Does High Mileage Oil work

[dennypink]

2007 R1200RT, 110,600 miles. My bike is starting to weep engine oil from the rear main and or balancer shaft seal. As we know, it's a costly repair! So my question; has anyone ever tried the "high mileage" branded oil or other such additive? If so what did you use, and what were the results? Thanks!
DP

 

[Omega Man]

I don't know what the deal is with "high mileage" oil is. In your case I have had enough good results with Lucas products that I can recommend their engine oil stop leak-

https://www.lucasoil.com/product/engine-oil-stop-leak/

It has ingredients that help "recondition", for lack of a better word, the seals and can sometimes cause enough seal treatment to slow or pretty much stop small leaks.
It's available at all parts stores.
And.... I would stay away from synthetic oils and use the regular specified oil.

OM

 

[etiennelau]

I used something called Blue Devil on my 2001 Subaru Forester to stop the front differential from leaking and it works. So hopefully you'll have good luck on this.

 

[tsconver]

you running synthetic? Sometimes switching to dino oil will reduce leakage as well.

 

[dennypink]

you running synthetic? Sometimes switching to dino oil will reduce leakage as well.

No Synthetic. Castrol 10w-40 4T dinosaur motorcycle oil.
DP

 

[gregfeeler]

2007 R1200RT, 110,600 miles. My bike is starting to weep engine oil from the rear main and or balancer shaft seal. As we know, it's a costly repair! So my question; has anyone ever tried the "high mileage" branded oil or other such additive? If so what did you use, and what were the results? Thanks!
DP

When Mobile1High Milage oil first cam out I tried it in an old Audi I was driving that had a front main seal leak. Amazingly it stopped leaking due to the seal conditioners which are one of the additivities in "high mileage" oils in addition to extra detergents and other things. However, that Audi had good old-fashioned rubber seals which can respond to chemical additives. Many modern engines use Teflon tipped seals which are supposedly better, but in my experience they don't respond to seal conditioners. I believe BMW had been using such seals for the rear main seal (and perhaps other seals) for some time - but I could be wrong about that. A point to note is the the amount of seal conditioner in high mileage oils is pretty low so designed to have a moderate effect over time. You might consider a specific seal conditioner product additive in addition to the high mileage oils to see if that works quicker or better, if at all.

 

[dennypink]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your suggestions. But now that winter has arrived, I'll have to wait until it warms up again.
DP

 

[gregfeeler]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your suggestions. But now that winter has arrived, I'll have to wait until it warms up again.
DP

I don't know your bike storage is set up, but if you feel like using a specific seal conditioner produce (like the Lucas referenced in this thread), it might be worth putting it in your bike, warming to circulate, and then let it set with a period starting to get to temp and circulate again. This winter down time might be useful to let such a product have time to work.

 

[dennypink]

Good advice, thanks Greg!

 

[c10950]

Also high mileage oil contains more additives like ZDDP . Winter you say and have to wait . Good time to pull the engine and do it yourself . Why would you do that you might ask .
For one the seal has reached its useful life from two conditions . Age , and use . Anything you do from here other than replacement in a Band-Aid .
Have you ever seen a seal let go unexpectedly ? I have and its not a good thing . One engine failure can occur due to sudden oil loss , and a accident .

Here is a link to a video of the process for the 1200 . I wonder what your clutch may look like with the leak .

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zw4iHaaS6CA?si=esXg9UxkaBJbxCMZ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[gregfeeler]

Also high mileage oil contains more additives like ZDDP . Winter you say and have to wait . Good time to pull the engine and do it yourself . Why would you do that you might ask .
For one the seal has reached its useful life from two conditions . Age , and use . Anything you do from here other than replacement in a Band-Aid .
Have you ever seen a seal let go unexpectedly ? I have and its not a good thing . One engine failure can occur due to sudden oil loss , and a accident .

Here is a link to a video of the process for the 1200 . I wonder what your clutch may look like with the leak .

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zw4iHaaS6CA?si=esXg9UxkaBJbxCMZ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Provided you have an appropriate winter workspace, this is the best advice of all. I had a rear main seal on a K75 quickly go from a small leak to total failure and it's a mess because you are likely on the road and need to get back safely, and it's a mess to cleanup on top of the work to replace. Maintenance in the garage - good! Repairs on the side of the road - bad!

 

[dennypink]

Good Morning - fun to watch the video and thank you for the encouragement, but way above my pay grade. If I did attempt the repair and after reassembly, I would wonder where the left over pieces were suppose to go?
DP

 

[c10950]

Good Morning - fun to watch the video and thank you for the encouragement, but way above my pay grade. If I did attempt the repair and after reassembly, I would wonder where the left over pieces were suppose to go?
DP

Then it's time to pony up for the repair. Drop it off to repair facility and let winter blow through Colorado.

 

[Omega Man]

Would the repair cost be more than the retail value of the bike?
OM

 

[dennypink]

Would the repair cost be more than the retail value of the bike?
OM

With new seals and clutch, repair would be $2,000.00 plus . I'm guessing it's still worth $2,500.00 to $3,000.00. Thing is I really enjoy this bike, have it set up just the way I like it. Sold it several years ago, then bought it back about a year later. I appreciate every ones comments, thank you!
DP

 

[gregfeeler]

With new seals and clutch, repair would be $2,000.00 plus . I'm guessing it's still worth $2,500.00 to $3,000.00. Thing is I really enjoy this bike, have it set up just the way I like it. Sold it several years ago, then bought it back about a year later. I appreciate every ones comments, thank you!
DP

Comparing a big maintenance or repair cost against the market value of a vehicle is common, with the implication that if the cost exceed the worth, maybe it's time to buy something else. If you are tired of what you have, are wanting to sell it, and have been wanting something else, then this is a convenient justification and worth considering. However, if you are otherwise happy with your bike or car, then I don't think this comparison makes financial sense very often.

I think the real question is what can you get for the repair costs that you will know the condition of as well as the vehicle you have? In your case, what could you buy for $2,000 that would be a better, more reliable bike than the one you have? Unusually, I find that answer is none - that nothing I could buy for the repair costs would come close to the vehicle I have once it's fixed, and to get something really better & more reliable, I would have to spend far more. You'll hear that if you put that much money into an older vehicle that you'll have to "ride it out" to get your money back - but isn't that the point of having a running bike - to ride it?

When I do the math, I typically find I can get my repair money back a lot quicker than if I commit to several years of replacement vehicle payments. This is very much a personal choice, but this is another way of looking at this kind of situation.

 

[BC1100S]

No Synthetic. Castrol 10w-40 4T dinosaur motorcycle oil.
DP

I sure don't want to turn this into an oil thread, and you've had 110k miles of success with your current oil, but isn't the recommended oil grade for this bike 20W-50? Would a switch to that grade, along with judicious use of that Lucas product, reduce/eliminate the seepage?

 

[dennypink]

Good points Greg. What you're saying makes sense, as in a good business decision.
BC1100S I looked in my owners manual and you are correct, it does say 20w50. I have been using 10w-40 during the winter months, switching to 20w-50 in the summer. And who doesn't like an oil thread?
DP

 

[gregfeeler]

Good points Greg. What you're saying makes sense, as in a good business decision.
BC1100S I looked in my owners manual and you are correct, it does say 20w50. I have been using 10w-40 during the winter months, switching to 20w-50 in the summer. And who doesn't like an oil thread?
DP

When money is involved I think it wise to always take a look at the situation from a business perspective. But, there is also the personal or emotional, which is highly applicable - I think - when it comes to motorcycles. One way that applies is that even if the business case says "A" is the better move, maybe you really want to do "B". Fair enough - you did the math and decided the way you really wanted to go was worth the difference.

Another way emptions can be your friend is to help you keep a bike that makes you happy. You said you loved that bike, and I know from my experience that some bikes just make you grin more than others, and even bikes that shroud be identical can be very deferent experience to ride. I had two 1986 Pearl White R100RSs at the same time, and one was a blast to ride, you started grinning as you fired it up. The other was an ice queen and "distant". I made the mistake of selling the fun one because the other was in mint condition. However, I just didn't enjoy riding the second one and sold it, always kicking myself for letting the fun go.