How long will it remain purple?

[YZF150]

I've decided to go with Royal Purple for the first synthetic oil fill in my truck. I picked it up this evening and prefilled the K&N oil filter that will go on tomorrow. The 5w-30 oil really is a very light shade of purple, violet almost. Very nice. Those of you who have used it: how long does it retain its color?

 

[Patman]

30 seconds. Seriously! I poured it into my wife's Honda, ran the engine 30sec, shut her down and checked the level, and the oil was not purple on the dipstick at all, it looked light brown. I even let her old oil drain for 2-3 hours to get as much as possible out, and poured in a half quart of fresh oil before putting the plug back on to flush out even more which might've been caught in the corner of the oil pan. Same thing with Schaeffer oil, it starts out green, but doesn't stay that way on the dipstick after. But both oils are very good nonetheless. [ January 18, 2003, 05:23 AM: Message edited by: Patman ]

 

[2K2AcuraTL]

I got the same scenario in my 2002 AcuraTL... 5w30 RP and a K&N filter. The purple colour lasted ..Oh about 2 day as it turned to a very light brown. Then again a dont drive the car all that much. After 2 years I only have 11k Km on it... I am eyeing some swepco oil for the minivan this spring and it is VERY dark purple.. Jean

 

[RobZ71LM7]

So why is the oil purple to begin with?

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by RobZ71LM7: So why is the oil purple to begin with?

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From Royal Purple's website:

quote:

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Beginnings Royal Purple's beginnings go back to 1986 when John Williams was called in as a consultant regarding chronic thrust bearing failures experienced in large rotary screw compressors used in "fire flood" secondary oil recovery production. At the time, John was "officially retired" after spending over 40 years in the lubricants business. John quickly realized that the customers problems were being caused by operating the compressors well above their rated capacity, thus severely overloading the thrust bearings. John's quest to solve the problem led to the development of an oil like the world had never seen. Imagine an energy efficient, high film strength oil that can operate for years under heavy loads in hot, humid environments, yet forms no varnish, sludge or lacquer deposits, protects the heavily loaded equipment components, rapidly and completely separates from water, and protects against rust and corrosion. John not only imagined it, he built it ... and its called Synfilm®. Synfilm®, and the proprietary Synerlec® additive technology on which it is based, became the cornerstone on which an entire line of Royal Purple high performance industrial, automotive, and high performance racing oils were built. How Royal Purple Got Its Name Upon realizing that his compressor problems were gone forever, the project engineer was elated, but he still had one concern: He said the oil was so superior to anything he had ever encountered that it shouldn't even look like other oils. John offered to make it red, green or blue, to which the customer replied that he had seen red, green and blue oils before. So John asked him what color he wanted. The customer said, "Well you know, John, I've never seen a purple oil before." And since an oil this good couldn't be just any purple, John decided to call it Royal Purple ... a name that has become synonymous with "quality and value" world wide.

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[turbochem]

Is that just a fancy way of saying "marketing ploy???" I have a special oil, too....and it comes in beige!!

 

[Jay]

 

[Bror Jace]

"Is that just a fancy way of saying 'marketing ploy???'" I believe I've used the word "gimmick" in the recent past. I'm gonna make an oil ... the like of which the world has never seen. Then I'm gonna call it "Chipper Chartreuse Sooper Loob." Wanna guess what color it's gonna be? --- Bror Jace

 

[darrenc]

I once accused my boat mechanic of not using the 15W-40 RP I supplied when he did my annual layup. To my dismay, I pumped out what I thought was my old oil, only to find nice clean new oil with only a very very slight shade of purple. On the dipstick to looked like regular brown oil. OPPS!!! What a waste. After he changed my oil, he ran the boat for about 10 min. with a gasoline/fogging concoction. This was enought to convert the oil to light brown. An expensive and embarrasing lesson.

 

[outrun]

A better Question: Is the Purple Color of RP inherent to its composition..ie the Synerlec Additive? -or- A colorant similar to the use in Foods for aesthetic affect? The same question could be applied to Redline oils! Amsoil, I have never seen the color outside the bottle Changing color? That is another important question. I can remember on newer engines the coor of any new oil seems to last much longer. Could it be sludge? oxidation? or just natural color change of the oil? Questions for a chemist

 

[Patman]

The purple color comes from a dye added to the oil I believe.