dr. haas motor oil article

8/10/2019 Dr. Haas Motor Oil Article

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Lets Talk Motor Oil It is So Very Misunderstood

Chapter One - Motor Oil 101

I think it is time to go over passenger ar automotive engine oils in detail! I "ill #e "riting several artiles to #epu#lished soon so I "ill try to get some o$ it out here! I $eel this is a very general topi $or all ar o"ners on this#oard!

This is a very di$$iult topi to omprehend! %very#ody inluding good mehanis think they are e&perts in this

$ield #ut $e" understand engine oils! Most o$ "hat I hear is the opposite o$ the truth! It is ho"ever easy to seeho" people get mi&ed up as there is al"ays some truth to the misoneption!

'lease $orgive me i$ I am too "ordy or even ver#ose at times! I "ill #e redundant $or ertain! This "ill #e inareas that people have to hear things over and over again to get it right! Some "ill never #e a#le to understandthese onepts un$ortunately! I #ase my thoughts on those "hom I have #een listening to in various automotivehat rooms and disussion "ith mehanis! I "ill try to minimi(e tehnial terms and #e some"hat vaguerather than e&at! I "ill round and average num#ers to make the point simple rather than mathematially e&at!Thikness has the same meaning as visosity! Visosity is a measure o$ the resistane o$ a $luid )li*uid or gas+to $lo"! ,luids "ith high visosity suh as molasses $lo" more slo"ly than those "ith lo" visosity suh as"ater! .gain I am trying to e&plain general prinipals as I kno" them!

The greatest on$usion is #eause o$ the "ay motor oils are la#eled! It is an old system and is on$using tomany people! I kno" the person is on$used "hen they say that a 0/-0 oil is too thin $or their engine #eausethe old manual says to use 10/-0! This is "rong!

More on$usion ours #eause people think in terms o$ the oil thinning "hen it gets hot! They think thisthinning "ith heat is the pro#lem "ith motor oil! It "ould #e more orret to think that oil thikens "hen it oolsto room temperature and TIS is the pro#lem! In $at this is the pro#lem! It is said that 20 perent o$ engine"ear ours at startup! I$ "e are interested in engine longevity then "e should onentrate our attention atreduing engine "ear at startup!

Oils are hosen #y the manu$aturer to give the right thikness at the normal operating temperature o$ theengine! I "ill say this average oil temperature is 313 , the #oiling point o$ "ater! On the trak that temperature

is up to 03,! It is important to reali(e that these are t"o di$$erent operating environments and re*uire di$$erentoils!

I "ill disuss driving around to"n $irst! %verything I say "ill #e #ased on these onditions! .t a later time I "illdisuss trak onditions! %verything I say "ill #e as aurate as possi#le "ithout looking everything up and$ootnoting! I am trying to #e general not ultra spei$i!

One thing that is no longer important is the am#ient temperature! Older automotive o"ner manuals o$tenreommended one oil $or the summer and another $or the "inter! This is still neessary $or air ooled engines#ut is no longer a onsideration in pressuri(ed "ater ooled engines! These engine #loks are kept at around313 , all year round! The oil is around the same temperature as "ell! This allo"s $or a single grade oil all yearround! .gain this is not the same as on the trak "here the oolant temperature is slightly higher and the oil

temperature is muh higher!

'lease $orget those num#ers on the oil an! They really should #e letters as ./-M 4/-5 or C/-'! The $atthat "e are dealing "ith a system o$ num#ers on the an makes people think that they represent the visosityo$ the oil inside the an! The pro#lem is that the visosity o$ oil varies "ith its temperature! . 607 grade oil hasa visosity o$ at 03 , ) 180 C + and thikens to 10 at 313 , ) 100 C +! It $urther thikens to a visosity o$ 100at 109 , ) 90 C + and is too thik to measure at the $ree(ing point o$ 3 , ) 0 C +!

Oils are divided into grades )not "eights+ suh as a 30 0 or 90 grade oils! This represents the visosity rangeat operating temperature! 4ut it is 5OT the atual visosity as "e shall see! The issue is that visosity is

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temperature dependent! Letou an get in yourar in ,lorida in Septem#er and drive (ig-(ag to .laska arriving in 5ovem#er! The #est thing $or your engine"ould #e that it "as never turned o$$ you simply kept driving day and night! The oil thikness "ould #e

uni$orm it "ould al"ays #e 10! In a per$et "orld the oil thikness "ould #e 10 at all times and alltemperatures!

I$ the thikness o$ oil "as 10 "hen you got in your ar in the morning and 10 "hile driving it "ould #e per$et!>ou "ould not have to "arm up your engine! >ou ould ?ust get in the ar and step on the gas! There "ould #elittle "ear and tear on you engine almost none! @n$ortunately the "orld is not per$et!

The night #e$ore "hen you drove home $rom "ork the ar "as up to the orret operating temperature and theoil "as the orret thikness 10! Over night the engine ooled to room temperature and the oil thikened! It is;8 , in the morning no" )I do live in ,lorida+! The oil thikness is no" around 180! It is too thik to lu#riate anengine designed to run "ith an oil having a thikness o$ 10!

It is time to introdue the onept o$ lu#riation! Most #elieve that pressure A lu#riation! This is $alse! ,lo" Alu#riation! I$ pressure "as the thing that someho" lu#riated your engine then "e "ould all #e using 20 gradeoil! Lu#riation is used to separate moving parts to keep them $rom touhing! There is a one to onerelationship #et"een $lo" and separation! I$ you dou#le the $lo" you "ill dou#le the separation pressure in a#earing! The pressure at the #earing entrane is irrelevant!

In $at the relationship #et"een pressure and $lo" is in opposition! I$ you hange your oil to a thiker $ormulathe pressure "ill go up! It goes up #eause the resistane to $lo" is greater and in $at the $lo" must go do"nin order $or the pressure to go up! They are inversely related! Conversely i$ you hoose a thinner oil then thepressure "ill go do"n! This an only our i$ the $lo" has inreased!

It seems then that "e should all #e using the thinnest oil money an #uy! This is partly true! Let me use my old

8;8 ,errari Maranello as an e&ample! I drove this ar around to"n! The manual o$ this ar states the targetpressure is ;8 'SI at :000 B'M! The gold standard is that all engines should have a pressure o$ 10 'SI $orevery 1000 B'M o$ operation not more not less! .$ter all you do need some pressure to move that oil along#ut only enough pressure not more! More pressure is not #etter it an only result $rom the impedane o$ oil$lo"! Bemem#er that oil $lo" is the only thing that does the lu#riating!

5ote that ,errari is not saying "hat thikness o$ oil to use! That an only #e determined #y e&perimentation!My engine oil temperature "as running around 18 , as I drove around to"n on a hot ,lorida summer day! Ihave $ound that the thinnest oil I an #uy that is .'I D S.% erti$ied is Mo#il 1


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pressure "ould only #e 90 'SI at :000 B'M! The oil I am using "ould not meet the re*uirement o$ ;8 'SI at:000 B'M $rom ,errari! I "ould have to hoose a thiker oil $or this raing situation! The oil I use no" "ould#e too thin at that very high temperature! )This is only partly true! igher B'M running engines use thinner andthinner oils to get more and more $lo"! I "ill disuss this later+!

igh $lo" does more than lu#riate! It is one o$ the things used to ool the hottest parts o$ your engine thepistons valve areas and #earings! This ooling e$$et is as important as lu#riation in your engine! I$ yourengine is running hot you may need to use a thinner oil! The $lo" "ill inrease and so "ill the ooling! This iseven more important in the raing ondition!

Let us go #ak to the ,errari manual! My older 880 Maranello only spei$ied 8/-90 Shell eli& @ltra as the oilto use in all onditions! This ar "as designed $or raing! .s it turns out ,errari no" reogni(es that not everyo"ner raes their ars! The ne"er 8;8 manual no" states to use 0/-90 $or around to"n situations eventhough Shell does not make this oil in the eli& @ltra $ormulation at this "riting! They also reommend the 8/-90 #y Shell i$ you insist on the Shell produt! It is also the reommended oil $or most raing onditions!

,errari reommends eli& @ltra Baing 10/-:0 6$or hot limate onditions raing type driving on traks7! 5otethat they no" reali(e the di$$erene #et"een the daily ur#an driver like me and the very di$$erent raingsituation! These are "idely di$$erent irumstanes! I "ant to emphasi(e that they only "ant you to use this oil"hile raing in 6hot limate onditions7! I$ you are raing in /atkins Elen up north use the 8/-90! I$ you areraing in Se#ring in the middle o$ the ,lorida summer use the 10/-:0! .round to"n in any limate use the

0/-90!

It is time to dispel the notion that 0/-0 oil is too thin "hen our manual alls $or 10/-0! . 0/-0 is al"aysthe #etter hoie al"ays! The 0/-0 is not thinner! It is the same thikness as the 10/-0 at operatingtemperatures! The di$$erene is "hen you turn your engine o$$ $or the night! 4oth oils thiken over the eveningand night! They #oth had a thikness a visosity o$ 10 "hen you got home and turned your engine o$$! That"as the per$et thikness $or engine operation!

.s ooling ours and you "ake up ready to go #ak to "ork the ne&t day the oils have gotten too thik $oryour engine to lu#riate properly! It is ;8 , outside this morning! One oil thikened to a visosity o$ say 20! Theother thikened to a visosity o$ 90! 4oth are too thik in the morning at startup! 4ut 90 is #etter than 20 onstart up! >our engine "ants the oil to have a thikness o$ 10 to "ork properly! >ou are #etter o$$ starting "ith

the visosity o$ 90 than the honey - like oil "ith a visosity o$ 20!

I repeat= More on$usion ours #eause people think in terms o$ the oil thinning "hen it gets hot! They thinkthis thinning "ith heat is the pro#lem "ith motor oil! It "ould #e more orret to think that oil thikens "hen itools to room temperature and TIS is the pro#lem! In $at this is the pro#lem! This is "hy multi-visosity oils"ere developed!

This is the end o$ lesson num#er one!

Motor Oil 103

Chapter t"o! It gets more di$$iult!

/e le$t o$$ disussing that a 0/-0 grade oil is not thinner than a 10/-0 oil! They #oth have the samethikness at operating temperature! The 0/-0 simply does not get as thik on ooling as the 10/-0! 4othare still "ay to thik to lu#riate an engine at startup!

I have heard several people say that 'orshe spei$ially prohi#its a 0/-FF engine oil that it is too thin! 5o"here is the partial truth I spoke o$ earlier! /e "ill disuss multi-grade oils! %arlier "e said that a straight 0grade oil has a thikness o$ 10 at the normal operating temperature o$ your engine! The multi-grade oils 0/-0and 10/-0 also have a thikness o$ 10 at 313 ,!

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The di$$erene is at ;8 , your startup temperature in the morning!

Oil type!!! Thikness at ;8 ,!!!Thikness at 313 ,

Straight 0!!!!!! 380!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1010/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!100/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!90 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10

Straight 10!!!!!!!!0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :

5o" you an see that the di$$erene #et"een the desired thikness your engine re*uires ) A 10 + is losest tothe 0/-0 oil at startup! It is still too thik $or normal operation! 4ut it does not have $ar to go #e$ore it "armsup and thins to the orret visosity! Bemem#er that most engine "ear ours at startup "hen the oil is toothik to lu#riate properly! It annot $lo" and there$ore annot lu#riate! Most o$ the thik oil at startup atuallygoes through the #ypass valve #ak to the engine oil sump and not into your engine oil "ays! This is espeiallytrue "hen you really step on that gas pedal! >ou really need more lu#riation and you atually get less!

5ote that a straight 10 grade oil is also too thik $or your engine at startup! It has a thikness o$ 0! >et atoperating temperatures it is too thin having a thikness o$ :! It needs to #e around 10! The oil ompanies haveadded visosity inde& improvers or VII to oils to solve this dilemma! They take a mineral #ased oil and add VI

improvers so that it does not thin as muh "hen it gets hotter! 5o" instead o$ only having a thikness o$ :"hen hot it has a thikness o$ 10 ?ust as "e need!

The penalty is the startup thikness also goes up to 100! This is #etter than #eing up at 380 as a straight 0grade oil though! Oil "ith a startup thikness o$ 100 that #eomes the appropriate thikness o$ 10 "hen $ully"armed up is alled a 10/-0 grade motor oil! This is 5OT as thik as a straight 0 grade oil at startup and itis 5OT as thin as a straight 10 grade oil at $ull operating temperature!

The do"nside o$ a mineral #ased multi-grade oil is that this VII additive "ears out over time and you end up"ith the original straight 10 grade oil! It "ill go #ak to #eing too thin "hen hot! It "ill have a thikness o$ :instead o$ 10! This may #e "hy 'orshe )aording to some people+ does not "ant a 0/-0 #ut rather a 10/-0! I$ the VII "ears out the 0/-0 "ill ultimately #e thinner a straight 0 grade oil! /hen the VII is used up in

the 10/-0 oil it too is thinner! It goes #ak to a straight 10 grade oil! They are #oth still too thik at startup#oth o$ them! The straight 0 grade oil a 8 grade oil and a 10 grade oil are all too thik at startup!

This is ?ust theory ho"ever! /ith normal oil hange intervals the VI improver "ill not "ear out and so thepro#lem does not really e&ist! In $at oils do thin a little "ith use! This is partly $rom dilution "ith #lo" #ygasoline and partly $rom VI improvers #eing used up! /hat is more interesting is that "ith $urther use motoroils atually thiken and this is muh "orse than the minimal thinning that may have ourred earlier!

Syntheti oils are a "hole di$$erent story! There is no VI improver added so there is nothing to "ear out! Theatual oil moleules never "ear out! >ou ould almost use the same oil $orever! The pro#lem is that there areother additives and they do get used up! I suppose i$ there "as a good "ay to keep oil lean you ould ?ust adda an o$ additives every : months and ?ust hange the $ilter never hanging the oil!

/hen the additives "ear out in a syntheti oil it still has the same visosity! It "ill not thin as a mineral oil! The$ear that some say 'orshe has that oils thin "hen the VII runs out is not applia#le to these syntheti oils!These oils "ill al"ays have the orret thikness "hen hot and "ill still #e too thik at startup as "ith all oils o$all types regardless o$ the .'I D S.% visosity rating!

.utomotive engine manu$aturers kno" these prinipals o$ motor oils! They kno" there is thinning orthikening that "ill our! They take these things into aount "hen they "rite that o"ners manual! Mineral oilhange reommendations "ill generally inlude shorter time intervals than those o$ syntheti oils!

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The reality is that motor oils do not need to #e hanged #eause they thin "ith use! It is the eventual thikeningthat limits the time you may keep oil in your engine! The limit is #oth time itsel$ )"ith no motor use+ andDormileage use! The storage o$ motor oil in your garage partiularly mineral #ased oils slo"ly ages the oil limitingits use later! Go not store huge volumes o$ oil in your garage that is e&posed to e&tremes o$ temperature!

%nd o$ part t"o!

Motor Oil 10'art Three! >ou have a syntheti mind!

Let us ompare mineral and syntheti oils! I "ill not talk a#out hemial #ut rather $untional di$$erenes! /edisussed #e$ore ho" mineral oils are too thik at startup yet too thin "hen hot! The visosity "as orreted"ith the hot engine #y adding VI improvers!

. 10/-0 multi-grade mineral #ased oil is made $rom a 10 grade oil and has VI improvers added to thiken theprodut in a 313 , engine! It ats as a 0 grade oil "hen hot! It ats more as a 10 grade oil at startup! I remindyou that a 10 or 8 or 3 grade oil is still too thik to provide lu#riation at startup! They are all too thik at startupThere is urrently no engine oil thin enough to operate orretly at startup! They all ause e&essive "ear atstartup! .gain "e are disussing the needs o$ my single hypothetial engine $or around to"n driving!

Oil type!! Thikness at ;8 , !!Thikness at 313 , ),or mineral #ased oils+

Straight 0!!!!!!!!!!380!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1010/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!100/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!90!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10

Straight 10!!!!!!!!!!0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:Straight 8!!!!!!!!!!!30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9Straight 3!!!!!!!!!!!18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Straight 0!!!!!!!!!!!13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! est!

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. syntheti oil that is la#eled as 10/-0 is less honey like as a mineral #ased 10/-0 motor oil at startup!They #oth have a thikness o$ 10 at normal operating temperatures! .t ;8 , the syntheti is not as thik! .t 3, the di$$erene #et"een the t"o is even greater! .t 0 , the mineral oil is useless yet the syntheti "orks $airly"ell! Hust keep the B'M to a minimum!

.t temperatures #elo" (ero you "ill not #e a#le to start your ar "ith mineral oils "hile the syntheti oils may#e used to -90 or - 80 ,! Oils are so thik that the normal method o$ visosity measurement is not possi#le!Instead "e measure i$ the oil an even #e pumped or poured! .gain "e are only disussing a single ategoryo$ oil the multi-grade 10/-0 .'I D S.% grade!

I took an e&ept $rom the "e# a#out Mo#il 1 oils! They ompared a 8/-0 syntheti Mo#il 1 oil to a mineral#ased 10/-0 and a 10/-90 in ie old onditions! The engine turned over at 183 B'M "ith the syntheti 8/-0 Mo#il 1! The 10/-0 and 10/-90 mineral oils turned over at 98 and 3 B'M respetively! 5either o$ thoseengines started!

Motor oil #eomes permanently thiker "ith e&posure to northerly "inter type "eather! This is more o$ apro#lem to mineral #ased oils! /a&es $orm! This is "hy it is a #ad idea to even store a #ottle o$ oil in a oldgarage! It goes #ad on the garage sel$ ?ust #eause it is e&posed to the old!

To reap syntheti oils have similar harateristis as mineral oils at operating temperatures! The syntheti oil"ill ho"ever #e less honey - like at startup even though it has the same .'I D S.% rating! >et the syntheti

10/-0 grade oil is #ased on a heavier 0 grade oil "hile the mineral #ased 10/-0 oil is #ased on a thinner10 grade oil! They are #oth similar at operating temperatures yet the 0 grade #ased syntheti is atually lessthik at startup and muh less honey - like at lo" temperatures! This is the opposite o$ "hat ommon senseditates!

This is "orth repeating= The syntheti 10/-0 grade oil is #ased on a heavier 0 grade oil "hile the mineral#ased 10/-0 oil is #ased on a thinner 10 grade oil! They are #oth similar at operating temperatures yet the0 grade #ased syntheti is atually less thik at startup and muh less honey - like at lo" temperatures! Thisis the opposite o$ "hat ommon sense ditates!

.s one an see this is no easy topi! .re you "ith me

Motor Oil 109'art ,our! It is not "hat "e thought!

5o" let us $inish talking a#out the di$$erenes o$ mineral verses syntheti oils! I "ill ompare the same "eigh orgrade o$ oils sho"ing that the operating visosities are the same "hereas the startup visosities vary=

Mineral oil=

Oil type!!!Thikness at ;8 ,!!! at 313 ,!!!at 03 ,

Straight 0!!!!!!!!!!380!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!!!!!!!!!10/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!!!!!!! !!0/-0!!!!!!!!!!There are none in this range!!!!!!

Syntheti oil=

Oil type!!!Thikness at ;8 ,!!! at 313 ,!!!at 03 ,38:0;208!do


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Straight 0!!!!!!!!!!!100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!!!!!!!!!!10/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!!!!!!! !!!0/-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!90!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!!!!! !!!!!

Sine the syntheti oil thikens less on shutdo"n your startup "ill #e easier and so "ill the stress on yourengine! This is perhaps the #est thing the syntheti lass has over the mineral #ased oils!

'eople sometimes use a thiker oil to minimi(e gasket leaks! This seems o#vious to me! Bepair the gasket! Go

not destroy your engine "ith an oil that is too thik $or proper $untion!

Some people have said they use thiker oils #eause they only use their ars every 3 or 9 "eeks! They area$raid that thin oils "ill $all o$$ the engine parts and result in a lak o$ lu#riation at startup! Think a#out yourla"n mo"er over the "inter! I gets gummed up solid! The oil and $uel thiken over time resulting in engine$ailure! .ny"ay oil on the sur$ae o$ parts does not lu#riate! It is the ,LO/ o$ oil #et"een parts thatlu#riates! Thik old "a&y oil an only #e #ad!

I have seen several ar o"ner manuals that are no" stating that oils do not need to #e hanged #ut every;800 miles or more! The same manual also states OB every 13 months "hihever ours $irst! My $eeling isthat you an pro#a#ly go 8000 miles on the average )in a sports ar+ #ut you must hange your oil in thespring time at a minimum partiularly up north! Oils $orm "a&es in iy old "eather! There is a permanent

thikening o$ the oil!

Some automotive manu$aturers are #aking do"n on oil hange intervals to 8000 miles or less and someadvoate hanging the oil at least every : months as "ell! I think this is #eause o$ the tendeny $or oils tothiken in very hot engines )not am#ient onditions ?ust hot engines+! .lso #eause o$ thikening $rom the oldo$ "inter and $rom sludge #uild up that annot #e $iltered out!

I truly #elieve that oil is muh #etter #eing too thin than too thik! Over the years "e have #een going to thinnerand thinner oils despite hotter engines "ith tur#os and the like! The tendeny is that people $igure they need a90 grade oils #ut then use a 80 instead! 4etter thinking is that i$ you think you need a 90 use a 0 grade oilinstead! I $irmly #elieve this #ased on all I kno" a#out oils!

.s it turns out syntheti oils do ling to parts #etter as they have higher $ilm strength than mineral oils!Synthetis are thinner overall! They have greater slipperiness! >et they stik #etter to engine parts! .gain thisonept is the opposite o$ normal thinking!

The thikness o$ moving oil is measured in entiStokes or S! Most engines "ant the oil visosity to #e around10 S at normal operating temperature! The really thik multi-grade oils have a visosity o$ 30 S at operatingtemperature! One is not t"ie as thik as the other it is only 10 S thiker!

.s "e inrease the heat $rom 313 , to 03 , the most ommonly reommended oil thins $rom 10 S to S!The thiker oil drops $rom 30 S to 9 S! 5ote that in a very hot engine the di$$erene #et"een the t"o oils isno" only 1 - 3 S! In other "ords they have a#out the same thikness! There is little advantage to a thiker#ased oil as a 30/-80 at very high temperatures! 5o the 9 S oil is not t"ie as thik as the 3 or S oil! This

di$$erene is almost insigni$iant!

There is a huge advantage o$ using the thinner 10/-0 at startup "here 20 perent o$ the engine "earours! .t ;8 , the thiker oil has a visosity in the range o$ 380 S "hile the thinner oil has a visosity o$ 100S! The thiker stu$$ is 180 S thiker! This is a very #ig di$$erene! I am using the 30/-80 as my thiker oile&ample here!

'eople are al"ays asking a#out adding things as Slik 80 into the oil tank! Go not do this! The oil ompaniesand engine manu$aturers "ork together very hard to give you the produt you need! %ngines are runninghotter longer "ith more 4' $rom less CIG! Smaller more e$$iient engines are getting us more M'E and yet#etter aeleration! These engines last longer and are more relia#le!38:0;208!do


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'art o$ that reason is the nature o$ the lu#riants! There is a lot o$ ompetition to get us the #est "orking motoroil! Independent additives annot make the oil #etter and in many ases makes things "orse! There have #eenengine $ailures as a result o$ adding some o$ these a$termarket additives to motor oil!

Motor oil that is la#eled $or B.CI5E O5L> is not usa#le $or every day driving! O$ten these have more additivesthat are to&i to your atalyti onverters and the environment! These oils generally do not have detergents!These are very important $or your engine unless you plan on taking it apart every $e" "eeks and leaningevery single sur$ae! The oils do not meet the .'I D S.% re*uirements $or ratings as SH SL or no" SM!

>ou do not need to use the e&at oil type and #rand that your ar manual tells you to use! Oils are prettygeneral! They are not that di$$erent! ,errari is married to Shell! I$ you all them up and ask to use Valvolineinstead they "ill tell you that they have not tested that #rand in their ars! They only tested the engine "ithShell oils! They annot omment on the per$ormane o$ other oils in their engines! This is a $air statement! Thereality is that the Shell and Valvoline oils o$ the same spei$iation )visosity .'I and S.% ratings syntheti ornot+ are very similar! ) I do have my #ullet proo$ vest on +!

'eople o$ten say that their old 120 ar manual says to use a spei$i 4rand-F motor oil! They keep trying toloate these older oils! ,irst ?ust a#out any oil #rand that meets the original spei$iations "ill do! Seond alloils are muh muh #etter no"! They are all muh #etter! One ould say that syntheti oils are #etter thanmineral oils #ut it is hard to say that one #rand is that muh #etter than any other! 'ersonally I do stik to the

#ig names! It does not mean that small motor oil ompanies are not as good! They ould #e #etter $or all Ikno"!

@sing an oil that is less thik at startup has other #ene$its! Let us ompare a syntheti 10/-0 to a mineral#ased 10/-0! 4oth give you a visosity o$ 10 S at normal engine operating temperatures! They #oth thin to S at high temperatures! .t ;8 , tomorro" morning the story "ill #e di$$erent! The startup visosity o$ thesyntheti "ill #e 80 "hereas the mineral #ased 10/-0 "ill #e 100! .gain #oth are too thik at startup #ut thesyntheti "ill ause less startup time period "ear and tear! >ou "ill get a little #etter gas mileage too!

The syntheti lu#riated engine "ill turn over easier! This has the e$$et o$ using less po"er $rom your startermotor! It "ill last longer! >our #attery has less o$ a urrent dra"! This "ill also last longer! The #attery "asdisharged less during the start so the alternator "ill ro# less po"er $rom your engine to reharge! The

alternator lasts longer and you get a little #etter gas eonomy! The only do"nside o$ syntheti lu#riants is theost! They ost 3 or times as muh as mineral #ased oils! 5ever-the-less I use plain 'enn(oil multi-grademineral #ased 8/-30 in my ,ord %&pedition! This oil is thin enough at startup to have many o$ the attri#utes I

?ust mentioned!

Motor Oil 108'art ,ive! Letou #rie$ly step on the #rakes $orthe orner then put the pedal to the metal the rest o$ the time! >our oil "ill get up to 03 , #ut your oolingsystem is around 313 ,! The engine produes tremendous heat #ut an only pass it o$$ so $ast to the oolingsystem! There is a lot o$ air moving past the ooling radiator so the anti$ree(e D oolant is a#le to get rid o$ thee&tra heat $rom this part o$ the system "ith relative ease!

The temperature o$ oil on your gauge is not as hot as it really gets! This temperature is an average "ith oil $romdi$$erent parts o$ the motor! Some parts are hotter than others! It is said that some o$ the oil gets as hot as 900or 800 , in these raing situations!

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In an earlier setion I said that thiker oils are usually needed in raing situations #ut not neessarily!Bemem#er that a ma?or $untion o$ oil is to ool the inside o$ your engine! In .STM G 998 !1!9= 6Terminology=%ngine oil- a li*uid that redues $rition and "ear #et"een moving parts "ithin an engine and also serves as aoolant!7 Sine the oil "ith a visosity o$ 10 S at 313 , thins to a visosity o$ S at 03 , "e "ill get more$lo"! The pressure "ill go do"n some as "ell! This is OJ as long as "e have a minimum o$ pressure to movethe oil!

This inreased $lo" "ill result in inreased ooling #y the oil! This is a good thing! >ou "ould pro#a#ly "antmore oil $lo" in these situations and you get it! The hotter oil thins and this inreases $lo"! The higher $lo"

"orks harder to separate the engine parts that are under very high stress! It all "orks out $or the #etter! igherrevving engines need thinner oils! >ou do not neessarily need to go to a thiker oil "hile raing! Onlye&perimentation "ill tell!

The #est "ay to $igure out "hat visosity o$ oil you need is to drive the ar in the onditions you "ill use! Thenuse the oil visosity that gives you 10 'SI per 1000 B'M under those irumstanes! ,or some reason very$e" people are a#le to get this simple prinipal orret! I annot e&plain $urther!

These same rules apply to engines o$ any age loose or tight! Hust #eause your engine is old does not mean itneeds a thiker oil! It "ill need a thiker oil only i$ it is overly "orn "hether ne" or old! >et the same prinipalso$ 10 'SI per 1000 B'M still apply! In all ases you need to try di$$erent grade oils and see "hat happens!Then hoose the orret visosity!

I used 0/-30 in my ,errari 8;8 Maranello! It had over 8000 miles on the lok! There "ill #e a day )myestimate is 80000 miles+ "hen one "ill have to go to a 0/-0! In the $uture one "ill have to inrease thevisosity to a 0/-90 then a 0/-80 may#e! >ou should use "hatever it takes to get ;8 'SI at :000 B'Mduring the li$etime o$ the engine! This $ormula "orks in all situations!

Some people have tried this and oasionally get a some"hat lo" oil pressure "hile at idle! This is $ine! Thereis no stress on parts at idle the smallest oil $lo" "ill do the trik! It is at higher B'M "here more 4' isprodued! This is "here "e need the $lo"! Bemem#er that ,errari uses ;8 'SI at :000 B'M as the plae totest your oil visosity needs! I$ your oil gives this value under your driving onditions then your lu#riationsystem has #een ma&imi(ed! 'eriod!

Go not go 8000 miles "ith the same oil i$ you are raing your ar! >ou should hange the oil every 1 or 3000miles! I$ you drive your ar around to"n then you need to hange the oil $or that situation! @se raing oil on thetrak and ur#an oil around to"n! The #est situation as desri#ed #y ,errari is to use the 0/-90 around to"nand the 10/-:0 6raing oil7 on the trak! It has to #e that 6hot7 trak though! . ompromise situation "ould #eto use the 8/-90 $or #oth #ut this may not #e optimal! Certainly i$ you are ?ust an ur#an driver as me use the0/-90 or even a thinner oil as I do in my Maranello! .gain I used the 0/-30 grade!

,>I! The ,ormula 1 ars that run at 18000 B'M and higher use straight 8 and 10 grade oils!

5o" let me disuss "hat people think is a similar situation to raing! That is hot summer tra$$i ?am driving!>our ar should #e a#le to handle this! I$ you have pro#lems then you have a pro#lem "ith your ar most likelyin need o$ a ooling system overhaul!

/hen you drive that ar do"n the road mid-"inter in upstate 5e" >ork or mid-summer in ,lorida the engineand oil temperatures "ill #e around 313 ,! 4ut your ,lorida vaation is suddenly altered #y a hurriane! >ouhave to get out o$ Tampa #ut so do a million other people! It is no" 28 , and you are in a snarl! %veryonethinks they need a thiker oil $or this situation! This is $alse!

>our engine is not produing muh heat at lo" B'M and lo" 4' output! The prodution o$ heat is relativelyslo"! It an easily #e transmitted to your ooling system! The pro#lem is that your ooling system has trou#legetting rid o$ the heat! The oil and the oolant "ill slo"ly rise in temperature! They #oth rise together! Theinrease is no #ig deal $or your oil! It goes to 330 then 30 ,! The pro#lem is that the ooling system an only

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handle heat up to 30 ,! .$ter that you overheat the ooling system and the ar must #e shut o$$! The oil nevergot that hot It "as ?ust that the "ater got a little hotter than its system design!

>ou no" see that overheating in tra$$i is a ooling system pro#lem and not an oil system pro#lem! Go nothange to a thiker oil #ased on your tra$$i situation!

Motor Oil 10:'art Si&! . personal reommendation! )@pdated in 3010+

These are the motor oils I reommend! This is #ased on in$ormation that I ?ust happened to ollet! I have notgotten the spei$iations o$ all oils out there! My opinion on these oils is most #ased on visosities! 4y this Imean less honey like at start up temperatures and appropriate $or the re*uired visosity at operatingtemperature! I also looks at the oil tests others have done!

I #roke it do"n to several lasses 1-,ully Syntheti 3-Bae Trak Oils $or Street @se -Semi-Syntheti 9-Mineral )dinosaur+ Oils! The asterisk )K+ is my pre$erred $rom eah group o$ very similar produts! .nd theseare usually easier to $ind in my e&periene! Bemem#er all oils are too thik at start up! There is no suh thing

as an oil that is too thin #elo" 100 ,! The thinnest motor oil made is still too thik at start up temperatures o$ ;8,!

It seems that many engines "ork #est "ith a multi-grade 0 "eight D grade oils! Others "ould do #etter "ith a30 grade oil and $e" "ould re*uire a 90 grade oil! >ou an only determine "hat is #est #y e&perimenting!

.dmittedly I did not think my ,errari Maranello "ould need a 30 grade oil! In truth I ould atually have used a10 grade oil! . 0/-10 "ould #e good #ut it simply does not e&ist $or normal use! Bed Line does make 3/ 8/and 10/ oils )this ats as a 0/-10 multi-grade oil+ #ut they are $or raing only! One ,ormula 1 team hasatually used these very oils o$$ the shel$ $rom Bed Line!

!!Syntheti Class!!

:0 Erade=.gip Syntheti 'C 30/-80 )a thik 80 "t oil+Bedline straight :0 "t raing oil )raing only ats as a S.% 30/-:0 oil+K'enn @ltra Syntheti 10/-:0Shell eli& @ltra Baing Oil 10/-:0

80 Erade=Castrol Synte 8/-80'enn 'latinum Syntheti 8/-80Bed Line 8/-80K

90 Erade=

.msoil 0/-90Castrol %uropean ,ormula 0/-0 )a thiker 0 grade oil almost a 90 grade oil+KMo#il One 0/-90'enn @ltra Syntheti 8/-90Bene"a#le Lu#riants In! 8/-90K

0 Erade=Mo#il One 0/-0'enn ).ny+ Syntheti 8/-0Bed Line 8/-30 )a thik 30 grade oil+KBene"a#le Lu#riants In! 0/-0K38:0;208!do


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30 Erade=Mo#il One 0/-30'enn(oil 'latinum Syntheti 0/-30Bene"a#le Lu#riants In! 0/-30KValvoline Syn'o"er 8/-30

!!Bae Oils $or Street @se!!@se these "hen ontinued sump temperatures over 390 , are e&peted!

:0 Erade=Bedline straight :0 "t raing oil )raing only not $or the street ats as a S.% 30/-:0 oil+Shell eli& @ltra Baing Oil 10/-:0Valvoline Syn'o"er 30/-80

80 Erade=Castrol Synte 8/-80Shell eli& @ltra 18/-80

90 Erade=Bed Line 8/-90

'enn @ltra Syntheti 8/-90Shell eli& @ltra 8/-90

0 Erade=Bed Line 10/-0

30 Erade=.msoil 8/-30Bed Line 8/-30

!!Syntheti 4lends!!

:0 Erade=Castrol Synte 4lend 30/-80

80 Erade=Valvoline 30/-80

90 Erade=.gip 9-Synt 10/-90Valvoline Gura#lend 10/-90K

0 Erade=

Castrol Synte 4lend 8/-0Motorra$t 4lend 8/-0Valvoline Gura#lend 8/-0K

30 Erade=Motorra$t 8/-30KValvoline Gura#lend 8/-30

!!5on-Syntheti!!

80 Erade=38:0;208!do


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5one reommended - all relatively too thik at start up!

90 Erade='enn regular Multi-grade 10/-90KValvoline .ll Climate 10/-90

0 Erade='enn regular Multi-grade 8/-0KValvoline .ll Climate 8/-0

30 Erade='enn regular Multi-grade 8/-30Mo#il Clean 8000 8/-30K

I$ "hile on the road you are $ored to add oil there are rules! Let us say $or e&ample that our engine hassyntheti Mo#il One 0/-0! @se the same type and #rand i$ you an! I$ you are using Mo#il 1 then it isaepta#le to mi& di$$erent grades #ut use a lose grade "hen possi#le! It is not a good idea to mi& say 1D3your oil tank "ith 0/-0 and 1D3 "ith 18/-80 Mo#il 1! I$ there is no Mo#il 1 availa#le then use the mineral#ased Mo#il oils ne&t!

The last hoie is to mi& a syntheti o$ another #rand! They should not reat adversely i$ mi&ed #ut it may dilute

additives! This is not a good om#ination! @se this om#ination i$ you must #ut only until an oil hange ansa$ely #e per$ormed some time soon!

I personally used 0/-30 Mo#il 1 in the 8;8 Maranello and $or the $irst oil hange I drained the Murielago


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14/28

reversion have solids resulting $rom "a& gel $ormation at temperatures signi$iantly higher than their .STM G2; pour points!%&trated $rom .STM G 998-0 Standard Spei$iation $or 'er$ormane o$ %ngine Oils opyright .STMInternational 100 4arr ar#or Grive /ets Conshohoken '. 1293 @S.!

My point is that tests are not ?ust la#oratory onotions! They design tests to math real li$e onditions!

I used 8/-30 'enn(oil mineral #ased multi-grade oil in my %&pedition as it has many o$ the lo" temperatureharateristis o$ higher grade syntheti oils! My 09 manual states that the S@V is delivered "ith a ,ord semi-

syntheti oil and although regular oil an #e used they reommend a semi or $ull syntheti oil! ,or thedi$$erential gear oil they used ;8/-190 in my P2 %&pedition #ut no" reommend ;8/-20! I$ I "as to"ing 000l#s! then I "ould need the semi or $ull syntheti 8/-30! 4ut $or my usual around to"n driving a plain mineral#ased oil is plenty good!

'lease note that it makes no di$$erene "hat oil you are using! The 0/-30 Mo#il 1 that is SL rated meets thesame riteria as that SL rated 10/-0 syntheti or mineral #ased 'enn(oil! That SH or in partiular that S oilsome people are looking $or )$rom their older automotive o"ners manual+ is no "here near as good as any SLoil o$ today! .l"ays use the most urrently availa#le highest rated motor oil even in the oldest most "ornengine! >ou may re*uire a thiker grade #ut ?ust make sure it is SL or SM rated!

The S rating "as used in oils starting 122! The SH rating started in 122; "hile the SL #eame e$$etive in

3001 oils! .ording to .STM G 998 SL rated oils are superior to previous oils and $rom=F3!!1 and 3= SL oil is $or use in urrent and all earlier passenger ars sport utility vehiles vans and lighttruks! This SL rated oil an #e used in engines re*uiring SH and .ll %arlier Categories!

Conern= 'eople are "orried a#out the SM oils not having as muh GG' as the SL and older oils! The reasonGG' has #een used $or years is not #eause o$ its superior per$ormane #ut rather its lo" ost and dual$untion as an antio&idant! It also has antiorrosive properties!

There are other additives! Some ne"er oils do not have any GG' and they are e&ellent produts! Hust thesame I pre$er oils "ith G' $or no"! The researh sho"s that 0!0 is all that is needed and has the same$untion as higher levels! The only reason to have more is #eause your engine is onsuming the GG'seondary to #orderline lu#riation $rom oil alone!

.nd lastly too muh an #e orrosive itsel$ and has sho"n in some tests to atually inrease "ear!

See= .merian Soiety $or Testing and Materials- """!astm!org!!!!!!!!Soiety o$ .utomotive %ngineers- """!sae!org!!!!!!!!.merian 'etroleum Institute- """!api!org

Motor Oil 10

Chapter %ight! Odds and ends!

I have some stories that I olleted! ,irst my arhitet drives a #ig S@V! e "as running "ith Mo#il 1 #rand18/-80! e hanged it to 'enn(oil Multi-grade )mineral oil #ased non-syntheti heap+ 8/-30 at mysuggestion! is gas mileage "ent $rom 10 to 1 M'E around to"n! /hat really impressed him the most "asthe 6ro#ust7 inrease in 6get up and go!7 e hanged $rom a thik syntheti to a thin mineral oil! is venue isstop and go ity tra$$i in ,lorida mostly short trips! The oil ?ust never got that hot to re*uire a 80 grade oil!Short trips means that the oil temperature never gets up to the normal operating range! It "as too thik onshort trips and too thik "hen it did get up to temperature!

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The lo"er temperatures he sa" "ith the thinner oil ourred #eause o$ redued $rition and internal drag andhigher oil $lo"!

One o$ the mem#ers o$ the ,errari Chat "e# site "ent $rom a 90 to a 0 grade oil in his ,errari 88 $or raing inTe&as! e notied a drop in temperature #ut no hange in oil pressure! This may seem odd #ut really makesper$et sense! Sine the 0 grade oil is thinner he got #etter $lo" and there$ore #etter ooling! The oil "as at alo"er temperature so it "as not as thin than it "ould have #een at the previous higher temperature! Coolerengines last longer! ,at= The higher the temperature the greater the "ear all other things #eing e*ual!

'eople say that their old ar manual says to use a 10/-90 so they "ould never think o$ using a 0/-90! .gain#oth are the same visosity at normal engine operating temperature! The 0/-90 ?ust does not thiken as muha$ter you turn o$$ your engine! There are no" several ases "hen manuals $or older ars have #een updated tore$let this! My 880 ,errari Maranello manual said to use 8/-90 yet the 8;8 manual says to use the 0/-90!The engines are the same e&ept the 8;8 has more 4'! It has #etter aeleration and more top speed! Theengines have the same toleranes!

.ll manu$aturers I have seen are spei$ying 0/-FF or 8/-FF oils no"! onda ,errari ,ord Meredes'orshe and others spei$y a 0 or 8/-FF oil to mention a $e"! These are appropriate $or all engines o$ allages o$ all levels o$ "ear! This seond num#er is the only thing that may hange "ith an older lose or "ornengine! This an only #e determined #y e&perimentation! I$ you are using F/-80 go to a 0/-90! I$ yourpressures are still too high go to a 0/-0 and so on!

/hen I took delivery o$ my 8;8 Maranello I drove $or 800 miles then hanged the oil to 0/-0 Mo#il 1! There"ere no hanges in operating pressure or temperature! Starting the engine seemed $aster though! I alled up,5. and "as told that all ne" ,errari Maranellos are delivered "ith 8/-0 Shell eli& @ltra! That is "hen Ideided to try the 0/-30 Mo#il 1! I ould have gone to a 10 grade oil as my pressures "ere still e&essive"hile driving around to"n! I do not drive on the trak!

/hat a#out the #reak in period ,or one thing you ould ?ust $ollo" the ar


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Bemem#er the only di$$erene #et"een a 0/-90 and a 10/-90 is that the 0/-90 thikens less a$ter you turno$$ your engine! It is still too thik in the morning at startup #ut not as thik as the 10/-90! >et they are still toothik to use until they #oth "arm up to operating temperature at "hih point they have the save visosityaround 1 to 19! Bemem#er that the 0/-0 10/-0 and straight 0 grade oils all have a visosity o$ around10 at normal engine operating temperatures! They all thiken "hen you turn o$$ your engine! The 10/-0 "illthiken the most!

There is one more thing! . 30 grade oil is not hal$ as thik as a 90 grade oil! The real sale is more like the oilshaving an a#solute thikness o$ 10 and 119! 5o" it an #e seen that the 90 grade oil is only around 10

perent thiker than the 30 grade oil! The di$$erene is not that muh at operation #ut at startup the di$$ereneis signi$iant! 'ressure D $lo" dynamis go along "ith this 10 perent $igure! . 0 grade oil should #e thought o$as having an a#solute visosity o$ 110 and a 80 grade oil has an a#solute visosity o$ 130! I am talking a#outthe visosity at operating temperatures!

I thought everyone kne" that 20 perent o$ engine "ear ours during the startup period #eause oil is ?ust toothik! Some think it is good to have a thiker oil $or startup sine the parts shrink "hen old and "ouldother"ise 6rattle!7 Sure your piston diameter "ill shrink on ooling #ut so "ill the diameter o$ your #ore! Thenet result is a#out the same learane hot and old! This is not true $or your valves! They lengthen "hene&tremely hot! In the Murielago they use shims instead o$ sel$ ad?usting valve tappets! >ou need to put amillimeter o$ learane there so that a$ter e&pansion the valve "ill not #e held partly open "hen it is supposedto #e losed!

I$ it "ere true that thiker oils "ere needed at startup then the manu$aturers "ould not #e re*uesting oils thatthiken less on ooling! They "ould ?ust spei$y that one should use a straight 0 or 90 grade oil! Instead overtime they have #een spei$ying thinner and thinner oils!

The manu$aturers kno" "hat parts shrink or e&pand and the learane hanges that result! >ou do not haveto "orry a#out this! I$ it "as that easy to design engines "e "ould all #e making them!

I "ould like to go #ak to the "orry that oil $alls o$$ the parts "hen a ar is stored or sees long periods o$inativity! ,or the $irst oil hange in my 8;8 Maranello I drained the Shell and put in 0/-0 Mo#il 1! This "as ata $e" hundred miles on the odometer! I drove the ar home $rom "ork put it on the li$t and drained thetransa&le and engine oils! I also opened and drained the oil ooler and took o$$ every line that is in the oil

system! I "anted to get every spek o$ the Shell oil out o$ there! ,or optimal results you are not supposed tomi& syntheti oils o$ di$$erent #rands!

The system takes 13 *uarts "ith a 6normal7 oil hange #ut took 18 *uarts $or this hange! It all took a#out anhour! I then started the engine to hek $or leaks! The multitude o$ mehanial engine noises that $ollo"ednearly #roke my eardrums $or a#out 10 long seonds! Then it "as suddenly very *uiet! >ou ould hear a pindrop! There "as ertainly the most possi#le amount o$ sur$ae oil on all the internal parts as the engine "asonly o$$ $or an hour! 4ut it "as not until the oil iruit primed $illed then sent $lo" into all the parts that anylu#riation "as ourring! ene all oil $ilters that are manu$aturer erti$ied have #ak $lo" limiters to keep theoil $ilter $ull even "ith the engine o$$!

ere is an interesting tid#it o$ in$ormation! . ;8/-20 gear oil has the same visosity as a 10/-90 engine oil at

313 and 03 ,! One again those num#ers on that oil an are misleading and ertainly add to the on$usion Isee among automotive enthusiasts! .t ;8 , gear oils are muh thiker than motor oils! There are no start upissues so pour point depressants are not added that minimi(e the thikening "ith ooling in gear oils!

Motor Oil 10238:0;208!do


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Chapter nine! Let


18/28

Let us ompare a 90 grade oil at operating temperature=The oil is thiker has more internal resistane and there$ore re*uires more pressure to get the same $lo")#aseline engine+!B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!0 'SI!!!!13000!!!!!!:0 'SI!!!!39000!!!!130 'SI!!!!9 The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 000!!!!390 'SI!!!!

,or a 90 grade oil at operating temperatureand a higher output oil pump=B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!98 'SI!!!!1!83000!!!!!!20 'SI!!!! The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 9000!!!!10 'SI!!!!:000!!! :0 'SI!!!!13

,or a 90 grade oil at operating temperature"ith the original pressures=B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!30 'SI!!!!0!8

3000!!!!!!90 'SI!!!!19000!!!!!!0 'SI!!!!3000!!! 1:0 'SI!!!!9 The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e

Inreasing the pressure "hile using the same oil "ill inrease the oil $lo" #ut inreasing the pressure #yinreasing the oil thikness "ill result in less $lo"! It takes more pressure to move a thiker oil! /hen you go toa thiker oil the pressure goes up #eause o$ the inreased resistane and there$ore redution o$ $lo"!4eause the pressure is higher sooner the relie$ valve uts in sooner! ,lo" "ill atually #e less "hen the B'Mis up and the $lo" is needed the most!

There is more to these graphs #ut I "ill ontinue "ith the ne&t hapter!

,urthermore in revie" pressure does not e*ual lu#riation! Let us look again at a single losed 6li$etimelu#riated7 #earing! /e ould hook up a system to pressuri(e the #earing! This an atually #e done! /e ouldhave the oil at am#ient pressure! /e ould then dou#le triple *uadruple the pressure o$ the oil! The oil is non-ompressi#le! Begardless o$ the pressure "e "ould have the e&at same lu#riation that o$ the am#ientpressure lu#riation!

The physis o$ lu#riation as I said earlier sho" a 1=1 relationship o$ $lo" to separation pressure! Lu#riationitsel$ is pressure independent! I "ill not go into the mathematial e*uations $or this!

%ven "ater an #e used as a lu#riant! This is partly #eause o$ its high sur$ae tension! It is used in manymedial devies and other systems that are under or e&posed to "ater! It is ?ust that "ater rusts metal partsmaking this unsuita#le $or automotive engines! It atually has a higher spei$i heat than oil! It an there$ore

arry a"ay more heat than oil $rom #earing sur$aes! In this respet "ater is a #etter lu#riant than oil!

Motor Oil 301Chapter 10 The graduate!

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9000!!!!130 'SI!!!!9 The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 000!!!!390 'SI!!!!

.t :000 B'M the ma&imum rate o$ $lo" has #een reahed "ith the thinner oil ).+! /hen you go to ; or2000 B'M you do not get any more $lo"! >ou only get a ma&imum rate o$ 8! The internal $ores on the#earings inrease #ut there is no additional $lo" o$ oil!

/ith the thiker oil you reah ma&imum $lo" at 000 B'M )C+! /orse yet is that the ma&imum $lo" is no"only ! .s "e inrease B'M to 9 8 : ; 2000 B'M "e get no additional pressure and no additional $lo"

no inrease in lu#riation!

5e&t let us look at a 30 grade oil at operating temperature! /e get the same $lo" out o$ our onstant volumepump #ut the thinner oil re*uires less pressure to move through the system! This even goes along "ith the rulethat "e should use an oil that gives us 10 'SI per 1000 B'M=

)G+ B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!10 'SI!!!!13000!!!!!!30 'SI!!!!39000!!!!!!90 'SI!!!!9000!! !!!0 'SI!!!!

The ma&imum $lo" rate has not #een reahed! I$ the engine "ent to 2000 B'M then the $lo" "ould #e 2 at 20'SI our ma&imum pressure at pop o$$! The engine no" has times the $lo" rate as "ith the 90 grade oil at $ullB'M! The no((les at the #ottom o$ eah ylinder are spraying times the amount o$ oil lu#riating and oolingthis setion! %verything runs ooler and the separation $ores in the #earings are times higher!

,or engines that redline at 8000 B'M they usually pop o$$ the oil pressure at 80 to :0 'SI! ,or engines that goto -2000 B'M the pressures ma& out at 20-100 'SI! >ou an no" see that you an only get the ma&imum$lo" rate i$ you $ollo" the 10 'SI D 1000 B'M rule!

The "inner= 0/-30 grade oil $or my Maranello! I said earlier that I ould have used a 10 grade oil! I atuallyonly ran "ith 18 , oil temperatures around to"n and the pressures "ere similar to the 90 grade oil e&ample in)C+ a#ove! This is "hy I also said that in the raetrak ondition "ith hotter thinner )0/-30+ oil I may atually

get the optimal results as in )G+ a#ove!

5o" let us go #ak to the ,errari reommended parameters in my 8;8 Maranello manual! It alls $or ;8 'SI at:000 B'M! The pop o$$ pressure has not #een reahed! .s "e no" inrease the B'M "e still get an inreasein $lo" rate! This is "hat "e need and this is e&atly "hat they are reommending! /e get our ma&imum $lo"at the ma&imum system pressure at a#out the ma&imum engine B'M o$ ;;00! There is no #ypassing o$ theoil! .ll oil pumped goes through the system! There is no "asted 4' pumping oil past the #ypass valve #akto the oil tank! It is the per$et system!

,inally I "ill ompare a single 0 grade oil at normal )313 ,+ and at raetrak )03 ,+ temperatures=

).+ ,or a 0 grade oil at normal )313 ,+ operating temperature=

B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!30 'SI!!!!13000!!!!!!90 'SI!!!!39000!!!!!!0 'SI!!!!9000!!! 1:0 'SI!!!! The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 8

)%+ ,or a 0 grade oil at elevated )03 ,+ operating temperature! The oil is thinner at 03 ,! It re*uires lesspressure to get the same $lo"=B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!10 'SI!!!!13000!!!!!!30 'SI!!!!338:0;208!do


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9000!!!!!!90 'SI!!!!9000!!!!!!0 'SI!!!! The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 2

The hotter )03 ,+ 0 grade oil is thinner than the ooler )313 ,+ 0 grade oil! It has the same $lo" rate in theonstant volume oil pump #ut at a lo"er pressure than the oil at normal operating temperature! This allo"s $ora dou#ling o$ the $lo" rate at peak B'M! The thinning o$ oil at higher temperatures is a #ene$it! >ou get more$lo" more ooling and more lu#riation!

The 0 grade oil at 03 , has the e&at same $lo" rate and pressures as the 30 grade oil at 313 ,! See )G+

a#ove! There$ore use the 30 grade $or around to"n driving and the 0 grade on the hot trak! >ou getma&imum $lo" at eah situation!

,or >O@B engine su#stitute the atual $lo" at 1000 B'M! I$ your engine puts out 1!8 litersDmin! at 1000 B'Mit "ould put out litersDmin! at 3000 B'M and : litersDmin! at 9000 B'M and so on! The ma&imum $lo" in ).+"ould #e ;!8 litersDmin! In situations )G+ and )%+ you "ould get a ma&imum o$ 1!8 litersDmin!

Conlusions=The reason that multi-grade oils "ere developed in the $irst plae "as to address the pro#lem o$ oil thikeninga$ter engine shutdo"n! Over the years "e have #een a#le to redue the amount o$ thikening that ours!5ever-the-less there is no oil that does not thiken a$ter you turn your engine o$$! This is "hy "e have to "arm

up our engines #e$ore revving them up! %ngine designers al"ays pik the reommended oil #ased on a hotengine and hot oil! There is no issue "ith oil thinning as they are #oth mathed "hen hot! The pro#lem is oilthikening "hen the engine ools!

Cold engine sho"ing very high pressures #eause o$ the thikened oil at startup=

,or a 90 grade oil at ;8 , at startup=The oil is thiker has more internal resistane and there$ore re*uires more pressure to get the same $lo"!B'M!!!!'ressure!!,lo"1000!!!!!!:0 'SI!!!!13000!!!!130 'SI!!!!3 The ma&imum $lo" #eause o$ the oil pop o$$ valve at 20 'SI "ill #e 1!89000!!!!390 'SI!!!!9

000!!!!90 'SI!!!!

.t 1800 B'M you reah the ma&imum oil $lo" rate and i$ you run to 000 B'M it is the same rate! The $lo"annot inrease and it is insu$$iient! This is "hy "e must "ait until our oil temperature omes up to 313 , orhigher! The ma&imum $lo" rate in this ase "ill then dou#le up to ! To get even more $lo" in our test engineyou need to use a lo"er visosity grade!

I$ you have a#sor#ed and digested the in$ormation here you should #e a#le to pik out the proper operating oilgrade $or your ar #e it a 0 90 80 or even 30 grade oil! I have al"ays used oils that "ere a grade thinnerthan reommended even though many use a grade thiker than reommended! I sho"ed evidene that thestarting grade should al"ays #e 0 or 8 )0/-FF or 8/-FF $or thiker oils+! I$ you "ant the #est protetion andhighest output $rom your motor use a syntheti #ased oil! The atual #rand is not as ritial as the visosity!

The rating must #e the SL or SM rating! Change your oil every - 8000 miles and at least every spring!

,inal e&amination to $ollo" later!

T% %5G

Motor Oil Midterm %&amination

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22/28

.ns"er *uestions "ithout looking #ak! This is a losed #ook e&am! 4ase your ans"ers on the in$ormationprovided in these past hapters!

1- .t normal operating temperature 313 , a straight 0 grade oil has a visosity o$ ho" many entiStokes.- 4- :C- 10G- 30%- 0

3- /hile raing at 28 , mid-summer in ,lorida "hih o$ these syntheti oils gives the #est protetion at 03 ,oil temperature

.- 0/-904- 8/-90C- 10/-90G- Straight 90 grade%- They are all e&atly the same

- /hile starting up your ar at ;8 , mid-"inter in ,lorida "hat is the appro&imate visosity o$ a straight 10)ten+ grade motor oil

.- S

4- : SC- 10 SG- 30 S%- 0 S or higher

9- The #iggest pro#lem "ith mineral #ased motor oils "ith long term use is=.- Thinning4- ThikeningC- Loss o$ VI )visosity inde&+ improversG- 4oth . and C%- 5one o$ the a#ove is orret

8- /hih o$ the $ollo"ing mineral #ased motor oils are still too thik at a ;8 , startup temperature.- 30 grade4- 10 gradeC- 8 gradeG- .ll o$ the a#ove%- 5one are too thik

.ns"ers to the Oil Midterm %&am

I $eel these "ere all di$$iult *uestions! >ou "ould #e doing "ell to get orret!

1- .t normal operating temperature 313 , a straight 0 grade oil has a visosity o$ ho" many entiStokes.- 4- :C- 10G- 30%- 0The orret ans"er is C- 10 S!

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23/28

3- /hile raing at 28 , mid-summer in ,lorida "hih o$ these syntheti oils gives the #est protetion at 03 ,oil temperature

.- 0/-904- 8/-90C- 10/-90G- Straight 90 grade%- They are all e&atly the sameThe orret ans"er is %- They are all e&atly the same!

- /hile starting up your ar at ;8 , mid-"inter in ,lorida "hat is the appro&imate visosity o$ a straight 10)ten+ grade motor oil

.- S4- : SC- 10 SG- 30 S%- 0 S or higherThe orret ans"er is %- 0 S or higher!

9- The #iggest pro#lem "ith mineral #ased motor oils "ith long tern use is=.- Thinning4- Thikening

C- Loss o$ VI )visosity inde&+ improversG- 4oth . and C%- 5one o$ the a#ove is orretThe orret ans"er is 4- Thikening

8- /hih o$ the $ollo"ing mineral #ased motor oils are still too thik at a ;8 , startup temperature.- 30 grade4- 10 gradeC- 8 gradeG- .ll o$ the a#ove%- 5one are too thikThe orret ans"er is G- .ll o$ the a#ove

Motor Oil ,inal %&amination.ns"er *uestions "ithout looking #ak! This is a losed #ook e&am! 4ase your ans"ers on the in$ormationprovided in these past hapters!

1- /hile starting up your ar at ;8 , mid-"inter in ,lorida "hih o$ these syntheti oils provides the leaststartup resistane minimal #attery and starter motor load

.- 0/-304- 0/-0C- 0/-90G- 0/-80%- They are all e&atly the same

3- /hile vaationing in Orlando it is 109 , mid-summer in ,lorida! The rental ar ompany put a straightmineral #ased 0 grade oil in their ar #eause they "anted the operating temperature visosity to #e at 10 S!/hat "ill #e the appro&imate visosity o$ the oil "hen you start up your engine no" )Closest ans"er+38:0;208!do


24/28

.- 10 S4- 30 SC- 0 SG- 100 S%- 900 S

- /hile vaationing in ,lorida you are a#le to rae your ar at the Se#ring trak! .t an oil temperature o$ 03 ,"hat is the appro&imate di$$erene in visosity #et"een a 30 and 90 grade oil! )'ik the losest num#er+

.- 1

4- 10C- 30G- 90%- 900

9- .ssume there are no losses in the system and your oil pump is truly volume #ased! .lso assume there is nout o$$ pressure valve and you are using a 90 grade motor oil! I$ at 1000 B'M your pressure is 0 and yourpump output is 1 )one+ "hat "ill the pressure and output #e at redline 000 B'M

.- 390 'SI $lo" A 4- 10 'SI $lo" A C- 390 'SI $lo" A 9G- 10 'SI $lo" A 9

%- 130 'SI $lo" A

8- /ater an #e used as a lu#riant!.- True4- ,alse

:- I$ you inrease the pressure in a #earing all other things #eing onstant the $ore o$ separation #et"een theparts inreases!

.- True4- ,alse

;- The #est grade oil $or raing any ,errari or Lam#orghini is a 90 grade multi-grade syntheti oil like Mo#il

One 0/-90!.- True4- ,alse

- ,or my Maranello 8;8 the 0/-30 grade Mo#il 1 oil "as atually too thik $or my driving onditions!.- True4- ,alse

2- The ma?or pro#lem "ith engine oil is that it thins "ith inreasing temperature!.- True4- ,alse

10- >our 122 sports ar manual states to use an .'I D S.% S rated 10/-90 mineral #ased motor oil! >ourengine has only 1880 miles on the odometer! On your ne&t oil hange it "ould #e #etter to use a SM rated0/-90 syntheti oil!

.- True4- ,alse

11- .ording to S.% H00 a 0 grade oil has a visosity o$ #et"een 2! and 13!9 entiStokes at operatingtemperature )313 ,+!

.- True4- ,alse

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13- In my list o$ reommended oils "hat did I list as the #est mineral #ased motor oil in the 80 grade lass.- 'enn(oil multi-grade 30/-804- Castrol ETF 18/-80C- Bed Line 10/-80G- Valvoline Gura#lend 0/-80%- 5o oil "as reommended

1- >ou are running 8/-90 Shell eli& @ltra $ully syntheti motor oil in your Meredes 4en(! >ou are in a J-Mart shopping enter and heked your oil and it is 1 1D3 *uarts lo"! >ou "ill need to add one an o$ oil! /hih

o$ the $ollo"ing is the #est hoie!.- Mo#il 1 - 0/-904- 'enn(oil Syntheti 8/-90C- Bed Line Syntheti 8/-90G- Castrol Synte 0/-0%- Shell mineral #ased 10/-90

19- Motor oils that are la#eled 6$or raing only7 should not #e used $or everyday driving #eause=.- They do not have detergents4- They may have harm$ul levels o$ some additivesC- They are generally unrated there is no SH SL or SM approvalG- >ou "ould have to take your engine apart and lean it periodially

%- .ll o$ the a#ove

18- .STM stands $or=.- .utomotive Standards and Test Methods4- .utomotive Soiety $or Tooling and MahiningC- .merian Soiety $or Testing and MaterialsG- .merian Standards Trade and Manu$aturing%- Soiety $or .merian Standard Testing Methods

1:- I$ your engine is running too hot at higher B'M one thing you an try to #ring the temperature do"n is touse a thinner oil!

.- True

4- ,alse

1;- Oil "ith a startup thikness o$ 100 )at ;8 ,+ that #eomes the appropriate thikness o$ 10 "hen $ully"armed up )313 ,+ is alled a 10/-0 grade motor oil!

.- True4- ,alse

1- . main advantage that the syntheti has over the mineral #ased oil o$ the same grade is the a#ility tolu#riate #etter at startup!

.- True4- ,alse

12- In .STM G 998 !1!9= %ngine oil is de$ined as - - 6a li*uid that redues $rition and "ear #et"een movingparts "ithin an engine and also serves as a oolant!7

.- True4- ,alse

30- I am )single #est ans"er+=.- Surgeon4- 4iohemistC- Pal$ass mehaniG- .#surdly interested in motor oils%- .ll o$ the a#ove38:0;208!do


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27/28

:- I$ you inrease the pressure in a #earing all other things #eing onstant the $ore o$ separation #et"een theparts inreases!

.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is 4- ,alse

;- The #est grade oil $or raing any ,errari or Lam#orghini is a 90 grade multi-grade syntheti oil like Mo#ilOne 0/-90!

.- True

4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is 4- ,alse! It an #est #e determined #y driving the ar "ith one type o$ oil and $ollo" thepressures and temperatures o$ your oil!

- ,or my Maranello 8;8 the 0/-30 grade Mo#il 1 oil "as atually too thik $or my driving onditions!.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is .- True

2- The ma?or pro#lem "ith engine oil is that it thins "ith inreasing temperature!.- True4- ,alse

The orret ans"er is 4- ,alse! The pro#lem is thikening "hen the engine is turned o$$! /ith long term usethe pro#lem is also thikening! %ngine oils grades are mathed at operating temperature! It is a$ter the engineools that visosities are an issue!

10- >our 122 sports ar manual states to use an .'I D S.% S rated 10/-90 mineral #ased motor oil! >ourengine has only 9880 miles on the odometer! On your ne&t oil hange it "ould #e #etter to use a SM rated0/-90 syntheti oil!

.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is .- True! .lthough it may atually #e pre$erential to use a modern 0/-0 grade oil!

11- .ording to S.% H00 a 0/-0 and a straight 0 grade oil must have a visosity o$ #et"een 2! and 13!9

entiStokes at operating temperature )313 ,+!.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is .- True

13- In my list o$ reommended oils "hat did I list as the #est mineral #ased motor oil in the 80 grade lass.- 'enn(oil multi-grade 30/-804- Castrol ETF 30/-80C- Bed Line 18/-80G- Valvoline Gura#lend 30/-80%- 5o oil "as reommendedThe orret ans"er is %- 5o oil "as reommended! They all are too thik at startup $or daily use!

1- >ou are running 8/-90 Shell eli& @ltra $ully syntheti motor oil in your Meredes 4en(! >ou are in a J-Mart shopping enter and heked your oil and it is 1 1D3 *uarts lo"! >ou "ill need to add one an o$ oil no"!/hih o$ the $ollo"ing is the #est hoie!

.- Mo#il 1 - 0/-904- 'enn(oil Syntheti 8/-90C- Bed Line Syntheti 8/-90G- Castrol Synte 0/-0%- Shell mineral #ased 10/-90The orret ans"er is %- Shell mineral #ased 10/-90! >ou an mi& any SM rated oil in there #ut this is my $irsthoie #ased on my researh!38:0;208!do


28/28

19- Motor oils that are la#eled 6$or raing only7 should not #e used $or everyday driving #eause=.- They do not have detergents4- They may have harm$ul levels o$ some additivesC- They are generally unrated there is no SH SL or SM approvalG- >ou "ould have to take your engine apart and lean it periodially%- .ll o$ the a#oveThe orret ans"er is %- .ll o$ the a#ove

18- .STM stands $or=.- .utomotive Standards and Test Methods4- .utomotive Soiety $or Tooling and MahiningC- .merian Soiety $or Testing and MaterialsG- .merian Standards Trade and Manu$aturing%- Soiety $or .merian Standard Testing MethodsThe orret ans"er is C- .merian Soiety $or Testing and Materials

1:- I$ your engine is running too hot at higher B'M one thing you an try to #ring the temperature do"n is touse a thinner oil!

.- True4- ,alse

The orret ans"er is .- True

1;- Oil "ith a startup thikness o$ 100 )at ;8 ,+ that #eomes the appropriate thikness o$ 10 "hen $ully"armed up )313 ,+ is alled a 10/-0 grade motor oil!

.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is .- True

1- . main advantage that the syntheti has over the mineral #ased oil o$ the same grade is the a#ility tolu#riate #etter at startup!

.- True4- ,alse

The orret ans"er is .- True

12- In .STM G 998 !1!9= %ngine oil is de$ined as - - 6a li*uid that redues $rition and "ear #et"een movingparts "ithin an engine and also serves as a oolant!7

.- True4- ,alseThe orret ans"er is .- True

30- I am )single #est ans"er+=.- Surgeon4- 4iohemistC- Pal$ass mehani

G- .#surdly interested in motor oils%- .ll o$ the a#oveThe orret ans"er is %- .ll o$ the a#ove

dr. haas motor oil article

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