Used oil being used as basestock
- Thread starter 53' Stude
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I didn't do much proper work on recycled base oils as the big oil companies tend not to include them in official engine test programs.
That said, on the couple of occasions when I was asked to evaluate samples, I was gobsmacked as to just how good recycled base oils actually could be.
As a formulator, you sort of get used to the fact your handling Group Is, IIs, IIIs, PAOs & Esters as separate entities. With recycled base oils, it arrives as this hotchpotch of everything that once upon a time got tossed into a waste oil tank. What you tend to end up with is a base oil that's nowhere near good enough for use in full synthetics but way better than some of the God awful Group Is & IIs I used for my bread & butter programs.
I have a feeling that if you did an idealised experiment where you blended an oil from fresh Group I base oil, ran it on an engine for 9,000 miles and then recovered all the base oil from the used oil, you would find the recovered base oil was actually better than the fresh stuff because all the unstable aromatics in the fresh base oil would have gotten zapped.
That said, on the couple of occasions when I was asked to evaluate samples, I was gobsmacked as to just how good recycled base oils actually could be.
As a formulator, you sort of get used to the fact your handling Group Is, IIs, IIIs, PAOs & Esters as separate entities. With recycled base oils, it arrives as this hotchpotch of everything that once upon a time got tossed into a waste oil tank. What you tend to end up with is a base oil that's nowhere near good enough for use in full synthetics but way better than some of the God awful Group Is & IIs I used for my bread & butter programs.
I have a feeling that if you did an idealised experiment where you blended an oil from fresh Group I base oil, ran it on an engine for 9,000 miles and then recovered all the base oil from the used oil, you would find the recovered base oil was actually better than the fresh stuff because all the unstable aromatics in the fresh base oil would have gotten zapped.
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Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Originally Posted by csandste
Didn't the Valvoline rerefined product cost more?
NextGen did cost a little more originally, but it flopped so hard that a lot of stores practically gave it away. I still have a pretty good amount of NG MaxLife in my stash from when O'Reilly and others threw in the towel on it, it seems just as good as standard ML in my experience.
It sure was a flop.
Originally Posted by csandste
Didn't the Valvoline rerefined product cost more?
NextGen did cost a little more originally, but it flopped so hard that a lot of stores practically gave it away. I still have a pretty good amount of NG MaxLife in my stash from when O'Reilly and others threw in the towel on it, it seems just as good as standard ML in my experience.
It sure was a flop.
I remember seeing this off-brand sold at Wal-Mart around the late 90s. It was cheap too - maybe the price of Wal-Mart's house brand. It had all the approvals including the latest API gasoline standard and the ILSAC starburst.
MolaKule
Staff member
There was nothing wrong with the re-refined waste oil, which was basically Group II.
Valvoline over priced it and misjudged its marketing.
Valvoline over priced it and misjudged its marketing.
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i remember as a kid since i was a car guy-kid back then, there was a station selling rerefined oil cheap in those glass containers with the long metal spouts sold today as my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on, full at home about 40 miles ago, it took 3 qts + dad asked if there was any used oil he could buy, the 53 dodge that replaced it was almost as bad, hence fill the oil check the gas joke!! he regularly bought the rerefined oil from that place, those were the days!!!
Originally Posted by benjy
i remember as a kid since i was a car guy-kid back then, there was a station selling rerefined oil cheap in those glass containers with the long metal spouts sold today as my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on, full at home about 40 miles ago, it took 3 qts + dad asked if there was any used oil he could buy, the 53 dodge that replaced it was almost as bad, hence fill the oil check the gas joke!! he regularly bought the rerefined oil from that place, those were the days!!!
I'm old enough to remember this! My first job was st a Texaco station. 1967. Wasn't it called "Morlube"? We refilled the glass bottles from a 55 gallon barrel.
Scott
i remember as a kid since i was a car guy-kid back then, there was a station selling rerefined oil cheap in those glass containers with the long metal spouts sold today as my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on, full at home about 40 miles ago, it took 3 qts + dad asked if there was any used oil he could buy, the 53 dodge that replaced it was almost as bad, hence fill the oil check the gas joke!! he regularly bought the rerefined oil from that place, those were the days!!!
I'm old enough to remember this! My first job was st a Texaco station. 1967. Wasn't it called "Morlube"? We refilled the glass bottles from a 55 gallon barrel.
Scott
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Originally Posted by benjy
i remember as a kid since i was a car guy-kid back then, there was a station selling rerefined oil cheap in those glass containers with the long metal spouts sold today as my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on, full at home about 40 miles ago, it took 3 qts + dad asked if there was any used oil he could buy, the 53 dodge that replaced it was almost as bad, hence fill the oil check the gas joke!! he regularly bought the rerefined oil from that place, those were the days!!!
I'm old enough to remember this! My first job was st a Texaco station. 1967. Wasn't it called "Morlube"? We refilled the glass bottles from a 55 gallon barrel.
Scott
"You can trust your car to the man behind the star".
Originally Posted by benjy
i remember as a kid since i was a car guy-kid back then, there was a station selling rerefined oil cheap in those glass containers with the long metal spouts sold today as my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on, full at home about 40 miles ago, it took 3 qts + dad asked if there was any used oil he could buy, the 53 dodge that replaced it was almost as bad, hence fill the oil check the gas joke!! he regularly bought the rerefined oil from that place, those were the days!!!
I'm old enough to remember this! My first job was st a Texaco station. 1967. Wasn't it called "Morlube"? We refilled the glass bottles from a 55 gallon barrel.
Scott
"You can trust your car to the man behind the star".
Originally Posted by PimTac
"You can trust your car to the man behind the star".
Yep, I remember that catchy little tune. That was my first job and as a 16 year old high school sophomore it was a pretty good gig. I remember I started at $1.60/hour. The station owner was a good guy and treated us well.
This was in the era of full service gas stations where real automotive repair work happened in the service bays. Also too when we pumped gas we'd wash all the windows, and not just the windshield. Side mirror too (purposely singular, at the time very few cars had outside mirrors on the right side). We always checked the oil, battery, transmission, and tires too if they asked. Worst thing I ever saw happen there was tap water being used to top off the batteries. Otherwise it seemed to me that the repairs were done well. As I said, the owner was a good guy.
There was this one trampy blonde woman who used to buy gas there. She was in her mid ‘20s I'd guess - which seemed old to me at the time. Trampy aside, she was decent looking, although she looked like she had lived a rough life so far.
Anyway, she used to wear a short skirt and nothing else. I'll go G-rated here, but she used to purposely and completely expose herself to us young bucks while we washed her windshield. She always had the cleanest windshield of all our customers! At age 16 I'd never seen one of those things before so it was educational. I learned a lot on that job!
Scott
"You can trust your car to the man behind the star".
Yep, I remember that catchy little tune. That was my first job and as a 16 year old high school sophomore it was a pretty good gig. I remember I started at $1.60/hour. The station owner was a good guy and treated us well.
This was in the era of full service gas stations where real automotive repair work happened in the service bays. Also too when we pumped gas we'd wash all the windows, and not just the windshield. Side mirror too (purposely singular, at the time very few cars had outside mirrors on the right side). We always checked the oil, battery, transmission, and tires too if they asked. Worst thing I ever saw happen there was tap water being used to top off the batteries. Otherwise it seemed to me that the repairs were done well. As I said, the owner was a good guy.
There was this one trampy blonde woman who used to buy gas there. She was in her mid ‘20s I'd guess - which seemed old to me at the time. Trampy aside, she was decent looking, although she looked like she had lived a rough life so far.
Anyway, she used to wear a short skirt and nothing else. I'll go G-rated here, but she used to purposely and completely expose herself to us young bucks while we washed her windshield. She always had the cleanest windshield of all our customers! At age 16 I'd never seen one of those things before so it was educational. I learned a lot on that job!
Scott
Was she driving a Thunderbird?
My dad was a faithful customer of Texaco. He knew the attendant and those old trust bonds were a big thing back then. We used to crack open the window and smell the gasoline as it was pumped. Fire Chief. A totally different experience compared to today. The bell alert driving in, the smells of rubber and oil , and the friendly banter are not there now.
My dad was a faithful customer of Texaco. He knew the attendant and those old trust bonds were a big thing back then. We used to crack open the window and smell the gasoline as it was pumped. Fire Chief. A totally different experience compared to today. The bell alert driving in, the smells of rubber and oil , and the friendly banter are not there now.
Originally Posted by benjy
my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on
a 49 Packard had an oil light?
my dad's used 49 packard DRANK oil!! first fishing trip with this guzzler the oil lite went on
a 49 Packard had an oil light?
Originally Posted by PimTac
Was she driving a Thunderbird?
My dad was a faithful customer of Texaco. He knew the attendant and those old trust bonds were a big thing back then. We used to crack open the window and smell the gasoline as it was pumped. Fire Chief. A totally different experience compared to today. The bell alert driving in, the smells of rubber and oil , and the friendly banter are not there now.
Our flasher drove something yellow, I forget exactly what it was. I remember just staring at her while I cleaned the driver's side of her windshield for minutes at a time. Sometimes she would even slide forward on the seat so she could give us a better view! That was the first one I ever saw. I'll never forget her and the educational opportunity she provided. A true blonde too, something at the time I had no appreciation for just how rare that was! Haha!
Fire Chief, Super Chief... 24.9 and 29.9 per gallon. I'll always remember that. Some people used to come in and buy "a dollar's worth". But that got you 4 gallons!!!
Scott
Was she driving a Thunderbird?
My dad was a faithful customer of Texaco. He knew the attendant and those old trust bonds were a big thing back then. We used to crack open the window and smell the gasoline as it was pumped. Fire Chief. A totally different experience compared to today. The bell alert driving in, the smells of rubber and oil , and the friendly banter are not there now.
Our flasher drove something yellow, I forget exactly what it was. I remember just staring at her while I cleaned the driver's side of her windshield for minutes at a time. Sometimes she would even slide forward on the seat so she could give us a better view! That was the first one I ever saw. I'll never forget her and the educational opportunity she provided. A true blonde too, something at the time I had no appreciation for just how rare that was! Haha!
Fire Chief, Super Chief... 24.9 and 29.9 per gallon. I'll always remember that. Some people used to come in and buy "a dollar's worth". But that got you 4 gallons!!!
Scott
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
i worked during the 25.9 era, there were gas wars as low as 19.9, Hated selling a dollars worth of gas in a driving rain storm.
Rod
Yep, me too!
But, Gawd, did I love breathing that asbestos brake dust when we blew the dust out of the drum brakes of the era. I remember doing that and walking from one end of the service bay to the other, through a giant grey cloud while breathing deeply and say, "Gawd, I love that smell!!!"
Scott
i worked during the 25.9 era, there were gas wars as low as 19.9, Hated selling a dollars worth of gas in a driving rain storm.
Rod
Yep, me too!
But, Gawd, did I love breathing that asbestos brake dust when we blew the dust out of the drum brakes of the era. I remember doing that and walking from one end of the service bay to the other, through a giant grey cloud while breathing deeply and say, "Gawd, I love that smell!!!"
Scott
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
i worked during the 25.9 era, there were gas wars as low as 19.9, Hated selling a dollars worth of gas in a driving rain storm.
Rod
Yep, me too!
But, Gawd, did I love breathing that asbestos brake dust when we blew the dust out of the drum brakes of the era. I remember doing that and walking from one end of the service bay to the other, through a giant grey cloud while breathing deeply and say, "Gawd, I love that smell!!!"
Scott
You probably drank the water from the water hose too. I remember doing it a couple of times.
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
i worked during the 25.9 era, there were gas wars as low as 19.9, Hated selling a dollars worth of gas in a driving rain storm.
Rod
Yep, me too!
But, Gawd, did I love breathing that asbestos brake dust when we blew the dust out of the drum brakes of the era. I remember doing that and walking from one end of the service bay to the other, through a giant grey cloud while breathing deeply and say, "Gawd, I love that smell!!!"
Scott
You probably drank the water from the water hose too. I remember doing it a couple of times.
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