I was reading another post somewhere in my Circles about chain maintenance and the OP's blog post stated WD40 was...

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I was reading another post somewhere in my Circles about chain maintenance and the OP's blog post stated WD40 was good for cleaning the chain. 

I'd always been told WD40 will destroy the seals in the x/o-rings and not to use it. This advice came most recently from my bike mechanic. 

So, what says you? Is WD40 okay for chain drives or should we stay far far away from it for as long as possible?

Comments

Jason ON said…
kerosene is for hillbillies from Pennsylvania. :P
July 8, 2015 at 8:17 PM
George Ferreira said…
Jason ON Any solvent is good to clean chains and WD-40 is definitely a good one. 
I noticed you don't like rednecks and now hillbillies? anyone you like? :-)
July 8, 2015 at 8:29 PM
Jason ON said…
Surfer girls. ;)
July 8, 2015 at 8:30 PM
George Ferreira said…
Jason ON okay, I'm with you now :-)
July 8, 2015 at 8:31 PM
Jim Nichols said…
New chains are sealed with lubricant already in the pins. Kerosene or diesel is the best solvent if you just have to, because you can't control yourself, clean your chain. Pull out the master drop it all in a bucket filled with your choice of kerosene or diesel wash, and dry put a gob of axle grease on both pins on the master and reassemble.
July 8, 2015 at 8:33 PM
Kenneth Thompson said…
Jason ON I haven't had a chain-driven bike since...um...1988?  No, it was 1986 - that's when I got my CB650SC Nighthawk.
Sorry; wish I could help.   :/
July 8, 2015 at 8:33 PM
Jason ON said…
Not everyone's as old as you are, Kenneth Thompson :P
July 8, 2015 at 8:35 PM
Kenneth Thompson said…
Jason ON What's that saying about "...there's no old, bold riders?"
I'm trying to live that statement down daily.  
Luck to ya on your cleaning puzzle.  :D
July 8, 2015 at 8:39 PM
Michael o'donnell said…
Kerosene or chain cleaner are best.
WD 40 is a penetrant and will damage o rings and reduce the lubricant effect of the grease kept in place by the o ring.
July 8, 2015 at 8:47 PM
Wallace Roberts said…
Kenneth Thompson, in 1989 I bought a 1984 Honda 650 Nighthawk -- it was a shaft-drive.  What year was the CB650 Nighthawk that you bought in 1986??
July 8, 2015 at 9:50 PM
Wallace Roberts said…
FWIW, I spray a kerosene-based liquid (ok, gasp WD-40) on a rag, then wipe down the chains on my bikes with it.  My chains last longer than usual.  Maybe I'm doing something right?  Who knows.  :-)
July 8, 2015 at 9:53 PM
Brian S said…
Michael o'donnell , agreed. I would stay away from WD40. Gently clean with kerosene Jason ON then use Maxima Chain Wax on regular intervals. Great stuff! 
http://www.revzilla.com/product/maxima-chain-wax
July 9, 2015 at 5:28 AM
John Lintner said…
I'm assuming you use WD-40 to clean it, then you lubricate the chain with a quality chain lube...
July 9, 2015 at 5:44 AM
zx14rpilot said…
tests have been performed and the info is out there, wd40 will deteriorate the orings over time it is not as caustic as gas or brake cleaner, all oring chain manufacturers recommend kerosene, and you don't have to remove the chain just dip a grunge brush or put kero in old spray bottle, brush off heavy deposits and wipe down with kero rag, re-lube and job done
July 9, 2015 at 7:06 AM
Matthew Lindberg said…
Does anyone have a link to the studies that show wd-40 deteriorates the o-rings?
July 9, 2015 at 7:26 AM
Kyong Kim said…
Better safe than sorry, don't experiment with your chain, it's ugly when they fail. There's a reason WD40 can penetrate rusted parts and such. You could make a grilled cheese sandwich on a shirt iron, but I wouldn't recommend it... Same concept. They've got cleaners and lubes designed specifically for your chain, stick with those line of products instead of a "1 lube to rule them all." Yes... I just went LoTR in a chain discussion. I don't know the science, haven't done any experiments, I just prefer peace of mind when I ride.
July 9, 2015 at 8:05 AM
zx14rpilot said…
the tests were conducted and posted several years ago, so don't have no links.  but something to think about wd40 has never placed on their general purpose can, safe for oring chains, and now that they have released a chain lube, it is a different formula from the original. js
July 10, 2015 at 9:29 AM
zx14rpilot said…
if you can't find the links & still have doubts a self test would not be expensive or hard to do, pick up a few chain orings and test them yourself.  while this would not be the same abuse a chain suffers with grit/dirt, heat cycles, etc. it would give you an idea how the rubber may react to diff. chemicals, and if a control group is setup you could also test elasticity and strength after/b4 exposure...
July 10, 2015 at 9:37 AM
Jason ON said…
I found this: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345397

Is that what you're referring to, zx14rpilot?
July 10, 2015 at 10:52 AM
zx14rpilot said…
that's not it Jason, 1st time i had seen that one, i had done a search when Matthew Lindberg asked, and did not readily find any of the ones i was talking about, but his tests is basically what i mentioned above, though his method of keeping them submerged is probably not the best for more life-like, since air and the drying/ reapplying of chemical, would allow for the effects of oxidizing to also come into play, but uvrays from the sun and so  many other things would also come into play if u wanted to be more scientific. About 8-10 yrs ago there was a rash of magazine articles and vids on chain maintenance, whether this was due to someone actually being injured from catastrophic failure or the release of the x-ring chain, i am not sure. but they all ended with basically the same conclusions.
July 10, 2015 at 2:06 PM
zx14rpilot said…
and by no means am i condemning anyone for their choice of cleaning/lubricating methods, because at one point in time i used wd for cleaning and lubrication, or whatever else i may have had on hand or could afford. and after 8-10years of kero and quality lubes, i have had better service from my chains/sprockets and better piece of mind, like Kyong said"better safe than sorry", for when a chain fails it may not be you that is hurt, but your buddy who may be hit from the flying chain, and neither would be good. a gallon of kero is only $3-$4, and will last 2 years at least,   it works as good or better than anything else and costs are usually much cheaper. and it is what anyone who has actually done testing or that produces the chains recommend. another point like Michael stated it is a penetrant and would continue to dilute the grease in the barrels.  and if anyone just reads the 1st part of the article u posted, they will say no damage, but after his initial test of 24hrs, the prolonged tests start to show degrading of the strength of the oring
July 10, 2015 at 2:08 PM
Laura England (LA) said…
I never use wd-40 on the bike...it removes so much stuff from the real world...I believe it would ruin the seals, breaking them down faster than normal.  Yeah...I always stick with anything made for motorcycles...WD40 was not made for motorcycles...just my 2 cents...but you have to remember, im in Canada...and we got rid of pennies!  LOL
August 27, 2015 at 9:34 AM
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