How Does Extreme Cold Affect Lubricants?

How Does Extreme Cold Affect Lubricants?

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.

Conventional petroleum lubricants thicken because they often contain paraffins (wax). While modern refining techniques remove most of the wax from petroleum oil, some wax-like molecules remain. These wax-like molecules are soluble at ambient temperatures above freezing, but crystallize into a honeycomb-like structure at lower temperatures and cause circulation problems. At startup, this can leave working parts unprotected while the lubricant warms to a temperature that allows it to flow.

AMSOIL synthetic lubricants do not contain paraffins, so they remain fluid in sub-zero temperatures. Watch the video to see what happens when AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil and a conventional oil are cooled to -40º. While the conventional oil fails to flow from the beaker, Signature Series remains fluid and delivers 36% easier and faster cold starts*. This means it can reach vital components faster, providing more immediate engine protection and reduced wear.

How Long Does Synthetic Motor Oil Last?

How Long Does Synthetic Motor Oil Last?

Generally speaking, synthetic motor oil will nearly always last longer than conventional oil, saving you time and money. But your specific synthetic oil change interval will depend on several factors, including operating conditions, motor oil quality and personal preference.

Why Does Oil Lose its Effectiveness?

Extreme heat hastens chemical breakdown (oxidation), altering the oil’s chemistry and preventing it from lubricating, cooling and protecting as designed. Sludge can form, which clogs narrow oil passages and prevents oil from reaching vital components, causing wear. Oxidation can also lead to increased oil viscosity, which negatively affects energy efficiency. Ultimately, the oil loses its effectiveness and must be changed.

Contaminant build-up also affects oil life. Motor oil is formulated with detergent and dispersant additives responsible for holding dirt, soot (in diesel engines) and other contaminants in suspension and preventing them from depositing on engine surfaces or forming sludge. These additives are sacrificial in nature, meaning once they’re depleted, the oil’s effectiveness suffers and it must be changed.

Better Raw Materials Equal Better Oil

Like any other product, quality plays a big role, and in the case of motor oil helps determine service life and effectiveness. Synthetic motor oil is formulated using higher-quality raw materials than conventional oil, allowing it to perform better and last longer.

AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil, for example, is guaranteed for 25,000 miles/700 hours of operation/one year, whichever comes first, in normal service (15,000 miles in severe service). Its synthetic base oils don’t contain the impurities inherent to conventional oils, allowing it to more effectively resist chemical breakdown and extreme heat. Signature Series is also formulated with high-quality additives that effectively neutralize contaminants for long service life.

The graph helps demonstrate this fact. A key indicator of potential service life is the oil’s Total Base Number (TBN), which indicates the oil’s ability to neutralize contaminants, such as combustion by-products and acidic materials. Higher TBN oils are able to neutralize a greater amount of acidic materials, which results in improved protection against corrosive reactions and longer life.

Total Base Number AMSOIL Signatures Series Test Results

Compared to nine leading synthetic oils, Signature Series ranked first in the TBN test. It delivers a combination of long service life and outstanding protection other oils simply can’t touch, helping you get the most out of your vehicle and save time and money. In fact, no other oil available offers a drain interval of up to 25,000 miles.

AMSOIL also formulates XL Synthetic Motor Oil (10,000 miles/six months, or longer when recommended in owner’s manuals or indicated by electronic oil life monitoring systems) and OE Synthetic Motor Oil (3,000+ miles/3+ months), providing three tiers of AMSOIL performance.

How to Reduce Engine Wear

How to Reduce Engine Wear

Engine wear is inevitable. But you can take steps to reduce wear and maximize the life and performance of your engine.

Wear occurs in four primary ways.

Abrasive wear starts with particles that originate as contaminants from outside the engine, such as dirt or soot. These contaminants are ingested through the air intake and circulate throughout the engine, grinding and scouring metal components. Most abrasive wear can be eliminated with high-quality air and oil filters.

Corrosive wear, sometimes referred to as chemical wear, results from chemical attack on a metal surface, such as the cylinder wall. Chemical corrosion is especially problematic in vehicles used sporadically or seasonally, such as motorcycles.

Adhesive wear is a result of metal-to-metal contact under high loads, speed or temperatures. Although the metal surfaces in your engine appear smooth to the naked eye, they contain microscopic high spots, called asperities. As asperities slide against each other, they can bond, causing the two surfaces to adhere. As they pull apart, surface imperfections result that accumulate over time and can lead to failures, such as seizure.

Fatigue wear occurs when regular stress on a lubricated surface causes fractures over time. Fatigue wear occurs predominantly in rolling-element bearings.

Four-Ball Wear Test ChartUsing high-quality air and oil filters is critical to reducing engine wear. Air filters help prevent abrasive contaminants from entering your engine, while a good oil filter will trap particles before they can circulate through the engine and cause wear. AMSOIL offers Wix and MANN-FILTER air filters, which feature high-quality media that provide superior filtration. AMSOIL Ea Oil Filters are made from synthetic media, which traps and holds a higher percentage of the small, wear-causing particles conventional filters miss for maximum engine protection.

The motor oil you choose is just as important. Modern engines run hotter and under higher pressures, increasing the likelihood of wear. Some oils may not be up to the challenge of providing the required level of protection. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are formulated with resilient base stocks and performance additives that withstand heat and stress better than conventional oils. To demonstrate, AMSOIL Signature Series  5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil was compared to nine leading synthetic oils in the Four Ball Wear Test. It delivered excellent wear protection and revealed itself to be the top-performing oil in the test, helping you get the most out of your vehicles.

 

Spend Less on Fuel and Motor Oil

Spend Less on Fuel and Motor Oil

Compared to conventional oils, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils help improve fuel economy while reducing oil consumption, both of which save you money.

The difference in performance starts at the molecular level. The refining process used to produce conventional base oils separates crude-oil molecules by weight, leaving molecules of different sizes and shapes. Conventional oils’ inconsistent molecular structure requires more energy to circulate throughout your engine, reducing fuel economy. Unstable molecules in conventional base oils can also evaporate more readily in the presence of extreme heat, causing your oil level to drop. If enough motor oil is consumed, eventually there may not be enough to reach all the complex parts of your engine, which can potentially cause damage.

The synthetic base oils used to formulate AMSOIL synthetic lubricants, on the other hand, are manufactured using a process that produces base oils of a uniform molecular structure. The smooth, pure molecules in AMSOIL synthetic lubricants slip easily over one another, increasing lubricity compared to conventional oils and maximizing fuel economy. They are also inherently more stable in the presence of heat, resulting in less oil consumption.

AMSOIL INC. has conducted industry-standard tests to demonstrate. For example, AMSOIL synthetic diesel oil, transmission fluid and gear oil increased fuel economy 6.54 percent in short- to medium-haul diesel applications in one test, while boosting fuel economy in diesel trucks used in stop-and-go city driving conditions 3.15 percent in a second test. The same synthetic technology extends to the entire line of AMSOIL synthetic lubricants, delivering maximum fuel economy in all your vehicles and equipment.

Likewise, a conventional oil showed 60 percent more oil consumption than AMSOIL 5W-30 Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil in testing, requiring more frequent top-offs. Conversely, Signature Series showed 38 percent less consumption than the conventional oil.*

It all means you save money at the pump and have to top-off your oil less often.

*Supported by the NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800)