How Does Castrol Syntec "Seek out and Neutralize Harmful Particles" ?

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Okay we've all seen the marketing ploys of Castrol Syntec which claim that their oil "seeks out and neutralizes harmful particles" . Well just how would an oil do that ?, is that related to their metal bonding claim ?. What feature of an oil would do this, its cleaning agents, its ability to hold particles in suspension, or none of the above ?.

Is this just clutter they put out to confuse us and make us think that they have something nobody else has ?.
Any opinions on this claim.

Joey
 
It asks Mobil1 how to do it! j/k


I would imagine they use organic counter ions to 'trap' (can't remember the term right now - am on cold medication) the metal particles.


Could the term be chilate?

[ September 05, 2003, 07:28 PM: Message edited by: Asmodeus ]
 
This is "marketing lingo" for how esters behave in a motor oil. Even though domestically produced Syntec is Group III based, it does have some esters (Group V) blended in.
 
Of course it has, that is why it smells so good.
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[ September 05, 2003, 07:33 PM: Message edited by: userfriendly ]
 
Hans (GC's master blender) ist goink to get verrry angry if you keep maykink fun of his motor öl and you vill not like him vin he ist angry!
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quote:

Originally posted by Idrinkmotoroil:
Okay we've all seen the marketing ploys of Castrol Syntec which claim that their oil "seeks out and neutralizes harmful particles" . Well just how would an oil do that ?, --snip

I think all oils do this, some just more and others more and longer than others. The oil acts like a filter: it removes junk, and keeps the junk from doing damage, while at the same time not allowing its additives to be dropped in the process.
A good oil, unless I'm wrong, will do this like a tight rope walker crosses -[balanced] the wire, and a fair and poor one will either drop additives or dropp contamination or both. In fact, this could be Dino or Syn, depending on the formula and a wide amount of things could happen, and in the end, dollar for dollar, the Dino can come out = or better than the Syn.

I am not getting on you or anything, okay. But Seeking out and neutralizing acids and particles-in suspension; is the main job besides lubrication, of an oil. Unless I'm wrong, and I might be...

Also it's not the only role. Oil also Carries its additive package without falling-out, in the form of EP additives like Zinc, Moly etc. Some bond with the Metal chemically and others bond more like magnet, this creates a layer that HELPS reduce but not stops wear, and the chemical elements in the oil that retard the formation of acids is an aid in the process... Lubricants convert friction of metal to metal contact into Fluid friction, and the elements that retard the acids, in reality allow the oil to maintain it's fluid like character longer, and thus longer life, but it's not just the anti-acids its the whole package. It's not the BASE oil, thats only part of the package. It's not just the SYN's.

This is very important but there are:

The additives can be depleted by a number of factors, but one thing to keep in mind, is they do run out. IMO it is not a bad idea if you are doing extended drains or not, to pull several ounces or even more out, in order to add some fresh stuff... Oil is made of I think two things:
BASE and additives, and it's nice to never run out of beer in the fridge because the wife always makes sure theres a six-pack there.

Am I concerned when I hear that:
I've gone 10K or 20K or whatever and there was no loss or no make-up oil. I AM.
Guys, ALL engines BURN - it's just a fact of life... And you are only doing yourself harm by not keeping it topped up to the TOP line, on a scheduled basis... I try never to let mine get more than 4-6 ounces off, Yes I'm probably a NUT... But from the school of knocks, I'm not just a graduate I sometimes think I'm the founder :-], no but serious, one day you can have no notice and a dry engine, with no leaks, and the next morning, the wife can be taking the car and the front or rear seal goes, well that extra 1/2 quart or more could mean saving an engine.
Just a month or so ago, Someone did not put the oil cover back in place and I got about 40 miles and smelled asphalt (me) when I turned off the motor, I just happened to have about 4-5 quarts on me :-}, there was no oil on the stick and it took a good three - three and a half quarts to get on the stick, so at best I had 1/2 - 1Quart in there... keep it topped up, I even get better MPG with it topped-to the top.

It's true that the new generation motor oils have special compounds that work not only to clean the engine better but help stop these acids from forming. This is due because of IMO tighter emmissions standards cause the engines to stress more and cause more crud in the engine, needing a better oil to keep them cleaner... although more so IMO in the Diesel than Gas. Controlling wear and deposits while maintaining viscosity and lowering oil consumption is the resulting effects of these new engine oils and EPA regulations IMO. Some compounds act like BOOSTERs in the oil, so that they "TURN - ON" when a pre-determined level of "X,Y or Z" is reached; thus extending the Oils useful life further.

And opposed to popular belief systems here on the board, they don't only apply to SYN's, a couple dozen Quality Dino companies are out there that give good results and perhaps 8-12 of them give similar results and are cheaper. |-}

The one OIL that everyone overlooks is the FUEL oil... and no not just diesel, gas is made from oil and is an oil product too... This big cost
can be reduced with the proper oil, see guys, OIL is CHEAP, even the Syn, the fuel savings you can see by changing the oil when it is still working correctly can in effect pay for the oil if you watch the milage.
And so what if the "C" oil can protect better if for most of it's life you are burning more fuel, the fact is ALMOST any oil, in fact ANY GOOD oil will protect your engine, that's SYN or Dino. Question is: will it keep the engine CLEAN and hold the contamination suspended by enveloping the particle it is holding, while doing 20 other things AND GIVE YOU better MPG, and pay for itself ?

There are some fuel conditioners/additives that will not only keep the fuel in top condition but can be added to the oil to help it work better; if the oil and engine are cleaner, the additives in the oil can better do their job. Besides Fuel is YOUR biggest Cost (Isnt it?).

The whole package Counts! :
Antioxidants prevent for one varnish
Anticorrosives stop or slow down combustion stuff
Detergents and dispersants clean and suspend junk
Inhibiters to stop or retard things like foam and copper and other metals / acids
AntiWear stuff and probably a lot more that I can't think of,
BUT they ALL work as one unit.
-Some contamination is dissolved in the oil and others are held in suspension, again it's the oil as a whole UNIT, that protects.

This is a package deal guys, and not one part of the formula is the "secret". Too much salt (a pinch) and the supper can be fantastic or a ruin.

This is why it is not wise to play CHEMIST, you can easily THROW something outa wack and then WEAR will result. These oil companies SPEND $$$ to research their formulas, and WE think we can make it better. Yes I've been tempted... :-}

The Oil test is only A snapshot in time of an oil that is always changing from a small portion of that oil... this is also why one needs to be aware of the proper sampling methods, because many things done wrong here can ALTER the true results of the oil sample.

If you wanna truly know about wear, I donno where or waht will truly reveal this: These tests are fine and dandy, but IMO, just because it SHOWS super CLEAN, does not mean you have no problems.

What if for example you have a by-pass, and it's catching a lot of stuff, and the oil shows good, fair, or just barely but nothing too EXTREME.

Could that By-pass filter be hiding something that should be revealed? that is why (and I have not done it) I would say from time to time (I donno the number) one should have their filter
-[both bypass and normal]- torn apart at the lab and done a spot check by hand - donno what its called)- I've had my sample counted under the Microscope a couple times
and it revealed once 1 count at like 15 microns which appeared to be normal engine deposits (could be metal but here it wasn't)..

Every oil has a starting TBN some are higher than others. Usually the Diesels are higher than the GAS because they got all the SOOT to handle among other things, but gas has the WEAR... anyway, like BobTheOilGuy has tried to tell you a few times is that the TBN Shouldn't just Crater, it should slope gradual over time. If it Drops like a rock, okay maybe there is a reason, if it does it all the time and nothings wrong, well something is fishy. This TBN fights the ACIDS in the oil from normal engine operation... In most engines the number is important, HOWEVER with some oils it starts LOW and remains there because other factors are involved.
Anyway, it's not just the base, it's the WHOLE package that makes the oil properly protect, there are very good Group II's & III's that have a lot to offer.

What I have not seen and maybe I overlooked it, and I sure would like a good understanding, and is not discussed here from what I see, and IMHO
probably has more value to what is okay or what is a danger to your engine is: Some results are what appears on the surface kinda opposed to one another. For example one level may be abnormal for one oil or one condition but not for another.

We have to read, and learn to read the WHOLE test, not just some of the numbers. Sometimes it's okay to point at the ?? 954PPM copper and say based on "X Y or Z" it's okay or NOT.

EXample: if X and Y =2/1 is NORMAL
and if X and Y then= 1/2 or 1/3
is this okay or should we watch out
or if X and Y then=3/1 is this Normal Too?

Oil is about ratios, no matter if it's additives or contamination, it's all a relationship.
So we need to see and consider all the oil as a package to determine what's going on and how long to allow it to remain in service without a risk of damage above "normal", because anything else
is accelerated wear at BEST and FAILURE at worst.

Fighting acids is important, very important, but it is only one part of the hole package.
 
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