How many blenders do we have?

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
i dont see anything wrong with blending i use 5 qts of Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w20 and one qt of 5w30 Quaker State Ultimate Durability every summer and never have a problem i change it twice a year and just turned 252,005 and the truck runs perfect. 4.6 ford 1998 we use it to haul engines and parts for engines.


Can't think that would cause a problem as the only difference is the grade. I also don't know why you would not simplify the fill and just use a 5/30, if a 5/25 was needed some company would make one, but because oil grades are a range using a high 20 or low 30 will cover all possible requirements.

 

[Falken]

I don't blend by choice, I went through a process of seeing which oil my car runs best on, and I blend to get rid of leftovers.

Now I know, I just stick to Sopus products. Pennzoil conventional, Quaker State Ultimate Durability, PP, PU. So now if I have to blend it is all the same add packs in varying degrees, but there is no films that get removed from parts each oil fill due to different oil chemistries.

 

[MrRPM]

Since High Mileage oils sometimes run thicker blending in a qt of 1 grade below the rest of the fill (my case 5qts 5w30 1 qt 5w-20) is just enough to bring operating temp thickness down to normal if desired (using a High Mileage oil for its add pack and not viscosity?). only doing it with the same oil just different viscosity (I have also filled 5qts 5w30 and 1 qt 10w-40. with a 6 qt sump you get to buy that single qt with the 5qt jug

)

 

[REDDOG]

I mix strictly to use up leftover odds and ends, but even then I try to combine similar add packs.

 

[cp3]

Originally Posted By: oldhp
Have not done it yet. I am going to use 4qts NAPA syn 5W30 and 3qts NAPA syn 5W20 to make 5W25 according to the Widman chart.
I just don't like the 5W20 in a HEMI. I know others have run many, many miles in their Hemi Ram's, but it makes me nervous.
The 5W25 shouldn't hurt the MDS system, 1 bottle of STP didn't.
I know, I know, sorry I can't leave stuff alone. The engine got alot quieter and has stayed that way. We'll see what the blend does.


Some good advice here would be that there really is no 5w25 grade.

The 30 grade goes down to 9.3@100C so this blend should give you a light 5w30.

 

[charbaby]

I've blended for years though, not with intentions to improve the oil but to use my oil stash(which includes many brands of dino/syn) more evenly. 2qts syn/3qts dino.

Many years ago, I mixed out of necessity.

 

[Kruse]

Years ago, when Johnny was a regular poster (and knew more about oil than just about everybody) he told us that Chrysler used two different oils from two different refineries. If you bought Chrysler oil in a quart container, it was completely different than if you used Chrysler oil in bulk at the dealer. So, if you had your oil changed at the dealer and then you needed to add a quart 3,000 miles later, you are going to be a blender. Does it appear that Chrysler was worried about mixing oils when they had to stand behind their warranty? Obviously not. Now this was before Chrysler went bankrupt, so things have probably changed. However, I think everybody here is worried about nothing. How many people have actually sent in a sample with blended oil and had it come back bad?
BTW, I put 300K miles on an '88 Cougar (that I purchased new) and the oil pan and valve covers were never taken off. I have never seen a high-mileaged engine that was that clean. I must have used a dozen or more different brands of oil in it and I never worried about it. After I scrapped out the car (from everything BUT the engine needing repair) I took off the heads, freshened them up, and they are now on my daughter's Mustang, still chugging away.
I guess my attitude is that if you occasionally change brands, you can get the bad brand out of the engine (if there actually is a bad brand) when you do an oil change. However, it wouldn't bother me if I used the exact same oil for the life of the car. Most (rated) oils are very good.

 

[mjk]

I don't blend 'scientifically' to obtain a viscosity or some pre-determined result.

However, I am 45, and have been changing oil since 1986. I have never even thought that topping off with a different brand of oil, or using multiple brands in a change, was an issue until reading threads here.

I have 2 mechanic friends, with over 60 years of combined experience, who find this mindset of worrying about mixing oils to be laughable.

Hello and how many of you folks are like me and Mongo161 and are brave enough to blend oils together? I have on deck a blend of Mobil 1 0W40, with some Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W40, and if I dont use the Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck, I will use some Mobil Delvac 1300 15w40 instead. In the past I have used some Pennzoil Ultra 5W20, with some Rotella 10w30 conventional in my 91' chevy truck. I plan to put a blend of Rotella gray jug T5 10W30 and some Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W20 in the truck next oil change with a napa gold filter. I dont want to hear the naysayers, and snake charmers opinions on this also, so if you dont blend, dont like to blend or think its "stupid", then dont reply.


thank you all in advance and lets hear from our blenders

 

[shell_user]

Thanks for the replies gents.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: cp3
Originally Posted By: oldhp
Have not done it yet. I am going to use 4qts NAPA syn 5W30 and 3qts NAPA syn 5W20 to make 5W25 according to the Widman chart.
I just don't like the 5W20 in a HEMI. I know others have run many, many miles in their Hemi Ram's, but it makes me nervous.
The 5W25 shouldn't hurt the MDS system, 1 bottle of STP didn't.
I know, I know, sorry I can't leave stuff alone. The engine got alot quieter and has stayed that way. We'll see what the blend does.


Some good advice here would be that there really is no 5w25 grade.

The 30 grade goes down to 9.3@100C so this blend should give you a light 5w30.


The whole idea that a engine is going to be quieter on a 5W-20/30 concoction is laughable... Toss the 5w30 in it and call it a day...

 

[rvt]

Generally I don't blend, but once in a while I will to use up remnants. My last Camry once got a blend of various flavors of Mobil 1, Pennzoil synthetic, Quaker State synthetic, and a dash of Delvac 1. Ran the standard oil change interval without incident.

I have semi intentionally blended. My Onan RV generator recently got a mix of Mobil 1 0W30 and 0W40. About 60% the heavier grade. Onan calls for a straight 30 grade. My mix should bullseye a heavy 30 weight at operating temp, but with better cold starting/weather properties than the spec oil.

 

[zerosoma]

I have one blender. It does a great job and crushes ice.

 

[KCJeep]

I love to blend, it's part of the fun. Usually it's a 5w30 base with a quart or two of 10w40 to boost the HTHS for my Jeep yet keep the VI higher. But not always.

Running a "thinned" 5w30 right now for winter though, two quarts of 5w20 to bring the thick Castrol High Mileage 5w30 down to normal 5w30 specs for the cold months.

I usually stick within exact same brand but have also run Rotella bases with Pennzoil Conventional and others and was always satisfied with the results.

 

[StevieBoy]

You guys are scaring me.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Wait, are we considering topping off with a different oil to be blending? In that case I've blended for every vehicle I own. I have a jug that gets the remnants of past oil changes and last bits of nonsolvent additives (so far just 4oz of MMO in the 5qt jug, which is filled well over the line) poured into it. If there's no room, I start another jug and if I end up with 2 or more full jugs, the secondary jugs are oil change worthy (I never put additives in a secondary jug for that reason).

Both vehicles I maintain ask for 5w30 and both have had 5w20 and 0w20 and didn't seem to mind it, so nothing I'll put in those bottles will be out of grade for any vehicle I'd be putting it in. I only just topped off my first 5qt jug (which I've been using for remnants/top-off for a few years now -- though I did transfer it to a new jug finally), though, so I haven't actually done an oil change with a remnant blend yet, but I don't see any issue with it if I ever do get to that point.

I used to know it was time for oil changes on both cars when my remnant jug was empty. Now, I top off with maybe 1/2qt combined between both cars in a 3k mile period. I must be doing something right to have started with a combined 1qt/1000mile consumption rate and slowed it to 1/6 of that rate, especially considering that one of those vehicles is an 8th gen Corolla and both see redline (tach, not oil) frequently when I'm behind the wheel.

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: StevieBoy
You guys are scaring me.


I scared you bahahaha

 

[oldhp]

cp3, That's basically what I want it to be for 2 reasons.
1. Quiet the HEMI tick, adding 1 bottle blue STP did and has for
over 2200 miles.
2. I don't want to stop the MDS from working right. Some people
say 5W20 or it won't work, other people have said 5W30 works
fine. The for sure it won't work is 10W30.

TFB1, I know STP quiets it down and MDS still works, might keep doing that. But wanted to try just a tad thicker oil to do same thing. We'll see, if it works, I will laugh.

 

[cp3]

No argument from me oldhp, I don't have a problem with tailoring viscosity. I guess I was just trying to make the point that the "5w25" was the only thing I saw as wrong....lol.

As far as the MDS not working, personally I have no idea. No experience with those engines. There have been several threads where this has been discussed, might be some good info there if you can find them. I had concerns about viscosity and variable valve timing but have stopped worrying about it. As someone pointed out, the VVT would likely not work at say -12C start up if it was that sensitive to viscosity, I don't know if the same would apply to the MDS though.

 

[A_Harman]

Yes, I've always been an oil blender to some degree, but that was only the casual top-up blender, where from time to time in my younger days I would add 10w30 to 5w30 M1 when the store was out of 5w30. Then I fell in with the crowd at BITOG where I started reading about the exploits of CATERHAM and others who would actually blend oils to get specific viscosities or to enhance the mysterious VI. I resisted temptation for about a year, but finally in a feverish dream I saw myself mixing Redline 5w20 and 5w30 to attain a specific HTHS while not sacrificing shear stability, and then I was hooked. I found myself driving halfway across the state to buy the boutique oils, and browsing on BITOG for the latest blending experiences of others. Then I experimented within the bewildering but wondrous world of M1, mixing 0w40 EF and 5w30 HM, just to dwell within that perfect nexus between 30 and 40 weight, which inexplicably to some, can never be called 35. Yes, I have been there, and the experience was indescribable! But I have always remained an orthodox blender, refusing to mix SOPUS with Mobil out of fear for committing a crime against organic chemistry. (But sometimes in my quietest moments, I think it would be fun to mix GTX with Valvoline conventional because we know that deep down inside, they're really very similar.)

 

[oldhp]

cp3, When its really cold(25* or colder)you should hear the wife's Equinox 2.4 with VVT before it fully warmers up. Wow. I run Mobil 1 5W30 with Purolator synthetic filter. You can really hear the cam phasers working. Doesn't take long to quiet down, just makes me cringe at first.