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Can AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants be Safely Mixed Together?

Can AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants be Safely Mixed Together?

Applications require specific lubricant properties to deliver maximum performance and protection. AMSOIL carefully tailors its synthetic lubricants under the strictest quality control standards to provide the required properties for the intended application. Mixing AMSOIL synthetic lubricants is not only unnecessary, it may lead to reduced performance and even equipment failure.

Automatic transmission fluids offer a perfect example. Some transmissions require lubricants that contain specific frictional characteristics to reduce, or eliminate, clutch slippage, while other transmissions may require different frictional requirements. Mixing fluids recommended for different performance specifications may lead to a host of problems, including erratic shifting and transmission failure.

In some applications, mixing lubricants may not lead to equipment failure, but it will reduce performance. For example, if AMSOIL Signature Series 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil is installed in a vehicle, and the vehicle owner adds AMSOIL OE 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil to top off the engine if Signature Series isn’t available, the vehicle will continue to operate perfectly; Signature Series and OE Synthetic Motor Oil share a similar chemistry, and formulations of the same viscosity can be safely mixed. However, mixing the lubricants will shorten Signature Series' life expectancy and reduce its performance benefits. AMSOIL does not support extended drain intervals where oils have been mixed.

To minimize the risk of performance- and warranty-related issues due to improper mixing, AMSOIL does not recommend mixing AMSOIL synthetic lubricants.

Pair AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil with AMSOIL Ea® Oil Filtration

Pair AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil with AMSOIL Ea® Oil Filtration

The function of oil filtration is to remove contaminants introduced into the lubricating oil and prevent them from reaching sensitive engine parts – without restricting normal oil flow to the various points requiring lubrication. Two primary types of oil filtration are available: full-flow and bypass.

Full-Flow Oil Filtration

Full-flow oil filters install directly into the line of oil circulation; the oil passes through the filter as it travels between the oil pump and the engine. A full-flow oil filter must remove and hold contaminants without obstructing oil flow to the engine. Because they use a thin layer of porous filter paper, most oil filters on the market compromise the filtration of finer materials. Such filters have almost no extended cleaning ability because they have a low capacity for storing dirt.

These “surface-type” paper filters quickly become restricted as debris builds up on the surface, at times forcing the filter bypass valve to open and allow unfiltered oil into the engine.

Bypass Oil Filtration

Because oil must be filtered quickly while removing most of the particles, the average full-flow filter traps particles as small as 20 microns. Bypass oil filtration uses a secondary filter with the purpose of eliminating nearly all contaminants in motor oil. Bypass filters have high capacities and eliminate much smaller particles than full-flow filters, including those in the two to 20 micron range, as well as soot and sludge. They reduce engine wear and increase oil volume, but their high efficiencies mean they also have higher restriction and must be used in conjunction with a full-flow filter.

Bypass filters operate by filtering oil on a “partial-flow” basis. They draw approximately 10 percent of the oil pump’s capacity and trap the extremely small, wear-causing contaminants that full-flow filters can’t remove. The continual process cleans the oil, reducing long-term wear and helping extend oil life.

AMSOIL Ea Oil Filters

AMSOIL Ea Oil Filters feature advanced full-synthetic media, making them one of the highest efficiency filters available for the auto/light-truck market.

Provide filtering efficiency of 98.7 percent at 20 microns

Offer greater capacity than competing filter brands

Allow maximum efficiency without restricting flow

Provide extended service life

AMSOIL Ea Bypass Filters

AMSOIL Ea Bypass Filters provide the ultimate in protection against wear and oil degradation in auto/light-truck, heavy-duty and other applications.

Provide filtering efficiency of 98.7 percent at two microns

Offer improved oil filtration for prolonged engine life

Allow increased oil capacity

Provide extended service life

The Hotter it Gets, the Hotter it Gets

The Hotter it Gets, the Hotter it Gets

AMSOIL Severe Gear® Synthetic Gear Lube provides superior protection against thermal runaway.

Modern turbo diesel pickup trucks, V-10 gasoline pickups and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and high-horsepower V-8 trucks boast more towing and payload capacities than ever before.

The extreme loads, pressures and temperatures experienced by modern vehicles place increased stress on gear lubricants that can lead to a serious condition known as thermal runaway. As temperatures in the differential climb upward, gear lubricants tend to lose viscosity, while extreme loads and pressures can break the lubricant film, causing increased metal-to-metal contact and heat. The increased friction and heat, in turn, cause the lubricant to lose further viscosity, which further increases friction and heat. As friction and heat increase, lubricant viscosity decreases. As viscosity decreases, friction and heat continue to spiral upward. The hotter it gets, the hotter it gets. It is a vicious cycle that eventually leads to greatly increased wear and irreparable equipment damage.

AMSOIL Severe Gear® Synthetic Extreme Pressure (EP) Gear Lube features an exclusive blend of high viscosity, shear stable synthetic base oils and an extra treatment of high-performance additives that provide a highly protective iron sulfide barrier coating on gear surfaces. Severe Gear Synthetic Gear Lube effectively protects equipment from thermal runaway through superior viscosity protection.

Viscosity Protection

Viscosity is the most important property of a lubricant in its defense against friction and wear. Viscosity correlates to film strength, and it is film strength that keeps moving parts from contacting each other and creating friction, heat and wear. The higher the viscosity of a lubricant, the greater protection it provides. AMSOIL Severe Gear Synthetic Gear Lube is available in 75W-90, 75W-110, 75W-140, SAE 190 and SAE 250 viscosities, each providing superior protection through superior film strength.

Viscosity Index

As temperatures rise, gear lubricant viscosity and load-carrying abilities decrease. A lubricant’s viscosity index (VI) indicates its ability to maintain its protective viscosity in high-temperature service. The higher a lubricant’s VI, the less its viscosity changes in temperature extremes.

AMSOIL Severe Gear Synthetic Gear Lube provides a high viscosity index, allowing it to protect against thermal runaway by maintaining its superior viscosity protection in high-temperature service.

Shear Stability

Many gear lubes are formulated with viscosity index (VI) improvers in order to ensure multi-grade viscosity protection in both hot and cold temperatures. VI improver additives keep lubricants from becoming too thick to flow in cold temperatures and too thin to protect in high temperatures. However, shearing forces within equipment can cause these additives to break down and lose viscosity.

AMSOIL Severe Gear effectively protects against thermal runaway by maintaining its protection qualities, even in severe, high-shear operating conditions.

The superior viscosity protection, viscosity index and shear-stability properties of AMSOIL Severe Gear Synthetic Gear Lube effectively protect equipment from the devastating effects of thermal runaway. Severe Gear Synthetic Gear Lube is ideal for severe-duty applications, including towing, hauling, steep hill driving, commercial use, plowing, racing, off-road use, rapid acceleration, frequent stop-and-go operation and high ambient temperatures.