Hi I replaced my other t595 Daytona with what looked like a better cared for example and I rode the bike last year about 500 miles. This weekend I took the cover off and decided to treat the bike to a full oil change including draining oil cooler lines new filter and 5w40 fully syn oil after a warm up and 15 mind idle with flushing additive. The oil that came out probably was there for 6 k miles as it wasn't totally black but there was also a metallic sheen at 1 point during the drain process. My other t595 was a bit metallic when oil was changed and the valve clearance had closed below service limit hence I replaced the head and then the bike. My question is do all triumphs do this to a degree. I assume it's probably wear from the head as the cams don't run in shell shell bearing s. Bike runs fine and pulls well. Any thoughts
Welcome to the forum Rossco. What sort of mileage has your bike, and the last one? I can’t say I’ve noticed anything like you’re saying with my Daytona
Many thanks You seem a friendly bunch, the current Daytona has circa 34k miles and looks like its been cared for, the other one came from a Polish dealer and has 30k on it and the engine looked good apart from the knackered cams that sit under the cam caps had a lot of scoring and no valve clearance hence i cant say i trust the reading on the speedo as being genuine.
Welcome to the madhouse you should fit right in. To keep the inmates happy we will need photos Tucker
Welcome, I don't think from what you've said a conclusive decision could be made. As DD mentioned the additive is an unknown entity. Your historical evidence appears quite weak so had the oil been sucked out previously for example (rather than via drain plug) and any residue built up over time. If the clutch has had some hammer then that can add a bit of colour to the oil. For the cost involved, If I was you I would refill with new oil and do another oil change at say 500 miles (or a few months, whichever comes first) and then review it and hopefully gain peace of mind.
Whilst on the additive: I remember putting some in a customers well clogged up series 3 Escort years ago, it was mustard inside the cam cover. It flushed the debris out alright and promptly blocked the oil strainer to the pump. Use additives and oil flushes with care.
Hi guys thanks for the thoughts. My intention was to clear the engine prior to new filter and fully syn oil and yes there might have been some historical metallic so will ride if I get the chance and change again in 500 miles and continue to monitor. I've not had the cam cover off yet but maybe at next oil change to check valve clearance and head and cam wear check as it seems crazy to not have the cams running in shell bearings. Will update at next oil change
I wouldn’t use fully synthetic on a bike that age, there’s no benefit. Semi Synthetic 10W40 is what it should have. Something like Castrol power 1 would be more appropriate.
At the risk of starting a post that will run and run whats the benefit of using a semi Syn as opposed to mineral or Full syn. I'm a firm believer in using the best oil with the best API rating that money can buy especially for an old girl like my T595 thats probably been umloved at some point in the past. From history Triumphs have always suffered if the oil wasn't changed twice as often as recommended.
My own view is that it’s just not necessary. Here is a good balanced article about the pros and cons of using fully synthetic in an older engine. https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-are-the-risks-of-switching-to-synthetic-oil-in-older-cars
Hi Rosco and welcome to the Forum best of luck with your new ride and agree with regular oil changes to keep from build up
Hi I read the article and there seems to be a lot of pros for using fully synthetic as in reduced sludge extended life so I will stick with it as my bike is not that old and is CNC machined . 34 k miles is not that many miles either so unless it starts smoking due to polished bored I can't see any real advantage to standard mineral based oil. Thanks