Motor Oil Info

Aftermarket engine oil supplements are “treatments” advertised to enhance an oil’s properties. Manufacturers claim these treatments reduce friction, noise and wear; maintain higher lubricity and break down sludge and varnish, protecting the engine components. Many products advertise materials like Teflon, molybdenum or graphite; however, most fail to mention that they contain chlorine, which can be highly corrosive when mixed with water.

Chlorinated paraffins were once used as extreme pressure (EP) additives in lubricants, but the practice has been discontinued in most passenger vehicle lubricants due to the corrosive side effects. These chlorinated compounds are used due to their low cost and ability to provide EP properties, but they readily react with water and combustion by products to form acidic materials that promote corrosion of engine components and bearings.

Heat and contamination present serious challenges for hydraulic oils. If the system becomes too hot, the oil’s viscosity can thin to the point where the pump is damaged or seals are destroyed. because conventional hydraulic oil is often less expensive than synthetic hydraulic oil, it is important to emphasize the benefits and cost saving AMSOIL Synthetic Hydraulic Oils provide customers.

Heat Reduction – The synthetic construction of AMSOIL Synthetic Hydraulic Oils can reduce heat in hydraulic systems, less varnish build up and oxidation, reduction in component wear ( including hoses), longer seal life and better overall system performance.

Many leading coolant additives contain only one surfactant, limiting their temperature ranges and ultimate effectiveness. AMSOIL Dominator Coolant Boost uses three surfactants, each designed to operate in a different temperature range to increase liquid to metal contact from the time the vehicle starts to the time it reaches operating temperature.

Coolant Boost’s tiered surfactant technology is designed to provide optimal performance over a wide temperature range, while competing products with only one surfactant are limited to performance in a single temperature range. AMSOIL Dominator Coolant Boost, when a coolant system reaches 120F, the operator typically feels warm air coming out of the defroster. The time it takes to reach this temperature with Coolant Boost is reduced by 45 percent compared to the 50/50 antifreeze/water mix alone. Through the use of tiered surfactants, AMSOIL Dominator Coolant Boost delivers quicker warm-up times in the winter and reduced engine temperatures in the summer, making it an excellent choice for year round use.

An effective cooling system reduces stress on all aspects of the engine, including the lubricating oil. Alternatively, a corroded cooling system that transfers heat ineffectively will eventually lead to engine overheating, breakdown of engine oil and catastrophic failure.

Before studying tiered surfactants, it is important to understand what a surfactant does in a cooling system. A surfactant reduces the surface tension of water and antifreeze, allowing closer contact with metal parts. This closer contact increases the coolant’s efficiency in tranferring heat away from hot engine parts and out through the radiator and fan.

AMSOIL Dominator Coolant Boost is designed to reduce corrosion and significantly enhance heat transfer in cooling systems. One of the overlooked benefits of better heat tranfer is much quicker engine warm-up in winter conditions, which is noticed when the vehicle’s defroster works much sooner.

To understand how Dominator Coolant Boost reduces engine warm-up times in cold weather, it is imperative to understand the fundamentals of an engine’s cooling system and how Coolant Boost’s proprietary tiered-surfactant technology works. The same tiered-surfactant technology that aids reducing engine operating temperatures also decreases engine warm-up times. In a vehicle’s cooling system, the ultimate goal is to quickly and effectively move heat away from engine components, permitting the engine to run at a safe, controlled temperature.

Because many equipment operators consider blown hoses, leaky seals and loss of hydraulic fluid an unavoidable problem, they may not initially be interested in investing in more expensive hydraulic fluid they believe will just end up on the ground. This is usually the most significant obstacle to overcome when trying to sell a premium hydraulic oil to an account.

To counter this mindset, first determine why they lose hoses. If they mainly get snagged, chafed or damaged externally, they will continue to lose hoses until they physically remedy the situation. However, if the hoses and seals are blowing in cold weather or because of deterioration, AMSOIL Synthetic Hydraulic Oils can help. Cold and heat wreak havoc on hoses and seals. Cold, thick fluid can cause pressure spikes and extremely hot fluid breaks down hoses and seals over time. The superior cooling and flow properties of AMSOIL Synthetic Hydraulic Oils help preserve hose integrity.

The last “S” in SAPS stand for sulfur. Sulfur compounds are typically associated with anti-wear and extreme-pressure protection, but they can also be a component of corrosion inhibitors, friction modifiers and antioxidants. Excess sulfur can contribute to catalyst poisoning because sulfur is preferentially absorbed by the catalyst sites. When sulfur gets into the exhaust stream, it can poison catalyst surfaces, resulting in formation of particulate matter. Particulates in the emissions system can increase system back-pressure that negatively affects vehicle performance. Sulfur is generally being reduced in diesel fuel and lubricants.

There are a number of very positive benefits of SAPS in lubricants; however, as government emissions legislation imposes stricker emissions limits, the latest and forthcoming oil specifications require reduced SAPS levels to improve the life and performance of exhaust aftertreatment devices.

Now for the “P” portion of SAPS. Phosphorus is a component of what is commonly recognized as an anti-wear agent and oxidation inhibitor, zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). ZDDP is very prevalent in the lubrication industry due to its excellent anti-wear and antioxidant properties. Alternatively, larger quantities of volatile phosphorus contained in ZDDP have been linked to premature poisoning of the catalyst surface of three-way catalytic converters and is a primary reason phosphorus has been limited in certain oil specifications.

The VW 504.00/507.00 oil specification limits phosphorus content to help prolong catalytic converter life. While higher phosphorus levels can reduce catalytic converter life, a low-SAPS lubricant is engineered to provide emissions system compatibility in both gas and diesel fueled vehicles.

As the DPF fills with contaminants, pressure builds within the exhaust system. When the pressure reaches a certain level it triggers a DPF regeneration process where soot particles are burned. Materials that don’t burn, like sulfated ash, build up in the filter over time and block the flow of exhaust through the filter. When ash build-up becomes excessive, it must be professionally cleaned. The latest diesel oil specification for 2007 and newer diesel vehicles, API CJ-4, limits the level of sulfated ash for this reason. It is normal and accepted that these filters need to be cleaned, but the new CJ-4 specification limits sulfated ash levels to prolong time between cleanings.

Many European vehicles come equipped with smaller DPFs that do the same job as their large diesel counterparts, which is why the VW 504.00/507.00 engine oil specification limits an oil’s sulfated ash content. AMSOIL European Car Formula 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil (AEL) has a lower TBN than many other AMSOIL products in order to meet the VW 504.00/507.00 SAPS restrictions. VW specifies precise SAPS limits, which limits the level of resulting oil TBN.

So, what exactly does SAPS do? First, let’s understand the “SA” in SAPS. Sulfated ash is a term used for materials added to lubricants to soak up excess oxidation byproducts and acids created by exhaust gases. Sulfated ash is an important component of diesel oil to ensure long oil life and good engine protection over time. As noted, some oil specifications restrict the sulfated ash content in order to protect certain emissions aftertreatment devices.

The diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a good example of an emissions system device and is a relatively new development in the diesel world. The DPF is a large, honeycomb-type filter designed to capture and burn soot in diesel applications. It filters particulate matter from the exhaust so we don’t have to breathe in harmful material from buses, trucks and other diesel applications.