Oil Myths & Facts - can you tell one from the other?

[Greg_Finnican]

Oil – Facts and Myths.
Can you tell one from the other?

My name is Greg Finnican. Born in the late 40’s I am very much a child of the hot rodding sixties. Having cut my teeth stripping simple single cylinder engines much earlier I pulled apart my first real engine, a flat head Ford, in 1962. Although intrigued with the inner workings the one thing that not only stood out but left a big and lasting impact, was the amount of sludge and varnish in the lifter valley. Seemingly the previous owner had been far from fastidious when it came to maintenance and oil changes. It ran through my mind then, and has many times since, as to why anyone would buy something as expensive as a car and not maintain the engine. Oil is cheap and engines are not and it seemed that was all the justification needed to totally support the then universally accepted short oil change intervals of typically 2000 miles that was deemed the wisdom of the day.

The oils of the 60’s, less money in my pocket, and the cost of engines left these low mile oil change intervals indelible imprinted on my mind. Leaving the same oil in the sump for even ten thousand miles would have seemed reckless and I would have no more entertained this idea than jumping from a plane without a chute! Like so many of my era I was locked in to the now 3000 mile oil change and I, along with countless thousands of others of my generation, have passed this down to subsequent generations of hot rodders and enthusiasts – and it now may not be the right thing to do. Should I feel any guilt here? Let’s see. First, if old oil is bad then new oil must be better so changing it frequently cannot be bad for the engine. Secondly, pull out the dipstick and take a look at the color of 3000 mile old oil. It’s black and surely that can’t be good? Based on the forgoing I should reasonably feel no guilt what so ever about sticking with the 3000 mile oil change interval – and for the record – I don’t. But oil formulations have change almost beyond recognition since the 60’s. 3000 miles changes, though totally OK for the well being of your engine might not be so for your pocket, time expenditure, and most importantly, for the environment!

Check Point Charlie.


I am sure all of us can look back and in hindsight see a point in time that, to some significant extent, redirected our life. I had decided early on in mine that making a living in the auto industry was not for me. It would, I was sure, ultimately destroy my hobby and passion for hot rods so I became a commercial realtor and have done OK at such. This has left me exactly where I wanted to be with my cars. It’s what I do to relax and have fun. My current hot rod is an 87 Corvette with a 600 plus hp injected 440 inch small block in it. A few years back, in an effort to cancel wear as far as humanly possible, I added, too the high dollar oil already in the crankcase, a highly publicized additive. I few months later I find, from an informed source, that this additive, basically a chlorinated paraffin, turns to hydrochloric acid when temperatures exceed about 400 degrees (which at certain points in the engine they can although bulk temps may be well below that). This literally shocked me into a ‘need to know more about oil’ mode.

When you have a $20,000 LS 6 engine cranking out some 675 hp it is not unreasonable to 'spoil' it in terms of short term oil changes. Whats the cost of an oil change every 3000 miles instead of every 10,000. It seems like cheap insurance and it sure won't do the engine any harm - but is it needed?

Up to this point I, like so many hot rodders, had accepted that the oil industry was simply taking care of us - and all we needed to do was – you got it – change the oil every 3000 miles. Here I am just a few years on and I can tell you the reality of what you think you need to know and what you should, are so far apart as to be almost scary. My mission here at GFN is to help bridge the gap between a professional automotive oil chemist and you, the hot rodder/racer/enthusiast. Pay attention here and you will learn what it takes to save money (as much as the price of a new car), fuel and the environment and go faster longer with an engine life extending to as much as a million miles.

Natural to Synthetic.

The Check Point Charlie of my oil life may have been the chlorinated paraffin’s but for the oil industry at large it was ‘synthetics’. To ease into this let’s start somewhere else on the car and see how ‘engineered’ as apposed to ‘natural’ materials have changed things. Tires may largely been of rubber from rubber trees in the twenties and lasted at best, 10,000 careful and slowly driven miles, but not now. Tires of man-made materials last three, four, even five times as long today and the 100,000 mile tire is all but upon us. And determining just when to change tires requires no keen technical ability since all you need do is look at the tread. The same cannot be said for oil. Knowing when oil is worn out takes some pretty high tech equipment and that is almost solely why the 3000 mile oil change is still with us so much today. But, like tires, oils have moved along so much that what was a disaster zone just 50 years ago can, assuming quality oil, almost certainly be the middle of a sweet spot.

I used to think that the oil manufactures deliberatly labled oil in such a manner as to make end users like you and I feel intelectually deficient. Now I know a little more I can say with every degree of certainly I was right!

Unless it is so far gone visual analysis of oil is not on. However, infrared spectroscopy along with other such analytical techniques can determine not only the oil’s current lubricating properties but also the state of the engine in terms of wear. Make no bones about it modern sophisticated oil analysis is an extremely powerful tool giving us a window on the entire lubrication and wear situation of an engine. Doubting this is almost like believing the earth is flat.

Not only are today’s oil technically superior but also the oil’s operating environment. Consider the engine itself. The machining tolerances and bore finishes of a modern engine today are so good, they would stand up to a custom blueprinted engine a generation ago. Consider fuel management. No longer is it even possible to flood the engine with fuel and contribute to oil dilution. Modern electronic fuel management has literally become your engine oil’s best friend; and finally consider filtration. If you’re buying the better ones today the oil is being filtered down to a micron level that was unheard of a generation ago. Just to put this into perspective for the younger generation, an oil filter on a 1955 Chevy was an option!

After my chlorinated paraffin additive checkpoint I sort of wandered through what ever technical papers I could find on oils and honestly understood but a fraction of what was written. I then found that Amsoil ran a tech school for their dealers which basically starts at square one. This seemed like it was for me so I became an active Amsoil dealer (ZO # 368204). What an eye opener this turned out to be. Looking back I realize just how much I was operating under the shadow of those images of sludge and varnish from the sixties. As this, and subsequent articles in what is intended to be a series goes forward, you will see how becoming associated with Amsoil has put me in a far more informed position than I would have otherwise been. I am now so much better equipped to recognize good oil and by that I don’t mean just an Amsoil product. There are a number of top quality oils out there. As important as recognizing a top quality oil is it is even more important to be able to recognize a poor quality oil or one ill suited for the job. I don’t have all the answers to possible oil questions but I can, with a great degree of certainty, guarantee that I know more, thanks initially to my Amsoil training and subsequently to the industry experts I have come to know, than most readers.
To make a point here let’s have a little fun with a ten question True or False quiz. If you cannot explain your answer, leave it blank. Also, no guessing since there is a 50/50 chance you would be right. If you want to play guessing games go to Las Vegas.

1. The W in 10W-30 means Weight.

2. A vehicle with straight SAE 60 viscosity grade oil has a higher viscosity (thicker) at operating temperature (212 F) than a vehicle that is about to start up for the first time on a hot day (104 F) with 0W-20 oil.

3. Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance are the same oil.

4. The latest API (American Petroleum Institute) oil is rated SM and you can run this modern oil in your older flat tappet hot rod.

5. API rated SA and SB oils that were introduced in the 1930’s and 40’s are not available today so are unlikely to end up in your engine’s sump.

6. 75W-90 gear lube has about the same viscosity as 20W-50 motor
oil.

7. The base stock in a true synthetic and a mineral oil are both a hydrocarbon.

8. Of the dozen ways to evaluate an oil for your engine, viscosity is about the most important consideration.

9. In America, unlike most of the rest of the world, a highly refined mineral oil can be called synthetic.

10. Oil analysis should determine how long you can go on your oil, not the quickie oil change industry’s 3,000 to 5,000 mile mantra.

In the next of my oil discussions I will give you the explanation for answers that can in no way be found in slick marketing images of galloping horses, splashing oil and fancy buzz words like “liquid engineering”. Meanwhile of the questions above the first five are false and the second true. How well did you score? For the record the average number of correct answers is only 2-3. If you got better than five right you are far more informed than the average enthusiast so pat yourself on the back. But while you are doing so consider this – if you knew only 50% of what it takes to assemble your engine correctly where would you be? My point here is even at a 50% score you need to know more and my job here at GFN will be giving you the info you need to make your investment go faster and last longer.

Greg ‘20-50’ Finnican.

My web site - lubrication-filtration.com

PS so where did I get the 20-50 moniker from? Suffice to say if you hang around tech editor Vizard a while you will get a knick-name.

[mpgmike]

Recently I moved to convert all the fluids in my important vehicles to Amsoil. My '91 Spirit R/T (with a Lotus engine) got the engine and tranny Amsoilized. I just changed the differential oil in the pick-up with Amsoil. I even put it in the lawn mower. Little by little I intend to convert everything to Amsoil. No, I'm not a dealer (nor do I play one on some important internet forum).

I admit I failed that little test, even though I did my own research into engine oils on more than one occasion. I suppose if I did become an Amsoil dealer I could have probably aced that sucker.

Mike

[MadBill]

I'm afraid my "Checkpoint Charley' moment was getting the analysis results of the Castrol Syntec I accidentally left in my 3 cyl. Pontaic Firefly (Geo Metro clone) for 35,000 km (~22,000 mi), including a long cold Central Ontario winter, ~ 65/35 highway/city driving: "Blah, technobabble, blah... suitable for further service !!
Definitely food for thought...

[DavidVizard-GFN]

I have to admit I failed the test to Mike so don't feel left out in the cold here (damn those trick questions!)

Funny that Amsoil should crop up here as I have been asked at least a dozen times over the last few years as to whether or not Amsoil works. Truth be that I have only tested it once - against Mobil 1 in a 180 hp 2 liter Pinto engine. It matched the Mobil 1 at every test point. If this stuff is only as good as Mobil 1 then we can assume it's a great oil. But lets not forget all I did was test it for power. There is more to it than that and I am sure 20-50 Finnican is going to dial us in here.

DV

[Greg_Finnican]

Heading down to the PRI show this week. Will be talking with some of the other true synthetic oil manufactures.
Starting next week we can start explaining some of the answers to the T or F quiz.

[rskrause]

This should be interesting. If Mr. Finnican is able to talk me into synthetic for my daily drivers, it's no wonder he was/is succesful at sales . Well, if anyone can Finnican can!!!

For the record: My current DD is an '06 Silverado. I have been using a name brand dino juice and the changing interval as determined by the oil life monitor. Currently, the vehhicle has 23,000 miles and I did an initial change at 1,000, which probably wasn't necessary. Since then, the computer decided on three oil changes of which the last was ~1,000 miles ago. So, whatever algorithm it uses thinks my driivng habits are consistent with 7,000 mile changes.

Richard

[Art_H]

Sorry for the long post...

One aspect of oil I researched was the difference between auto and motorcycle oils. There have been some test done independently and one paid for by Amsoil. These tests put motorcycle oils (mostly synthetic) and some auto oils into a scientific test regimen that discovers many interesting things about the oils people use ignorantly. (Kept that way by the Oil cartels no doubt)

Oils Well That Ends Well, Part 1 - Sport Rider Magazine 1st part

Oils Well That Ends Well, Part 2 - Sport Rider Magazine 2nd part

Interesting note, on the four ball wear test, the winner was a mineral/dino oil having a wear scar 0.01mm less than the tested synthetic.

The tests revealed that for a motorcycle, Amsoil came out on top. (My opinion based on all the info.) Some of the big sellers for me was the level of anti-foaming agents present, and the TBN, 14 for Amsoil. (total base number). A higher TBN will neutralize acids for a longer time and reduces corrosion, especially when sitting for extended periods. Some of the higher end full synthetic motorcycle oils in Canada are as much as $18/L(Motul300V). Amsoil cycle oil can be had for $10/L. What should be noted is that Motul300V is a grade 5 ester oil, and Amsoil is a grade 4 PAO (Polyalphaolefin I copy/pasted that one...) A big issue now is the Emissions restrictions being imposed on auto oils. For pollution reasons as well as increasing the effective life of oxygen sensors.

I am currently running the Oil-Extreme oil in my BMW 540, with the additive concentrate. I am happy with the oil so far, though any mileage benefit is hidden within the traffic on the way to work. Though I went to Seattle last weekend and achieved 30 mpg (US gal) with some city driving in there to. I did a compression test before I added Oil-Extreme. I'll do another one at the next oil change. Should be interesting.

I recently have started to ride dirt bikes. I picked up a 4 stroke liquid cooled Yamaha. One of the common practices in the dirt biking community that has raised my eyebrow on more than one occasion, is the frequency dirt bike owners change their oil. A good portion change their oil after every ride, with a good number not ever going more than a few rides. The result is that most will use mineral oil to reduce costs. The standard capacity now is about 1.3L-1.6L and the engines use a dry sump, with the oil stored in the frame to aid cooling. Though mineral MC oils are also really expensive up here, about $7-8/L. Some of these single cylinder engines get 55 hp out of 450cc, and more when well tuned. As a result, the valve train takes a beating at the upper rpm ranges, where I'm sure they are kept quite often. I'm not willing to use a mineral oil, so I used the Amsoil MC oil. I would have used the Oil-extreme oil, but I'm not 100% that it's the best additive package for a MC. Though they may currently offer an MC blend. Any info/ feedback here appreciated.
My plan is to ride both my bikes really hard (got a WR250 Yam for my wife too) and check my oil for evidence of water, metal particulates, discoloration etc. So far, after 10-12 all day hard rides doing hill climbs and super difficult single track riding, (read hard on engine and hot engine) the oil has no particulates and is only slightly discolored, but still well into transparent. The season's about over now for me, so the next step is to get the oil analyzed. I just happen to have a friend that can help me out there, so that means more testing potential. With the original testing done on the above links, I can compare the difference. I think the oil will be much the same personally, but we'll have to see. My motivation is to post my findings on the dirt bike forums to educate people that the better choice is a better oil for longer. Cheaper, and better for the environment. Oh yeah, they also change their oil filter at every oil change with the mentioned frequency.

In closing, my reasons for using synthetics is one of insurance for when I run my equipment too hard/hot or when they are being used to the limit and Mr. Murphy comes along for the ride like when my 1970 LT1 engine overheated in my boat because of some seaweed caught in the intake...

Thanks for listenin'... more on the 540 engine results and the dirt bike oil samples.

Take care, and 20-50, I'm looking forward to the upcoming info.

Art

[Devious]

Just how important is the ASTM D-4172 (Falex four ball wear) test?
For me this seems to be a very important factor.

I have seen some good reductions in wear using the Oil Extreme additive in heavily loaded engines' oil analysis and internally.

[Streetwize]

Hey Greg,

It was nice to meet you with David today at lunch.

took the test, not to brag but I got 8/10

I'd like to hear more about he surfactant qualities of oil and how varying pressure and tempreratures effect power output.

I have a 427 cubic inch SB Ford in my Cobra Replica and I run a Canton 8 qt road-race pan....I notice when running the car it will take quite a while for the oil temp (temp pick up in the sump) to exceed the coolant temp (motor runs 185-190 coolant on a hot day and oil can reach 225-230).

I don't really road race the car, just for fun but i'ver considered putting on an external cooler...the issue is not the oil running too hot, it's more that once oil gets hot it tends to stay hot and the harder you run the motor the more head can build up in the oil system.

When I drag race my various cars I always try to get the oil temp up to around 130...not sure if this is a majic number but it seems to work well in terms of minimizing both friction and wear as evidenced through tear-down inspection of components.

I also have a modestly tweaked LS2 in my 06 Trailblazer SS, the coolant temp runsabout 210 on this and though I've used Mobil 1 exclusively I've had good results with AMSoil in crankcases and rear differentials. My Cobra has a Tremec 5 speed and I've been advised by many racers that GM syncromesh is still the best thing to use... I do know that with Synchronized gears too slick of a gear oil can actually increase the loading on the gears by allowing the synchros to spin too quickly during gear changes, resulting in tooth wear similar to an oil that doesn't allow them to engage quickly enough.... any comments from your expereince?

[f1karting]

Greg/David .. whats your experience with Red Line motor oils.. I have used their 2-stroke racing oil in karts and swear by it!! Jan