Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Oil additives

[pj748r]

Can any one reccomend an oil additive like Slick 50/ZX1 for use in my 2000 748r,as i have just put it in for its 6k service(FSH) and the dealers informed me that i need a new exhaust camshaft and 3 rockers.having bought my dream bike 4 weeks ago and warming it up before riding it i am gutted(£1000inl service).Makes me wonder why i sold a perfectly good Marlboro R6.Have e-mailed DUK to see if they are willing to do anything about it.Totally gutted!!!

[Nigel C]

Personally i use ZX1 you can get it from from most motor stores it uses anything it is added to as a carrier to get round the engine so you can add it to petrol and oil and cos dukes have a dry clutch you dont have to worry about messing that up .

Shazaam were are you advice is needed ???

[ducatimad]

Definitely a no. Went to a talk by Castrol a few years ago. The oils are given codes for viscosity and additives like anti froth agents, deoxidants and detergents etc. This shows how good they are, the cheaper oils have less and are therefore cheaper.

The Slick kind of additive does little to benefit if anything and can stop oil getting around the engine and in this synthetic world running Mobil 1 or the equivalent is far better.

[Nigel C]

I'll get my coat!!

[Guido]

As an ex-Castrol employee, I tend to agree with Ducatimad.

Do you see Motogp and WSB engineers with Slick 50 and when was the last time you saw their name on a set of leathers as a major sponsor?

Modern day fully synth' oils will handle anything you can throw at them. For instance Castrol R4 is a derivitive from the development work and experience gained from thrashing Colin Edwards' SPW around the track.

By a decent quality oil and you can guarantee the development work has been put in as have the required addtivies to avoid breakdown (maintaining 'shear-stability etc) and corrosion and anti-frothing. Buy a spurious brand oil and you'll probably have greasy chips flying out your zorsts.

PJ,

I think you may just have been unlucky or perhaps the history isn't as full as you thought (not a dig). By that I mean did you know the previous owner? has it been bounced off the limiter all day etc in a previous life?

I've done nearly 16k miles on my 2001 748R and at it's recent 12k service one rocker was replaced cos the dealer found a tiny indentation. When he showed me, I could hardly see it....grain of sand sort of stuff.

I am still a believer that some you win and some you don't with Duke's. They aint all the same (unfortunately).

Press DUK..they have been known to help out if the bike has a FDSH and it's only just out of warranty or the mileage is low.

Good luck

[Edited on 6-6-2003 by Guido]

[ducatimad]

Just to add, I used to own a '69 Lotus Elan S4. A twin cam engine builder who rebuilt my engine, 1600 with alloy (very soft) twin cam head, swore by Mobile 1.

He used to have customers doing 100k miles on a twin cam engine with only rings being replaced durng that time. He also went nuts when anyone suggested additives like Slick.

Pj748r,

Drop me an email , I have a 2000 996 and have just had this exact problem with four rockers, my bike was 4 months out of warranty and after a lot of persuasion DUK agreed to pay for the rockers, but not the labour, but the rockers are c£90 inc the VAT.

I have the contact details of quite a senior guy in the warranties department.

I'll be whatever help I can mate.

[scooter996]

I work for EXXONMOBIL-abosolutly under no circumstance ever put "snake oil additives" into your bike. Oil companies put enough additives or VI in oil as is. Let it be. We highly recommend against them. Let your bike bike warm up a couple of minutes before riding. It only takes fully synthetic oil about 1-2 minutes to coat the rockerarms. Plus after you shut the bike off theres a film of oil left on them.

[Nigel C]

I never put the stuff in my oil at all !! just added a cap full of zx1 to the petrol on occasions.
(only stated what it said on the bottle)

[rcgbob44]

Fully agree with all the other comments about not putting additives in your oil. I was told this many moons ago and have never done it. All the well know fully sinthetic oils are much of a muchness and will all perform well by themselves. I stick with the recommended Shell Fully sinthetic and all seems fine. Good Luck.