Testing oils in oven advice please

[friendly_jacek]

I'm considering baking some oils from my diverse stash in oven at 350F to see if they decompose easily. I don't want to reinvent a wheel and know some people did similar tests in the past.

Thus, I'm opened for any advice and pointers. Specifically, I wanted to see amounts of deposits from CG, other selected synthetics (including Mobil 1), new G-oil, HDEO (dino and synth), high mileage oils (dino and synth) and a few regular dino oils.

350F is the piston skirt temp in my corolla and I'm concerned about piston and ring deposits.

Questions so far: how long to bake? Is indoor oven doable? How much fumes should I expect? Is gas grill OK for temp control? Etc, etc.

Thanks!

Edit: I did some google searches and only found Cook-Food-on-Your-Car-Engine

 

[JHZR2]

It will offgas a lot and be potentially hazardous. You could have a fire.

If anything, Id do it outdoors in a grill, and not worry as much about the exact nature. Youre not really doing science here.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Are you sure? that would mean a lot of off-gassing and flammable fumes in crankcase during engine use.

Edit: I looked up flashpoint definition and if oil's flashpoint is at 350F (which it possibly could), that makes it combustible but not flammable.

 

[dtt004]

Hi.

What are you testing? Rate of decomposition? Unfortunately, I don't think you will see much other than a color change, if the oil had dye to begin with.

This is no indication on decomposition of the oil's lubricating properties. However, you are free to try. Just be careful of the fumes and possible fire hazards. Your engine has a crankcase ventilation system which allows these fumes to exit and re-enter with the intake charge.

Also, putting the oil into the oven will not test viscosity after shear. Shear stress and chemical decomposition (oxidation) are the main culprits in engine oil "decomposition." Also, you will not accurately be able to simulate the pressure found inside an internal combustion engine.

But you are free to try.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Like I said, I'm interested in high temp deposits.

 

[electrolover]

you should do a search, its been done a few times. if you get it too hot it will ignite when air hits the oil. it seems like muffin pans work best because you can cook multiple samples at a time

 

[mjoekingz28]

I'd be worried about my food. Once I heated some gear oil in a microwave so it could be pumped in a differential. I felt bad for some time thinking of the possible contamination. I figured consuming a drop of petroleum could make you sick.


Get an old pan and make a small bonfire. Use a thermometer. JMO

 

[chubbs1]

Don't do it in your home oven, toxic fumes and fire hazard. There is really not a safe and effective scientific way to do it without proper equipment, thus misleading and possibly dangerous outcomes are likely. Trust me when I say there are many oils that can handle your corolla's engine temps.

 

[Xstang]

First off, do this outside! We don't want to hear about this in the obits section.

Second, take some pictures and try to make some readings of what you see here.

 

[OldCowboy]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Youre not really doing science here.


+1

 

[virginoil]

Oil manufacturers don't know what they are doing, lets appoint Gordon Ramsey in Hells Kitchen to verify oil spec's.

Should make a good show.

API, ACEA, ILSAX spec's etc are these now defunct no longer credible ?

Why waste energy and time todays oils are quite upto spec.

 

[SAJEFFC]

You must be single.....I'm just sayin....

 

[Tom NJ]

Temperature and air flow variations within the oven are far too great to allow any conclusions, not to mention the smell, hazzard, and clean-up. Waste of time.

Tom NJ

 

[DrDusty86]

Yea, if your married, your wife might want to due you in...Hide the guns, knives, blunt objects..ROTF LMAO.. could get interesting
I agree with jeff here.

 

[TFB1]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2128385&page=1

From middle of page #2...
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
It's over. Too nasty. Lesson learned, outdoors only, lol.

 

[Bladecutter]

Wouldn't it be A LOT EASIER if you want to perform an oil comparison test like this, to just actually use a small engine, like from a cheap lawnmower you buy at a big box store for just over $100, and then run the oil with the lawnmower screaming away for an hour, then do a tear down comparison of the piston rings on it?

Should give you better results, ones that you can actually use against each other, and also not be potentially hazardous to your health.

I'd rather use a $100 lawn mower for comparing oils than a $500 oven.

BC.

 

[lexus114]

How do you know that your piston skirts are 350 degrees? Just Curious.

 

[shrooms]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
I'm considering baking some oils from my diverse stash in oven at 350F

 

[OceanDoctor]

With regard to these tests, I have always been curious as to if subjecting brand new oils to a one-time traumatic experience could accurately represent the same experiences in real life repeated over and over (to a less severe degree), or regularly 'worn' oil, say halfway into an interval, that then sees one traumatic experience. I would imagine each scenario would produce different results.

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

Although Im not sure what information you will gain from this, I would be interested in seeing the results.

I would use a high polished muffin pan so you can easily see any color change or darkening against the bright background. I would only use about 2 drops of each oil in each pod, and maybe test no more than 4 pods (8 drops) so you wont have too much oil vapor in the house.

Im not sure about the time or temperature required, but plan on lots of both and frequent inspection to get a definite result.

Pistons are one of the few bright metal pieces in an engine as well as hot. As such, they give you a good chance to see what deposits are in the engine. Pistons will inevitably show browning which gets increasingly darker from the skirt to the ring land area. The top will be black.

I would consider a piston with some brown coloration normal with mileage (i.e. not a race engine).