TomNJ

If properly stored and sealed I would use it.

Amsoil markets its products based on a variety of laboratory bench tests, but often does not have certifications or approvals against industry specifications from the API, ACEA, or engine builders like most other brands. Saying that a product is "recommended for" or "suitable for" or "formulated for" a certain use is not the same as having an approval or certification from an independent industry organization or engine builder. Therefore it is not possible to compare Amsoil to other oils with respect to key performance parameters since there is no way to know if they actually ran or passed c

Hi Bonker, Happy to help: 1. Just to be clear, esters are not made from the fats, but rather from the fatty acids that are derived from the fats. So long as the acids are pure and saturated it does not matter where they came from. Many acids from vegetable oils are unsaturated and these would give unstable esters, but the saturated ones are fine. Also the number of carbons in the acid matters. Saturated acids longer than about C10 can cause a freeze point in some POEs. The most common vegetable based acids used in POEs are C8 and C10, usually sold as a

If you mean me, I am here.

To the best of my knowledge from their SDSs and claims, the Red Line oils contain PAO, POE, and/or Group III base oils in various ratios. All three base oils are compatible with each other and with other oils. I would not expect any separation or precipitation from mixing.

POEs for refrigeration are designed for maximum miscibility with the refrigerant gases. Since POEs are necessary with HFCs, the seals would likely be changed to be compatible with the POE. The lower viscosity refrigeration POEs up to ISO 32 would usually have an NPI of about 30 to 50. Higher viscosity oils like ISO 68 to ISO 100 usually have an NPI from 60 to 100.

I have never seen a study on this, so I do not know either.

It depends on which ester and I do not have test data, but in my opinion I would not expect a meaningful effect on cleaning from such low doses and would prefer 10% or more. These low doses, however, may improve additive solubility and seal swell. Again it depends on which ester and what you are trying to achieve. There is a Non-Polarity Index (NPI) formula that estimates the relative polarity of POEs based on their molecular structure. Various POEs have NPIs ranging from 30 to 130 (lower number means more polarity), so you see there is a lot of variations in ester polarity dep

It is time and temperature related. The longer the ester is in contact with seals and the higher the temperature, the more the swelling effect - up to a point where it should stop. This swelling is desirable in high PAO based oils, and older engines where the seals may be hardened and leaking. It also depends on the chemistry of the seals in a particular engine. There is a lot of variation among seals, as there is a lot of variation among esters and driving conditions, so the effects cannot be precisely defined. Back in the 1970s, Hatco ran a series of seal swell tests using a

I have not recommended or praised Red Line oils because I do not know the formulations. When I visited and worked with them some 30+ years ago I thought they were a fine and reputable company with good technology, but that was a long time ago and their ownership and formulations have changed. I did say that they claim to have high doses of POEs, and if that is so, then they would be a good way to add some POE to your engine oil without diluting the additives. Of the other oil brands you mention, I have only used Mobil 1 EP which I believe is a fine oil, but I cannot say it is bet

POEs are miscible with most PAGs but I can't speak for all. There are many different kinds of POEs and PAGs. There are companies selling POEs for top-off in automotive air conditioning PAG systems so they apparently are confident that the two can be mixed without problems - I just do not have experience or data to know for sure. I have read that high sulfur diesel fuels reduce wear, but this is not an area of expertise.

Yes esters can dissolve existing deposits due to their polarity, and reduce the formation of deposits due to their oxidative stability. It is a slow process and the effectiveness depends on the type of ester and the concentration. I would only use 20-30% POE if the formulation had at least an equal amount or more of PAO to counter the seal swell effects of the POE and I had no concern for cost. Otherwise, 10% is an effective dose.

I do not know what is in this oil for seals or solubility. Could have Ketjenlube or small dose of aromatic ester.

I doubt they affect shelf life if not stored at high temperatures. I do not know what is used in diesel oils.

Friction modifiers are mainly to enhance fuel efficiency. I have no experience with Tungsten additives.

Seal swell additives work if all you want is seal swell. Polar base oils also help with additive solubility and can improve volatility and lubricity to some degree. Aniline point is one measure of polarity. I have no experience with the OSP technology.

Thank you for your kind words. For the most part it is true that PCMOs meeting industry standards are compatible with each other, but there have been cases of incompatibility involving VI Improvers, and I have heard of some cases involving metallic detergents. These are very rare among industry approved oils, but I would be more concerned with boutique oils that sometimes contain unconventional components and are not fully approved against industry standards. Also minor incompatibilities may not cause phase separation or precipitation, but may reduce the performance of the oil.

Diesters, polyol esters, and ANs are the primary ones used in motor oils. Ketjenlube polymer esters can also be used but are expensive.

Chemical companies often use in-house tests for their base oils. In my opinion, what matters is industry specification tests on finished oils that correlate to actual engine performance. Other tests such as these are still useful for screening formulations during development and before investing in expensive engine testing.

I have no experience with these tests and do not know if they have been correlated to actual engine performance.

Good morning! I have not performed any tests with these products, nor have I seen test results in finished PCMOs in engine tests, so I do not know how they perform.

I have not studied this work but have read many opinions of the work by people who know about oil testing, and their opinion is that the test method used is not correlated to real world engine conditions, and the test reproducibility does not statistically separate the oils. I rely only on standardized bench and engine tests that have been scientifically correlated to real word engine performance and are chosen by the industry to be part of oil specifications. I disregard other tests such as Falex, 4-Ball, and the "one arm bandit".

No, it can be any non-polar base, including PAO & GTL . I mentioned mineral because most cars are factory filled with mostly mineral based oils (plus some PAO for 0W grades), at least in the USA, so they are broken in with non-polar oils that do not compete with the ZDDP during break-in . I do not know how long it takes for the ZDDP film to form as it depends on a lot of conditions, especially load and temperature. Many years ago I saw engine test results that showed it took two hours for the ZDDP to win the competition with the ester, but that was in a severe engine test with

I have no problem with 70% PAO and 10% POE. Ideally the optimum ratios should be scientifically determined through testing, indeed the entire formulation should be based on engine testing, but that gets very expensive. To see if the 10% POE is enough to correct the PAO you should test the finished oil in the seal compatibility tests required by the specification approval you are seeking, and also make sure the additives stay in solution at various temperatures. ANs are also produced in the USA by King Industries. I do not know if there are producers in Europe, or the cost.

I have seen engine tests that say otherwise - a lot depends on the specific ester and other ingredients. Our company (Hatco) formulated the first synthetic PCMO to gain SAE approval back in 1972 and it was based 100% on ester. In fact we sold 100% ester based PCMOs, diesel oils, and gear oils for 15 years and did not experience wear problems from the field.