Choosing the Right Motor Oil
- By david Macmillan
- Published 02/21/2011
- Business
- Unrated
Many people don’t realize that there are distinct and vital differences between engine motor oils. Many of them are loaded up with additives most petroleum base mineral oils are, and these oils can cause all kinds of complications for operators of gas-powered equipment, cars and machinery. Often, synthetic oils or synthetic blends are a better option, and, even better still: re-refined oils for a greener alternative.
According to the folks at Machinery Lubrication magazine (ML), there are several things to look out for, and for starters here’s their top four:
The presence of waxes, which can lead to poor lubrication at low temperature.
Poor oxidation stability at continuously high temperatures, which can lead to sludge and acid buildup.
The dependence of viscosity on temperature, which can cause the base oil to thin excessively at high temperature.
A natural high temperature application limit of about 320°C (608°F), above which the base oil decomposes and begins to coke (turns to a sooty substance).
“Under severe operating conditions, such as extremely high temperatures, or in very cold operating climates, the difficulties noted above are important factors in the selection of lubricants,” says ML. “Very often, the only solution is the selection of a synthetic oil.”
But which is best? There’s conventional motor oil, synthetic motor oil, and synthetic blend motor oil, and each have different qualities. Here’s what the folks at Autoinc.org have to say about choosing one that claims to cover the basis for all categories and gas-powered machinery. They recommend you look for “API Service GF4,” on the top of the can or bottle, which means that this motor oil has met the requirements of the latest round of tests by API, and is approved for use in most gasoline engines. “The middle of the donut should say “SAE,” and is followed bya code such as 5W-30.SAE stands for Society of Automotive
Engineers, and the number code refers to the motor oil’s viscosity.”
OK, so what is viscosity? Viscosity measures the motor oil’s flow characteristics at different temperatures. And temperatures are important. Viscosity is also referred to as the motor oil’s weight, which is usually indicated by the “W” in the oil’s code. According to ML the first number indicates how well an engine will start in cold weather, and, the lower the number, the more likely the engine is to start up in cold, wintery weather. It also indicates how well engine parts will be lubricated in these cold temperatures—very important! People who live in northern states may require lower viscosity numbers than folks living in warmer areas.
Likewise, people living in warmer areas may want a higher second number in the 5W-30 equation. This second number indicates the high-temperature viscosity. “The number tells drivers how much thickness or body the oil has at high temperatures,” according to ML. “The bottom half of the donut tells consumers whether the oil has met or exceeded certain standards that are considered to be “energy-conserving.”
Now, what about green oil options? We’re glad you asked. We all want to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint, right? Well, when it comes to putting engine oil in your car or machinery there are some very simple things you can do to help, and one of them is choosing recycled oil as a contribution to ensuring a safer, greener environment.
Did you know that there are many companies out there that recycle motor oil to reintroduce a clean, green oil back into the marketplace. Using state-of-the-art cleaning processes allows the recyclers to realize oil’s capacity to be re-refined and reused indefinitely, with absolutely no loss of quality or performance capacity. Oil re-refining is one of the key reducers of greenhouse gases and heavy metal emissions. Stacked up against burning used oil as fuel, re-refining oil is simply a much more eco-friendly way transform used oil into a renewable resource.
According to the folks at Machinery Lubrication magazine (ML), there are several things to look out for, and for starters here’s their top four:
The presence of waxes, which can lead to poor lubrication at low temperature.
Poor oxidation stability at continuously high temperatures, which can lead to sludge and acid buildup.
The dependence of viscosity on temperature, which can cause the base oil to thin excessively at high temperature.
A natural high temperature application limit of about 320°C (608°F), above which the base oil decomposes and begins to coke (turns to a sooty substance).
“Under severe operating conditions, such as extremely high temperatures, or in very cold operating climates, the difficulties noted above are important factors in the selection of lubricants,” says ML. “Very often, the only solution is the selection of a synthetic oil.”
But which is best? There’s conventional motor oil, synthetic motor oil, and synthetic blend motor oil, and each have different qualities. Here’s what the folks at Autoinc.org have to say about choosing one that claims to cover the basis for all categories and gas-powered machinery. They recommend you look for “API Service GF4,” on the top of the can or bottle, which means that this motor oil has met the requirements of the latest round of tests by API, and is approved for use in most gasoline engines. “The middle of the donut should say “SAE,” and is followed bya code such as 5W-30.SAE stands for Society of Automotive
OK, so what is viscosity? Viscosity measures the motor oil’s flow characteristics at different temperatures. And temperatures are important. Viscosity is also referred to as the motor oil’s weight, which is usually indicated by the “W” in the oil’s code. According to ML the first number indicates how well an engine will start in cold weather, and, the lower the number, the more likely the engine is to start up in cold, wintery weather. It also indicates how well engine parts will be lubricated in these cold temperatures—very important! People who live in northern states may require lower viscosity numbers than folks living in warmer areas.
Likewise, people living in warmer areas may want a higher second number in the 5W-30 equation. This second number indicates the high-temperature viscosity. “The number tells drivers how much thickness or body the oil has at high temperatures,” according to ML. “The bottom half of the donut tells consumers whether the oil has met or exceeded certain standards that are considered to be “energy-conserving.”
Now, what about green oil options? We’re glad you asked. We all want to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint, right? Well, when it comes to putting engine oil in your car or machinery there are some very simple things you can do to help, and one of them is choosing recycled oil as a contribution to ensuring a safer, greener environment.
Did you know that there are many companies out there that recycle motor oil to reintroduce a clean, green oil back into the marketplace. Using state-of-the-art cleaning processes allows the recyclers to realize oil’s capacity to be re-refined and reused indefinitely, with absolutely no loss of quality or performance capacity. Oil re-refining is one of the key reducers of greenhouse gases and heavy metal emissions. Stacked up against burning used oil as fuel, re-refining oil is simply a much more eco-friendly way transform used oil into a renewable resource.