably work. Is there supposed to be some advantage to that? I have found that AFT is very slick and may make shifting nice. I have tried it in our steering dampers and it works well there.

 

[Rusty 2]

I put ATF in the gear box of an old RM125 that I had once as a kid, and the clutch immediately started slipping. Now granted, the clutch may very well have been going out anyways,...and the ATF may have been just coincidental,...but I mean the bike was fine when I dumped out the old gear oil, and it was unrideable when I finished the oil change.
And putting regular gear oil or motor oil back in it then didn't fix it either. I guess the plates and discs must've glazed over.

Just my 2 cents worth,...YMMV. I'd heard of people using it and liking it,...that's why I tried it.

 

[Dirtdame]

My old Bultacos had all steel clutch plates and the primary was a separated compartment from the transmission. I used 90weight gear oil in the tranny and Dextron II ATF in the clutch. It worked well in that instance.

 

[ScottyR]

I use ATF all the time, so do most of my buds. It works great.

 

[razornpc]

an automatic car tranny has clutch plate very similar to the clutch plate we have in our bikes.

ATF will be fine to run in your bike, just make sure to change it every couple rides.

ive been running rotella 15-40. its diesel engine oil and it to can be used for tranny out in heavy duty automatic trannies like the old world transmission(now allison).

biggest thing is to make sure what ever you run make sure it doesnt have friction redusers in it. the ATF and 15-40 both have a high amount of detergents that are there to suspend particals you dont want depositing on other components in your engine.

so there you go

 

[Cezar]

OK
Thanks for replay. I'll try this next time and will write something after couple rides

 

[razornpc]

also i have run atf in my snowmobile chain case. its 150+ hp, modded F7. the oil looked like crap because of a bad seal at the end of the season but the chain and drive gears looked fine.

we also run ATF in out DOT plow trucks for powersteering fluid and in the hydralic system because it handles the cold temps better.

 

[Motosportz]

What is the advantage?

 

[razornpc]

for bikes, its cheep and does the job

cold weather hydralics, it flows better, it wont get super thick like normal oils

for powersteering, it flows better and has a high sheer point

 

[gem]

The ATF vs. oil is a favourite bench racing topic.

Everybody either has tried it or has a riding buddy that has used it without a 'problem'. It is certainly ok for the clutch but it does not have enough shear modulus for the interface between the gear teeth (read that as cushion). I know that there are manual transmissions that recommend ATF from the factory but the gear teeth are manufactured with that type of lubrication in mind. The gears have more surface area than those in a bike.

It is not that it won't work it's just not what is best.

 

[rajobigguy]

The ATF vs. oil is a favourite bench racing topic.

Everybody either has tried it or has a riding buddy that has used it without a 'problem'. It is certainly ok for the clutch but it does not have enough shear modulus for the interface between the gear teeth (read that as cushion). I know that there are manual transmissions that recommend ATF from the factory but the gear teeth are manufactured with that type of lubrication in mind. The gears have more surface area than those in a bike.

It is not that it won't work it's just not what is best.

Best take on the discussion I've heard so far.

 

[razornpc]

i guess i never thought of it that way.

i dont use it in my bike because its a tad on the thin side and i dont change my oil every ride. i do use 15-40 though. the 2 have some similar qualities, but i am more comfortable using the 15-40.

if you dont want to pay $10 a quart i say go for the 15-40, but that me.

will ATF work? yes
will ATF work as good as product X, Y, Z? depends on what your wanting to do i guess

 

[2whlrcr]

The ATF vs. oil is a favourite bench racing topic.

Everybody either has tried it or has a riding buddy that has used it without a 'problem'. It is certainly ok for the clutch but it does not have enough shear modulus for the interface between the gear teeth (read that as cushion). I know that there are manual transmissions that recommend ATF from the factory but the gear teeth are manufactured with that type of lubrication in mind. The gears have more surface area than those in a bike.

It is not that it won't work it's just not what is best.

This is correct. I have sold lubricants for over 20 years. ATF will treat the clutch just fine. But it is not designed to be used as a gearbox oil that is subject to heavy loads between the gear meshes. The additive packages are different.

I had a GG trials bike that ATF was the preferred bottom end oil. It worked great for the clutch. But a trials bike doesn't get shifted as often or heavily as a regular dirt bike does. If you choose to run ATF, I would change it often.

I currently use 15w-40 HDMO. It still has high levels of zinc, which is used as an anti-wear agent. Most modern PCMO's are devoid of zinc and do not work as well in motorcycle engines, as they used to.

 

[motosapiens]

This is correct. I have sold lubricants for over 20 years. ATF will treat the clutch just fine. But it is not designed to be used as a gearbox oil that is subject to heavy loads between the gear meshes. The additive packages are different.

I had a GG trials bike that ATF was the preferred bottom end oil. It worked great for the clutch. But a trials bike doesn't get shifted as often or heavily as a regular dirt bike does. If you choose to run ATF, I would change it often.

So I would assume there must some evidence that using atf increase transmission wear and failures, right?

We go 15-20 hrs between changes using atf on our bikes.
Currently:
08 200xcw - 530 hrs (mine)
07 kx250 - 205 hrs (mine)
07 250xcw - 700 hrs (tresa's)
07 250xc - 200-ish hrs? (bought it used/ tresas)

also ran it for 500+ hrs in a 250sx and around 1000-ish hrs in a 300exc.

Both of the ktm 250's have accidentally been run without oil at all for a a couple brisk rides in the desert. All 4 bikes are still on original clutch plates and gears, with no issues of any kind.

I'm considering trying atf in my wr300, or else extra light tranny oil from maxima, in order to minimize clutch drag. I don't know if a husky tranny is as bulletproof as a ktm or kx tranny. I'm pretty sure I could run olive oil in those bikes and it would work fine. Seems like most tranny failures are the result of huge jump landings at speed rather than just wear and tear.

 

[Motosportz]

Automatic transmissions have all sorts of gears messing. Planetary gears, reduction gears, etc. Also has lots of bearings and shifting parts. Seems pretty similar to a bike and deals with tons of weight to move forward. I would assume ATF is designed with this in mind.

 

[NWRider]

I liked ATF in my Honda but have not liked in in either my WR250 or WR125. It takes care of clutch drag but I seem to get false neutrals with it. The best oils I have used as far as shifting and clutch drag go are Amsoil 0-40 and Mobile1 0-40. Currently I run Devloc LE as it is cheap and works almost as well. I did not like Rotella in my WR.

 

[motosapiens]

I liked ATF in my Honda but have not liked in in either my WR250 or WR125. It takes care of clutch drag but I seem to get false neutrals with it. The best oils I have used as far as shifting and clutch drag go are Amsoil 0-40 and Mobile1 0-40. Currently I run Devloc LE as it is cheap and works almost as well. I did not like Rotella in my WR.

that mobile 0-40, is that like the euro-car formula or something? I tried something like that in my husaberg a year or so ago (that bike needs thin oil in the winter or it can't be started). seemed to work fine. i'll give that a try.

I'm honestly not that concerned about the cost. An extra 2-3 bucks every 15 hrs of riding is about 1/10 what i spend on truck gas just transporting my bikes to ride, and about 1/20 what i spend on post ride beer.

 

[PC.]

My WR doesn't like the Rotella 15-40 either. Lots of notchy-ness and missed shifts until it gets real hot and thin.

Might have to try that Devloc stuff.
Where do you get it at Mark?

 

[brock]

I've used Motul ATF in my 250 2t's.
I prefer the Transoil Expert Motul 10w40 though. The ATF doesnt last well on long enduro days in my experience.
MX and trials bikes fine but I reverted to the real deal for the enduro.
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