M1 and VRP 5W-30, Delo 5W-40 Volatility Results - Dec 2024

.....the second graph just looks misleading.....
The second graph look fine to me. It shows the relative difference of all the oils normalised to the best performing oil, which is used as a base line.

You can see by 2 hours the delo has almost double the weight loss compared to the reference (QS 5W40). You can also see that the M1 takes roughly double the time to reach the same point.

But nothing is hidden, the first graph is effectively the raw data in grams and hours.

Some people prefer raw data, some people prefer relative data. I'm happy to see both side by side.
 
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No problem. Maybe you already understand what the second graph shows but in case not, I will give an analogy for what that data shows. Joe lifted 4 pounds of dirt from hours 0 to 1 and 3 pounds from hours 1 to 2. Jane lifted 5 pounds, then 4 pounds. The graph’s value at hour 2 for the ratio of the cumulative weight that Jane lifted, relative to Joe, is (5+4)/(4+3) = 9/7.

Thank you for the offer but at this point I will only consider testing the volatility of an exotic oil whose Noack isn’t published. I want to focus the testing on deposit and oxidation resistance.

First post should have said initial oil weights were 1.000 grams, like they’ve been for all volatility tests that I’ve made threads for.

Too bad I'm in another continent, or I would have liked to send you a sample of this oil I'm using:


The Noack results are published, 3.3%, but since this is the lowest I think I've ever seen it would have been interesting to compare, especially to the Quaker state oils.

deposit and oxidation resistance is more interesting, it goes hand in hand with Noack in an engine. Low Noack means the concentration of deposit forming substances should stay naturally lower.
 
@JAG thanks for doing these tests, I find them interesting.

For example with no other knowledge, I would have guessed that the 5W30s would have formed one group and the 5W40s would have formed another group. But that wasn't the case, the best and the worst performer was a 5W40.

I think the take home here is that diesel oils are different. In some ways good, like more shear stability and more anti-wear additives. But in other ways bad, in having more dispersants than a PCMO requires, and having more VII load due to the fact that shear stable VII are typically less efficient and so more are required. Both add to volatility and deposits I believe.
 
Link to your previous test
 
@JAG thanks for doing these tests, I find them interesting.

For example with no other knowledge, I would have guessed that the 5W30s would have formed one group and the 5W40s would have formed another group. But that wasn't the case, the best and the worst performer was a 5W40.

I think the take home here is that diesel oils are different. In some ways good, like more shear stability and more anti-wear additives. But in other ways bad, in having more dispersants than a PCMO requires, and having more VII load due to the fact that shear stable VII are typically less efficient and so more are required. Both add to volatility and deposits I believe.
Delo was always in the middle of Delvac>>Delo>>Rotella on Noack.
The capacity of diesel engines will always require a moderate price - and don’t expect that to change …
 
But at $8.95/gallon in vehicles that are getting done at short severe service OCI's of 3-5k should be just fine to get the fuel dilution out.
Did you mean a quart or are you really getting a gallon for that price. That's great if so. But yes oil is cheap and especially if we do it ourselves to not pay labor and fees so it's wise to reinvest those savings into shorter intervals.
 
Intresting. So is it anyone's guess which oil could or would perform better than all of these?

But usually with oils if there is a gain to be had there is a loss somewhere else lol.

I run vanilla mobil 1 5w30 in my DD impala with the 3.4L. Has 93K miles on it and on the backside of the valve cover I have noticed some black crud starting to form and I actually wiped it with my finger and it came out but looks like over time that would get hard and stick permanently on the cover. This test could be my explanation of that...
I was watching and questioning the VRP as part of since I'm using in FIL's Renegade with new motor. Whatever probably 0w-20 bulk dealer put in was down 1/2 quart in first 2 weeks but then didn't move in 4k miles. The VRP 5W-30 was good for a while and then started loosing, currently almost a quart down at almost 4k and time for a change but not when it's 20 degrees with crazy winds. It can wait a couple hundred miles more for warmer, no wind day.
 
Intresting. So is it anyone's guess which oil could or would perform better than all of these?

But usually with oils if there is a gain to be had there is a loss somewhere else lol.

I run vanilla mobil 1 5w30 in my DD impala with the 3.4L. Has 93K miles on it and on the backside of the valve cover I have noticed some black crud starting to form and I actually wiped it with my finger and it came out but looks like over time that would get hard and stick permanently on the cover. This test could be my explanation of that...
There are indicators about which oils will have low or high volatility, like base oil types used and their percentages, VII (somewhat directly related to volatility), viscosity at 100 C (somewhat inversely related to volatility). Esters of types used in motor oils tend to be very low in volatility for a given viscosity at 100 C, followed by PAO and GTL, then regular Group III, then II, then I. That is in order of increasing volatility. Off the top of my head right now, I’m not sure where Group 5 alkylated naphthalene (AN) would fall, but I know their moderate polarity does not afford them as much of a volatility advantage as many esters have.

Your deposits with M1 5W-30 interest me. What OCIs have you been using and how long have you been using that oil. If you only want to make a slight tweak to your oil, I would switch to M1 Truck and SUV since it apparently has higher oxidation resistance and the AN in it might help with deposit control. If I am misremembering that HPL and LS Jr. tested regular M1, someone please correct me. That tweak is likely too modest of a change if you want maximum results in minimum time.
 
There are indicators about which oils will have low or high volatility, like base oil types used and their percentages, VII (somewhat directly related to volatility), viscosity at 100 C (somewhat inversely related to volatility). Esters of types used in motor oils tend to be very low in volatility for a given viscosity at 100 C, followed by PAO and GTL, then regular Group III, then II, then I. That is in order of increasing volatility. Off the top of my head right now, I’m not sure where Group 5 alkylated naphthalene (AN) would fall, but I know their moderate polarity does not afford them as much of a volatility advantage as many esters have.

Your deposits with M1 5W-30 interest me. What OCIs have you been using and how long have you been using that oil. If you only want to make a slight tweak to your oil, I would switch to M1 Truck and SUV since it apparently has higher oxidation resistance and the AN in it might help with deposit control. If I am misremembering that HPL and LS Jr. tested regular M1, someone please correct me. That tweak is likely too modest of a change if you want maximum results in minimum time.
Thanks for the explanation! So I was under the impression that Regular M1 did have AN with the base oils at very minimum % of course.

Yes it was LS jr who tested and Truck and SUV had the best oxidation vs regular M1. I remember watching that test recently.

But anyway this car I purchased in 2022 (for MPG's). It had 47K miles on it, it was a 1 owner. Not sure what oil was used in it before however when I replaced the Head and Intake Gaskets, the engine was remarkably clean but I also cleaned the Valve covers really well before installing back on the car. I done this before I even tagged the car because this is a common issue with these engines from the factory. So I am 100% certain these deposits or evaporation crud have since formed after installation. Car has 93K miles now. I have ran strictly M1 5w30 "vanilla" with 1 change of M1 Euro (FS) 0w40. Switched back to "vanilla" because I noticed it consumed a bit more than normal, before it never used oil at all and SINCE then it is now using about .5-.75 qt Per 5000 Mile OCI. I do not run any oil any longer than that.

This could be coincidental but as much as I love Mobil, I'm beginning to wonder has vanilla coked up the rings slightly (possibly) and now with the crud on the backside of the valve covers has me wondering about them. I am for sure going to run a couple OCIs of VRP the next change to "CRUDELY" test my theory.
 
Instead of running the oil up to 430F, wouldn’t 100C for 240 hours be more representative of the conditions inside an engine over the drain interval?
 
Thanks for the explanation! So I was under the impression that Regular M1 did have AN with the base oils at very minimum % of course.

This could be coincidental but as much as I love Mobil, I'm beginning to wonder has vanilla coked up the rings slightly (possibly) and now with the crud on the backside of the valve covers has me wondering about them. I am for sure going to run a couple OCIs of VRP the next change to "CRUDELY" test my theory.
It's quite possible. I was in disbelief when @OVERKILL found carbon in his filter from HPL cleaning up. I've been a fan of Mobil 1 for years. Still am but I honestly have no clue how good their oils are these days. I still put Mobil 1 at the top among off shelf brands, but the reality is they are all so close at that price point.
 
Intresting. So is it anyone's guess which oil could or would perform better than all of these?

But usually with oils if there is a gain to be had there is a loss somewhere else lol.

I run vanilla mobil 1 5w30 in my DD impala with the 3.4L. Has 93K miles on it and on the backside of the valve cover I have noticed some black crud starting to form and I actually wiped it with my finger and it came out but looks like over time that would get hard and stick permanently on the cover. This test could be my explanation of that...

I see you were doing 5000-mile OCI's with Mobil 1, the vanilla 1, in the future you could always try Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30, that is a better oil. JMO
 
What were your OCI's with the vanilla Mobil 1 5W-30?
5000 miles religiously. Always. Here are some UOAs. It's protecting the engine perfectly, doing its job. My wonder is deposits. Or evaporated crud and possibly coked rings. (Slightly)

I would give that a try but my understanding is the oils are for maintaining cleanliness (or a certain level that is) not particularly cleaning existing deposits.

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