Mixing lubricants is fraught with danger

[Mike_dup1]

Maybe this has been hashed before. But I just found it.

Managing the Risk of Mixing Lubricating Oils

 

[Shannow]

Mike,
not quite sure what they are trying to get at, as they end up using contamination with an incorrect oil (e.g. engine oil in tractor hydraulics, engine oils attacking flourocarbon seals) to justify not mixing anything.

Then the items with the diesel engines and the new dispersents cleaning them out...not sure whether that was areguing for or against mixing.

I believe that if you are forced to mix (and in industry with our ridiculous stores practices we are forced to mix pretty regularly), then as long as you use the predominantly identical product...(i.e. zinc free hydrauilic mineral basestock etc.) you will be fine.

For bigger kobs (like a 40,000 litre turbine oil reservoir), you've got time to plan a strategy and get lab testing done.

e.g. we found out that a 50:50 blend of Caltex and Castrol turbine oil was better than either of the products on their own...this allowed us to transition to a new supplier safely.

 

[Dan4510]

Shannow is right. The big no no is mixing hydralic fluid with engine oil. Go either way and there were big problems.

However, even getting the wrong disel oil only needed to shorten drain intervels till the engine was clean.

Dan