oil dilution

[Sled Puller]

I had these same stories told to me by "expert" mechanics.



When pushed, it always comes down to,"Well, I HEARD it could happen!"



Unless somebody has very good documentation, the story is bs to me.



I can not vouch for all synthetics, but Amsoil has been doing this since 1972, if synthetics and extended drains destroyed engines, they would have been shut down LONG AGO. At the very least, they would not STILL be recommending extended drains.



There was another thread that a guy insisted Amsoil ruined his engine.

When pushed, he ADMITTED he and his "mechanic" noticed anti-freeze on the dipstick 3 weeks before it blew.

Give me a break!





Oh BTW, 116,000 miles on the clicker, BOMBed and sled pulled since 35,000, Amsoil bumper to bumper, no runs, no drips, no errors!

Gene

 

[boathead]

Funny,

My Cummins doesn't drip anything even with all the extra hoses and fittings on the amsoil bypass system. I for one don't understand how one can argue with an oil analysis? If the wear metals , fuel dilution, additive amounts, viscosity , acid levels, moisture amounts, etc. , are all within acceptable limits what can go wrong? Just My opinion!

Happy Holidays,

Paul

 

[HC]

I for one don't understand how one can argue with an oil analysis?

Paul,

Haven't you heard? Our engines are wearing at the same rate as before, maybe even worse. It's just that our bypass filters are removing the evidence and skewing the results to look much better than they really are!



(The filters probably do remove some evidence, but I won't go back to 3k oil changes every other weekend! It was said elsewhere - watch the trends more than the absolute numbers. If my Fe ppm increases ~ the same amount from 10k to 20k that it did from 0k to 10k on that same oil, then I'm willing to conclude that at the very least I'm getting protection ~ equal to the newer oil. )

 

[KB0OU]

PURADYN FILTER

Here is a picture of the Puradyn Filter. You that have the huge brake control will not be able to put it where I did.

Oil drains back to engine through bung that replaced the oil drain plug.

 

[Cummins Corvette]

I don't care what kind of oil you run, it will get contaminated the same as any other oil. Bypass filters aren't going to filter out soot, acid, or any other chemical contamination. I know for 12v engines, the recommended interval is 3k, for 24v it is 7. 5k. Why?????? Because the 24v runs cleaner. Once you bomb it, that is no longer the case. Oil should NEVER be run longer than 3,000 miles. I have changed the oil in hundreds of big rigs. That stuff is water after 10,000 miles- no viscosity at all. It is also ink, you could fill pens with that stuff and the only problem you would have is the stuff is too runny. It is noticeably less slippery too. I will never extend my drain intervals past 3k after seeing what happens to it after that time. It is too cheap to do it right.

 

[Sled Puller]

CAnderson,

You may ne right for cheap oils on the 3000 mile bit. But there is just too much documentation on high quality dino oils, let alone synthetics that PROVE you can go farther than 3000, with just as good or better wear rates, than cheap oil at 3000.



I have stated for a long time thatt 3000 mile changes were started by big oil to make money. I have some prove of that, quoted from "Lubricants World"and I will be posting it later.





You can change yours at 3000, but don't try to tell us who are running oils designed for extended drains that we are wrong.

Times are a changin, for about 30 years!

Gene

 

[DarrellB]

Good Post

I think I'll stay with my Rottella and 5,000mile intervals. It's worked good for everyone else and it gives me an excuse to get out of the house for a couple hours.



Big D

 

[HC]

It seems to me that if the oil was always "water" after 10,000 miles with noticably less lubricating capability, then no diesel engine anywhere would ever have been able to go the distances we've seen with extended drain programs. I've got to go with lab viscosity results over "feel" tests on this one. Remember, these labs would incur significant liability if they told us the oil was "suitable for continued use" and then our engines experienced any lubrication related problems. Again, I have no problem with those of you who want to do more frequent changes, I'm just saying it's not the only way and those of us who have chosen the other path are achieving wear results ranging from above average to superior.

 

[KB0OU]

OIL LIFE

Anyone who thinks that most oil is used up after 3,000 miles is kidding themselves. In the Navy we NEVER threw oil away. Shure it got dirty, etc. but we cleaned it, ran it through a water separator, checked it for pH, etc.

The biggest problem we have with our 5. 9 ISB is that the sump is so small that it is hard to keep contaminants from becoming elevated quickly due to small volume of oil. Also we don,t have room on the truck to carry the equipment to purify the oil to the extent that I think it should be maintained at. That is unless you don't want to haul anything with your truck other than oil purification equipment. This is why I have gone the way I have, the Puradyn Filter removes sufficient contaminants that I am comfortable running the oil for 20,000 to 25,000 miles. I hate throwing away perfectly good oil!!

As you can see on my sig the engine is still running, coming up on 270,000 miles. By the way I have not talked about hours of operation, when I go to Alaska between January and May hauling RV's up there I usually never turn off the truck for about 2 weeks except to check fluids at the fuel stops from time to time so my 25,000 mile run is including some significant running time without putting anything on the odometer.

Sorry for the long statement, by the way, I have a degree in Engineering and have studied lubrication quite a bit.

John

 

[DNelson]

Pro's for synthetic oil

I'll give you all three good reasons for using synth vs. dino hides:



1. Their visosity changes very little in cold weather, giving shorter oil pressure build up and shorter cranking times;



2. They tend to cling to working parts longer, making cold cranking times less vulnerable to wear;



3. They provide a higher level of lubrication (keeping metal away from metal) while also allowing for lower friction levels (because of lower effective viscosity and less metal-to-metal contact).



If you want to save your engine, batteries and starter, just use synth!



Don

 

[Cummins Corvette]

I use Rotella 15-40 and that stuff turns completely black after 3k miles. So you all are telling me that I should run it until it will work in pens for ink? That just makes me nervous. I want the oil to look like oil when I pull the dipstick, not look like I used black satin paint instead of oil at the last change. All that soot can’t help lubricate anything. Are looks just that deceiving after 3k? I don't think that DC has any stock in the oil companies, so why do they suggest 3k intervals in my owners manual? If they do then why the change to 7. 5k intervals in the 24v's? It just doesn't add up.

 

[Steve Roseman]

This has been an interesting thread. Seems to me both ways must work for the individuals doing it their way.

I'm a big fan of synthetic oils, I've always run them in my gassers with good results. I'm a true believer when it comes to my demolition derby motors, of course they see extremes that my truck will never see.

For my truck I run Rotella 15-40, change filter every 2,500 miles and oil every 5,000. The oil still looks pretty good when I change it so I'll stick with what I do. I have a buddy who heats his shop with a used oil furnace so the oil isn't wasted.

I get my warm fuzzy feeling when I do it my way. I would recommend doing it whatever way gives you that same warm fuzzy feeling

 

[LSMITH]

The only contaminant you are going to see in your oil is water or coolant, and when you see it it will be too late as the damage has started. The oil looking black is caused by less than . 3% soot on my last change, and it looked bad. Looking at oil tells you nothing. You cannot feel the condition either. Sampled and tested is the only way to get a reasonable answer as to its condition. I am not flaming anyone who thinks otherwise, but science has proven it a million times over. If you like your system use it. If the other guy is wrong tow him to the shop telling him on the way that you were right all along.

 

[HC]

So you all are telling me that I should run it until it will work in pens for ink? ... . I don't think that DC has any stock in the oil companies, so why do they suggest 3k intervals in my owners manual?

It probably sounded that way, but that's not what I was trying to say. If your manual says change every 3k, then doing as it says is clearly a good option [just not the only option]. I was trying to respond to your statements that oil should NEVER be run past 3k, and that the oil is "like water" after 10k. Let me say it another way:



You've got 215 hp injectors and other goodies. Dodge did not and would not approve of these modifications. But your truck runs "better than stock" because you took the time to learn about alternatives and make modifications.



I've got a bypass oil filter, and use a synthetic 5W-30 that Dodge did not and would not approve of. My lubrication, and wear rates, are "better than stock" because I learned about alternatives and made modifications.



I'm not saying you should change your methods (keep that warm fuzzy!); I'm just saying there are other viable alternatives.

 

[Cummins Corvette]

I think I see what ya' all are saying. My warm fuzzy is better than your warm fuzzy... ..... LOL! I think that I will just keep doing what I have been. Synthetic is way expensive- where do you get it anyway? I am thinking of running it in the winter because it gets so cold here. I just haven't seen it anywhere. Perhaps extending the drain to 5k with synthetic would be ok. I dunno. I don't think that changing the filter half way through would help. What do you do that for?

 

[HC]

I get Amsoil through either direct from them ("preferred customer" setup) or via the wwcd2 links. If you are using only in the winter with 3k or 5k changes, then I think going with Delvac 1 or one of the Rotella offerings would be more cost effective. If I were you, I think I'd consider trying to get a local oil supply house to special order one of Rotella's synthetic or semi-synthetic offerings, that way you could be 100% sure of compatibility with your regular oil, since you would be changing back and forth twice each year. Changing the filter half-way makes sure that with longer changes (like 10k and above), your filter is not plugged and operating in it's "bypass" mode. It also gives a "booster shot" of additives from time to time. If sticking with shorter changes, then I agree, there would no real need to change the filter at the half-way point.

(I feel fuzzy all over; glad you do too!)