I don't understand how an oil
can CLEAN (or keep clean) a diesel engine if you don't change
it regularly. Also, the main oil companies claim that
synthetic oil left in too long will cause "deposits" in the
upper cylinder or "rings" area.
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Will AMSOIL Motor Oils void the warranty
of a new vehicle?
Absolutely not! Manufacturers’ warranties are based
upon the use of oils meeting specific API Service Classifications, for example, SJ/CF.
(AMSOIL lubricants meet the current API Service requirements and, thus, are perfectly
suited for use in any new vehicle without affecting the validity of the new vehicle
warranty.) Read this explanation of the
Magnusson-Moss Act
concerning new vehicle warranties.
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What is the
"AMSOIL Product Warranty"?
Simply stated:
AMSOIL, Inc. warrants that the
use of its lubricants will not cause mechanical damage to any
mechanically sound equipment when AMSOIL Inc. products are use
in full compliance with the company's recommendations and
instructions.
Read the entire warranty here.
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What is the Four Ball Wear Test? How good a
predictor of engine wear is it?
The Four Ball Wear Test puts one rotating ball against
three fixed balls under specific conditions of pressure,
temperature, revolutions per minute and duration. The test may
be used to evaluate the friction- and wear-control ability of
liquid lubricants or greases in sliding contact. The Four Ball
Wear Test is a good laboratory tool for developing oils with
good engine wear control.
The results appearing on the
AMSOIL Series 2000 20W-50 Racing Oil (TRO), Series 2000 0W-30 Motor Oil
(TSO), and Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil (HDD) bottles were from
testing done by a well known independent lab. Such a facility
would not jeopardize its reputation by misrepresenting test
results just because AMSOIL was paying for the tests to be
performed.
AMSOIL ran literally thousands of
tests in our own lab before we sent the product for testing.
The independent lab's results correlate very well with our
own.
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Should I use oil
additives with AMSOIL?
No. AMSOIL is a solo act.
Everything your engine needs for lubrication and protection is
in the oil. Additives can upset the oil's precise chemistry,
or worse, interact with the oil in unpreductable and harmful
ways. Save your money ... and your engine. Skip the
addivites.
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Will my oil
pressure or idle rpm change when I switch to AMSOIL?
They might. AMSOIL is a better
friction reducer than conventional oils and friction directly
affects oil pressure and idle speed. Less friction in the
engine will lead to lower oil pressure and more rpms at idle.
Since synthetic oil doesn't have to "push" as hard to overcome
friction as conventional oil does, the oil pressure drops. The
engine still has adequate oil circulation, but like the heart
of a person whose blood pressure is lowered through
medication, the engine doesn't have to work as hard for the
end result.
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What is the NOACK Volatility Test?
Volatility, measured by the principal European test
called NOACK, is the amount of oil lost (the light molecules)
over time at a given temperature and pressure. It has a direct
impact on high temperature engine oil effectiveness --
especially on viscosity, emissions and oil consumption.
Today's oils have a NOACK volatility limit of 22 percent.
Volatility losses for the coming ILSAC GF-3 oils -- due on
store shelves just after the turn of the century -- could
quite possibly be limited to 15 percent for all grades.
When an oil suffers from high
volatility, and the lighter molecules evaporate, the oil
thickens gradually getting out of "spec" and adversely
effecting the performance of the lubricant and placing the
engine at risk.
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I have driven
diesels for as long as I've been driving. I am still hesitant
in using AMSOIL mainly because I don't understand how an oil
can CLEAN (or keep clean) a diesel engine if you don't change
it regularly. Also, the main oil companies claim that
synthetic oil left in too long will cause "deposits" in the
upper cylinder or "rings" area.
The answer here is a lengthy one, so settle in.
Actually, your question is
the one most often asked, in one form or another, about all both diesel
and gasoline engines. It is
the one that we, as AMSOIL dealers, must answer
as the public in general has been so engrained with the
concept that changing oil often is good and necessary, and
changing even more often is better. Think about it. . . If
everyone were to simply double their oil change interval from
3,000 miles to just 6,000 miles, the amount of oil sold would
be cut in half. Lubricating oil, in essence, is a by-product
of producing gasoline. From a barrel of crude oil, gasoline
(and other fuels) is refined as the main product (there being
no substitute, at least not yet) and everything else from
lubricating oils down to the thickest of asphalts is a
byproduct that must be gotten rid of. Therefore, the oil
companies preach and advertise changing oil more and
more.
The fact is that when you look at
synthetic oils, they do not deteriorate like fossil-based
oils do. Their molecular structure, being formulated to be
tighter and to have specific properties lasts longer and does the job
better (unlike petroleum oil
refining which simply separates out the base constituents into
the different product categories). Although AMSOIL came out with
the first API approved 100% synthetic oil back in 1972, every
major oil company is now pushing a synthetic oil, probably seeing the
writing on the wall!!! They don't necessarily push it hard, as
they still have a main business to support, but they must be
part of the pack to get the experience and marketing position
for the future. You may be aware of the API SJ (ILSAC
GF-2) category of oils that just came out late this past
summer. The next generation of oils, GF-3, is expected to have
such a level of performance requirements that the oil will
have to be at the very least a blend of petroleum and synthetics to
meet these requirements. This gives you a picture of why the
oil companies are posturing as they are.
As for extended drains, even our diesel
oil is only recommended initially as a 15,000 mile/1 year oil
drain for most diesels. Some diesels, however, such as the
Volvo VE D12, have a recommended change interval by the
manufacturer of 25,000 miles. Mack, Cummins and others are
likewise designing engines for extended drains as the truck fleets demand
it! Our oil meets these manufacturer's requirements and
can be used for these extended drains as the manufacturers
build in better filtration.
Filtration is of the utmost
importance to achieve more of a drain interval, coupled with
oil analysis. Oil analysis determines the condition of the
oil, and if you can determine that the oil, whether it is
after 15,000 miles, 50,000 miles, or 100,000 miles, still
meets the manufacturer's specifications for oil to be used in
a particular engine, why change it???
Most oil filters filter only to
25 microns (one micron=.000039"). The finest tolerances in a
typical engine is in the 5 micron range. AMSOIL's by-pass filters filter 98%
efficient - one pass - at 3 microns. They will filter down to
less than one micron, but at a much less efficiency rating. As
a result, you are capturing dirt that will not only cause
wear, but also keeping dirt out of the oil stream where it
works to deteriorate the oil's additives. Changing the by-pass
filters once per year (or every-other full flow filter change)
typically keeps them working in top condition (but even if
they get fully stuffed up, you aren't hurting the engine as
you would still have the full flow filters). In addition, the
AMSOIL by-pass filters hold
water, which is a by-product of the combustion process. Water,
mixed with other combustion by-products form acids and help
deteriorate oils and additives.
As you stated, the oil cleans the
engine, but the oil also acts as a conveyor of the dirt and
other contaminants (metals, water, etc.) to the filter. If the
filter can not remove the contaminants, or does not have the
capacity (gets stuffed up and the by-pass valve clicks open
and dirt is continuously circulated) then you have problems.
But if the dirt is conveyed and held out of harms way, then
the oil can do its principal job (lubrication) longer and the
engine will last longer (less dirt in tolerances, smoother
operation and better performance).
But oil analysis is the key
to extending drains past the base 15,000 miles/one year
period. With oil analysis, I've seen people go over 200,000
miles without an oil change. You change full flow filters and
by-pass filters, and the make-up oil sweetens the additives
and helps keep the oil in spec. The oil remains within the
manufacturers specification, proved by the analysis, and no
warranties are effected. The oil analysis is actually better
than a stack of receipts from cases and cases of oil!
As for the deposits, this is a
typical oil company reference to synthetic oils where other
oil manufacturers utilize the same additive packages as in
their regular petroleum oil which is formulated for shorter
oil change intervals. Once the additives have deteriorated
and/or the oil filters have clogged, the circulation of dirt
and acids cause the build-up around the rings, ring seal is
compromised, and oil getting by the rings carbons up the upper
cylinder area.
It is a fairly complicated
process, and much of it just requires you to think about how
the world is and who is telling you what. Most mechanics who
preach 3000-mile/3 month oil changes were preached to by the
oil supplier and the same television ads you read with the
"pay me now or pay me later" lines. The only real way you will
be convinced that you have been fleeced is the same way I
convinced myself that big oil has been leading us down the
primrose path, and that is by just trying AMSOIL. AMSOIL
sells oil analysis kits and when you see how easy the engine
starts in cold weather, and how the amount of wear is reduced
(do an analysis on the oil you have in there now at 3,000
miles, then try AMSOIL and do one at 3,000 miles, or more, and
see the difference) you will be convinced of the
benefits.
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