Castrol Engine Testing

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by PimTac

"And what the heck is the purpose of those exposed metal fan blades other than to make it look dramatic? It doesn't look like they're hooked up to any cooling system, and I've never heard of a real engine with a fan blade attached like that."





I am guessing you are young?

Old enough to remember Chevy small block crate engines on display at an auto parts store. Never saw a fan blade like that attached to one.

 

[PimTac]

Engine fans used to be attached to the engine indirectly through a pulley. Later versions used a clutch. Nowadays they are independent of the engine.

 

[Zee09]

Originally Posted by 1JZ_E46
Originally Posted by PimTac
Castrol seems to attract the negative nannies here.


People are just bitter Castrol doesn't offer a rebate program

You said it.......

 

[WankelRotorHead]

Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Castrol white bottle used to be a sludge monster. Its hard to let go of the past..


I recall Pennzoil having this reputation 30 years ago and now it gets heaped with praise on this site.

 

[s2krunner]

Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Castrol white bottle used to be a sludge monster. Its hard to let go of the past..


I heard more sludge stories with Pennzoil but now they makes great products.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by s2krunner
Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Castrol white bottle used to be a sludge monster. Its hard to let go of the past..


I heard more sludge stories with Pennzoil but now they makes great products.

Pennzoil isn't Pennzoil any more. I remember the bottles that proudly listed "Oil City, PA". I also remember some dustup with Texaco that basically bankrupted Texaco. The weirdest thing was Texaco had to wire the money in the final settlement, and they had to do it several times because there was a limit of just un $1 billion.

But it's essentially Shell now. Back in the 90s Shell selling motor oil seemed to be a tough sell unless it was Rotella or for aircraft where AeroShell had an excellent reputation. Excellent reputation for Helix gasoline engine oils in Europe (especially with Ferrari) but darned if anyone could persuade Americans that it was any good. I remember back around 2000 I could find FormulaShell pretty cheap, and figured it was probably pretty similar to Pennzoil since that was the time of the Equilon joint agreement with Texaco.

 

[tcp71]

Up to 2016 ford 6.2l gas engine in the F250 and F350 had a mechanical fan and clutch exactly like those engines. The 2018 6.7 Powerstroke had it up to 2018 and may still have it today. A mechanical fan can generally push more air than an electric fan.


Originally Posted by PimTac

"And what the heck is the purpose of those exposed metal fan blades other than to make it look dramatic? It doesn't look like they're hooked up to any cooling system, and I've never heard of a real engine with a fan blade attached like that."





I am guessing you are young?

 

[buster]

I was never a Castrol fan to be honest. Their marketing was always a bit too much for my liking, but around 2012 or so, they really have been making great oils. In terms of sales, I was told years ago Castrol is Mobil's closest competitor.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted by buster
I was never a Castrol fan to be honest. Their marketing was always a bit too much for my liking, but around 2012 or so, they really have been making great oils. In terms of sales, I was told years ago Castrol is Mobil's closest competitor.


I was a big Castrol fan when I bought my first brand new car (a 1988 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo) as I ran Castrol XLR 10w30 almost exclusively in that car. But I kinda forgot about Castrol for a long time, until GC 0w30 came out here and then they popped back onto my radar again. I never really felt their American made Syntec was all that good during that time though. When GC 0w30 reformulated and switched from the green formula to the gold one, I forgot about them for a while again, until I started using the German made 0w40 in my wife's BMW (and I switched to that from M1 0w40 because M1 dropped the BMW LL01 certification)

 

[jbutch]

The one issue I have with those tests, is that it's in a controlled environment with the oil always up to operating temperature. It might be intensive but it's the best conditions for oil.

There's no cold starts and no short trips which are the hardest on oil and engines.

I'd like to see the same test but the engine starts at -20c and runs the equivalent of 10 km then cools down back to -20c then start it back and another 10 km.... do that the equivalent of a year and I'd say the test is relevant.

Might just be my opinion though.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by jbutch
The one issue I have with those tests, is that it's in a controlled environment with the oil always up to operating temperature. It might be intensive but it's the best conditions for oil.

There's no cold starts and no short trips which are the hardest on oil and engines.

I'd like to see the same test but the engine starts at -20c and runs the equivalent of 10 km then cools down back to -20c then start it back and another 10 km.... do that the equivalent of a year and I'd say the test is relevant.

Might just be my opinion though.


That is true and for severe service, I still stick with 6 month oil changes, regardless of brand. That's why I've been so eager to get my oil changed. I've had M1 AFE in my car since May of last year and it's seen VERY severe service. That oil needs to be dumped.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by Patman
Originally Posted by buster
I was never a Castrol fan to be honest. Their marketing was always a bit too much for my liking, but around 2012 or so, they really have been making great oils. In terms of sales, I was told years ago Castrol is Mobil's closest competitor.


I was a big Castrol fan when I bought my first brand new car (a 1988 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo) as I ran Castrol XLR 10w30 almost exclusively in that car. But I kinda forgot about Castrol for a long time, until GC 0w30 came out here and then they popped back onto my radar again. I never really felt their American made Syntec was all that good during that time though. When GC 0w30 reformulated and switched from the green formula to the gold one, I forgot about them for a while again, until I started using the German made 0w40 in my wife's BMW (and I switched to that from M1 0w40 because M1 dropped the BMW LL01 certification)

 

[Linctex]

The article never said WHICH Castrol product was tested in the Audi V10

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by Linctex
The article never said WHICH Castrol product was tested in the Audi V10





I guess we will find out in the Feb issue of the magazine.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted by EricG
Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Castrol white bottle used to be a sludge monster. Its hard to let go of the past..

News to me!

10 years ago I was a member of a Toyota forum when I had a 2002 Camry. Most common complaint was sludge, varnish, oil consumption, stuck vvt controllers. Over and over. Someone started a poll on what oil was used when when the problems were present. There were a few oils listed but Castrol GTX was the clear winner. I know there was a lot of data unknown. But its hard to forget the engine pics and oil selection. Over and over.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by s2krunner
Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Castrol white bottle used to be a sludge monster. Its hard to let go of the past..


I heard more sludge stories with Pennzoil but now they makes great products.





Maybe but I still remember a cold winters night long ago watching someone scrap Quaker State out of a oil pan with a putty knife. I never bought QS after that. Castrol GTX served me well for a long time in the 90's and 2000's as did Mobil 1.

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted by Linctex
The article never said WHICH Castrol product was tested in the Audi V10

Probably Edge or Edge Professional 5W40 since the R8 specs VW502.