engine oils everything

8/2/2019 Engine Oils Everything

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How much do you value the engine in your car? The life of your engine depends in no smallpart on the quality of the oil you put in it - oil is its lifeblood. People never used to pay a hugeamount of attention to their oil but thanks to the popularity during the 80's and 90's of hothatches, 16-valve engines and turbos (and as the tuner scene started to rise) engine oilsunderwent something of a revolution. Combined with the devastating problems ofblack

death the days of one oil catering for everyone were over.Take Castrol for example. They led the field for years with their GTX mineral oil. This waseventually surpassed by semi-synthetic and fully synthetic oils, including GTX2 and GTX3Lightec. Those were surpassed by Formula SLX which can cost upwards of 50 ($75) for 5litres, and most recently, Castrol GTX Magnatec which is muscling in on the hithertoseparate world of friction reducers (and we'll deal with them later, on theadditives page).That's just a slice of one manufacturers products. There are thousands.

What does my motor oil actually do?

What does my oil actually do?

Yourengine oildoes two things. Primarily it stops all the metal surfaces in your engine fromgrinding together and tearing themselves apart from friction, but it also transfers heat awayfrom the combustion cycle. Engine oil must also be able to hold in suspension all the nastyby-products of combustion such as silica (silicon oxide) and acids. Finally, engine oilminimises the exposure to oxygen and thus oxidation at higher temperatures. It does all ofthese things under tremendous heat and pressure.

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How do I read the numbers around the

'W'? For example 5W40?

As oils heat up, they generally get thinner. Single grade oils get too thin when hot for mostmodern engines which is where multigrade oil comes in. The idea is simple - use science andphysics to prevent the base oil from getting as thin as it would normally do when it gets hot.

There's more detail on this later in the page under bothviscosity, andSAE ratings. But as aquick primer - the number before the 'W' is the 'cold' viscosity rating of the oil, and thenumber after the 'W' is the 'hot' viscosity rating. So a 5W40 oil is one which behaves like a 5-rated single grade oil when cold, but doesn't thin any more than a 40-rated single grade oilwhen hot. The lower the 'winter' number (hence the 'W'), the easier the engine will turn overwhen starting in cold climates.

A quick guide to the different grades of oil.

Fully Synthetic Characteristics

0W-30 Fuel economy savings
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0W-405W-40

Enhances engine performance and powerEnsures engine is protected from wear and deposit build-upEnsures good cold starting and quick circulation in freezing temperaturesGets to moving parts of the engine quickly

Semi-synthetic Characteristics

5W-3010W-4015W-40

Better protectionGood protection within the first 10 minutes after starting outRoughly three times better at reducing engine wearIncreased oil change intervals - don't need to change it quite so often

Mineral Characteristics

10W-4015W-40

Basic protection for a variety of enginesOil needs to be changed more often

What the heck was Black Death?Black Death first appeared in the early 80's when a horrible sticky black substance was foundto be the cause of many engine seizures in Europe. It was extremely frustrating for vehicleowners because dealers and mechanics had no idea what was going on. Black Death justwasn't covered under insurance - if your engine had it, you paid to fix it yourself. Manyengines were affected but Ford and Vauxhall (GM) suffered the most. Faster roads, higherunder-hood temperatures, tighter engineering tolerances and overworked engine oils turnedout to be contributors to the problem. The oils just couldn't handle it and changed theirchemical makeup under pressure into a sort of tar-like glue. This blocked all the oil channelsin the engines, starved them of lubrication and caused them to seize. I don't recommend thisbut you can reproduce the effect with a frying pan, cooking oil and a blowtorch. The cookingoil will heat up far quicker than it's designed to and will turn to a sticky black tar in your pan.Either that or it will set fire to your kitchen, which is why I said "don't do this".Anyway, burning kitchens aside, Black Death was the catalyst for the production of newerhigher quality oils, many of them man-made rather than mineral-based.

Black death for the 21st

century

There's a snappy new moniker for Black Death now, and it's called sludge. The cause is thesame as Black Death and it seems to be regardless of maintenance or mileage. The chemicalcompounds in engine oils break down over time due to prolonged exposure to hightemperatures and poor maintenance habits. When the oil oxidises, the additives separate fromit and begin to chemically break down and solidify, leading to the baked-on oil depositsturning gelatinous, and that nasty compound is what is lovingly referred to nowadays assludge. It's like black yoghurt. What doesn't help is that modern engines, due to packaging,

have smaller sumps than in the "good old days" and so hold less oil. This means that the oilthat is present in the engine can't hold as much crap (for want of a better word) and that can


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lead to earlier chemical breakdown.The most common factor in sludge buildup is a combination of mineral oils, a lack ofmaintenance by the car owner and harsh driving conditions. Although this isn't true in allcases. A 2005 Consumer Reports article discovered that for some reason, some engines fromAudi, Chrysler, Saab, Toyota, and Volkswagen appear prone to sludge almost no matter how

often the oil is changed.

What does sludge look like?

I was contacted by a BMW driver who had been having a particularly harsh time with sludgeand was discussing it on theBimmerfest forums. He posted some images of his problem andother readers posted similarly-framed images of the same engine components in "normal"condition. Here are two of those photos. On the left is what the cam case should look like in awell maintained engine when photographed through the oil filler cap. On the right is what thesame type of engine looks like when suffering sludge buildup.

In this example, the consensus was that the sludge buildup was caused by an overheating

engine, oil that hadn't been changed for 20,000 miles of stop-go city driving, a lot of coldstarts and a period of about 12 months in storage without an oil change.

Picture credit: Ketchup at the Bimmerfest forums

Curing sludge

There are no hard and fast rules for curing an engine of sludge buildup. If it's really bad,flushing the engine might be the only cure, but that could also cause even more problems. Ifflushing the engine results in bits of sludge getting lodged where they can do more damage,

you're actually worse off.It's interesting to note that some race techs have reported sludge buildup in race engines as aresult ofaftermarket additivesbeing used in conjunction with the regular oil. The chemicalcomposition of the additives isn't as neutral as some companies would lead us to believe, andcombined with particular types of oil and high-stress driving, they can cause oil breakdownand sludge to appear. The lesson from them appears to be "don't use additives".

When is sludge not sludge?
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Easy; when it's an oil and water emulsion from a leaking or blownhead gasket. If this happens, you get a whitish cream coloured sludge on the inside of the oilfiller cap. It's typically cooler than the rest of the cam case and so the oil/water mix tends tocondense there. If it off and the underside of it looks like it's covered in vanilla yoghurt ormayonnaise, you've got a blown head gasket. A surefire way to confirm this is if your oillevel is going up and your coolant level is going down. The coolant is getting through thebreaks in the head gasket and mixing with the oil. When it gets to the sump it separates outand the oil floats on top. A slightly more accurate way to check for this condition is to use acombustion leak tester, or block tester. If you're in America, NAPA sell them for about $45(part #BK 7001006). If you're in England, Sealey sell them for about 70 (model numberVS0061). Combustion leak testers are basically a turkey baster filled with PH liquid, with anon-return valve at the bottom. To use one, run your engine for a few minutes until its warm(not hot) then turn it off. Use a protective glove (like an oven glove) and take the radiator orreservoir cap off. Plug the bottom of the combustion leak tester into the hole and squeeze therubber bulb on top. It will suck air from the top of the coolant through the non-return valveand bubble it through the PH liquid. If the liquid changes colour (normally blue to yellow), itmeans there is combustion gas in the coolant which means a head gasket leak.

Note:

There is one other possible cause for the mayonnaise: a blocked scavenger hose. Mostengines have a hose that comes off the cam cover and returns to the engine block somewherevia a vacuum line. This is the scavenger hose that scavenges oil vapour and gasses that buildup in the cam cover. If it's blocked you can end up with a buildup of condensation inside thecam cover, which can manifest itself as the yellow goop inside the filler cap.

VW / Audi sludge problems

While the the 1.8T engines in Audi A4's, Audi TT, VW Passat, Jetta, Golf, New Bettle, are

all very prone to sludge build-up, Audi/VW does nothave an extended warranty for themfrom the factory. The factory warranty is 4 year/50,000 miles but it can be extended ifpurchased.Although Audi/VW now has 10,000 mile service intervals, oil changes can be done between"services", and should be done if the vehicle is driven in heavy traffic, offroad, and non-highway use. Also, Audi/ VW will only warrant an engine if the customer has proof of alltheir oil changes. As of 2004 I belive all 1.8T engines mustuse synthetic oil.So if you own one of these sludge-prone engines, what can you do? Obviously, VolkswagenAudi Group (VAG) recommends that you use only VW/Audi recommended oil. You shouldalso keep up on your oil changes, making them more frequent if you drive hard or haul a lotof cargo. The most important thing for the VW or Audi owner is this: if the oil light comes onand beeps the high pitch beep that almost everyone ignores, pull over and shut the enginedown immediately. Many VAG engines can be saved by this procedure. Have the vehicled


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towed to a VAG dealer. Their standard procedure is to inspect the cam bearings; if they're notscored, the oil pan will be removed and cleaned out and all the crankcase breather hoses andthe oil pickup tube will be replaced. They'll do an oil pressure test with a mechanical gauge,and hopefully will also replace the turbo lines. Finally, the turbo will be checked for bearingfree-play. The VAG turbos run really hot even with proper oil and coolant supply - that's why

you need a good quality synthetic in them.

Toyota sludge problems

For their part, Toyota have the dubious honour of having the most complaints about sludgebuildup in their engines - over 5,000 in 2008. At the time of writing there is a class action suitgoing on against them. Details can be found atwww.oilgelsettlement.com

Saab sludge problems

For an example of sludge in a Saab 9 5 Aero with only 42,000 miles on it, you might beinterested to read my case study on this engine, put together with the help of a reader.Oursludge case study.

Like the site? The page you're reading is free, but if you like what you see and feel you'velearned something, asmall donationto help pay down my car loan would be appreciated.Thank you.

Mineral motor oil

Mineral or synthetic?Mineral oils are based on oil that comes from dear old Mother Earth which has been refined.Synthetic oils are entirely concocted by chemists wearing white lab coats in oil companylaboratories. The only other type is semi-synthetic, sometimes called premium, which is ablend of the two. It is safe to mix the different types, but it's wiser to switch completely to anew type rather than mixing.

Synthetic motor oil

SyntheticsDespite their name, most synthetic derived motor oils (ie Mobil 1, Castrol Formula RS etc)are actually derived from mineral oils - they are mostly Polyalphaolifins and these come fromthe purest part of the mineral oil refraction process, the gas. PAO oils will mix with normalmineral oils which means Joe public can add synthetic to his mineral, or mineral to hissynthetic without his car engine seizing up (although I've heard Mobil 1 is actually made byreformulating ethanol).These bases are pretty stable, and by stable I mean 'less likely to react adversely with othercompounds'. They tend not to contain reactive carbon atoms for this reason. Reactive carbon

has a tendency to combine with oxygen creating an acid. (As you can imagine, in an oil thiswould be A Bad Thing.) They also have high viscosity indices and high temperature
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oxidative stability. Typically a small amount of diester synthetic (a compound containing twoester groups) is added to counteract seal swell too. These diesters act as a detergent and willattack carbon residuals. So think of synthetic oils as custom-built oils. They're designed to dothe job efficiently but without any of the excess baggage that can accompany mineral basedoils.

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Pure synthetics

Pure synthetic oils (polyalkyleneglycol) are the types used almost exclusively within theindustrial sector in polyglycol gearbox oils for heavily loaded gearboxes. These are typicallyconcocted by even more intelligent blokes in even whiter lab coats. These chaps break apartthe molecules that make up a variety of substances, like vegetable and animal oils, and thenrecombine the individual atoms that make up those molecules to build new, synthetic

molecules. This process allows the chemists to actually "fine tune" the molecules as theybuild them. Clever stuff. But Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils.

While we're on synthetic oils, I should mention Amsoil. Theycontacted me and asked to point out the following:

Amsoil do NOT produce or market oil additives and do not wish to be associated with oil

additives. They are a formulator of synthetic lubricants for automotive and industrial

applications and have been in business for 30+ years. They are not a half-hour infomercial

or fly-by-night product, nor have they ever been involved in a legal suit regarding theirproduct claims in that 30+ year span. Many Amsoil products are API certified, and ALL of

our products meet and in most cases exceed the specifications of ILSAC, AGMA etc..... Their

lubricants also exceed manufacturers specifications and Amsoil are on many manufacturers

approval lists. They base their claims on ASTM certified tests and are very open to anyone,

with nothing to hide.

It turns out that Amsoil actually have the stance that they recommend engine oil additives areNOT to be used with their products. This will become relevant later on this page, and in theadditives section. They have a pretty good FAQ on the Amsoil website:Amsoil FAQ(external link). There is also a particularly good page talking abouttesting Amsoil in taxis.

If I put new, fully synthetic oil in my older

engine, will the seals leak?

This question comes up a lot from people who've just bought aused vehicleand are wantingto start their history with the car on fresh oil.The short answer: generally speaking, not any more. The caveat is that your engine must bein good working order and not be leaking right now. If that's the case, most modern oils are

fully compatible with the elastomeric materials that engine seals are made from, and you
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shouldn't have any issues with leaks.The longer answer:

Mixing Mineral and Synthetic oils - current thinking

Here's the current thinking on the subject of mixing mineral and synthetic oils. Thisinformation is based on the answer to a technical question posed on the Shell Oil website.There is no scientific data to support the idea that mixing mineral and synthetic oils willdamage your engine. When switching from a mineral oil to a synthetic, or vice versa, youwill potentially leave a small amount of residual oil in the engine. That's perfectly okaybecause synthetic oil and mineral-based motor oil are, for the most part, compatible with eachother. (The exception is pure synthetics. Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils.)There is also no problem with switching back and forth between synthetic and mineral basedoils. In fact, people who are "in the know" and who operate engines in areas wheretemperature fluctuations can be especially extreme, switch from mineral oil to synthetic oil

for the colder months. They then switch back to mineral oil during the warmer months.There was a time, years ago, when switching between synthetic oils and mineral oils was notrecommended if you had used one product or the other for a long period of time. Peopleexperienced problems with seals leaking and high oil consumption but changes in additivechemistry and seal material have taken care of those issues. And that's an important caveat.New seal technology is great, but if you're still driving around in a car from the 80's with itsoriginal seals, then this argument becomes a bit of a moot point - your seals are still going tobe subject to the old leakage problems no matter what newfangled additives the oilcompanies are putting in their products.

Flushing oilsThese are special compound oils that are very, very thin. They almost have the consistency oftap water both when cold and hot. Typically they are 0W/20 oils. Don't ever drive with theseoils in your engine - it won't last. Their purpose is for cleaning out all the gunk which buildsup inside an engine.

Note:

Mobil1 0W40 is okay, because the '40' denotes that it's actually thick enough at temperatureto work. 0W20 just doesn't get that viscous!

Also:Some hybrid vehicles now require 0W20, so if you're a hybrid driver, check yourowner's manual.

Do I need a flushing oil?

Unless there's something seriously wrong with your engine, like you've filled it with milk orshampoo, you really ought never to need a flushing oil. If you're transitioning from a mineraloil to a synthetic oil, likewise youprobably don't need to flush the engine first.If you do decide to do an oil flush, there's two ways of doing it. You can either use adedicated flushing oil, or a flushing additive in your existing oil. Either way it's wise to

change the filter first so you have a clean one to collect all the gunk. (This typically meansdraining the oil or working fast). Once you have a new filter in place, and the flushing oil (or


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flushing solution) in there, run the engine at a fast idle for about 20 minutes. Finally, drain allthis off (and marvel at the crap that comes out with it), replace the oil filter again, refill with agood synthetic oil and voila! Clean(er) engine. For the curious amongst you, looking in theoil filter that was attached when you did the flush will be an educational exercise in the sortof debris that used to be in your engine.

Of course, like most things nowadays, there's a condition attached when using flushing oils.In an old engine you really don't want to remove all the deposits. Some of these deposits helpseal rings, lifters and even some of the flanges between the heads, covers, pan and the block,where the gaskets are thin. I have heard of engines with over 280,000km that worked fine,but when flushed, failed in a month because the blow-by past the scraper ring (now reallyclean) contaminated the oil and ruined the rod bearings.

Using Diesel oil for flushing

A question came up some time ago about using diesel-rated oils to flush out petrol engines.

The idea was that because of the higher detergent levels in diesel engine oil, it might be agood cleaner / flusher for a non-diesel engine. Well most of the diesel oil specification oilscan be used in old petrol engines for cleaning, but you want to use a low specification oil toensure that you do not over clean your engine and lose compression (for example). Generallyspeaking, an SAE 15W/40 diesel engine oil for about 500 miles might do the trick.

So what should I buy?

Quality Counts! It doesn't matter what sort of fancy marketing goes into an engine oil, orhow many naked babes smear it all over their bodies, or how bright and colourful the

packaging is, it's what's written on the packaging that counts. Specifications and approvalsare everything. There are two established testing bodies. The API (American PetroleumInstitute), and the European counterpart, the ACEA (Association des ConstructeursEuropeens d'Automobiles - which was the CCMC). You've probably never heard of either ofthem, but their stamp of approval will be seen on the side of every reputable can of engineoil.

TheAPI

The API classifications are different for petrol anddiesel engines:

For petrol, listings start with 'S' (meaning Service category, but you can alsothink of it as Spark-plug ignition), followed by another code to denotestandard. 'SN' is the current top grade, which recently replaced 'SM' and 'SL'.'SH' will be found on most expensive oils, and almost all the new synthetics.It's basically an upgraded 'SG' oil which has been tested more sternly.

For diesel oils, the first letter is 'C' (meaning Commercial category, but youcan also think of it as Compression ignition). 'CJ' is the highest grade at the

moment, (technically CJ-4 for heavy-duty) but 'CH' is the most popular and iswell adequate for passenger vehicle applications.
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Note:

Castrol recently upgraded all their oils and for some reason, Castrol diesels now use the 'S'rating, thus completely negating my little aid-memoir above. So the older CC,CD,CE and CFratings no longer exist, but have been replaced by an 'SH' grade diesel oil.This link is a

service bulletinfrom Castrol themselves, explaining the situation.

TheCCMC/ACEA

The ACEA standards are prefixed with a 'G' for petrol enginesand a 'D' or 'PD' for diesel. Coupled with this are numerous approvals by carmanufacturers which many oil containers sport with pride. ACEA replaced CCMC in1996 primarily to allow for greater read-across in test programs (eg. for viscosity,viscosity modifiers and base oil). The CCMC specifications were G (1 to 5) forgasoline, D (1 to 5) or heavy duty diesel and PD1 and PD2 for passenger car diesel.ACEA though have a slightly different nomenclature they can be summarised as A forpetrol, B for passenger car diesel and E for heavy duty diesel. The ACEA grades mayalso be followed by the year of issue which will be either '04 or '07 (current).

The full ACEA specs are:

A1 Fuel Economy Petrol A2 Standard performance level A3 High performance and / or extended drain A5 Fuel economy petrol with extended drain capability B1 Fuel Economy diesel B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete) B3 High performance and / or extended drain B4 For direct injection passenger car diesel engines B5 Fuel economy diesel with extended drain capability

Not suitable for all engines - should ONLY be used in engines specifying this fuelefficient grade. Refer to the manufacturer handbook of contact your local dealer ifyou're not sure.

Mineral oils:

E1 Non-turbo charged light duty diesel E2 Standard performance level E3 High performance extended drain E5 (1999) High performance / long drain plus American/API performances. -

This is ACEAs first attempt at a global spec. E7 Euro 4 engines - exhaust after treatment (EGR / SCR)
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Part / full synthetic oils:

E4 Higher performance and longer extended drain E6 Euro 4 specification - low SAPS for vehicles with PDF (see below)

New low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous, Sulphur)This oil is a recent introduction for diesel engines fitted with a DPF (Diesel particulatefilter). This is effectively a filter unit in the exhaust that takes out the microscopic sootparticles. If you don't use a proper low SAPS oil, then the additives can block thefilter with ash, which is a bit like putting a potato up your exhaust! New filters arepricey - 1500 isn't unusual.

C1 Low SAPS (0.5% ash) fuel efficient C2 Mid SAPS (0.8% ash) fuel efficient, performance C3 Mid SAPS (0.8% ash)

Many OEM are now using their own specifications to capture this spec. eg. Mercedes229.31/51, BMW Longlife 04, VW 507 00 etc.There is also a trend now towards manufacturers requiring their own specifications -in this case the OEM specification is the one that needs to be adhered to. If it saysBMW Longlife 04, the oil must say this on the pack to be suitable for use.

Typically, these markings will be found in a statement similar to:Meets the requirements ofAPI SH/CD along the label somewhere. Also, you ought to be able to see the API ServiceSymbol somewhere on the packaging:

Beware the fake API symbol


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Some unscrupulous manufacturers(and there's not many left that do this) will put a symbol on their packaging designed to looklike the API symbol without actually being the API symbol. They do this in an effort to pumpup the 'quality' of their product by relying on people not really knowing exactly what theproper API symbol should look like. To the left is an example of a fake symbol - it lookssimilar but as long as you remember what to look for, you won't get taken by this scam.

Amsoil are one of the biggest inadvertent offenders of the fake API symbol. Take a look atone of their labels here on the right. See that little starburst that says "Fuel efficient formulaSL-CF"? It can say all it likes, but the fact of the matter is that this is absolutely not an API-certified SL or CF oil. To be fair, some Amsoil products are API certified and they do havethe correct labelling, but their top-tier products do not. The issue of their lack of APIcertification on these products caused such a stir at Amsoil that they had to generate a FAQ toanswer the most commonly-asked questions. You can find a copy of that here :Amsoil &API Licensing. It does explain everything logcially and clearly, and it's not scientificdoublespeak. Which is nice.

If this is all confusing you, then rest assured that all top oils safely conform to the current

standards. What you should treat with caution are the real cheapies and those with nothingbut a maker's name on the pack. Anything below about 12 ($18) for 5 litres just isn't goingto be worth it.

A Brief History of Time API ratingsSome people have asked about the old standards, and although they're not especially relevant,some rampant plagiarism from an API service bulletin means I can bring you all the APIratings right back from when the earth was cooling. the table below tosee the ratings.

Petrol Engines Diesel EnginesCategory Status Service Category Status Service

CJ-4 Current

Introduced in 2006 for high-speed four-stroke engines.Designed to meet 2007 on-highway exhaust emissionstandards. CJ-4 oils arecompounded for use in allapplications with diesel fuelsranging in sulphur content upto 500ppm (0.05% byweight). However, use of
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these oils with greater than15ppm sulfur fuel may impactexhaust aftertreatment systemdurability and/or oil drainintervals. CJ-4 oils are

effective at sustainingemission control systemdurability where particulatefilters and other advancedaftertreatment systems areused. CJ-4 oils exceed theperformance criteria of CF-4,CG-4, CH-4 and CI-4.

SN Current

For all automotiveengines presently inuse. Introduced inthe API servicesymbol inNovember 2010

CI-4 Current

Introduced in 2002 for high-speed four-stroke engines.

Designed to meet 2004exhaust emission standardsimplemented in 2002. CI-4oils are formulated to sustainengine durability whereexhaust gas recirculation(EGR) is used and areintented for use with dieselfuels ranging in sulphurcontent up to 0.5% weight.Can be used in place of CD,

CE, CF-4, CG-4 and CH-4

SM Current

For all automotiveengines presently inuse. Introduced inthe API servicesymbol inNovember 2004

CH-4 Current

Introduced in 1998 for high-speed four-stroke engines.CH-4 oils are specificallydesigned for use with dieselfuels ranging in sulphurcontent up to 0.5% weight.Can be used in place of CD,CE, CF-4 and CG-4.

SL

Stillcurrentbut nearlyobsolete

For all automotiveengines presently inuse. Introduced inthe API servicesymbol in 1998

CG-4 Current

Introduced in 1995 for high-

speed four-stroke engines.CG-4 oils are specificallydesigned for use with dieselfuels ranging in sulphurcontent less than 0.5% weight.CG-4 oil needs to be used forengines meeting 1994emission standards. Can beused in place of CD, CE andCF-4.

SJStillcurrent

For all automotiveengines presently in CF-4 Current

Introduced in 1990 for high-speed four-stroke naturally


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but nearlyobsolete

use. Introduced inthe API servicesymbol in 1996

aspirated and turbo engines.Can be used in place of CDand CE.

SH Obsolete

For model year

1996 and olderengines.

CF-2 Current

Introduced in 1994 for severeduty, two stroke motorcycleengines. Can be used in placeof CD-II.

SG ObsoleteFor model year1993 and olderengines.

CF Current

Introduced in 1994 for off-road, indirect-injected andother diesel engines includingthose using fuel over0.5%weight sulphur. Can be usedin place of CD.

SF ObsoleteFor model year1988 and olderengines.

CE Obsolete

Introduced in 1987 for high-speed four-stroke naturallyaspirated and turbo engines.Can be used in place of CCand CD.

SE ObsoleteFor model year1979 and olderengines.

CD-II ObsoleteIntroduced in 1987 for two-stroke motorcycle engines.

SD ObsoleteFor model year1971 and olderengines.

CD ObsoleteIntroduced in 1955 for certainnaturally aspirated and turboengines.

SC Obsolete For model year1967 and olderengines.

CC Obsolete Introduced in 1961 for alldiesels.

SB Obsolete

For older engines.Use this only whenspecificallyrecommended bythe manufacturer.

CB ObsoleteIntroduced in 1949 formoderate-duty engines.

SA Obsolete

For much olderengines with noperformancerequirement. Usethis only whenspecificallyrecommended bythe manufacturer.

CA ObsoleteIntroduced in 1940 for light-duty engines.


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Grade counts too!The API/ACEA ratings only refer to anoil's quality. For grade, you need to look at theSAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)ratings. These describe the oil's function and viscosity standard. Viscosity means thesubstance and clinging properties of the lubricant. When cold, oil can become like treacle soit is important that any lube is kept as thin as possible. It's cold performance is denoted by theletter 'W', meaning 'winter'. At the other end of the scale, a scorching hot oil can be as thin aswater and about as useful too. So it needs to be as thick as possible when warm. Thin whencold but thick when warm? That's whereMultiGrade oil comes in. For ages, good old20W/50 was the oil to have. But as engines progressed and tolerances decreased, a lighter,thinner oil was required, especially when cold. Thus 15W/50, 15W/40 and even 15W/30 oilsare now commonplace. Synthetics can go down as far as 5W which seemed unbeatable until

Castrol came up with SLX - a 0W30 formulation! 'Free flowing' just doesn't describe it! It'spredominantly a workshop oil retailing at around 10 ($15) a litre, but recommended for usein places like Canada in the winter.

So again: what should I buy? That all depends on your car, your pocket and how you intendto drive and service the car. All brands claim theirs offers the best protection available - untilthey launch a superior alternative. It's like washing powders - whiter than white until newSuper-Nukem-Dazzo comes out. For most motorists and most cars, a quality mainstream oilis the best, like Castrol GTX. Moving up a step, you could look at Duckhams QXR andCastrol Protection Plus and GTX3 Lightec. The latter two of these are designed specificallyfor engines with catalytic converters. They're also a good choice for GTi's and turbo engines.Go up a step again and you're looking at synthetic oils aimed squarely at the performancemarket like Mobil-1.To help you through the maze of oils available, there's a site available now (themotor oilevaluator) that aims to lessen the confusion with a relatively balanced scoring system basedon published specifications such as viscosity and pour point. It's a good starting point ifyou're looking for even more in-depth info.

The question of phosphorus and zinc.

Phosphorus (a component of ZDDP - Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate) is the key componentfor valve train protection in an engine and 1600ppm (parts per million) used to be thestandard for phosphorus in engine oil. In 1996 the EPA forced that to be dropped to 800ppmand then more recently (2004?) to 400ppm - a quarter of the original spec. Valvetrains andtheir components are not especially cheap to replace and this drop in phosphorus content hasbeen a problem for many engines (especially those with flat-tappet type cams). So why wasthe level dropped? Money. Next to lead, it's the second most destructive substance to shovethrough a catalytic converter. The US government mandated a 150,000 mile liftime oncatalytic converters and the quickest way to do that was to drop phosphorous levels andbugger the valvetrain problem. Literally.In the US, Mobil 1 originally came out with the 0W40 as a 'European Formula' as it was

always above 1000 ppm. This initially got them out of the 1996 800ppm jam andknowledgeable consumers sought it out for obvious reasons. Their 15W50 has also
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maintained a very high level of phosphorus and all of the extended life Mobil synthetics nowhave at least 1000ppm. How do they get away with this? They're not classified as energy/fuelconserving oils and thus do not interfere with the precious government CAFE (corporateaverage fuel economy) ratings. (See my section on the EPA and fuel economy in theFuel andEngine Biblefor more info on this). This also means that they don't get the coveted ratings of

other oils but they do protect your valvetrain. The same rule of thumb is true for racing oilslike Royal Purple - because they're not classified as energy / fuel conserving, it would seemthey still contain good quantities of ZDDP.In fact, as a general rule-of-thumb, staying away from XX-30 oils and going to 10W-40 orhigher might be the way to go if you have an older engine. 10W-40 and above is generallyalso not considered to be 'gas saving' and like the Mobil example above, doesn't mess withthe CAFE rating.If you live in England, Castrol market a product with ZDDP in the product description -'Castrol Classic Oil With ZDDP Anti-Wear Additive' although it's not mainstream enough tobe available everywhere. You'll have to find a specialist dealer.Castrol Classics. In the US,Rislone manufacture an oil supplement to boost the ZDDP content of your existing oil.

Rislone Engine Oil Supplement.

API rating backward compatibility and 2V

engines

This section contains information from Bruce Dance, Brian over atbigcoupe.comand LNEngineering and their combined experience with API ratings and 2 valve engines

If you own a two-valve spark ignition engine or certain diesel engines (which do not have tomeet recent emission standards) the only sensible (ie widely available) oil to put in right nowis synthetic or semisynthetic to meet API SL/CF and not a higher rating. As I touched uponabove, oils with a CG and higher rating typically don't contain enough ZDDP, and thereplacement friction modifiers don't work in highly loaded valve trains (generally olderengines especially those with 2V design). If you try to compensate by adding a ZDDPadditive into a newer oil it still might not work because of interactions with other additives inthe oil.Why the discrepancy in the ratings? The API no longer include a valve train wear test thataccurately simulates 2V cam follower loading. They do perform a test that simulates 4Vloading and then they allow a lotof wear to occur and still 'pass'. The ACEA tests are a lot

tougher but still not tough enough. Whilst the newer CG, CH and higher API oil standardsshould be 'better in every way', they are really just 'improved in some ways'. Hence theincreasing use of manufacturer-specific standards.There is a lot of info kicking around on the web on this topic because it has caused a LOT ofproblems with some engines especially Porsche aircooled units.One of my readers found out when he went to buy oil for his (modern 4V common rail diesel)Nissan that they expresslyprohibit the use of CG or higher rated oils. Nissan mandate thatowners use CF oils in these engines. It's worth noting that the CF spec was already out of datewhen these engines were built but Nissan did not use the latest API spec because it wasn'tgood enough!The fact that API have dropped the CF tests/standard does not in any way improve the later

oils that do not meet this standard.
http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828http://www.castrol.com/uk/classicshttp://www.castrol.com/uk/classicshttp://www.castrol.com/uk/classicshttp://www.barsproducts.com/4401.htmhttp://www.barsproducts.com/4401.htmhttp://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14840&highlight=apihttp://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14840&highlight=apihttp://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14840&highlight=apihttp://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14840&highlight=apihttp://www.barsproducts.com/4401.htmhttp://www.castrol.com/uk/classicshttp://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html#20060828


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Marine Diesels and other special

considerations.

Inland Marine Diesels (and certain road vehicles under special conditions) can (and do) glazetheir bores due the low cylinder wall temperatures causing the oil (and more importantly theadditive pack) to undergo a chemical change to a varnish-like substance. The low temperatureis caused by operating under light load for long periods.This is related to engine design, some engines being nearly immune to it and otherssusceptible. The old Sherpa van diesel engines were notorious for this problem. The "cure"(such as it is) is to use a low API specification oil, such as CC. Certain enginemanufacturers/marinisers are now marketing the API CC oil for this purpose under their ownname (and at a premium). You'll find some modern engines where its industrial/vehiclemanual states API CF and the marinised manual states API CC/CD. {Thanks to Tony Brooksfor this information.}

Marine Oils.

I sometimes get asked "why are marine engine oils so expensive and why can't I just useregular motor oil in my marine engine instead?". Well, the National Marine ManufacturersAssociation Oil Certification Committee (click here for more info) introduced a four-strokeengine oil test and standard called the 4T certification. This specification is meant to assistboaters and manufacturers in identifying four-stroke cycle engine oils that have beenspecially formulated to withstand the rigors of marine engine operation. The certification wasprompted by the growing influence of four-stroke engines in the marine market and theirunique lubrication demands. So the simple answer is that regular road-based engine oilproducts don't contain rust inhibitors and won't pass the 4T certification. Lakes, waterwaysand the sea are a lot more aggressive an environment for an engine to operate around than onland.Note : the NMMA have long had a similar specification for 2-stroke oils destined for marineuse, called the TC-W3 certification.

The eBay problem

This paragraph may seem a little out of place but I have had a lot of problems with a couple

of eBay members (megamanuals and lowhondaprelude) stealing my work, turning it intoPDF files and selling it on eBay. Generally, idiots like this do a copy/paste job so they won'tnotice this paragraph here. If you're reading this and you bought this page anywhere otherthan from my website at www.carbibles.com, then you have a pirated, copyright-infringingcopy. Please send me an email as I am building a case file against the people doing this. Goto www.carbibles.com to see the full site and find my contact details. And now, back to themeat of the subject....

Like the site? The page you're reading is free, but if you like what you see and feel you'velearned something, asmall donationto help pay down my car loan would be appreciated.Thank you.

Motor oil shelf life
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Engine Oil Shelf Life.

I couldn't decide whether to put this in the FAQ or the main page, so it's in both, because I getasked this question a lot. Typically, the question is along the lines of"GenericAutoSuperStore

are having a sale on WickedlySlippy Brand synthetic oil. If I buy it now, how long can I keepif before I use it?"In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years.The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposureto extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. (anincrease of 10C doubles oxidation which halves the shelf life) ie. don't leave it in the sunwith the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unusedengine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of currentengines. The specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and

engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car buthave engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old mightnot be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels tomake sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, youmight want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oilanalysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the originalmanufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probablygoing to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is aguideline under protected conditions - indoors at about 20C:

Product Shelf Life

Base Oils, Process Oils 3 years

Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils 2 years

Engine Oils and Transmission Oils 3 years

Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils 2 years

Metal Working and Cutting Oils 1 year

The following are signs of storage instability in a lubricant:

Settling out of the additives as a gel or sticky liquid Floc or haze Precipitates/solid material Colour change or haziness

Water contamination in a lubricant can be detected by a "milky" appearance of the product.

Read more:http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html#ixzz1r3JtwiJh
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