Motor Oil Info

Extreme cold can cause conventional motor oil, transmission fluid and gear lube to thicken, starving vital moving parts of necessary lubrication. In many cases, thick motor oil will prevent vehicles from starting. Cold, thick transmission fluid results in delayed or sluggish shifts and inadequate protection for bearings, valves and other critical parts.

Thick gear lube, meanwhile, requires more energy to turn the gears, reducing fuel efficiency. Because gears and bearings in the axle housing are splash lubricated, conventional gear lubes that are too thick at cold temperatures can starve internal components of lubrication, which can cause excessive wear and premature failure.

The number of people taking advantage of the cost savings and convenience of AMSOIL extended drain interval products grows every year, but the 3,000 mile myth is still deeply ingrained in many drivers. The thought of running for 25,000 miles or a whole year without changing oil is scary for people who have not safely extended drain intervals before. To help get over this hurdle, The drain interval recommendations for AMSOIL Motor Oils are determined according to the vehicle’s typical operating conditions and the type of oil being used.

For example, drain interval recommendations for AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil differ depending on service type: The recommendation is 25,000 miles in normal service, 15,000 miles in severe service. Drivers need to keep an accurate count of miles or hours on the oil, depending on the type of oil used, and oils should never be used beyond one year of service unless recommended by a routine oil analysis program. Engines that are not mechanically sound or are heavily modified are not eligible to take advantage of AMSOIL extended drain interval recommendations.

AMSOIL Synthetic 100:1  2 Cycle Oils have been providing improved performance and protection in two cycle motors since 1973. However, there are still consumers who struggle with the notion that Saber provides optimum protection at 100:1 when the equipment manufacturer has specified a 50:1 mix ratio. In order to once again demonstrate the superiority of AMSOIL Synthetic 2 Cycle Oils, AMSOIL provided a logging company with six Stihl 440 chainsaws. Three of the saws were operated using the manufacturer recommended two cycle oil at the recommended mix ratio (50:1). The other three saws had AMSOIL Saber Professional installed at a mix ratio of 100:1. The loggers used all six saws as they normally would for 200 hours.

After the test period the saws were subjected to a detailed engine teardown to determine how well Saber performed. As expected, the teardown revealed that the chainsaws using AMSOIL Saber Professional at a mix of 100:1 had fewer deposits, LESS WEAR and were generally cleaner than the saws that operated using the manufacturer recommended two cycle oil mixed at 50:1. In addition, the chainsaws with Saber installed used an average of 8% less fuel than the saws running conventional oil at 50:1.

AMSOIL Saber Professional Pre Mix 2 Cycle Oil is formulated with EXCLUSIVE AMSOIL Synthetic Base Oils and Premium Additives. Designed for lean mix ratios in two cycle motors, Saber Professional has excellent lubricity and cleanliness properties to control friction and help prevent wear, plug fouling and ring sticking.

Saber Professional has a recommended mix ratio of 100:1, even when the application calls for a ratio of 50:1 gas to oil. Its high quality base oils resist consumption and evaporation better than conventional two cycle oils. The combination of premium base oil chemistry and superior additive technology allows Saber Professional to deliver maximum performance and protection in small engine applications; even at 100:1.

When the season winds down and it’s time to put lawn care equipment into storage, be sure to treat your equipment with AMSOIL Gasoline Stabilizer.

AMSOIL Gasoline Stabilizer is formulated to prevent fuel from deteriorating during storage by reducing the oxidation process and preventing the varnish and gum buildup that clogs injectors, sticks floats and causes poor engine performance. Treat rate is one ounce with every 2.5 gallons of fuel.

Despite the technological advances and sophistication of the newer on board oil monitoring systems, they are still a predictive model and cannot directly measure key used oil properties nor differentiate between a high end synthetic motor oil and an entry level conventional product.

AMSOIL developed Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil and confirmed its performance in field trails with used oil analysis. We used vehicles from several different manufacturers and ran them in the harshest environments we could find; all so you can sleep well at night when your OLMS (Oil Life Monitoring Systems) says you need an oil change and you don’t plan on doing so until next spring.

Many 2011 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles use an algorithm based system called the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor (IOLM). Ford claims the IOLM can provide oil drain intervals of up to 10,000 miles, depending on driving conditions. The Ford IOLM monitors driving conditions such as engine speed and load, oil and coolant temperature, hours of operation, hours of idle time and the cleaning cycle for diesel particulate filters, if equipped.

Ford engines are tested using Motorcraft synthetic blend oils. The IOLM algorithm is entirely software based, meaning it does not monitor the oil’s direct chemical or physical quality. Other Ford vehicles equipped with a system that does not gather operating data to calculate oil life; it simply signals an oil change is necessary every 10,000 miles or one year.

Algorithm based monitoring systems are engineered with an understanding of how temperature and load affect oil integrity; extreme temperatures and engine load are known to shorten oil life. For example, the GM OLMS (Oil Life Monitoring System) penalizes estimated oil life when the engine is driven in very cold conditions or when the engine is extremely hot.

GM claims most drivers will be able to achieve between 7,500 and 8,500 miles intervals; however, some drivers could see longer intervals if their driving conditions permit. GM says the GM OLMS automatically adjusts the interval based on engine characteristics, driving habits and climate.

So is your OLMS (oil life monitoring systems) useless? Not exactly. These systems are getting better and do a decent job of convincing drivers to extend oil drain intervals, helping to break the OUTDATED and WASTEFUL practice of changing oil every 3,000 miles. But an OLMS cannot tell the difference between a high quality synthetic oil and a run of the mill conventional oil.

The first oil monitors were mileage based and provided outdated mileage options such as 3,000 or 5,000 miles. Some cars are still equipped with these mileage based indicators.

An “OLMS” oil life monitoring system takes no direct measurement of oil viscosity, which is critical in estimating oil life, nor does it measure TBN “total base number” to gauge how much detergent is left to fight acidic combustion by products. There also is no on board $50,000 gauge to measure the oxidation level of the oil.

If your OLMS actually monitored the properties of your oil, you would not be able to simply press a couple buttons and reset your OLMS to 100 percent oil life. Oil life monitoring systems do not actually measure the properties of motor oil.