What I am wondering is DOES IT MATTER? Is there any evidence that hearing the tapping/clicking is an indication of bad things to come? Noticed both the BMW (N20) and Merc (GLC300) clatter at cold start-up but are a lot quieter once warmed up. Not as much as a small car diesel engine that sounds like a whole lot of cans rattling around, but definitely a noise that occurs on cold starts. Sticking with M1 for both so have not compared to other oils.
Engine Noise And Oil Brand
- Thread starter Charmet37
- Start date
Some folks here dump perfectly good oil because of perceived sound.
I have a 99 Ram with the 24 Valve Cummins. It's a loud motor to start with but I have noticed some oils make it nosier. I used Amsoil HD diesel not the Max duty and the engine was nosier at all rpm from the get-go with it. Switched back to T6 Rotella 15w40 next time and it's smooth
I don’t believe it matters in my case as I continue to use that brand of oil.
The cause is always up for debate. Telling one they don’t or can’t hear something different in their own vehicle is something else.
The cause is always up for debate. Telling one they don’t or can’t hear something different in their own vehicle is something else.
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2022
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- 831
Logic/science and a good set of ears are not mutually exclusive.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
When I did dB tests - 40’s were certainly more quiet than 30’s - and M1 0w40 beat 5w30 PUP
However—- I think the gentleman who mentioned tones is correct based on years of doing hearing tests - still, see my previous post
However—- I think the gentleman who mentioned tones is correct based on years of doing hearing tests - still, see my previous post
Patman
Staff member
They also dump perfectly good oil because it got a little bit darker
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I don't know. I just know that I don't like it when I hear it in my truck and I've had some good success just by changing oil types.
If there are two otherwise (on paper) quality oils and the one sounds noticeably better, so much so that a mechanic who owns the same truck/engine confirms it, then I'm running the quieter one.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
Joel
We make you laugh and you do the same likewise to some of us.
Just remember this....
1) no 2 ears are alike and ....
2) whenever you listen to the same exact sound - first with your eyes open - then closed, which one (1 or 2), appears louder inside your head and which ear did the sound penetrate further?..... was it the one furthest away from from the sound, or closest? Sometimes the answers are not what you normally expected.
I could do a 3rd here BTW.
Sometimes outside of the box noise can mask the sounding ability of what you're listening to (such as engine noise). Sometimes a wall configuration nearby can shift the sound, or place an echo ore reverberation effect to it.
Unless you know the differences before you start and know how to deal with it, then please don't judge someone else's ability to ascertain the strength and weaknesses of the sounds.
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You just made a good argument as to why the ear is unreliable at making sound pressure determinations.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
any vehicle i put Mobil 1 in is notably louder in the top end. it is my last choice when it comes to buying oil other than house branded stuff. my number one off the shelf oil is Valvoline.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
This is post #54 - nothing useful or anything I’d call credible yet …
What is the point of another coral of dead horses …
What is the point of another coral of dead horses …
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
BTW - I post something similar to this when these things are circulated - nobody ever responds - bcs it’s reality - same old claims with no attempts to explain why …Mobil supplies base stock to over two dozen blenders. They make so many different formulas of their own that members here complain …
They are co owners of an additive company that others use - and they buy additional additives from the same companies that all the others do.
It must be the decal
Please don’t get me wrong. I understand the skeptic’s, because I was one. I also laughed at posts like this for almost 20 years here on BITOG. Over 50 years of driving cars and I only experienced this on my 2018 Outback. I had to eat my humble pie…
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Well, if you think it’s useful LoL
People don't believe controlled studies anymore?
bizol.com
Study on Engine Noise Level vs Oil Formulation
Thought this was somewhat interesting, especially the engine noise level vs oil formulation used data. We've all seen various threads where people say they can hear an engine noise level difference with different oils, and some say it's "all in their head" or "their ears aren't sensitive enough...
bobistheoilguy.com
BIZOL - Innovation in motor oils Does Motor Oil Influence Engine Noise? Yes, It Does!
Over many decades, there has been an apparently never ending debate among lubrication experts as to the influence of crankcase lubricant on engine noise, in which opinions often substitute facts, and no consensus has been reached so far.
I’ve used lots of brands and weights in cars; never noticed noises. 