Found a long lost stash.

[uart]

Have you ever stashed some surplus oil away and forgotten about it? A few weeks ago I found some jugs of this Calibre stuff (which was like a "house brand" at a local parts store here) stashed away under the house. I can't even remember when I bought it, but I know that this brand hasn't even been sold here for many years!

I guess it must be close to 10 years old.

I've already used some of it at my last oil change a few weeks ago, put it in the wife's Prius. I was a bit worried at first because the outside of the jugs were pretty dusty and dirty, but I sponged them down first up and then when I took off the cap the tops were still sealed (air tight) with like a plastic and foil membrane. So all good I think.

No oil tests done, but I've already run a few thousand km on this oil over the Christmas period and are perfectly happy with it. Engine is smooth and quiet, and the oil consumption so far has been way lower than the last oil change when I ran a Penrite "Enviro + GF5" fuel economy oil.

 

[FermeLaPorte]

I am sure it is still fine

 

[BrocLuno]

SM, ooh good. Plenty ZDDP for some flat tappet cam project

 

[Ducked]

If you find a long-lost stash of this stuff, lose it again.

 

[scionxa]

This wasn't your typical store brand oil, either.

Caltex (a joint venture between Chevron and Texaco dating back to the 1930s, long before their recent merger) made this oil, in Australia. It was good stuff and still is, although the Caltex Australia division has been sold off by ChevronTexaco to Australian shareholders as of 2015. I'm not sure if the Calibre brand still exists now. It may have just disappeared, like so many things.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted By: scionxa
This wasn't your typical store brand oil, either.

Caltex (a joint venture between Chevron and Texaco dating back to the 1930s, long before their recent merger) made this oil, in Australia. It was good stuff and still is, although the Caltex Australia division has been sold off by ChevronTexaco to Australian shareholders as of 2015. I'm not sure if the Calibre brand still exists now. It may have just disappeared, like so many things.


You will find individual reports on both upstream and downstream … but some serious regional money made by Caltex (Chevron) is about Indonesia ~ has been for a long time …

 

[KL31]

A3/B4 as well. Older version of it but still would have decent TBN and HTHS. Wonder how much it cost back then?

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: KL31
A3/B4 as well.


That's the first thing I looked for.

I'd run it in anything I currently own.

 

[hpb]

That was good oil - I used to use that exact one in my Ford Focus, some 10 or 12 years ago. I wish it was still available, it was good stuff, and cheap!

 

[shanneba]

Didn't API SM start about 2010? Should be at most 8 years old

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: shanneba
Didn't API SM start about 2010? Should be at most 8 years old

Yeah, I was just going through some old threads to try and figure out when this brand was discontinued, and I think it was as late as 2012/2013, so not as old as I first thought.

I think I stashed these away at least a year or two before they were discontinued though, probably about 2010/2011. So yeah, probably only about 7 years old. I had totally forgotten about them though.

This stuff was good oil too, Caltex/Havoline C3 5w30 rebadged and sold for a pretty good price as a "house brand" at a local parts store. They used to do the same with Caltex Delo as well. Too bad that they discontinued it. Still I've got enough to easily see me through 2018 now.

 

[fdcg27]

I'd expect lower consumption with an A3/B4 than with an ILSAC GF-5.
The grade might be the same, but this oil has much higher HTHS.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Old oil recovered looks like this....

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDMyOQ==/z/pkMAAOxydlFSsTL7/$_3.JPG?set_id=2

 

[SR5]

Great find !!
A full synthetic 5W30 made by Caltex (Chevron) that is API SM & ACEA C3 in a foil sealed bottle. I like the size too, 5.5 L, a bit extra for top ups.

They should bring that stuff back with updated specs and at a decent price like before.

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: KL31
A3/B4 as well. Older version of it but still would have decent TBN and HTHS. Wonder how much it cost back then?

Can't remember exactly, but I think it was somewhere around $45 to $50 for the 5.5L jug, and because SCA regularly have 20% off store wide sales I always picked it up for under $40.

Back then it was even better value because 5W30 oils were still not real popular around here so there weren't so many options or good priced deals in that grade. Back then Castrol and Shell 5w30 full synths were up in the $70 to $80 range (per 5L), and Mobil-1 over $90.

Yeah I was really bummed out when they discontinued this stuff.

 

[SR5]

SCA have now replaced it with their Chief house brand oil. I'm sure it's fine, but I would prefer the Caltex stuff myself.

I just used the last of my 1L canteen of Chief 2-stroke today (in the mower).

Still you can often pick up Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start or Shell Helix HX8 for under $50 at regular SCA or Repco sales. Both are full synthetic 5W30 oils rated API SN and ACEA A3/B4.

The full synthetic Magnatec 5W30 was $36 for 5L just before Christmas at SCA
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4608923/

 

[Shannow]

That was Caltex Havoline C3...I rang Caltex back in the day and told them of my suspicions...they confirmed it, and the A3/B4/C3 was based on picking the "parting line" between the specs (not so easy now).

Their Calibre 15W40 "diesel" was Delo Gold Ultra.

I had a shelf full of the stuff at home...

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: SR5
SCA have now replaced it with their Chief house brand oil. I'm sure it's fine, but I would prefer the Caltex stuff myself.


Chief isn't their house brand...it's an oil blender in it's own right.

http://www.chief-oil.com/about-our-company.html

I've got 6 hats and a pair of thongs, (and a coffee mug on my desk ready for the times that I need to display leadership skills).

Note their "recommended for applications requiring", rather than carrying actual certifications...suspect that they buy add packs, rather than getting certifications.

Would rather they used rebottled Caltex (or mobil, or Castrol), but have used their (Chief) ATFs and Gear Oils.

 

[Shannow]

Have people wander up to me at the local while I'm in the oil section "Guy/girl at the register said come and talk to the guy with the goatee in the oil section"...and I get a hat...

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
That was Caltex Havoline C3...I rang Caltex back in the day and told them of my suspicions...they confirmed it, and the A3/B4/C3 was based on picking the "parting line" between the specs (not so easy now).


I was at a Caltex petrol station today. They had Havoline ProDS C3 5W-30 full synthetic. On the back it stated: API SN, ACEA C3-04, A3/B3, A3/B4, Dexos2, MB 229.51 & 229.31

Those ACEA specs still don't make sense to me. We are up to the 2016 sequences and 2012 before that. Yet there was no date on the A3/B* spec.

I can't see it being Dexos2 (it had the correct logo) and MB 229.51 without being up to date with C3. And it's time to drop at A3/B* reference.

Still I'm sure it's a good oil. Being at a petrol station, the price was way too high, $65 for 5L, ouch !!