Pennzoil 5w20 5 qt - something very wrong

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Was the jug sealed, before you opened it? Looks to me like someone bought it, used the contents (Or some of them) then filled the jug with water and returned it.


My first thought also.

Check your oil before leaving the store.... (or just get some Amsoil delivered from the factory)

 

[trumpet12345]

Alright. Well noted. Not buying any oil without a foil seal anymore. Just not worth a second trip if there is a problem locally.

Will inform Walmart, and Pennzoil as if it is Walmart; it is hurting their product image.

I'll provide an update once I have more info since I'm sure a few are interested. Finger pointing aside, someone will benefit from this as it will highlight the potential for abuses despite safeguards.

 

[kschachn]

I spent a good five years studying non-aqueous acids and bases developing a color-change carbon dioxide sensor. Bottom line there really isn't such a thing as you well know, unless water molecules are available for dissociation there isn't much meaning for an acid or base. At that point it becomes a reaction between the non-aqueous solvent and the solute. Hydrogen chloride will react with hydrocarbons but that's hardly an acid. Good luck measuring the pH unless some water is present (which it almost always is).

But beyond that is this thread now an argument about non-aqueous solutions?

Originally Posted By: trumpet12345
All acids and bases are not water, nor does all acid and base chemistry have to involve water.

Whether you agree with bronsted-lowry or lewis, or study mostly organic chemistry... I have a hard time believing a knee jerk statement relating to acid and bases.

Anhydrous acid base chemistry... is plentiful.

Either way, If I'm dealing with an oil swindler at the local Wallyworld, I have to ensure this doesn't happen again and I at least get my money back on the oil.

 

[Merkava_4]

If your car was driven 5 miles with 1 quart of oil and 5 quarts of water, I can't see how the engine survived without sustaining major damage. I'm surprised the engine didn't seize up immediately.

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Never, never, never use any motor oil that isn't translucent and golden in color... Only exception I can think of would have been the German Castrol that was green...

That oil no doubt has water in it...


Or ARCO with graphite which was black ...

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If your car was driven 5 miles with 1 quart of oil and 5 quarts of water, I can't see how the engine survived without sustaining major damage. I'm surprised the engine didn't seize up immediately.

When cash for clunkers was going on I saw an engine run for over an hour on no oil, a gallon of water and a quart of the sodium silicate mixture. Thought it was done but the sucker just ran out of fuel. Put some gas in it and ran it WOT until it blew a radiator hose then finally seized up.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Those "crack off" cap seals aren't 100% reliable. During the hot summer months, I've been able to unscrew them without breaking the seal ring- the plastic gets stretchy. A nefarious person could easily remove and replace a cap without breaking the ring with a heat gun or hair dryer handy. Much as I HATE having to pop out those foil seals, they are indeed safer.



Yup this. I could probably figure out a mechanical way to assist the cap off, but won't share it online.

If you look at a used cap, its "threads" are little triangle wedges, so if they heat a cap up they can just stuff it down and call it good.

 

[crazyoildude]

If it looked that bad why did you use it??
I happen to like Pennzoil motor oil however i wish they would use a tamper proof seal like most other oil companies have the silver peel off seal under the same screw off cap they use now... This is also a reason why sometimes at wal mart and other places it is hard to find more than a jug or two of Pennzoil on the shelves because they are known leakers (i heard it from more than 1 stock person) They prefer not to have them on the shelves because they don't want to keep on cleaning up oil. This may also be why if you look at a few Pennzoil jugs on the shelf some seem like they have slightly less oil in them. I would call Pennzoil and see what they have to say. Was there any engine damage? Save some of that oil just in case.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Originally Posted By: Scum_Frog
I agree with the majority.... you got duped and bought a jug that was returned to Walmart in a scam.


This is my bet. Also, I'd bet a retirement check that the problem is not with Pennzoil's bottling operation.

A hint for buying oil at Walmart if the jug doesn't have a foil seal: you can slowly and carefully back off the lid just a little bit and tell if it is still attached to the lower ring.

Walmart shoppers who do the buy oil and return something else scam are subhuman. They will see their karma.

 

[53' Stude]

+1 sir

 

[NormanBuntz]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Originally Posted By: TFB1
Never, never, never use any motor oil that isn't translucent and golden in color... Only exception I can think of would have been the German Castrol that was green...

That oil no doubt has water in it...


Or ARCO with graphite which was black ...


Or Brad Penn's green oil.

 

[shiny]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Where did you buy the 5qt jug oil? Wallymart is notorious for having used oil in their "new" containers. Ive even seen the wallymart service center employees put suspicious containers on the shelf. I first noticed this problem years ago on a shelf of a qts of supertech syn in the clear bottles, where one obviously had used oil in it. I put it out of place in the filter section but I didn't tell anybody. The last year when I was buying a jug of Pennzoil HM, where most of them had the rings broken and had wildly varying fills.


If you buy oil online from Walmart and have it shipped to your home do you run the same risk of getting a tampered product?

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Never, never, never use any motor oil that isn't translucent and golden in color... Only exception I can think of would have been the German Castrol that was green...

That oil no doubt has water in it...

And Royal Purple is purple.

 

[hattaresguy]

Someone used the oil or most of it, refilled with water and returned it. Those plastic caps you can remove or you simply didn't notice it. Sadly very typical. Scum bags do this with oil filters as well which is why you should always check the box to make sure what is inside of it match's.


This isn't Pennzoils fault and they will do nothing for you.


Next time pay attention if the oil looks like water don't use it.

 

[BobThe]

Originally Posted By: trumpet12345
Quote:
Right. Of course I only have a minor in chemistry so sure, whatever you say.

Well, I have the exact same - minor in chemistry.

All acids and bases are not water, nor does all acid and base chemistry have to involve water. I don't throw around my degrees or what not... especially if I am using them as a base (lol pun) for a statement. A degree is earned, not a weapon to defend blanketed statements.

Whether you agree with bronsted-lowry or lewis, or study mostly organic chemistry... I have a hard time believing a knee jerk statement relating to acid and bases.

Anhydrous acid base chemistry... is plentiful.

Either way, If I'm dealing with an oil swindler at the local Wallyworld, I have to ensure this doesn't happen again and I at least get my money back on the oil.


I have no exact reasoning on what was in the bottle. It could be simple, it could be complex.. it could be activated by heat or it could not.

I know enough to know I don't know, at least yet.

I just hope it didn't do long term damage.

Likely is water, all bets on the table.


Honestly after reading that folks have been returning used oil and filters to WALMART, I always turn on the flashlight on my phone shake up the jug of oil and shine the light in the little clear plastic usage windows and compare the color to a few others to make sure they all look the same.

 

[ryanschillinger]

As easy as it is to blame walmart or pennzoil, I don't think either of them are at fault. Someone certainly bought that jug, used the oil, refilled it with some other liquid, and returned it. The customer service person would just see a full jug with intact safety ring. They wouldn't second guess the situation before sending it back to the auto department to go back on the shelf.

 

[spasm3]

I think you should let walmart corporate know this happened. If enough people do, they might stop taking returns on filters and oil.

The only way to fix this is for wal mart not to take oil back once it's sold.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
The only way to fix this is for wal mart not to take oil back once it's sold.


That's not fair to the guy that buys the wrong viscosity by mistake. The employees should be trained on how to inspect seals.

 

[SlipperyPete]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I think you should let walmart corporate know this happened. If enough people do, they might stop taking returns on filters and oil.

The only way to fix this is for wal mart not to take oil back once it's sold.


I wonder how many of these are the result of someone bringing back used oil to recycle, leaving it on the Tire and Auto counter when nobody is around and an employee puts it back on the shelf without realizing it is used oil.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: spasm3
The only way to fix this is for wal mart not to take oil back once it's sold.


That's not fair to the guy that buys the wrong viscosity by mistake. The employees should be trained on how to inspect seals.


On one hand i agree, but i think unscrupulous individuals may have figured out a way to take the cap off with out breaking the cap rings. I may test my theory out on the next jug i buy and see if i can open it without breaking the ring.