dnewton3
Staff member
Here's a very interesting read from Cummins; it's dated early 2004, before the new CJ-4 rated oils were out, but still I think a lot of the info is very interesting, and probably very valid still.
Nearly all of this is a good read, but the reason I'm posting it was to draw your attention to a particular topic. I believe that while swithing brands of oil is not a bad thing, it does skew UOA analysis, perhaps heavily.
For those who try Rotella, then Delo, then Amsoil, then Delvac, then Schaeffer's ... you might not be able to draw any direct comparisons regarding oil brand performance capabilities. Specifically look at the link I'm posting; read near the bottom, Appendix A, sub-section 1, paragraph 7. It states that abnormally high lead or copper readings from an otherwise solid performing engine may very likely be due to the changes of chemistry between oil brands reacting with the engine metals, and not due to some detrimental damage.
In other words - pick a brand you like; any brand name good quality oil will do. Stick with it. Then do continued UOA's using the same brand/viscosity. If you live in a harsh environment where condensation and temp changes are extreme, then maybe choose a wide ranging synthetic. If not, run a dino 15w-40 of your favorite brand and stick with it.
If you're posting UOA's here after rotating oils at every OCI, you're likely not giving a true indication of the oil protection or engine wear patterns.
Again, I don't think you're hurting your engine by switching all the time, but the data you're posting is misleading if you want to claim brand "x" didn't protect as well as brand "y", but better than brand "z".
My interpretation of this link, regarding UOA's, is that if you want to change oils, do so under a controlled long-term experiment. Run maybe 35,000 miles with 5k samples, then try it again with a different brand for another 35k miles. If you drive long-haul, you might have to run 200k on each (sample at 10k)to establish a pattern because you're not seeing all the seasonal changes with 35K. Notice, I didn't say you had to OCI at 5K, just sample at 5k intervals . Extended OCI's are a great money saving tool. But again, whatever you do for one oil, do exactly the same for the other oil.
Switching oil brands every 5k or 10K miles isn't telling anyone anything of value. You're not hurting your vehicle, but you're not helping establish a statistical trend either. You'll not have a clear indication of how well (or not) your engine/oil combo is doing if you switch all the time.
Here's the link. http://www.cummins.dk/fileadmin/dokumenter/Pdf_filer/Cummins_Litteratur/Olie_3810340-04.htm
Read it all please before you comment. As usual, I'm always up for a good debate! GA - where are you?
Nearly all of this is a good read, but the reason I'm posting it was to draw your attention to a particular topic. I believe that while swithing brands of oil is not a bad thing, it does skew UOA analysis, perhaps heavily.
For those who try Rotella, then Delo, then Amsoil, then Delvac, then Schaeffer's ... you might not be able to draw any direct comparisons regarding oil brand performance capabilities. Specifically look at the link I'm posting; read near the bottom, Appendix A, sub-section 1, paragraph 7. It states that abnormally high lead or copper readings from an otherwise solid performing engine may very likely be due to the changes of chemistry between oil brands reacting with the engine metals, and not due to some detrimental damage.
In other words - pick a brand you like; any brand name good quality oil will do. Stick with it. Then do continued UOA's using the same brand/viscosity. If you live in a harsh environment where condensation and temp changes are extreme, then maybe choose a wide ranging synthetic. If not, run a dino 15w-40 of your favorite brand and stick with it.
If you're posting UOA's here after rotating oils at every OCI, you're likely not giving a true indication of the oil protection or engine wear patterns.
Again, I don't think you're hurting your engine by switching all the time, but the data you're posting is misleading if you want to claim brand "x" didn't protect as well as brand "y", but better than brand "z".
My interpretation of this link, regarding UOA's, is that if you want to change oils, do so under a controlled long-term experiment. Run maybe 35,000 miles with 5k samples, then try it again with a different brand for another 35k miles. If you drive long-haul, you might have to run 200k on each (sample at 10k)to establish a pattern because you're not seeing all the seasonal changes with 35K. Notice, I didn't say you had to OCI at 5K, just sample at 5k intervals . Extended OCI's are a great money saving tool. But again, whatever you do for one oil, do exactly the same for the other oil.
Switching oil brands every 5k or 10K miles isn't telling anyone anything of value. You're not hurting your vehicle, but you're not helping establish a statistical trend either. You'll not have a clear indication of how well (or not) your engine/oil combo is doing if you switch all the time.
Here's the link. http://www.cummins.dk/fileadmin/dokumenter/Pdf_filer/Cummins_Litteratur/Olie_3810340-04.htm
Read it all please before you comment. As usual, I'm always up for a good debate! GA - where are you?