Will WD-40 Destroy Your Motorcycle Chain O-Rings? | MC GARAGE
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Whether or not WD-40 will keep your chain’s O-rings happy or ruin them is one of the most controversial topics in motorcycle maintenance. Will WD-40 destroy your chain’s O-rings, displace the grease, and ruin your chain? To find out, Senior Road Test Editor Ari Henning donned his lab coat, marched down to the MC garage, and performed some compatibility experiments. Watch the video to see the results!
--
What’s the truth? To find out, Senior Road Test Editor Ari Henning donned his lab coat, marched down to the MC garage, and performed some compatibility experiments. Chain links were disassembled, test tubes organized, and O-rings subjected to full immersion in WD-40 (as well as other common shop chemicals) to find out if and how the contents of the ubiquitous yellow-and-blue effects the O-rings used on today’s sealed chains.
Full story here: www.motorcycli...
Bel-Ray Chain Lubricant - amzn.to/2YqJ1cQ
WD-40 - amzn.to/2E1wEfB
Subscribe: www.youtube.com...
Motorcyclist Shirts: teespring.com/...
Shop Products We Use: www.amazon.com...
See more from us: www.motorcyclis...
Motorcycle myth bustin'
I like it.
+Wiser InTime Using actual facts and proper testing ??? Damn that's not the USA I'm used to :D
because your hurley doesn't have chain but a belt. no need to test the o-rings
tf 360 like
I used WD-40 on a Yamaha R1 for 10 years and lubed the chain every 2-3weeks for 10-11 months of almost daily use during the 10 year period. Had zero, ZERO problems.
Great
Thanks
stupid
Should I wash my chain with water only or water and soap after cleaning it with wd40? Then I wipe the chain dry and use gear oil ? Is this okay for an X-ring chain ?
@@awakenedservant I think not. I have seen a few videos where the chain is wiped after WD40 cleaning before adding the lub.
It’s almost the end of 2021, and I’m 19, experimenting my bike… And this video, even after 5 years, still helps kids like me
Been using it for years. It has the added effect of driving moisture out of the chain (which u want) after washing your bike. Always lube your chain AFTER washing the bike. I clean it lightly with a toothbrush and a little WD 40, then dry it with a rag, wait 10 mins to air dry, and apply 90 weight gear oil. Amazing results.
That's how ya do it.......oldschool nice and easy
how do you stop the gear oil from splattering around the rims? My dad told me to do the same procedure as you do and the chain is nice and smooth but I had to clean the rims regularly
Apply the oil and wait a few minutes to let it soak in. Then wipe the chain with a rag to remove the excess so it doesn't fling everywhere.@@huyduongquang1438
I've been using WD40 to clean the chain on my 2004 DR650 since the bike was new. The original chain is still good with 8,500 miles on it. All O-rings were intact. How's that for a long-term test.
are you lubing it too, or WD40 only?
I think he's just using it for cleaning. As the video says, it's perfect for cleaning but they recommend you to use a proper lube.
Bryan Miata i say your full of shit.
Well on your DR it's fine. Suzuki recommends using kerosene to clean your chain on any of their products.
Nick Linville did you watch the video at all? wd40 is essentially kerosene with other stuff added.
After 40 odd years of riding and maintaining bikes, here is my tried and tested method. Clean the chain with paraffin (kerosene), using an old towel. Then, also using an old towel, pour about a quarter of a pint of gear oil into the palm of your hand, and wrap the oily towel around the bottom run of the chain, whilst slowly rotating the wheel by hand. Remember, this oil is solely there to stop the chain from going rusty. The lube is already inside the chain. Wipe off any excess. Job done. Time taken? 5 minutes! I have had a chain last for 40,000 miles using this method, and there was still plenty of life left in it!
Wow great info! Thanks sir
TheMickvee fully agree with
Repeat the process after 300 miles!
No! Repeat when necessary! Of course, if you are on a long trip, then a can of chainlube would be essential.
^^^yep this is how to properly clean a chain. Kerosine to clean and run gear oil on it. Cheap and it works. My old Dr650 manual actually stated to clean and lubricate this exact way. I think it's been updated now to only use Suzuki brand cleaner etc lol
There is another test I saw on a forum about this subject, the tester went one step further using various solvents, o-rings in test tubes, for varying lengths of time. Then he checked for not only swelling and distortion, but elasticity using gauges to stretch to failure. WD 40 came out second only to kerosene but not by much. Upshot is WD40 does not harm or compromise your orings. It has no magic ability to penetrate behind compressed O-rings any more than Kerosene.
That said it is a cleaner not a lubricant, perfectly safe for short term cleaning of chains.
Great work on these garage videos. been following you since the dreadlock days.
+Lord Moughezi Thanks for sticking with us!
I really love these MC Garage videos. Sometimes all you need to start DIY repair and maintenance is a push in the right direction and some myth-busting :)
WOW! Science to back up the claim! Thank you!
I came across info a few years ago when I first bought my CBR250R on cleaning the chain. I cleaned with simple green, sprayed out the water with WD-40 (wd= water displacement) and then lubed the chain with the Honda chain lube. Worked great!
I rode 2000 miles a month, and cleaned every 500 miles or after riding through monsoons (started riding in the beginning of monsoon weather in AZ... :D ) Got tired of cleaning my chain, so going up to the 1200GS was super nice :)
Phew! I've always been an advocate for WD-40, removing chain lub and muck off my rear wheel and swing arm as well as cleaning my chain. Love the stuff.
I have a D.I.D chain and it says right on the box to "NOT" use kerosene among other harsh chemicals. I think the problem isn't that kerosene will eat or soften the rubber but rather it can easily slip past the rubber and dissolve the grease the rubber seals help to protect.
This is great.
Me and my friends have had good results with WD-40 only and not other lube. The philosophy is that o-ring chains are already lubed inside the bushings and a clean chain is a long lasting chain.
Killroy Yes, but wd40 will destroy that lube that is inside and will dissipate. If you lubr your chain with wd40 youre basically riding on dry chain.
@@TheAdamAdy That's my concern as well. Disappointed the video didn't address this.
I have a ride partner who never lubes his chain. Just cleans it with WD40 every tank full. He has done this on several bikes and gets 15-20K miles on a chain. I don’t follow this regimen but I can’t argue with his results and his maint time is much easier than mine.
@@hernandocortez6351 like erik said, chain is already lubed. True it helps ease friction, but with that price, just change chain every 25000km and just use wd40 every month or so! Doing that in my second bike just for experimenting and getting same results probably cheaper because I don't use gear oil, the only cheap lube. If you use gear oil, probably worth taking a few more mins to lube your chain I guess.
Wd40 doesnot penetrate inside so factory grease is safe.
Love these tech videos, keep em' coming! Can we get one for checking and adjusting valves?
+Ruthless705 yeah that's very technical lol, Idk if they'll do those on this channel. I really want them to. I love this channel so much. has to do with removing timing chain and not allowing valves to hit the piston when you reassemble. the shim and bucket part is easy especially since modern manuals list what to put if your current shim is a certain thickness. I have to do mine this summer and I'm dreading it even if I've been a mechanic for 7 years and done all kinds of car, truck ,hydraulics, diesel, motorcycle jobs
I'm riding a 14 year old zx9r and have done the valves every 8k miles up to around 50k miles, as you say the job itself isn't too hard its the stripping everything off which takes the time, they stop tightening up on the nine around that figure though I still ckeck them every now n then for peice of mind, 75k up and counting now n still sweet as a nut.
I always put them at the max spec too.
I appreciate that you set a chain on fire 🔥 just to bring me more excellent content 👍
I feel like I would still watch this channel if I wasn't into motorcycles. So quick and on point videos. Even "howto's" are 4 minutes average, not like some other 30 min mumbling manuals.
I feel like my motorcycle IQ shoots up after watching these videos.
lol.
Excellent topic choice. Its incredible how common of a thought this is, I told my shop that I was using kerosene to clean my o-ring chain and their reaction was on par with as if I left my 3 month old baby in the car on a summer day. I was convinced and bought some Motul chain cleaner, which I'm still quite happy with though its nice to know that I didn't compromise my drive train.
My old 1980 GS1100E's owner's manual recommended kerosene and a tooth brush for chain cleaning!
Thank you! Been saying all along that WD40 was more of a cleaner/solvent than lubricant. I always have used either kerosene or diesel and a tooth brush for chain cleaning. I just finished doing my chain and thought I'd spray some WD on to clean up any dirty diesel that may remain, but I never have done that. That's how I wound up here. Very good info, to be sure!
It's not good enough. Some will still argue with this topic. Great informative video. Much appreciated
What I took from this, "Don't clean your chain with brake cleaner. WD-40 is a decent cleaner."
Just want to say Ari Henning seems to be an awesome guy, I love all his articles and videos, as someone who hasn't been riding motorcycles too long
This is the EXACT info I was looking for today to figure out which of my on-hand cans of chemicals I could safely use to clean my o-ring chain. THANK YOU!
Great video! WD40 is great to displace moisture but horrible to keep the mechanism lubricated like you said. Used it on a door hinge on my car. Had to follow up with some graphite lube like my clutch cable uses on the bike to keep the lube sealed in. 6 months and no squeaks. Amazing how things work when you use it for it's intended purpose!
WD 40 is an degreaser. You don't use it to lubricate an motorcycle chain..
@@kimw200blaze4 Absolutely! Love what it does for chain cleaning overall.
@@d1sturb3d119
It's weird how people get confused and think it can be used as an chain lubricant. I agree it's absolutely excellent, and can even remove initial rust from an chain.
This was exactly what I was looking for. And all in 3 minutes. Spot on
Thanks for the explanation. WD-40 is great for what it has been made for: cleaning and conserving. I use a very thin layer on chrome or metal parts for winter time when the bike stands still. No corrosion.
Wow! Great to know about brake cleaner! I don't use it to clean my chain, but now I know to be careful when cleaning the rear brake/rotors. Thanks for this!
You're totally right that it won't hurt an oring BUT it will penetrate past the oring thining out the GREASE that's INSIDE. Now you havecan Oring chain that has had its internal lube thinned out and an oring that stops fresh grease from getting in.
I`ve used WD40 on all of my bikes to clean the chain before lubing because, being a lubricant, it`ll get down between the plates where chain wax won`t really reach and I`ll have an extra lubed chain, great vid, man, keep them coming.
Kerosene to clean and gear oil to lubricate. You absolutely do not need more than this...
In many manuals it stands quite clear "use gear oil 80w90 as lubricant"
Jinx Ban. Most chain cleaners are aerosol kerosene. Kerosene from a station pump is $1 a quart. Dupont chain cleaner is $5 a can = a pint. About 10 times the cost, but the convenience of the aerosol blast may be worth it.
To be honest, you really just need to cut the dirty grease and wax off the surface. Dawn, a nylon brush, and a hose will do it. You can't regrease inside the link, as the o ring is holding that grease in for life.
Gasoline is bad at seeping under the o ring and diluting the factory grease. Kerosene is just one step down the petroleum column, and diesel is the next step down. I think they can all seep, just as machine penetrating oil and WD40. So I tend to use soaps and kerosene about every fifth cleaning. I stick kerosene in a squirt bottle and wipe/wash immediately.
Just incredible, many thanks!
I have been considering this - debating this - and discussing this for many many years and I have heard so many different opinions I'm just as confused as when I first thought about it 20 years ago.
Not any more.
Excellent.
👍🤓
I have been using WD 40 for 5 years on the the chains of my two motorcycles. Both to lube and to clean. I started doing this because I was sick and tired of the gunge and dirt from the mean stream chain lubes. On my MT01 I have clocked over 30000 km and the chain is still shining. Moreover I have tested each individual link and all is fine! Every 250km I clean it with WD 40 and that is it! Only takes 5 minutes.
what type of wd40 did you use to lubricate ? I have a sv 650s and I am sick of tired to clean my rear wheel and basically everything :)I thought wd40 good for clean the chain...
I've noticed using WD40 as lube makes the chain glide over the sprockets so much more easily than conventional lube. I've been using it on my enduro bike (now SM) for about 100 hours with no degradation of either chain or sprocket. It does wonders for fuel economy and cuts down the power loss through the drive-train.
The only bad thing I've noticed so far is you have to apply it more regularly than normal lube as it just lacks the properties to cling to the chain.
Well-done! Quite comprehensive. Far more so than I was (mistakenly) expecting.
I do know stuff about chain maintenance. But just a quick tip to you guys, please copy a link of your video that you mentioned in the end for making it easy for others to go through it
My turbocharged ZX14 has near 280Hp it has over 8k on the stock chain sprockets, been using it WD40 for lube my chain no problems
I had a thought about using wd40 to clean the chain before I did it, before applying the chain lube, and guess I was right. Thanks for the video, man, very clever idea of deeping the o-rings in wd40!
I absolutely love WD-40. yes it's a very light lubricants that makes you have to spray your drive chain every other day.. but at the same time, IT'S DAMN CLEAN. it doesn't leave any sticky dirty residue that even splattered to the rear wheel like chain lube.. and WD40 is cheap..
I suspect this myth came about from people mistakenly thinking that WD40 is a lube rather than a solvent, and thus using it to clean their chain without lubing afterwards. Running a bare, unlubed chain causes friction and heat and can degrade your o-rings as well as the chain itself.
WD40 is fine, but always use a proper chain lube after cleaning.
I've used WD-40 sprayed on a rag to clean the outside of my chain for years, then lube with a good chain lube. Spraying the WD-40 on a rag keeps from soaking the chain while cleaning. Works well and I've never had any chain o-ring failures.
thanks Bro! been using wd40 ever since both in cleaning and lubricating my chain. like it a lot because does not stick too much dirt on my chain, considering the fact on the road condition in our country
what type of wd40 use for lubricating? cheers
I've actually done this experiment before with same results. I also remember telling a guy he should not have used a pressure washer on his chain.
WD-40 is also a light lubricant so it performs okay on a bike chain. Other lubricants especially dry ones clog up your chain and flick off everywhere - and then your chain needs cleaning again!! Simply give your chain a regular quick spray with WD-40 to keep it clean and lubed - stops you needing to spend a lot of time cleaning it!! top tip - place a piece of cardboard behind the chain to stop over spray and then a quick wipe with a paper towel and job done. Of course it goes without saying never do this with the engine on!!
WD40 does not lube.. if you use wd 40 on your bike chain as cleaning and lubing then you are just stupid.
if you like motorcycles this is one if not the best series on RUclips
Dude, you sure do a great job! Putting out a lot of helpful videos. Thank you very much!
6 years later. This is still a great video.
Thank you Mc garage So we can use Wd40 for clean the chain 👌🏻
Good science, great vid! Another measure would have been to weigh the o-rings for any absorption.
Also, WD40 helps clean rim from chain lube, very easy! I use it on my anodised rim and no problem till now with the colour!!
You should've tested if WD-40 displaces the oil in o-rings or not. That's why most people don't use WD-40 to clean their chains.
Use WD-40 to clean the chain and dispose water from the chain BUT after a couple of hours, after the WD-40 has dried, use a good chain lube like Chain saver with PTFE from Dupont. No fling, no dirt sticking and easy to remove for cleaning and re-lube.
For some reason Honda says not to use kerosene on their sealed chains. Doesn’t give a reason in owners manual just says to use their o-ring safe lube or equivalent.
I've been using Brake Cleaner as chain cleaner for 4 years now. Never encountered a problem.
I heard that the problem is WD40's low viscosity which allows it to get in between the o-rings and remove their lubricant which isn't replaced by chain lube. I'm not sure how true that is but I will only use thicker chain cleaners just in case.
Has this been proven?
I have religously cleaned chains with wd40 and then lubed with a dry lube. My chains and sprockets last well past 30k miles.
Thank you for this.. Been using WD-40 for years, and even though had some long life chains people kept telling me would ruin the O Rings although never saw it happen ..
The problem is not attacking the o-rings, the problem is its a solvent and you'll remove lube on them at the point they contact o-ring edge to metal that they had on them from assembly. A wire brush to knock off the sprocket crusties then use warm soapy water and brush to clean off the outer muck without taking any grease off, only the dirty film on top of it, rag for wipe and then add a decent lube.
The test tubes, test tube rack, and lab coat was a nice touch.
Cool myth bust! I'll still continue to use diesel though, simply because its way cheaper by volume. I would recommend DuPont Teflon Chain Saver as a lube. I've used it for years and if you follow the instructions the lube won't fling off and dirt doesn't stick to it unlike oil lubes. Its cheap and can be found at any Walmart.
+Rocketninja200 Biodiesel is also a good safe shop solvent. Dupont sells it in a red spray can as a companion to their excellent "Teflon Chain Saver." The purest petroleum solvent you can buy is charcoal lighter. It's the same Stoddard solvent that you used to use to wash parts.
One of the better chain lubes out there is the 8 oz spray can of CASTROL Chainlube. Available most anywhere, and is ideal for longer rides. No muss no fuss
Two Honda VFRs spanning 26 years and 100,000 miles and I use WD-40 and nothing else on the o-ring chains. I consistently get about 32,000 miles from a chain. RK put me onto WD-40 years ago. I wrote them and asked what to use and they said WD-40.
This is real world testing, I do the same with my O-Ring chains with the same results, no additional lube just WD.
@@TepcoCycleRepair So you use WD40 to clean the gunk off and then you don't lube the chain?!?
You use WD40 to clean the gunk off and then you don't lube the chain?!?
@@burkeydaturkey correct. I do it each time I ride, because of that I never have gunk to clean off. Chian lube builds up attracting dirt/sand (gunk) that causes wear. O-rings are lubed inside the O-Ring, spray on lube doesn't get there.
And WD-40 is a lube, it says it right on the can. Because I do it every time, the light lube that WD is is enough.
Thanks bro !no mechanic or motorcycle dudes did the submersion and wait to destroy the oring test which i was planning to do with mine so you saved me months of waiting :D
i will go buy another can of WD 40 and clean then oil my chain at next interval !
+1
nice.. simple.. useful.. important.. all in under 5 min. great work!! one of the very few you tubers to fare really well in this field!!
Never use anything other than wd40. Had 18k miles on fz1 and chain / sprockets were still perfect. Lube in on the inside of modern chains.
I have used WD 40 when I was out of Grease or oil! Hell I have used everything in a garage at one point! Gear oil is the best just makes a little mess but if you apply and lightly clean your good! Use new oil sometimes or even bearing Grease!
I always figured since wd40 was a penetrating solvent it would get in behind the Orings and thin out the grease in the chain.
it wont this has been disproven
! more use for it is to spray it on the control housing on your handel bars, I have a 1982 GPZ 550 that was sitting outside in the sun and the plastic housing where you horn and start button are held was badly faded almost to a light grey. So I sprayed lots of WD-40 on to them so that they looked wet, then I just let it sit (do not wipe it off) after a few days the color returned to black and the WD-40 was gone. Try in on faded plastic It works
Of course it will not dissolve the O rings, it's a matter of washing out the factory grease stored within the rings. Also "similar to kerosene" remark, similar is not the same so will not necessarily have the same traits.
But like you said at the end, why even bother with anything else when you have specifically made products that do the best job? It doesn't cost much to clean and lube the chain with dedicated products even when they cost 5-10x more than kerosene, diesel and whatnot.
This is from someone that does not know a lot about chains with o-rings, but do all chains have o-ring made in the same material? O-rings are made in many different materials like Silicone, Viton, plain rubber, Nitrile Rubber and when WD40 is applied to those you will not have the same result for all of them.
Most reputable MC companies have Nitrile Orings from the factory and any good replacement chain also uses them. If you bought some cheap Chinese chain well you might have bigger issues to worry about.
In aprox 3 min video, I proved all my friends wrong thanks to you. 3 months soaked o-rings definetly worked. Thank you!
I use nothing but WD40 on my o ring chains. My 750 street bike chain has 33,000 miles on it and is still in spec and quiet as a church mouse. My klr650 and drz400 (offroad mostly) get replaced every 20k, but still have life in them. Use wd40 and lube often. I guarantee it will give good results.
How about WD-40 White Lithium for lubrication? Easy to apply, doesn't attract a lot of dirt, and comes off easily. The only negative is that it doesn't last as long as chain wax.
Such a relief. After 4 years been using it without any damage. 😎
Thanks for the info. It sucks to be on a long, dusty trip and have a powder caked chain after a week or so. I've been carrying WD 40 mainly for tire lube, but also for chain cleaning, and Dupont Walmart chain lube.
Nice video, try the Moto Chain-Mate next time you clean & lube the chain. It works fantastic, No Overspary!
thanks for clearing up a common misconception
WD40 is primarily a solvent. As such, it's fine for cleaning but will dry off rapidly and is not suitable for using in any kind of heavy pressure lubrication application such as you will encounter with a drive chain. But.... as the only thing you're lubricating on an 'O' ring chain is the 'O' rings its fine for very short term lubrication in an emergency only as it will dry out rapidly, and as its a solvent, it will have washed out any other lubricant already on the rings. This needs to be replaced as soon as possible to keep those 'O' rings happy and sealing so re-lube using the chain lube of your choice as soon as possible afterwards..
I use wd40 for cleaning AND LUBE a 520 chain kit on my CBR 1100 XX, 164 Hp, lots of torque and lighter 520 chain instead oem 530, chain last 15.000 km in perfect condition, no more gunk all over the place, pristine clean. The only trade off is that I have to lube it every 500 km, but I prefer that over all the dirt.
my xj6 service manual recommends kerosene for cleaning and lubrication but i use it only for cleaning. For lubrication i use motul
Living In the UK we are told Paraffin is the same as Kerosene. Safety Data Sheet of my local brand states
Synonyms, Trade Names .........
C1 Kerosene. So I guess it is safe for o rings . As its Kerosene.
Well cleared that up easily . Hope it helps cheap bikers like me .
I've never heard anyone say you can use WD40 to lube a chain. It's far too thin to lube a high stress component, save it for lubing cables.
No pocket protector? Damn you're brave! I think over brushing the chain is the biggest threat to your sealed chain.
I am 62 and when I was a teenager I had a Suzuki TM 125 I used to clean my chains back then in kerosene without any problems also I would soak them in a light motor oil and hang them overnight to let the excess run off and yes we had chain lube back then I would use PJ 1 from time to time worked great I also use WD 40 and never had a problem with lubing or cleaning
What about using Diesel to clean the chain and Gear oil for lubrication...i need your suggestion...Thank you
I like gear oil the best. I snapped a chain on my 600 due to paraffin buildup around front sprocket, under the cover. The paraffin wax attracts dirt and stuff from the street. I’ve legit found what looked like human teeth under my r1 front sprocket cover stuck in globs of paraffin wax from chain wax mixed with tar/asphalt from the roads.
I have used acetone to clean my o-ring chain once before.
It cleaned really good. Too good.
The Grunge Brush melted and fell apart.
The chain was not doing too good soon after.
Great video thank you :) I love lubing everything with WD-40.... everything ;)
I change out my chains at 24k miles, they're cleaned monthly with white spirit then lubed with engine oil with the excess wiped off, they're still like new when I chuck em away and I only use EK chains.
Can you guys do a video on proper maintenance for bikes with belts? I have a Star Bolt R-spec with over 9,000 miles and want to keep it going for alot longer.
+Roque Munoz You should check your owner's manual, but in general with belts you just want to inspect it for cracks or damage. If it looks good, keep riding!
+Roque Munoz The only maintenance you do to belts is to use the bike. But HD forums will say they lick their belts because the saliva provides a special coating, blablabla.
+Motorcyclist Magazine
How about an episode on how to tell if you need a new chain; whether or not you should D.I.Y. and how to D.I.Y.
Thanks guys, love the new episodes, keep it up.
Ari Henning is the man! Thanks Ari.
If you do not like it do not use it, as easy as that. Good video
what about the condition of the o rings after letting them sit for a while, like did the wd40 make that o ring dry out faster then the kerosine one? whats the one that won't dry out the o rings when their not sitting, soaking in them?...
Ari Henning; you are a great guy!
Does WD-40 have any effect on the grease itself compared to other chemicals?
WD40 will dilute any grease or oil because it's mainly a solvent.
Tnx you help a lot with tips for beginer riders
Good video. The point to take away is WD40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.
Could you do a video on Purple Power? I run a motorcycle club and the question came up.
Great work...love this mythbustin! Put to bed an anxiety I’ve had over this with this for years.
Glad we finally get the truth on that situation. thanks for proving the point guys.
What is the risk some chosen cleaner penetrates past the pressure of the rings and gets into the sealed grease? That wasn't addressed.
This channel gets better all the time! Keep up the great work!