Ok, I've done a search and I still cannot find an answer. Here's the deal: some folks say that Mobil 1 and a few other oils make engines noisy. Some other folks say that oils such as GC make engines run more quietly. However, does noise necessarily mean more engine wear and, conversely, does less noise mean less engine wear? BTW, I'm not an engineer or chemist; I guess I just want to know if, all other things being equal (i.e. no major problems with an engine), engine noise caused by motor oil shortens the life of the engine. Thanks in advance.
Does engine noise = engine wear?
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I can't see that you would want additional noise. The noise doesn't necessarily indicate a problem but at times it does.
To me if I see the wear in a UOA or I hear something in the engine that I didn't hear before the oil change, that oil isn't spending much time in that engine. I can't imagine ever selling a car and being able to successfully explain that the noise that the person test-driving the car is hearing is an oil related sound, it's just not going to happen. So I try oils until I hear one that is quiet in my engine. In the case of my piston slapping 3.4L that would be Halvoline and the worst was Mobil 1. Mobil 1 has been great in my Corolla though, although I will be switching to a higher viscosity on the basis of oil consumption and will probably use an $8/gallon HDEO once i'm done with that OCI.
I don't see how there can be noise and not be some sort of friction or physical contact that would be causing wear... I'm sticking to my instincts and going with an oil that doesn't have noise while it's in my car. It seems hard to believe that an oil dampens sounds, so it just seems to make the most sense to go with an oil or oil viscosity depending on the issue that doesn't have extra engine noise.
I don't see how there can be noise and not be some sort of friction or physical contact that would be causing wear... I'm sticking to my instincts and going with an oil that doesn't have noise while it's in my car. It seems hard to believe that an oil dampens sounds, so it just seems to make the most sense to go with an oil or oil viscosity depending on the issue that doesn't have extra engine noise.
Mechanical noises associated with moving machinery that can be quieted with better/different lubrication ARE often an indicator of additional wear. The noise is usually the result of two pieces of metal banging together (rod knock, valve clatter, gear whine, etc).
Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo
Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo
I think if Mobil 1 caused wear, there would be no stories of 300-500,000 mile engines that exclusively used Mobil 1.
There are a lot of high mileage stories of engines that only had Mobil 1 as a diet.
There are a lot of high mileage stories of engines that only had Mobil 1 as a diet.
...If wear is happening it could be significant wear or just a trace of wear at certain points of extreme pressure due to clearences, low oil pressure/flow, and/or lack of polarity. I've always wondered about different oils and their polarity especially when using Mobil 1 5w30 in my 3.4L GM V6 I would get a loud groan for the first 10-15 seconds if it was colder than -10 degrees, which is common for at least a month out of every winter and working night shifts and getting off at 2am during the coldest parts of the night, it bothered me so much to the point where I changed the oil in my unheated garage during the day when it was freezing just to put some dino oil in and the groaning noise was never heard again. It seems to be pretty engine specific though because my new car with the Toyota 1.8L 7AFE engine seems to take the Mobil 1 very well in the extreme cold, it's the manual transmission on this car that hates synthetics.
Sorry about the incomplete duplicate post up there.
Sorry about the incomplete duplicate post up there.
On the contrary. Very thin viscoelastic damping materials on steel stampings can substantially reduce noise, vibration, and harshness in automotive and other applications.
http://www.quietsteel.com/auto-applications.html
Thus it is possible that an oil's adhesive and/or cohesive properties might effect it's sound dampening abilities. E.g., shuttle sound suppression system.
Meaning that the high accumulated mileages when Mobil 1 was used were achieved because of or in spite of their being older formulations?
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I suppose you could reason that if a noise exists where it didn't before then the noise is a result of some wear/degradation at some point within the mechanism. That doesn't mean that the oil that allows the noise to evidence itself is causing the wear..nor that the noise itself is wear occuring ...just that the noise is apparent with that oil's use.
I don't know for shure if the awful racket M1 made in my Civic engine caused more wear, but I can't put up with the idea that it might have. I love the sound of a well lubricated engine, M1 caused me not to enjoy that experience. The Amsoil 0w30 I used now solved the "problem".
Sound can indicate increased wear. It depends on what order the harmonic is and how high the amplitude is. Normaly bearing and crankshafts take the biggest hit from harmonic loads. Now with out some very specilized equipment and very specific knoldge of the materials the engine is made out of we are just being very speculative. All or most of us have 5 sense's and we are used to useing them. So things that we can measure like sound perception, color of oil,smell etc..... are easy to coment on even with out a test like UOA.
Wouldn't we be seeing by now horror stories of M1 trashing engines if this "noise" were causing damage?
I find it hard to believe that people who spend that much on oils (they're probably as anal as anyone here) would not be screaming if M1 trashed their motors?
Scott
I find it hard to believe that people who spend that much on oils (they're probably as anal as anyone here) would not be screaming if M1 trashed their motors?
Scott
My neighbor and I purchased Lamborghini Murcielago cars about the same time. We drive about the same distances, the same way, and the same mileage. When it was time to change the oils from the OEM 5W-40 Agip synthetic we had differences. The Lamborghini dealership in Orlando put 20W-50 Castrol GTX in “because this is Florida” while I put in 0w30 Mobil 1. Both engines were noticeably more quiet. Later I put in 5W-20 Red Line and the engine got more quiet and noticeably smoother.
It can be said that a thicker oil coats the inside of the engine better and would deaden the sound more but I would be hard pressed to say there is less noise because the parts are lubricated better.
We also shared the Ferrari Maranello. He ran the Shell 5W-40 while I ran the 0W-20 Mobil 1. A poll of listeners may lean towards his engine being a hair more quiet. Yet with twice the mileage, my car had twice as good a UOA.
Once I dropped out the oil and coolant in the Expedition. After putting in some coolant I started the engine, turned on the lights and the heater to get coolant hot and moving around so as to top it up faster. I then noticed the valve cap off as I had not put the oil back in yet. I had it running for a minute or more and did not notice any unusual sound at all. The engine was as quiet as ever.
Then the Ferrari. I dropped the oil and all the oil lines when changing from the OEM shell 5w30 to the Mobil 0W-20. I put in the oil and started it up. It took about 10 or 15 seconds to get to the top end after starting it up. You would not believe the mechanical noises. Ear muffs would have been handy.
So, what does engine noise have to do with engine wear? I do not think that any general statements can be made.
aehaas
It can be said that a thicker oil coats the inside of the engine better and would deaden the sound more but I would be hard pressed to say there is less noise because the parts are lubricated better.
We also shared the Ferrari Maranello. He ran the Shell 5W-40 while I ran the 0W-20 Mobil 1. A poll of listeners may lean towards his engine being a hair more quiet. Yet with twice the mileage, my car had twice as good a UOA.
Once I dropped out the oil and coolant in the Expedition. After putting in some coolant I started the engine, turned on the lights and the heater to get coolant hot and moving around so as to top it up faster. I then noticed the valve cap off as I had not put the oil back in yet. I had it running for a minute or more and did not notice any unusual sound at all. The engine was as quiet as ever.
Then the Ferrari. I dropped the oil and all the oil lines when changing from the OEM shell 5w30 to the Mobil 0W-20. I put in the oil and started it up. It took about 10 or 15 seconds to get to the top end after starting it up. You would not believe the mechanical noises. Ear muffs would have been handy.
So, what does engine noise have to do with engine wear? I do not think that any general statements can be made.
aehaas
Generaly in rotating industrial equipment and I agree also in an IC engine that changes or increases in noise and vibration indicate a higher wear regime.
If a given engine ran quite then louder after a oil change and oil was the only change I'd say that friction could be higher in certain parts of the engine and that a higher wear condition would exsist BUT I also believe that the "bark is worse than the bite here" in that IF wear rates were higher that is mostly non detectable.
That said different oils will "wet" better than OTHERS Esters being the best PAO the worst and that there maybe some damping/slippery effect with different oils that may quite the engine tho I know of no data to suport that.
I have run "loud" oils and quite oils with no ILL effect so probably is a non issue, till it blows.
bruce
If a given engine ran quite then louder after a oil change and oil was the only change I'd say that friction could be higher in certain parts of the engine and that a higher wear condition would exsist BUT I also believe that the "bark is worse than the bite here" in that IF wear rates were higher that is mostly non detectable.
That said different oils will "wet" better than OTHERS Esters being the best PAO the worst and that there maybe some damping/slippery effect with different oils that may quite the engine tho I know of no data to suport that.
I have run "loud" oils and quite oils with no ILL effect so probably is a non issue, till it blows.
bruce
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