I have heard this all my life. One oil is "better" than another. I don't think anecdotal information is evidence at all.
I used to work in the oil fields. I also know many other people that did the same. The oil that you get in the marked can is not always from the original oil company. They trade it around. They also repackage it and have for years. The additive packages are almost NEVER made by the same company that refined the oil.
Very few oil companies actually make any additives at all. The oil additives that are sold to the oil companies are made by Shell Chemical, Lubrizol, Castrol, Chevron and a very few others to meet API standards.
Companies like Royal purple, Kendall, and others do not refine at all. They buy the oils from oil companies like Chevron-Texaco or and repackage it. Pennzoil in the 70s or 80s bought Getty Oil lock Stock and (literally) barrel.
I used to buy my oil in bulk at a distributor in Tacoma WA. They actually had their own brand. It was SAE 15W40 "diesel" type oil. They said they "made" it on site.
I asked to speak to their chemical engineer about it and he was very revealing. He told (and showed) me that they bought the base oil from several different suppliers. He then said that they bought the additive packages from Lubrizol but could get it from Chevron or Shell or others, Lubrizol was giving them the best deal at that time.
I asked about other branded oils and he told me that ALL the oil companies (the brands on the store shelves) could be base stocks from any number of major or minor oil companies (including Pennzoil) and the additives were made by a few other companies like Lubrizol.
Engine motor oil is one of the most HEAVILY advertised and marketed products in the world. Oil company marketing depts will do ANYTHING and say anything to get you to buy their brand. They used to do the same with oil additives until the car manufacturers started saying that oil additives might void engine warranties.
The also do the same with gasoline. I hauled fuel oil out of a refinery in Bakersfield for about 5 years. I saw the gas loading racks with trucks lined up to load every morning. There was every gasoline name you could think of there and a bunch of unmarked trucks.
They all loaded up at the same place. At that time the refinery was owned by Getty Oil Company, later Texaco, later Chevron-Texaco, later Shell.
Consumer reports did an oil study in the 90's. They tested most all the major brands and found NO DIFFERENCE. They also found that in an engine that is driven every day that you could run any brand about 6000 miles between oil changes and get good service out of your car. They also found that in the less known brands mis-marking the oil was common. I.E. the can says SAE 30 but might contain SAE 40 etc. The major brands had less mis-packaging.
So the bottom line is, you might buy Chevron DELO 400 and get something made by Shell because that day most of the oil that hit the packaging facility came from a distributor that got it from Shell (Or Pennzoil) Very few people ever have a problem because it really doesn't matter what oil you put in your engine if you change it frequently (meaning at least once a year or once every 5-6000 miles)
So if you think when you buy Quakerstate oil (Owned by Royal Dutch Shell) and you think that you're only getting oil that's from Pa......you're being fooled by the same advertising that fools a lot of people.
You're right about any oil "sludging" that's true....left in the engine long enough any oil will "sludge" Sludge is simply the solids (too small to be trapped by a filter) falling out of solution. The oil can hold only so much sludge. Non-detergent oils won't much at all. Modern detergent oils will hold a lot but there is a limit....that's why it must be changed.
Paraffin based oil.....Here's some info about that:
From
http://yotarepair.com/sludge%20article.html
/////SNIP////
Paraffin-based Crude Oils
Most people relate the word paraffin to candle wax. This is a correct association, BUT one of the most incorrect and widely circulated misconceptions about sludge is that it forms more easily in paraffin-based motor oils. This couldn't be further from the truth. All major motor oils, in fact, are formulated using a paraffin-based crude oil. Naphthenic-based crude oils are actually more likely to form sludge in an engine than oils formulated with paraffin-based crude oils. This is due to the higher breakdown resistance of paraffin-based crude oils. O.K., so how does sludge really form? .....................
.............SNIP
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html
Jeeeze what a rambling mess!!! Sorry about that guys (and gals) I should know better than to ever reply to an OIL THREAD!!!
It's worth reading up a little on oils I suppose but none of us probably wants to become chemical engrs....
I do believe the people that are though....
The paraffin oil sludge thing is an old wives tail....
Quote:
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Originally Posted by 61Rat
I'd like to start off by saying that I'm certainly no chemist. What I AM is a professional auto technician, and have been for the last 26 years. I can tell you that ANY oil will sludge, if you leave it in there long enough. That being said, I can also tell you, from personal experience, that I've had literally dozens of engines apart for overhaul, and the only reason they failed was from using PENNZOIL OR QUAKER STATE MOTOR OIL. The coking and sludge buildup in these (relatively) low mileage engines is just unbelievable. I've seen it time and time again over the years. Don't take my word for it; If you ask 10 different mechanics what brand of oil they use, you might get 10 different answers. But if you ask the same 10 (or 1000) what brand NOT to use, You'll only get 2. -Mark
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