ATF as Gear Lube

[hughes]

I could be wrong but I think trans(auto and motorcycles) have roller style bearings not plain bearings. Plain bearings requires oil pressure and film of oil between two surfaces. The ATF most likely did a o.k job of lubing the internals of the engine just wouldn't be my long term choice.

[FactoryPhil]

Yes you are correct about the type of bearings in the transmissions, but read again, the crankshaft has plain bearings. The same type of bearings in your automotive engine. Except in four cycle streetbike engines the engine oil is not separate from the trans lubricant. One oil must lubricate both systems simultaneously.

[alan]

Ok, you are saying 2 strokes Yes ATF and Four Strokes No ATF, Right? I agree!

[hughes]

Ok, you are saying 2 strokes Yes ATF and Four Strokes No ATF, Right? I agree!

You could use atf in the four strokes if the trans oil and engine are separate.

[rrguy]

Atf has some good detergents & seems pretty good at dissipating heat. I never thought it was best for gear protection compared to gear oils? I found some trans fluid for CAT etc.. that has some other additives to help protect gears etc.. I might try.

I also heard 0-40 amsoil works good?

[puffy]

On my turbo banshee it is the only thing I could run clutch discs love it.My engine builder will only run atf.

[Good]

So what's the verdict on Dex vs. F?

I've been running F, but can I run Dex?  Can you mix?

[Texas Champ.]

ATF Is thinner that conventional motor oil at "normal" out door temps....say 35 to 90 degrees but when you heat motor oil to what we know as normal operating temps of a motor cycle...That's where the difference is .
The viscostiy of the motor oil drops drasticly even if you are talking about 30W- 50 (remember that the "W" means it has the Flowability of 30 wt at winter temps and the "50" is the equivelent to 50wt when heated).... ATF may start out thin but actually maintains a better viscosity and film strength when heated to operating temps, better than motor oil does. so you can say it has a more consistant properties than motor which gets effected more by the applied heat........km

[5dracing]

Just to keep up on the thread. I pulled the goldwing out and went over the valves and nothing out of spec. Cams are nice and not sloppy engine cranks up fast and runs great through rpm range. Valve seals are leaking again because there is smoke on startup usually from the left bank that's the side it leans to when on the stand.

[KXcam22]

For some general interrest I was researching exactly how an automatic trans works.  After reading in detail I can tell that ATF will easily handle anything a dirtbike transmission will throw at it.  Next change on the CRF I am going to amsoil synth in the engine and ATF in the transmission. Cam.

[adrenalinejunky81]

ATF has proven itself to me. Had a piece of gasket fall out of the side cover, draining out probably 5/6 of the capacity. Noticed about 5 miles away...rode a pretty rough 5 miles of sand dunes back to camp. Since then Ive kept the KX5 as my "spare" bike on the last 5 weekends of riding and truthfully Ive rode it the most. 0 problems (except learning that ATF eats RTV=messy garage floor). Didnt want to mention til the end of the season to avoid pre-mature celebrating but seems the tranny survived (OK I was lookin for a reason to tear apart the motor to change seals ha ha maybe next season) Ive tried different types of ATF and havent seen any difference at all. If you have any issues with clutch "feel", remove the clutch plates and file every contact edge of the clutch basket smooth...you wouldnt believe the improvement! I figured the one advantage to oil was its ability to stay on parts when drained, but since the ATF didnt let my tranny eat itself away Im gonna stick with it.

Just thought Id share....

 

[Good]

You know, I use ATF but I have a question.

My clutch is extremely hard to pull.  Is there any way that I can lessen the pull tension.  I installed a new clutch kit after burning my old clutch up a few months ago, and the difference in pull tension was drastic.  It works great and everything, nothing's binding or anything, but it's just really hard to pull.  I'm not a wuss or anything, but it has adversely affected my quickness and power delivery...  I'm off to do a search...

[adrenalinejunky81]

You know, I use ATF but I have a question.

My clutch is extremely hard to pull.  Is there any way that I can lessen the pull tension.  I installed a new clutch kit after burning my old clutch up a few months ago, and the difference in pull tension was drastic.  It works great and everything, nothing's binding or anything, but it's just really hard to pull.  I'm not a wuss or anything, but it has adversely affected my quickness and power delivery...  I'm off to do a search...

Reinstall the stock springs? Is it allowed to be so simple?

[Texas Champ.]

Good ..To reply to you earlier question...use the type F..it's about 15 on a viscometer and dextron works out to a 7..so you get more clinging and a protective film with the F....back in my hot rod days we ran type f in GM automatics to get a firmer shift...km

[Platypus]

You know, I use ATF but I have a question.

My clutch is extremely hard to pull.  Is there any way that I can lessen the pull tension.  I installed a new clutch kit after burning my old clutch up a few months ago, and the difference in pull tension was drastic.  It works great and everything, nothing's binding or anything, but it's just really hard to pull.  I'm not a wuss or anything, but it has adversely affected my quickness and power delivery...  I'm off to do a search...

You can also reroute the cable to make it a little easier.  Bend the metal tubing more straight so it goes outside of the frame instead of inside between the motor.  Add a couple zip ties to keep it from hitting the fender.  There is a picture of a Team Green bike with the same mod somewhere on this message board.  If you search for clutch arm you will find it.