ML-The Silent Danger of Abrupt Lubricant Failure

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Not a bad article, but regular monitoring still allows abrupt lubricant failure.

Been harping for years on varnish etc. mainly because I've seen abrupt failure, even with an ongoing monitoring programme...anti-oxidant great, even as higher base-stock oil is hitting the wall.

varnish, and monitoring techniques

Ended up sponsoring an undergraduate thesis on membrane patch colorimetry, with the intent of being able to do it on site with a desktop scanner.
 
This is the paragraph that surprised me most...


-So what happens when an additive becomes depleted? Without antioxidants, oxidation byproducts are allowed to corrode equipment parts, thickening the oil and reducing the base oil’s lubricating properties. The rate of lubricant failure, and consequently machine failure, increases rapidly - the same way your car may sputter to a stop as it runs out of fuel.
 
Hi,
Shannow - yes, I've also experienced abrupt failure. Over many years various products from Castrol's range being most prone IME. Some other Castrol products do NOT seen to be overly varnish prone however. I first noticed this in products dating back to the Burmah days

This tendency to destructive varnish was one reason why the original (GC) German made, ester based, Castrol SLX 0W-30 (SH/CF) A3/B3-96 VW 500/505 (11/92) was withdrawn from sale here in OZ in 1998. It had been heavily promoted since 1996 as a race oil and was used at Bathurst at the time - 1996-7

It was later released again in a different formulation as SL etc. It was a flop!!

All that being said I must say that Castrol have made many great lubricants and I still rate some of their drive-line products and race engine-lubricants as the best in the business
 
A bit worrying that a major brand can make what sound like substandard products more than once.

Is there a root cause issue with Castrol or is this a case of hindsight being 20:20?
 
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
This tendency to destructive varnish was one reason why the original (GC) German made, ester based, Castrol SLX 0W-30 (SH/CF) A3/B3-96 VW 500/505 (11/92) was withdrawn from sale here in OZ in 1998. It had been heavily promoted since 1996 as a race oil and was used at Bathurst at the time - 1996-7


What was it in/about that original GC formula that made it so prone to 'varnish up' so quickly and destructively??

One would think that a high group 5/ester base stock content would be at least some sort of preventative measure against this happening.
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