Is this true regarding Oil

[rondon73]

Hi Folks,

I read a pdf study by a Richard Wildman about the oil used in an Automatic Mini.

Is this true as I see conflicting advice and I am about to service my new classic mini.

Any advice/comments much appreciated.

Automatic Transmission The AP automatic transmission used in the Mini is very sensitive to viscosity since the grooves on the discs are very shallow. The oil must displace quickly. And It should have additives to make the discs grab each other instead of slipping or chattering. If today’s gasoline oils, meeting API SN or the latest ACEA specs are used in this transmission, the discs will slip and wear out rapidly, just like slipping the clutch of a manual transmission car. While diesel formulations do not have those slippery friction modifiers, and are therefore better, the Motorcycle MA2 oils have a special friction modifier that make them grab between 35% and 100% better than diesel formulations (depending on the brands). MA2 oils will give noticeably better shifting and less particles in the oil and filter when you change it. Here is a chart with the coefficient of friction of the different motorcycle categories. The MB category is for Scooters and many other dry-clutch motorcycles, so the coefficient of friction is similar to car engine oils. You will note that a MA2 oil has up to 5 times more grab on the discs as a car or dry-clutch motor oil. This results it up to 5 times better clutch wear and performance.

Thanks

R

[rondon73]

I noticed a few previous posts on this, is this the oil recommend by Martin?

[jockduck]

I have always used mineral oil in my mini, I would avoid the thin oils with friction modifiers because they can cause loss of friction in the clutches and bands. I use a 15/40 diesel engine oil at the moment and everything seems fine. Unless you live in the tropics a 20/50 is too thick. There was an issue with modern car engine oils of the thin kind 5/30 etc not having enough high load additives like zinc and phosphorus to look after the flat tappets in the A series engine.
The Motorcycle MA 2 oils should certainly look after the gearbox whether they are OK for the engine or not I don't know, I do know that in Australia they are expensive.
Jock

[kiwimini]

Gulf Pride Plus.. 10W40 with MA2 runs at NZ$ 59.00 / 4 L. 

[notamini]

I believe if you were to look in this section of the forum for Richard 1, he explains all of this oil issue very well. He has a great deal of knowledge about oils since he has been in the industry. He has even posted an article he wrote about oil specifics.

[limby2000]

10w40 ma2 all the way, its cheap as chips in uk, i personally use motul (not sponsered)lol, as i,m a cheap skate, its about 25 quid for 5 litres if you hunt around.

[richard1]

Tarija and Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Yes, I would not lead you astray. MA2 oils are different from gasoline car oils in that:

---The car oils have additives to make them super slick and gain a little more economy, while they also work a little better in roller lifters.

---The MA2 oils have additives to change the dynamic friction so that the discs will grab once then slow when pressed. This saves you a ton in clutch wear. Other than that, the rest of the additives are somewhat like Diesel engine oil in terms of ZDDP, but less detergent.

And they should really not be much more expensive. You don't NEED synthetic. I sell a case of 12 qts for $3 US more than I sell a case of SN car engine oil, so that is 25 cents a quart difference.

in case you haven't seen the latest edition, here is the link: Oil for Classic Minis

[mra-minis]

May 2, 2020 11:46:25 GMT jockduck said:

I have always used mineral oil in my mini, I would avoid the thin oils with friction modifiers because they can cause loss of friction in the clutches and bands. I use a 15/40 diesel engine oil at the moment and everything seems fine. Unless you live in the tropics a 20/50 is too thick. There was an issue with modern car engine oils of the thin kind 5/30 etc not having enough high load additives like zinc and phosphorus to look after the flat tappets in the A series engine.
The Motorcycle MA 2 oils should certainly look after the gearbox whether they are OK for the engine or not I don't know, I do know that in Australia they are expensive.
Jock

The MA2 oils are a motorcycle oil designed for performance engines (so yes they will look after your A series) they were designed to work with shared engine / gearbox assemblies (see last note) and have special friction modifiers to work with WET clutches as used in the AP2 units, it is by far a higher quality oil than most others and shows this in the usually high price.

Richard Widman is an oil specialist, his PDF document is very comprehensive, to the point and accurate in every instance, I always have a printed copy hanging up for customers to read.