Can somebody show me a low quality, bad engine oil

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Originally Posted By: LucasDK
My Toyota Corolla from 1991 requires a SE, SF or SG quality oil. The question is, if I can lower my standards and just go for the cheapest as I wont need a SN quality oil.

I rarely see the SEA donut here. Just SAE xyz written in letters on the backside.

Lucas


I would stick to an API SJ or newer rating. Anything before is obosolete and don't need to meet the specs. for that rating. Although they may, if in doubt, I wouldn't buy.
 
Originally Posted By: Jake777
pqiamerica.com they will show you some amazingly bad oils.


None of which are for sale in Denmark.
 
Penrite here in Australia (the "Thicker is better" company as I might call them) also market a select range of oils for "classic cars."

*Sarcasm Alert!*
Naturally, they apply their typical wisdom to this as well, so many of these oils are VERY thick - presumably because people who own classics won't have invested the money into restoring the engines and thus they're completely clapped-out hunks of junk that need oil with the consistency of molasses to run correctly...

And, this oil ought to be great, because every manufacturer since dot have recommended 20w-60/70 oils for their engines!
http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products-categs.php?id_categ=14&id_subcateg=69
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: mclasser
If it doesn't have the API certification donut, RUN.


M1 HM 5W-20 and 5W-30 don't have the API certification donut right?
 
If it meets the specs for your car, it's probably a good oil. API SN, ILSAC GF-5, DEXOS, etc...

A bad oil is Dollar General brand oil. The majority of it is for vehicles 1980 or older & the SAE 30 is only rated for 1930s engines. And the bottles aren't clearly labeled, the info is on the back of the bottle in mediocre print.

They also sell this outdated oil right beside good oils that meet specs like Peak, Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. Just be warned. But anything that meets API SN isn't a bad oil at all.
 
Originally Posted By: LucasDK
My Toyota Corolla from 1991 requires a SE, SF or SG quality oil. The question is, if I can lower my standards and just go for the cheapest as I wont need a SN quality oil.

I rarely see the SEA donut here. Just SAE xyz written in letters on the backside.

Lucas


I once owned a 1990 Toyota Carina. Like your Corolla, it only asked for SG oil every 6,000 miles. I really loved that car! I gave it away free of charge with 165,000 miles on the clock and it was still working. Had more problems with the gearbox than the engine (would never stay in 5th as I recall). Around 2001, I got very busy at work and had no time to get the car serviced. I ran it out to around 18,000 miles when the red light came on. Just turned the car around, drove back to the lab, grabbed the first can of oil I could lay my hands on (10W40 GTX prototype??), poured it in (didn't bother with a filter change or drain) and just kept on driving!!! If I leant one thing from this, it's that Toyota engines are as tough as old boots and will take a lot of abuse.
 
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Originally Posted By: Jake777
pqiamerica.com they will show you some amazingly bad oils.


None of which are for sale in Denmark.


I'm sure they don't have anything like that in Denmark
 
Buying off brand oil is like buying off brand cereal, you can do it but no one would recommend it.
 
Originally Posted By: LucasDK
My Toyota Corolla from 1991 requires a SE, SF or SG quality oil. The question is, if I can lower my standards and just go for the cheapest as I wont need a SN quality oil.

I rarely see the SEA donut here. Just SAE xyz written in letters on the backside.

Lucas

I understand that the newer speced oil such as sn or even sm etc. are back specked to replace the other older ones. Probably just better for your toyota anyway. Unless you have flat tappets, wich you dont in a 91 toyota. In that case many people insist that a higher zinc oil is needed.
 
Originally Posted By: Manofsteel
Originally Posted By: LucasDK
My Toyota Corolla from 1991 requires a SE, SF or SG quality oil. The question is, if I can lower my standards and just go for the cheapest as I wont need a SN quality oil.

I rarely see the SEA donut here. Just SAE xyz written in letters on the backside.

Lucas

I understand that the newer speced oil such as sn or even sm etc. are back specked to replace the other older ones. Probably just better for your toyota anyway. Unless you have flat tappets, wich you dont in a 91 toyota. In that case many people insist that a higher zinc oil is needed.



Higher zddp isn't necessary in all flat tappet engines especially stock ones without elevated spring pressure. The SM/SN oils reduced zddp limits but they just started using organic antiwear additives as well as more of the common aw additives.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
http://www.pqiamerica.com/Everclear7-2011.htm

http://www.pqiamerica.com/citystar.htm

http://www.pqiamerica.com/star10w30.htm


Nick, you're shooting out links of proof like the AC130 Gunship.
grin2.gif


maxresdefault.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: LucasDK
My Toyota Corolla from 1991 requires a SE, SF or SG quality oil. The question is, if I can lower my standards and just go for the cheapest as I wont need a SN quality oil.

I rarely see the SEA donut here. Just SAE xyz written in letters on the backside.

Lucas

Newer classification oils address a issue with it's predecessor, say SG oil in a 1991 Yota, or maybe was a '91 Caddy North Star(was NS even developed yet?)... Anyway once a oil is deemed as having a issue, usually ALL mfgr require the newer oil in in their vehicles, whether their engines were suffering or not... There is ZERO chance all engines suddenly needed SH oils(though they well may benefit)... It's just simpler for mfgr to require the latest oils...

The 1956 Ford owners manual says MM(SB) or MS(SC) may be used, PQIA timeline claims SB is harmful in any engine after 1951... Note oil classifications SA, SB & SC did not exist before 1967, yet their predecessors are never mentioned these days... Also note there is a disclaimer stating to always refer to your owners manual... Meaning some mfgr were saying the earlier oils were OK in their latest engines...

http://www.pqiamerica.com/TIMELINE 5-23-2013rv23.pdf

SD oils were developed because SC oils were oxidizing in the newer engines that used a 195* thermostat, wasn't that 1968 models suddenly needed SE... This problem was happening approx three years prior, just took the oil co that long to address it...

After saying all this would I search out a earlier oil for a older Lo-Po engine that extra zinc was meaningless? Nope, nada, zero...
 
Originally Posted By: Doublehaul

Look at those numbers!!! I was driving a work vehicle years ago( not my regular...a loaner while mine as in the shop) and the low oil light came on. Pulled into a station and city star was all they had!!! I called a wrecker lol


Lol. There's certain chance the oil this vehicle already had (that caused the low oil light to come on) to have been City Star also...
 
This is typically what the labels of budget engine oils says here in Denmark. There is no SAE donut, it mentions the MB specs ... but looking into the bevo list you cannot find the brands (maybe it was rebranded - I dont know). All oils were spotted in something similar to home depot. 4 liters is about 20 USD and considered cheap by Danish standards. A Mobil or Castrol would have been 40 USD for 4 liters.

20160207_173122_zps4y91v3bo.jpg

20160206_120550_zpskhm3ctpq.jpg

20160206_120542_zps7svvd9mr.jpg


Lucas
 
Those oils do have API ratings - either SL or SN.

Make sure the motor oil meets the specifications in your owner's manual. I use an API SL rated oil in my 2000 BMW (a Made in Germany 0W-30 Syntec that meets the BMW LL-01 specification). For run-of-the mill engines (in good working order, non turbo, no racing, no prolonged high speed driving, oil change intervals of about 5000 mile/8000 Km) any API SN rated oil should be just fine.
 
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