Silver Oil....

[YZR426]

I have been riding my '01 426 for about 5 months now and I'm still getting the occasional bursts of metal fleck in my oil.

The oil doesn't smell burnt but is brownie -black with metal flake I change my oil after every two rides (about 6-8 hours in total) I also change the filter every time as well.

BTW..I use Motul 300v oil (The same oil the Aussie Yamaha factory uses)$98.00 AUD for 4 litres

With all this talk of gearbox problems I talked to my YAMAHA dealer and he said that he had just changed a set of third gears in a bike that had done 6 months HARD work.

Does anybody else have this and do you think it is normal?

Worried Blue Aussie!!

[sirthumpalot]

I've changed mine 2 times so far and both times it looked really horrible. Brown and gray with tiny silver flakes. But the bike runs good and from what I hear this is normal so until something breaks I'll keep riding it.

Also I think you're getting raped on oil prices. I don't know how much petrolium products are in Austraila but that sounds like an aweful lot for only 4 liters. May be time to switch to a different oil!

[YZR426]

Thanx for the reply Sir Thumpalot.

Yes we do get charged a fortune down here for everything not just oil!

I was thinking of going back to the Genuine Yamaha oil as this is the cheaper option and seemed to work well when I last used it.

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Because golf courses can be MX tracks! ?

[sirthumpalot]

Sounds like you may benefit from purchasing it by the case from a company in another country and paying the extra for shipping. I wouldn't think that customs would get to hyper about taxes on a case of engine oil. ?

[*mike68*]

I have concerns on my 01 wr426 for the exact black/silver/metalic looking oil. I change every 3 or 4 rides depending on the length and am running the Mobil 15-50. No idea what causes it.

[sirthumpalot]

The gray and dark looking stuff looks to me like material from the fiber clutch plates, but I have no idea where the metallic flakes are from. I'm "hoping" they're from the clutch as well. From reading messages here I take it that this is the norm so I'm not going to worry about it as long as things are working well.

[eBayThumper]

I just did my second oil change and got a lot of silver flakes in the filter and filter chamber. I know some initial wear is normal for most engines but my buddy did the same with his Suzuki and got practically none of the silver stuff.

Is this due to poor manufacturing (not having tight tolerances) or is is a result of the massive power these engines put out?

I worry that this can't keep going on or I will run out of metal on the inside ?

In other's experience...does this continue for long or will it finally stop happening?

Thanks,

J

[Osmond]

I´m riding a 98 400. And I STILL get metal flakes in my oil.

But no problems. It´s how it works ?

[crazyadam]

every bike should have a magnetic drain plug!! Mine will hold a 4 0z. CAMSHAFT ?(I hope it never has to, but it will!!!) I had a moose plug, but it would hardly stick to the fridge. The one from Ty davis is worth its weight in GOLD! I have a 2000, and after 4-5 rides, or approx. 200 miles my mobil 1 still looks like new, golden brown, almost good enough to drink. www.terrycable.com or 1-800-854-4691

its 20 bucks everybody should spend!!!!

[YZR426]

Crazyadam,

Do you think that the metal particles are attracted to the magnet and don't mix with the oil causing it to go silvery?

Is there anybody that races and can contribute to this subject?

I would like to know if this happens to the majority of bikes. Does anybody else check the colour of their oil when they drain it?

[Shawbridge Husky]

Same here, dark brown / silver after 5-7 hours. Some alu flakes, less and less as time goes on. ( '99 420 )Mobil 1 15/50

[nozzlejockey]

Just a note on the metal in your oil. I just had an oil pump failure which, resulted in a top end failure, and required a lot of money to fix. I now periodically check the oil pressure in my bike by cracking the oil line going to the head, if oil pumps out the pump is working. somthing let go and the bike is an 01 426 with less that 6 months on it!!!

[YZR426]

Good point nozzeljockey.

After filling with oil I start the bike with no throttle let it idle for a few seconds (about 15-30) then shut it off,just to let it pre pump some oil through the engine.

Restart the bike then check the bolt on the back of the head for oil pressure, wipe off the excess oil and set out for a ride.

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Because golf courses can be MX tracks! ?