Catalytic Converter damage from using Mobil 1 0w40 Euro oil

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Hi everyone,
I have a quick question about Mobil 1 0w40 Euro oil. Around here that oil is looked upon as magic in a bottle, however some people have noted that it can "kill" the cats on cars/trucks. Is there any truth/evidence to note cat damage from the 0w40 Euro oil? I am currently the 0w40 in my 1999 Explorer.


Thank you
I doubt it. It's not as much zddp as specific classic car oils or some hdeo's. I'm using it in my 05 Silverado. The original cat is still apparently fine after smoking on startup due to a plugged PCV in the valve cover for the past 60k miles. If that didn't kill it, I doubt using a 0w40 now that the oil burning issue is fixed would.
 
People say that because it contains ~25% more ZDDP than API oils. The reason the phosphorus (from ZDDP) was restricted to 600-800 ppm was due to concerns over phosphorus and sulfur causing damage to emissions equipment such as the catalytic converter.

The reality of it is that it's a massively dramatized issue. Yes, phosphorus and sulfur can damage catalytic converters if large amounts of it are passed through the cats. I'm talking about a quart every 500 miles kind of consumption through the engine into the cats. So now the cat will last only 400k miles instead of a potential 600k miles. Doesn't really matter when 99% of vehicles end up in a junkyard with
I prefer what's good for the engine, not what's good for the cats. If they are at odds with one another, I'm choosing engine life over cat life.
 
Hi everyone,
I have a quick question about Mobil 1 0w40 Euro oil. Around here that oil is looked upon as magic in a bottle, however some people have noted that it can "kill" the cats on cars/trucks. Is there any truth/evidence to note cat damage from the 0w40 Euro oil? I am currently the 0w40 in my 1999 Explorer.


Thank you

By any chance that these "people" work for Castrol or Pennzoil marketing department or just good old fashion Mobil 1 haters ?

Relax, you will be fine.
 
People say that because it contains ~25% more ZDDP than API oils. The reason the phosphorus (from ZDDP) was restricted to 600-800 ppm was due to concerns over phosphorus and sulfur causing damage to emissions equipment such as the catalytic converter.

The reality of it is that it's a massively dramatized issue. Yes, phosphorus and sulfur can damage catalytic converters if large amounts of it are passed through the cats. I'm talking about a quart every 500 miles kind of consumption through the engine into the cats. So now the cat will last only 400k miles instead of a potential 600k miles. Doesn't really matter when 99% of vehicles end up in a junkyard with
I prefer what's good for the engine, not what's good for the cats. If they are at odds with one another, I'm choosing engine life over cat life.
A lot cheaper/easier to replace a cat instead of an engine.
 
If it was in California it would not only have to pass smog biennelly, but it would have to have the tailpipe test too which the rear cat sensor fouler trick won't work if the cat is bad.
That's where you run the tank to almost empty, then put in a few gallons of e-85 just for the test, fill up right after with e-10 or e-0.
 
That's where you run the tank to almost empty, then put in a few gallons of e-85 just for the test, fill up right after with e-10 or e-0.
My freind had a bad cat on his Mark VIII. He replaced the spark plugs, then filled the tank with a few gallons of xylene and a gallon of nitromethane (he has a sprint car). Then drove it around to get the cat red hot and it passed. Of course the fuel pump went to be with the Lord not long after because he parked the car and didn't drain the tank lol.
 
Cant kill the cats if it's not burning oil. All oil will kill the cats but higher saps ones do it quicker. What's your oil consumption and why do you use mobil 0w-40fs. If it's burning oil and it needs to pass emissions use a lower saps oil like a regulars 10w-40.
 
Cant kill the cats if it's not burning oil. All oil will kill the cats but higher saps ones do it quicker. What's your oil consumption and why do you use mobil 0w-40fs. If it's burning oil and it needs to pass emissions use a lower saps oil like a regulars 10w-40.
Can you explain how the SAPS is related to the winter rating?
 
The vast majority of oils in the 10w-40 range are gonna be lower saps. A 0 or 5w-40 is usually a euro spec and euro spec 40 grades are almost never low saps. A lot of 5 or 15w-40's diesel grades are also higher saps as well. A 10w-40 is the one that's usually lower saps. I don't know why you pretend 10w-40's are common stout euro or diesel grades.
Can you explain how the SAPS is related to the winter rating?
 
The vast majority of oils in the 10w-40 range are gonna be lower saps. A 0 or 5w-40 is usually a euro spec and euro spec 40 grades are almost never low saps. A lot of 5 or 15w-40's diesel grades are also higher saps as well. A 10w-40 is the one that's usually lower saps. I don't know why you pretend 10w-40's are common stout euro or diesel grades.
I had no idea I was pretending anything. I just know I go by what the approvals require for such things and haven’t yet tried to rely on grade or the winter rating. Seemed somewhat random you did.

I’m going to stick to the approval or license requirements however.
 
I had no idea I was pretending anything. I just know I go by what the approvals require for such things and haven’t yet tried to rely on grade or the winter rating. Seemed somewhat random you did.

I’m going to stick to the approval or license requirements however.
I said usually not definitively since there will always be that one obscure case someone will use even though it's knowm it's impractical to encounter in daily life. But please go to common/local stores or websites and find high saps 10w-40's. I don't have to say the same about 0/5/15w-40's you can easily find a high saps one nearby.

You can go look at the back of 10w-40 bottles to make sure they're definitely not licensed with approvals that are high saps. If that 10w-40 bottle even has any specs listed on the back of it whatsoever since it's an old viscosity for new vehicles to spec and obsolete for new vehicles at least in the americas. Most 10w-40's will have none or old specs listed on them. Old enough to where the oil spec desired to be used in said spec'd engine is old enough to where a bad cat wouldn't matter. They'd usually be old enough to be emissions exempt anyway.
 
I said usually not definitively since there will always be that one obscure case someone will use even though it's knowm it's impractical to encounter in daily life. But please go to common/local stores or websites and find high saps 10w-40's. I don't have to say the same about 0/5/15w-40's you can easily find a high saps one nearby.

You can go look at the back of 10w-40 bottles to make sure they're definitely not licensed with approvals that are high saps. If that 10w-40 bottle even has any specs listed on the back of it whatsoever since it's an old viscosity for new vehicles to spec and obsolete for new vehicles at least in the americas. Most 10w-40's will have none or old specs listed on them. Old enough to where the oil spec desired to be used in said spec'd engine is old enough to where a bad cat wouldn't matter. They'd usually be old enough to be emissions exempt anyway.

The SAPS limits as enforced by the API (which are really just Phos/Zinc limits) don't apply to xW-40's, that's why M1 FS 0w-40 can be SN.

With Euro-geared lubes, which actually do have formal tiers for SAPS (Low/Mid/Full) Mobil 1 ESP 0w-40 (also: Corvette) is low SAPS (hence the ESP designation).

If we are looking at non-Euro lubes, the SRT 0w-40 is your typical SN/SP Energy Conserving additive package in a 0w-40 format.

M1 High Mileage 10w-40 has 800ppm of Phosphorus, 900ppm of Zinc, which is higher than most of the Mobil 0w-xx oils. M1 FS 0w-40 has 1000ppm, 1100ppm while the low SAPS ESP oil is 900/990. The ESP (low SAPS) 0w-20 is 880/950 while EP and AP 0w-20 are 650/750.

10w-40's don't have any real formal approvals, so the bar isn't all that high for performance in service, quite unlike the case for the Euro 0w-40's, which have to meet extremely demanding performance requirements from the myriad of OEM's the product carries the approvals for.
 
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