Motor Oil Testing

[Wild Bill 633 768]

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/

[oliver2-44 8,852]

@ebinmaine This is the thread I was referring to. It’s quite a read. I was the industrial oil guy at work for 40 years. I learned a lot having oil analysis run on samples by a commercial lab 
Two take aways from reading this. 
1. Motorcraft oil filters highly rated

2 if your auto recommends a “0”-x oil go up a weight. I.e. if 0-20 is recommended go to 10-30wt

 

I have actually been going up one oil wt for several years before I read this based on lessons from work. 

[ebinmaine 63,125]

5 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

thread

Excellent. Thank you.  I'll check it out.  

 

 

[Handy Don 10,596]

On 11/17/2022 at 8:04 AM, Wild Bill 633 said:

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/

Pretty lengthy read with a fair amount of repetition, but ultimately very helpful. Thanks Bill.

 

The author's emphasis on actually measuring wear to confirm the lab testing of the product is refreshing. It prompted me to research the oils I've been using and and my new obscure and probably useless factoid is that (very well ranked) Mobile 1 5W-30 has a "pour point" of -42º C. 

[ebinmaine 63,125]

On 12/5/2022 at 11:00 PM, oliver2-44 said:

Two take aways from reading this. 
1. Motorcraft oil filters highly rated

2 if your auto recommends a “0”-x oil go up a weight. I.e. if 0-20 is recommended go to 10-30wt

 

 

I've been too busy the last few days to take the time to scroll down through very much of that article. I do appreciate you posting it. Lots of good info there....

 

Having sold Motorcraft in the past at parts stores and always hearing good things about them I can anecdotally agree with that.

I don't suppose you have any statistics or numbers?

 

On the subject of the oil weight viscosity, funny thing is I was reading just the exact opposite of that information this morning. I should have saved the source but I forgot. An article that was only a few years old basically said that you should run a thinner oil if it's available and still has good protection along with a very very good quality oil filter along with changing your oil at an absolute Max of 5,000 miles no matter you're driving habits. The reasoning they gave for the oil viscosity being thinner was better fuel efficiency overall....

In the distant past I too, used to run thicker oil because the engine's I was running were well worn and they made less noise. Correct logic? I don't know.

 

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 24,130]

51 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

changing your oil at an absolute Max of 5,000 miles no matter you're driving habits.

 

Uhm...

I change the oil in my C 105 a bit more frequently than that... 

 

I'm still looking for the oil drain plug on my E-141's though... anyone know where it is??? 

[rmaynard 14,896]

On 12/5/2022 at 11:00 PM, oliver2-44 said:

2 if your auto recommends a “0”-x oil go up a weight. I.e. if 0-20 is recommended go to 10-30wt

 

I have actually been going up one oil wt for several years before I read this based on lessons from work. 

 

I have a 2014 Subaru Outback. The recommended oil is 0W20. I read the Subaru blogs and found some interesting info. Guys who up'd the weight found that he oil pressure light would intermittently come on. Seems that the tolerances are so tight on Subaru's that oil heavier than 0W20 do not flow properly. I am sticking with the recommended oil. I do my own oil changes (full synthetic every 7500 miles) and my Subaru dealer also recommends full synthetic. Dealers use Subaru oil made by Idemitsu. I use either Idemitsu or Amazon Basic which is made by Warren Oil. Independent tests have show that the Amazon Basic has better overall test results than Mobil 1.

Just my 

[bds1984 1,382]

59 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

I've been too busy the last few days to take the time to scroll down through very much of that article. I do appreciate you posting it. Lots of good info there....

 

Having sold Motorcraft in the past at parts stores and always hearing good things about them I can anecdotally agree with that.

I don't suppose you have any statistics or numbers?

 

On the subject of the oil weight viscosity, funny thing is I was reading just the exact opposite of that information this morning. I should have saved the source but I forgot. An article that was only a few years old basically said that you should run a thinner oil if it's available and still has good protection along with a very very good quality oil filter along with changing your oil at an absolute Max of 5,000 miles no matter you're driving habits. The reasoning they gave for the oil viscosity being thinner was better fuel efficiency overall....

In the distant past I too, used to run thicker oil because the engine's I was running were well worn and they made less noise. Correct logic? I don't know.

 

 

 

Running thinner "W" grade oils has been talked about for over a decade on the oil forums.  0W-20 is what I've been running in my Fords that have called for 5W-20, with zero issues, and have sent out multiple samples to prove it.  What I vehemently roll my eyes to are people stating you can only run your oil up to 3k, 5k, etc miles and that is it as well as the IT HAS TO HAVE SO MUCH ZINC, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH crowd.  My driving habits are 85% highway so my cars are low stressed in that regard which makes changing oil at 5k a waste of resources, time, and money which I also do not like seeing people waste any of.  Back when I was driving my 2011 Fiesta I was driving over 40k a year I'd send out samples to Blackstone Labs during and after oil change intervals.  They basically said I could run Pennzoil Platinum 0W-20/K&N oil filter combo reasonably out to 15K which I once did and was proven safe.  Now I would not advocate everyone running 15K mile oil change intervals with an engine that holds 4.3 quarts of oil unless they have the data to support that; all engines are different as is driving style and maintenance so there really isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.  Zinc, now that is a whole other can of worms that many do not realize is highly corrosive if too high of a concentration and oil technology has evolved so much in the last forty years.  What I find comical are my observations of how many over the years gush over how such and such oils quiet my engine down yet when I've pulled up their VOA, zinc isn't that high of a concentration but sodium, molybdenum, or magnesium are.  
To each their own.

[lynnmor 6,777]

1 hour ago, bds1984 said:

  Zinc, now that is a whole other can of worms that many do not realize is highly corrosive if too high of a concentration and oil technology has evolved so much in the last forty years.  What I find comical are my observations of how many over the years gush over how such and such oils quiet my engine down yet when I've pulled up their VOA, zinc isn't that high of a concentration but sodium, molybdenum, or magnesium are.  

Just don’t confuse government mandates with oil technology.

[8ntruck 6,373]

The last few vehicles I've had have had oil life monitors.  There is a routine in one of the engine control computers that monitors the mileage, and operating conditions of the engine and cross references an 'oil life map' to predict the remaining oil life. 

 

A friend of mine was working with one of the engineers that was developing the 'oil life map'.  He said that the map was pretty accurate.  That was a number of years ago.  I imagine that the oil life predictors have continued to improve since then. 

 

Granted, this is no help on our tractors.

Edited December 8, 2022 by 8ntruck

[SylvanLakeWH 24,130]

1 minute ago, 8ntruck said:

I imagine that the oil life predictiors have continued to improve since then

 

Until you can't get chips...

 

I'm old school. Change it regular, before scheduled, and engine life will be good... regardless of what the idiot light says...

 

 

 

[oliver2-44 8,852]

14 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Having sold Motorcraft in the past at parts stores and always hearing good things about them I can anecdotally agree with that.

I don't suppose you have any statistics or numbers?

 

The Report rates Motorcraft highest of those filters tested. 

14 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

On the subject of the oil weight viscosity, funny thing is I was reading just the exact opposite of that information this morning. I should have saved the source but I forgot. An article that was only a few years old basically said that you should run a thinner oil if it's available and still has good protection along with a very very good quality oil filter along with changing your oil at an absolute Max of 5,000 miles no matter you're driving habits. The reasoning they gave for the oil viscosity being thinner was better fuel efficiency overall....

In the distant past I too, used to run thicker oil because the engine's I was running were well worn and they made less noise. Correct logic? I don't know.

 

 

 

Yes even this report notes manufactures are recommending thinner oil for increase fuel efficiency. However the report claims the efficiency improvement is so small it’s almost hype. 
 

Don’t shoot the messenger (me)

[kpinnc 10,719]

The military started regular testing in lieu of changing oil on a set schedule. They'd test a sample and change according to the test results after a short drive. Supposedly saved oodles of money. 

 

I guess with an entire fleet to maintain it makes good sense.

 

My little herd- I try to keep track the best way I can. Very few of my tractors see 25-30 hours use per year. 

[peter lena 8,066]

@Wild Bill 633 makes me think of " MECHANICAL ENGINEERS VIEW OF LUBRICATION "  never saw one on a 3 am call in failure , regularly saw oil turn into grease , hi heat , loading in a 3600 rpm fluid drive set up . suggested we contact  ROYAL PURPLE , ABOUT A  FACTORY  FIELD SERVICE KIT , engineer  was was nervous , skeptical over not having the cure, himself . EGO OVER LOAD , finally got approval for it . basically send royal purple the lubrication issue , drive set up , piping , routing , material specs . following week , got the lubrication needed , and recommended mods , to the existing set up . installed it ,and never had another related lubrication failure , just  a fixed / lubrication mandate . being a lubrication addict , I  do not hesitate  to use it to make things better ,  simple to detail a regular failure , detail EVERTHING ABOUT IT , its rarely a spot fix ,  just my own take on lubrication , pete      

[Handy Don 10,596]

Failure is an orphan.

Success has many parents.