[gemini2k]

So I need to put some more lubricating oil (into the castings, not the damping oil in the cartridge) into my travis, but my question is, do I HAVE to use the stupid motorex semibath oil that costs more and I have to wait for, or can i just go pick up some fork oil of the weight of my choosing at my local moto shop? Or is it gonna screw up teH fork? Keep in mind its on the left (non damper) side.

 

[warthog]

You can use a synthetic motor oil...it is the same thing, at least that's what I was told by the tech at Manitou.

 

[jhhubb]

Does weight matter? It says 5w40.

 

[DownCycles_Stef]

Weight does matter, find an oil that has the right cold weight (most forks use 5, 7.5 or 10), then find one that has the lowest hot weight.

5w40 means 5 weight at room temp-ish and 40 weight at normal engine temp (usually somewhere between 190-230 degrees F).

 

[gonefirefightin]

whoa nelly, dont use motor oil, bad juju.

if you want faster speed than use a 5 weight fork oil. and any finish line product will work fine and is cheap. start with a 7 or 7.5 and work around from there with your personal preference

 

[urbaindk]

whoa nelly, dont use motor oil, bad juju.

if you want faster speed than use a 5 weight fork oil. and any finish line product will work fine and is cheap. start with a 7 or 7.5 and work around from there with your personal preference

This is semibath oil, not damping oil. Synthetic motor oil is fine for this application...

 

[skatetokil]

I thought the cleaners and crap they put in motor oil can damage seals but that may be an erbon legend.

 

[DownCycles_Stef]

Not really an urban legend, some chemicals added to oil can damage seals. But since this is not being used in a cartridge rod system, it's just for lubrication, not really going to be a huge issue since very little oil is needed. It may damage the seals but since it's cheap oil and very little is used, you can always refill (as fork leaks if seals become ruined) and once it gets to the point that it leaks too much, then just replace seals. But you'll probably end up replacing the seals just as often as you normally would with semi-bath oil because normal wear & tear will damage them faster than the oil will.