I've seen plenty of non-detergent SAE30... but that's about it. The only other non-detergents oils I've seen are sometimes marketed/label as "break-in" oils.
I was once told not to put detergent oil in an already dirty engine. It may break too much crud loose at one time. Honestly, this makes logical sense. If someone has not done proper maintenance you should be careful adding too much detergent oil at one time. In a sense the same applies to transmissions also. If they are very dirty and the old fluid is changed for fresh the valves will likely become clogged.My buddy's dad restores antique cars and tractors for a living. I stopped over there the other day and he was rebuilding an old 23D Briggs and Stratton. Somehow we got talking about oil...
He said that it is important to run a non-detergent oil in a splash lubricated engine, because all of the metal particles settle to the bottom. If the engine is pressure lubed and has a filter, then using a detergent oil is okay because the particles are suspended in the oil and filtered out.
I've been working on small engines for around 10 years now, and have always used detergent oil. First Pennzoil and more recently Rotella. Any thoughts on this? I don't really see detergent oil causing more wear in a splash lubed engine, but it got me thinking.
Not really, it's not as if the detergents in the oil are going to make large chunks separate in any way. Heck on here when people post pictures of sludged up engines what's the common recommendation? To use an oil with "cleaning ability" to slowly remove the deposits rather than using a harsh solvent.I was once told not to put detergent oil in an already dirty engine. It may break too much crud loose at one time. Honestly, this makes logical sense. If someone has not done proper maintenance you should be careful adding too much detergent oil at one time. In a sense the same applies to transmissions also. If they are very dirty and the old fluid is changed for fresh the valves will likely become clogged.
Topic is still as valid today as it was 6 years ago! And...at least he used the search function.Wow, best necro in a while
Topic is still as valid today as it was 6 years ago! And...at least he used the search function.