I did another oil change where I used 2L of leftover oil from a 5L jug.
I do a yearly OCI so while the leftover jug was in storage oil has been creeping out of the bottle while the bottle is sitting completely upright. I checked the cap for tightness a few times over the course of the year.
When I was pouring in the left-over oil into the engine I noticed the oil was THICKER than the oil coming out of a brand new jug that I opened the same day!
What is happening to my motor oil?
Do you think the viscosity modifiers are creeping out of the bottle, and the oil is becoming more like a straight weight?
Do you think it's air pressure changes due to temperature and weather are forcing the oil out?
Are certain components of the motor oil attracted to the walls of the plastic bottle, causing the oil to creep out of the bottle? Like is attracted to like. Both oil and the plastic bottle are made out of hydrocarbons.
Is this the phenomenon Dr. Haas described in the Motor Oil University?
Quote:
Motor oil becomes permanently thicker with exposure to northerly winter type weather. This is more of a problem to mineral based oils. Waxes form. This is why it is a bad idea to even store a bottle of oil in a cold garage. It goes bad on the garage shelf just because it is exposed to the cold.
It sounds like he is describing reversible separation of oil components. However, could he be describing the creeping and thickening phenomenon I observed?
I do a yearly OCI so while the leftover jug was in storage oil has been creeping out of the bottle while the bottle is sitting completely upright. I checked the cap for tightness a few times over the course of the year.
When I was pouring in the left-over oil into the engine I noticed the oil was THICKER than the oil coming out of a brand new jug that I opened the same day!
What is happening to my motor oil?
Do you think the viscosity modifiers are creeping out of the bottle, and the oil is becoming more like a straight weight?
Do you think it's air pressure changes due to temperature and weather are forcing the oil out?
Are certain components of the motor oil attracted to the walls of the plastic bottle, causing the oil to creep out of the bottle? Like is attracted to like. Both oil and the plastic bottle are made out of hydrocarbons.
Is this the phenomenon Dr. Haas described in the Motor Oil University?
Quote:
Motor oil becomes permanently thicker with exposure to northerly winter type weather. This is more of a problem to mineral based oils. Waxes form. This is why it is a bad idea to even store a bottle of oil in a cold garage. It goes bad on the garage shelf just because it is exposed to the cold.
It sounds like he is describing reversible separation of oil components. However, could he be describing the creeping and thickening phenomenon I observed?