Date: Mon, 14 May 2012 11:58:10 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Castrol Hypuron 15W-40 Synthetic Blend?
In-Reply-To: <CAMuoOU608tjYmUEjU2HcebopkQrP=5AA77_pf0NmDMzxzzo7Jg@mail.gmail.com>
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'too harsh' ? ..
I don't think so myself very much.
this concept of cleaning too well and loosing compression ..
I 'suppose' some older engines have their sealing maintained by carbon
buildup ...
and I would think ...
that the function of the metal parts in engines and oil, is to work
together to do what they need to do ..
seal in compression at the compression rings for example.
I would think a clean oil control ring in a clean oil control piston
ring groove would work better than one carboned up.
So this idea of 'over cleaning' sounds a little goofy to me ..
like using a diesel 15W40 for more than 500 miles is going to do some
harm to a gasoline engine.
there is one thing I will say *for sure* though ..
on any very, very old system ....just barely hanging in there..
whether hydraulics of brakes, or clutch hyd system..
or engine ....or anything ..wheel bearings , whateer.
it's not hard to push something that's super tired 'over the edge into
failing.'
I have seen a Ford Falcon engine so worn out ...
what I call 'very even state of worn-outness.' ..
like not all cylinders making full power..
and everything about oil and pistons rings and valves very tired, but
also in a a very 'even state of worn-outness."
so yeah..
you tune up an engine like that and get it to full power.....that can
push it right over the edge to failure..
or put in some exotic oil...same thing ...it won't like it.
but generally ....if dirt and carbon are holding an engine together ..
yes you don't want to shock it with strong cleaning.
Whether the affect with a diesel-focused oil is that strong ...
I'm fairly skeptical on that.
There is a skill to knowing what is 'exactly the right thing' to do is.
It is not always 'the newest, fanciest, latest trick fluid or whatever '
....Sometimes that is not the 'just right' thing to do. that will help.
Often those will cause a big back-slide. ..something 'too exotic' .. (
but I don't consider a diesel 15W40 oil to be that overly exotic ) .
about over-doing something ..( beyond what is 'just right' for the
situation )
take for example..
people over-cleaning the outsides of engines ..
there have been fuel injected engines cleaned at the car wash with hot
soapy water that didn't run right after that for a long long time. It's
knowing how much cleaning is just the right amount..
and cleaning the frickin' hell out of it is often not smart. WD-40 also
must be sprayed onto any engine and all electrical and ignition
connections before trying to start it after getting everything wet.
Works like a champ. My spray-down time at the car wash is about 30
seconds on the engine, if that.
anyway ...
it's like the 300 mpg carb killed by the oil companies..
about 80 % myth ..
and some truth in there somewhere..
Very few things are at the extreme end of a scale..
it's not like X oil will blow out your engine tomorrow..
or that X oil will always make your engine last 300K miles...
it's somewhere in between ..
a 'balance of what is reasonable'.
I don't know how 'diesel' people consider Chevron Delo 15W40 to be ..
I don't use it any more as it's their LE ( low emissions ) formula now ..
but I have run many gas engines on it before the LE version with no
issues at all.
Somebody suggested Delo stands for 'diesel engine lubricating oil' ..
I don't know if that's true or not ..
but it doesn't say on the bottle 'not for gas engines' either.
scott
On 5/13/2012 7:21 PM, John Meeks wrote:
> FROM THE OIL BIBLE:
> 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 a good cleaner /
> flusher for a non-diesel engine. Well most of the diesel oil
> specification oils can be used in old petrol engines for cleaning, but
> you want to use a low specification oil to ensure that you do not over
> clean your engine and lose compression (for example). Generally
> speaking, an SAE 15W/40 diesel engine oil for about 500 miles might do
> the trick. http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
>
> Sounds like diesel formulated oil might be to harsh?
>
> John Meeks
> '91 Vanagon MV Phoenix
> Northern Michigan
>
> Vanagon Rescue Squad
> www.vanagonauts.com
>
>
> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 9:22 PM, neil n<musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thanks people.
>>
>> Ironically, given the jokes some of us make about oil discussions, I
>> know very little about engine oil. But it's something I need to learn
>> more about now.
>>
>> Maybe an oil with a wider range of viscosity would be best. I don't know.
>>
>> Google is my friend!
>>
>>
>> Neil.
>>
>> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 5:00 PM, John Meeks<vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Interesting stuff. Sounds like 'soot' is kept in suspension better
>>> than coventional oils designed for gas engines. The shear numbers look
>>> good. Resistance to shear might make up for the 40 weight. Don't know
>>> what other factors are in play in the gas vs diesel comparison.
>>> Anyone?
>>>
>>> 15w50 Mobil1 is really hard to find this year for me. NLA? Some 10w40
>>> is still on the shelves which is what I ran last winter. Looking
>>> around for alternatives.
>>>
>>> John Meeks
>>> '91 Vanagon MV Phoenix
>>> Northern Michigan
>>>
>>> Vanagon Rescue Squad
>>> www.vanagonauts.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 3:49 PM, neil n<musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi all.
>>>>
>>>> Searched "Hypuron" in archives. Didn't get any hits.
>>>>
>>>> I don't know if the TBN and Low Ash aspects help a gas engine, but
>>>> looking at "Oxidation Control& Shear Stability" here:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=82915547&contentId=7025207
>>
>>
>> --
>> Neil n
>>
>> 65 kb image Myford Ready For Assembly http://tinyurl.com/64sx4rp
>>
>> '88 Slate Blue Westy to be named.
>>
>> '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>>
>> Vanagon VAG Gas I4/VR Swap Google Group:
>>
>> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
