Years ago my college professor gave the class data points to curve fit and everyone had slightly different curves...
Can thicker oil cause more wear?
- Thread starter Accent Abuser
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Use a computer with a curve fitting tool. Even Excel can do multiple types of data curve fits.
I was 18 years old at the time....gollygeewhiz...
...no puter in 1981...but I do see yer smiley...Use a computer with a curve fitting tool. Even Excel can do multiple types of data curve fits.
Actually that gear oil I used was ep130 single grade...from around 1959 or so.
Thanx for the effort with that chart...I still think that ep130 was real thick at 10f..
Are you sure now? It was a long time ago. You were 18 and all.
Yep...was a metal pump/lid that clamped on to a 5 gallon tin bucket. Was in the archive section of the yard under weeds and misc stuff. Dad used it in his 38 ford pumkin.
Around 1981 or so my pickup was low on oil and was in a hurry not to be late to class. No oil was to be had but there was some 90-130 gear oil so...
Weather got cold suddenly couple of weeks later and I ran out to warm up the truck. It started okey but when I came out later to get to class it was not running. Upon inspection one could easily spin the distr
I am certain this makes a good campfire and beer tale which I would gladly partake. .But the fact is you cannot compare what occurred in what I think was 1981 with 21 year old poorly stored gear oil and the difference in a grade or two of modern engine oil.
It was ment as a non-tech interesting story about youth and the human condition....and how too thick of an oil can wreck a motor..you do need a beer..I would gladly have one with ya but I don't drink..
ps...I'm on yer side on this topic..
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my point is you used an anecdote beyond reasonable differences between thick and thin modern Recomended engine oils. I am enjoying a red wine by the fireplace, but would drink a beer and hang out with you at anytime.
That was the purpose of the story...that only a real screwup in oil will wreck a motor! Probably took the long way around..
Enjoy your evening..ya tired me out..
You too, it has been a pleasure.
I've just adopted a policy of going as thick as starting temps allow within reason (usually 0-5w-40 in winter, 10w-40 or even a 50 in the summer), I intend on keeping the engine running as many miles as possible (500k+) and I drive a ton so it's not likely age or rust will kill it, so even tiny amounts of wear differences will make a difference down the line at 300k and above.
Anyone who throws around technical terms like “0-20 wateroil” is obviously a highly trained and qualified expert in the field of tribology.
Sounds like it snapped the wimpy distributor drive shaft, which was a pretty common failure if the engine was turned over in very cold weather with thick oil. I doubt it "wrecked the motor" though.
hol up
filters have antidrain valves...when cold cranking, the oil pressure is immediately there..
I don't get the straight lines above 2.6 cP that don't follow the data points.
There's also more than just abrasive wear to consider. As HTHS increases, the rings transition from boundary to hydrodynamic lubrication easier and earlier in the stroke, but hydrodynamic friction also increases. There's a point where that hydrodynamic friction can be come great enough to affect ring seal, hurting power and efficiency, and increasing oil transport past the rings leading to more oil consumption, coking, and carbon deposits in the top half of the engine. I've seen it induce ring flutter in some racing engines. The thinner the rings, tighter they are together, and lower the oil ring tension, the more sensitive the rings will be.
An OEM engine with 20 lbs of oil tension turning <6000 rpm likely won't encounter this issue. An NA race engine with 0.7mm rings, 6 lbs of tension, and turning 8000+ rpm will be a whole different story. The application is very important.
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