Cold weather 2 stroke oil question

How long has it been stored?

Been ice riding and racing with 927 and C-12 for 20 years with no problems. I mix fresh every weekend.

We do a lot of cold weather riding, real cold. Even with temps near zero f. And, at these temps I've seen 927 form a sludge in the bowl of the carb and the bike will not run. A real pain to deal with too when you are freezing cold already. The regular synthetics seem to work real well, I use Spectro SX and have never had any issue with it at all.

http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Race-Shop,42/The-right-premix-for-tiddler…

Read at the bottom what themrtoad says.

I had a problem with the oil freezing and causing the float needle to stick. use sled premix

I put mine away in the winter.

I've had half a jug of 927 and race gas premixed sit all winter in an unheated storage unit, low temps of -20, two winters in a row. Come spring time I gave the jug a good shaking like normal and it worked fine, no issues.

Fact is 927 WILL separate / turn sludge like in your gas can or bike if left over night and its below 20-25*. That being said the bike creates plenty of heat while you riding to keep the fuel from gelling and works just fine even if its below zero. Moral of the story is..dont leave your bike or gas can outside at night if you plan on riding the next day..and like nytsmaC said once the fuel warms up a bit a few shakes and it mixes right back up..done and done.

the term "castor oil" is confusing, three in one would be better, since castor is one of the three components.

Synthetic oil (Ester)
Vegetable oil (castor bean)
Highly refined mineral oil

colder weather requested lower Viscosity and "castor oil" has high Viscosity

three random examples

Castor 927

50% Castor Oil 50% 8001-79-4
50% Modified Fatty Acid Ester
10-20% Multi-functional additive mixture Confidential

Gravity °A.P.I. 17.6
Viscosity SUS @ 100°F 617
Viscosity SUS @ 210°F 73
Viscosity cSt @ 40°C 133.1
Viscosity cSt @ 100°C 13.79
Pour Point °F -5
Flash Point °F 420
Fire Point °F 480
Viscosity Index 99


Castrol A747 Racing..

10-30% Castor Oil [CASRN 8001-79-4]
40-70% Proprietary Synthetic Ester [CASRN NA]
10-30% Multifunctional blend consisting of ash less
dispersant, antioxidant and additives

Density @ 15°C 0.934
Kinematic Viscosity @ 100°C min 20
Kinematic Viscosity @ 20°C min 180
Viscosity Index min 125
Flash Point °C min 230
Total Base Number (mgKOH/g) 2.5
Pour Point °C max -24
Sulphate Ash % wt max 0.2

Xeramic Castor Evolution

55 -65 % Castor Oil : 8001-79-4
30 -35 % Polyester : 68552-19-2
1 -2 % Substituted phenol : R52

Density @ 15°C : 940 kg/m³
Viscosity @ 100ºC : 20.0 cSt
Flashpoint : >200ºC
Pour Point : -24ºC
Solubility in water : Negligible.

Synthetic oil

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made (synthesized).
Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials.
Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for lubricant refined from petroleum when operating in extremes of temperature, because, in general, it provides superior mechanical and chemical properties than those found in traditional mineral oils.

Semi-synthetic oil

Semi-synthetic oil (also called 'synthetic blends') are blends of mineral oil with no more than 30% synthetic oil.
Designed to have many of the benefits of synthetic oil without matching the cost of pure synthetic oil.
Motul introduced the first semi-synthetic motor oil in 1966.

Lubricants that have synthetic base stocks even lower 30%, high-performance additive packs consisting of esters can also be considered synthetic lubricants.

Mineral oil

Mineral oils, or petroleum, and its refined components, collectively termed petrochemicals, are crucial resources in the modern economy.

Vegetable oil castor bean

Vegetable oils, due to their good lubricity and biodegradability are attractive alternatives to petroleum-derived lubricants, but oxidative stability and low temperature performance limit their widespread use.
Castor oil has better low temperature viscosity properties and high temperature lubrication than most vegetable oils, making it useful as a lubricant in jet, diesel, and race car engines
However, castor oil tends to form gums in a short time, and its use is therefore restricted to engines that are regularly rebuilt, such as race engines.
The lubricants company Castrol took its name from castor oil

Not where we ride. Here carb freezing is common. We wrap our carbs but if riding in powdery snow it can even come through the air filter and freeze from the inside out. Better to stay away from 927 until spring, why take the chance.

Before getting all gung-ho on Castor Oil, study the relationship between Castor Oil and Stearic Acid. Then study the relationship between Stearic Acid and all the brass jets and parts in your carburetor. Let's just say, if you're going to use Castor, mix fresh every day and definitely do not let it sit in your carb for long periods of time.

As good as modern synthetic 2-stroke oils are, I really see no reason to deal with the negatives of Castor oil.

But it smells so coooll!!!!!!! yeah yeah.....