Help understanding Pennzoil Ultra Platinum oil

Status
Not open for further replies.

rav

Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
44
Location
NC
I need your help understanding what I see in the bottom of the "pure" Ultra Platinum Pennzoil oil.
After changing the oil in our '15 BMW X5, I noticed some "dark" stuff in the bottom of the 5 qt jug. What is thins stuff? I thought that this was suppose to be the Purest motor oil since it's made from natural gas. AS I understand it, BMW switched form Castrol to Shell (who owns Pennzoil) because it was so PURE.
Can someone tell me what this stuff is

20200114_153613.jpg


20200114_153641.jpg


20200114_153622.jpg
 
Without a VOA you can only guess but, typically we/I think it is additive separation. The recommendation is to always shake vigorously any oil container before dispensing. Ed
 
would be interested in sending that to a lab and find out exactly whats in it. I would mainly be interested in knowing if its part of a critical additive that is falling out or what. Maybe its the Unicorn tears
 
Hmmmm? It could be settled additives. It could be used motor oil. Did you buy that at Walmart? There have been stories of people returning used oil in exchange for new.
 
If it is additive fallout, why is it brown? My oil is Pennzoil, so I wonder. Looks more like impurities to me?
 
Additive fall out is my thought. Shake and pour.
The contaminant theory also has merit. Storage, transfer and blending tanks can get contaminated and unless it is ISO certified you never know. Often particle count is better in slightly used oil than new oil.
 
Here's a similar 7 page thread from 2017. On page 6 a poster quoted his reply from Pennzoil: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4285953/6

"Finding sediment or deposits at the bottom of new bottles of motor oil is a common and harmless occurrence in all conventional and synthetic motor oil products in the market today. This may occur regardless of the base oil used and does not negatively impact the performance of a motor oil.

Most often, the sediment found is a by-product of a type of nanotechnology used in motor oils to keep the pH balance correct in storage, and then in use inside a motor. The practice is commonly referred to as over-basing a motor oil and is designed to account for the acids formed in an engine during the combustion process.

Periodically, some cosmetic dropout from motor oil is observed in a bottle, and that is most typically due to the result of effective nanotechnology in action, or the slow release of over-based detergents to help neutralize acids. Motor oil formulations are highly specified to help reduce the incidence, but ultimately over time some harmless molecular dropout will occur.

The filtration process employed when formulating the motor oils removes much of the sediment, and then once in use in an engine, any remaining particles are removed through normal operation.

Regards,
"
 
It almost looks like used oil. I always shake up the oil before pouring it in. I'll take a jug, or quarts a few days before an oil change and leave it on my work bench. I'll shake it every time I walk past the work bench. By the time I change the oil it is very well shaken.
 
It used to be talked about alot on the older Shell Rotella 15w40 jugs. The jugs are white and the additives in the bottom were pretty obvious. I think someone said it was likely Calcium..since its a fairly heavy element.
 
Originally Posted by doitmyself
Here's a similar 7 page thread from 2017. On page 6 a poster quoted his reply from Pennzoil: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4285953/6

"Finding sediment or deposits at the bottom of new bottles of motor oil is a common and harmless occurrence in all conventional and synthetic motor oil products in the market today. This may occur regardless of the base oil used and does not negatively impact the performance of a motor oil.

Most often, the sediment found is a by-product of a type of nanotechnology used in motor oils to keep the pH balance correct in storage, and then in use inside a motor. The practice is commonly referred to as over-basing a motor oil and is designed to account for the acids formed in an engine during the combustion process.

Periodically, some cosmetic dropout from motor oil is observed in a bottle, and that is most typically due to the result of effective nanotechnology in action, or the slow release of over-based detergents to help neutralize acids. Motor oil formulations are highly specified to help reduce the incidence, but ultimately over time some harmless molecular dropout will occur.

The filtration process employed when formulating the motor oils removes much of the sediment, and then once in use in an engine, any remaining particles are removed through normal operation.

Regards,
"

Seems plausible i suppose. Wonder what Mola' would say???

OP, what did the rest of the product look like? Did it look used or like a virgin oil?
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
It used to be talked about alot on the older Shell Rotella 15w40 jugs. The jugs are white and the additives in the bottom were pretty obvious. I think someone said it was likely Calcium..since its a fairly heavy element.

No, calcium is one of the lightest.
 
The consensus is that it is additive fallout.

We get this question every winter. The answer is to shake the jugs prior to pouring.

Pennzoil seems to be the brand most often mentioned in these discussions. I think the yellow jugs show the fallout more clearly than a darker color like gray.
 
I don't know what it is, but I'm agin it! If it was in the bottle, it should be in the engine. What guarantee is there that the oil meets spec without this portion? The oil was tested and certified with this "fall out" in the oil. I have never seen an oil bottle with directions to shake it before using. IMO Pennzoil is dropping the ball here.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top