Amsoil Engine Tear Down Pics

[CarbonSteel]

75w140 is almost certainly overkill in a half-ton differential.

I disagree, but am fine to do that based upon my experience--which is towing 8-9K pounds through all terrains and in temperatures up to 117°F. It depends on load, ambient temperatures, and other factors. Had Ford substantially changed the bearing or shaft sizes prior to the reduction, I would agree, but they did not--the axle is EXACTLY the same, just thinner oil was specified.

Dana specified 75W-140 in my Dana 44 axles under my Wrangler and FCA specified 75W-90. There is only one reason an OEM would reduce viscosity and longevity of the axle is not it.

Oh, and Richard Petty can afford to rebuild his axles every day if he so chose, I, on the other hand would rather not...

 

[Rogueman2016s]

There’s no doubt amsoil is not good stuff, I just haven’t found a vehicle that has a recommended 15,000+ oci. Amsoil OE looks appealing online but in reality anything I can get locally will run with it and costs less and their filters are just overpriced. I still haven’t wrapped my head around the extended drain principle, it definitely doesn’t cost less in the long run you’re paying for it up front to perform less physical oil changes. But I do commend those who put their automotive faith and vehicle investment in a bottle with some John Hancock print.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

I always felt amsoil was a marketing gimmick, because when you actually call them and talk to them about what group base stocks they use, they will not talk to you or tell you and they demand a premium for their oil redline is a complete opposite the advertiser base stocks on the bottle I do not know who they get their base oil from but being the fact that they’re from Benicia, I would have to assume Chevron considering it’s not that far away

 

[Bullwinkle007]

There’s no doubt amsoil is not good stuff, I just haven’t found a vehicle that has a recommended 15,000+ oci. Amsoil OE looks appealing online but in reality anything I can get locally will run with it and costs less and their filters are just overpriced. I still haven’t wrapped my head around the extended drain principle, it definitely doesn’t cost less in the long run you’re paying for it up front to perform less physical oil changes. But I do commend those who put their automotive faith and vehicle investment in a bottle with some John Hancock print.

For what it cost I could do three oil changes and do oil changes every 3000 miles I much rather have clean oil, then try to stretch it out. Their oil filters are made by champion labs nothing fancy has seen them cut open on on YouTube.

 

[Pablo]

I still haven’t wrapped my head around the extended drain principle, it definitely doesn’t cost less in the long run you’re paying for it up front to perform less physical oil changes. But I do commend those who put their automotive faith and vehicle investment in a bottle with some John Hancock print.

You can't get your head around extended OCI's but you are certain of the costs? I'm pretty sure well managed fleets know the principle and the costs. Of course it's not super simple and not for everyone, but certainly is a lot more than going by printing on a bottle. Some people don't like to change their oil in the winter, don't have to change every 3K. Those are simple things. I do our changes every year. The oil is fine. Again, simple. No faith needed.

I always felt amsoil was a marketing gimmick, because when you actually call them and talk to them about what group base stocks they use, they will not talk to you or tell you and they demand a premium for their oil redline is a complete opposite the advertiser base stocks on the bottle I do not know who they get their base oil from but being the fact that they’re from Benicia, I would have to assume Chevron considering it’s not that far away

You are free to feel however you want, but I can assure you Redline is no longer just a Benicia company (Phillips 66) and they don't print their formula on the bottle, advertising or not, but they may still get some base oils from Chevron (as does Amsoil) - and despite the hype they are not some magic formulator that uses "mostly esters". Their oils are well formulated and they use the base oils that work for the specific formulation, just like any other good oil blender.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

Amsoil's white paper on gear oil always says they have the best.
I used the 75w90 severe gear in both my F150's
Both had bearing failures in 20,000 miles.
I then saw 540 rat's test on it and it performed poorly. I know bogus info but......
Just changed my gear oil on my truck with HPL 75w90. See how that goes.

I use redline myself. If it can handle 10k hp from nitro. I say it’s pretty solid. I know it’s used. I’ve seen it and the bottle was sealed when I saw the cap come off.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

"Pulled heads off of my 2008 GMC Sierra 1/2 ton w/ 5.3 this weekend and still looking clean with 348,690 original miles. I’ve been running Amsoil since day one and changed oil at 25,000 for the 1st 100k then every 20,000 miles after that. Replaced the broken valve spring and bolting her back up. Hope to get another 200k before rebuild."

*the formulation obvioiusly changed a few times throughout the life of this vehicle.

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Yellow varnish like the old Pennzoil days.

 

[Pablo]

"Pulled heads off of my 2008 GMC Sierra 1/2 ton w/ 5.3 this weekend and still looking clean with 348,690 original miles. I’ve been running Amsoil since day one and changed oil at 25,000 for the 1st 100k then every 20,000 miles after that. Replaced the broken valve spring and bolting her back up. Hope to get another 200k before rebuild."

*the formulation obvioiusly changed a few times throughout the life of this vehicle.

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Looks really clean nothing like the sludge and goo using a conventional oil for near 350,000 miles and even 5-10K intervals

 

[wwillson]

I use redline myself. If it can handle 10k hp from nitro.

You have to be careful assuming that Redline or any oil can "handle" the heat and pressures in a nitro motor. If you are ever in the pits and get a chance to look at the bearings after a run, you might be a bit surprised at how burned and extruded they are after a 10k HP run.

 

[buster]

I always felt amsoil was a marketing gimmick, because when you actually call them and talk to them about what group base stocks they use, they will not talk to you or tell you and they demand a premium for their oil redline is a complete opposite the advertiser base stocks on the bottle I do not know who they get their base oil from but being the fact that they’re from Benicia, I would have to assume Chevron considering it’s not that far away

It's very easy to get caught up in product data sheet values, base oil and additive systems etc. I occasionally fall into that trap. There is also a legitimate reason why knowing more about the composition of an oil can also be a gauge of quality. I much prefer to see some level of disclosure, but I can also understand why many don't.

One of things I have picked up on over the years is the common theme across the board about balance and validation. What looks good on paper could absolutely have formulation weaknesses. A concoction of 18 or more ingredients in a blend leaves plenty of room for that. Red Line a few years ago didn't even past the TEOST test per Amsoil's testing.

Oil chemistry is very complex. I watched this video recently from a guy at Torco. One of the things this guy mentions is how difficult it is to get things just right. This is why I'm very much against aftermarket additives or adding anything to a well formulation oil.

Just reading some of these patents will give you an idea of how much testing and development goes into these products.

 

[Pablo]

You have to be careful assuming that Redline or any oil can "handle" the heat and pressures in a nitro motor. If you are ever in the pits and get a chance to look at the bearings after a run, you might be a bit surprised at how burned and extruded they are after a 10k HP run.

Kinda wasn't his point. I think denigrating another oil was.

 

[OVERKILL]

I use redline myself. If it can handle 10k hp from nitro. I say it’s pretty solid. I know it’s used. I’ve seen it and the bottle was sealed when I saw the cap come off.

So you are using SAE 70 and rebuilding your engine after every trip? I wouldn't think a Nitro methane application is the best comparison for a street operated vehicle, I'd be more inclined toward something like the 24hr races where at least there's service for longer than 3-4 seconds.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

For what it cost I could do three oil changes and do oil changes every 3000 miles I much rather have clean oil, then try to stretch it out. Their oil filters are made by champion labs nothing fancy has seen them cut open on on YouTube.

This is my philosophy too. It seems like the way people justify extended drains is that the oil viscosity stays in spec and the additives last. Well, if I just change my oil, then I have perfect viscosity and fresh additives too. So like you said, if I can change my oil three times in that span for the same price, and have the benefit of draining contaminants out of the engine, then why would I not want that? Unless you really cannot stand changing your oil and really want to put it off for as long as humanly possible, then there's no benefit in my opinion.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

This is my philosophy too. It seems like the way people justify extended drains is that the oil viscosity stays in spec and the additives last. Well, if I just change my oil, then I have perfect viscosity and fresh additives too. So like you said, if I can change my oil three times in that span for the same price, and have the benefit of draining contaminants out of the engine, then why would I not want that? Unless you really cannot stand changing your oil and really want to put it off for as long as humanly possible, then there's no benefit in my opinion.

Personally I enjoy playing in my man cave garage. It also allows me the opportunity to do a vechicle inspection under the car.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

So you are using SAE 70 and rebuilding your engine after every trip? I wouldn't think a Nitro methane application is the best comparison for a street operated vehicle, I'd be more inclined toward something like the 24hr races where at least there's service for longer than 3-4 seconds.

I’m sorry I was more relating to their gear oils. I believe the nitro cars use their heavy shock gear oil designed for competition. if they can make that and it stays together then I would be safe to say that they’re standard 7590 would perform just as well. I’ve never had any failures with transmissions or drive train using their ATF, MT-90, MTL, or 75/90. I used there 0/40 and for some reason it liked to leak through the rear main seal on my 2007 MDX (J37). Switched back to M1 0/40. Problem stopped. Maybe too much ester?

 

[OVERKILL]

I’m sorry I was more relating to their gear oils. I believe the nitro cars use their heavy shock gear oil designed for competition. if they can make that and it stays together then I would be safe to say that they’re standard 7590 would perform just as well. I’ve never had any failures with transmissions or drive train using their ATF, MT-90, MTL, or 75/90. I used there 0/40 and for some reason it liked to leak through the rear main seal on my 2007 MDX (J37). Switched back to M1 0/40. Problem stopped. Maybe too much ester?

Sounds like might have been an improper balance of seal swell. FWIW, M1 0W-40 stopped the valve cover leak on my M5 too.

A lack of failure really isn't a preponderance of proof though. I used a variety of different gear oils in our Expedition diff, towed heavy with it while not being kind to it, never had a failure. I don't consider that a testament to the quality of those gear oils

I know the load of 10,000HP is nuts, but it's also only for 3-4 seconds. I'd think that again, the 24hr cars might be a better benchmark, due to the extended use, but OTR truck diffs are another thing to consider, given the load they are required to deal with, for long periods of time. That's why my current stock of gear oil is Delvac 1 75W-90, which was used at the heavy truck dealer my buddy worked at.

 

[02SE]

You have to be careful assuming that Redline or any oil can "handle" the heat and pressures in a nitro motor. If you are ever in the pits and get a chance to look at the bearings after a run, you might be a bit surprised at how burned and extruded they are after a 10k HP run.

It depends on a bunch of factors. One of which is the oil. Bearings CAN be in good shape after a record-setting run, where 12k+ hp has been measured.

 

[buster]

314k miles. Amsoil only since the first change.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

314k miles. Amsoil only since the first change.

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Is that the same engine or similar?

 

[buster]

Is that the same engine or similar?

I think it's the same type of engine. I don't know the OCI so it may not be that impressive.