Penzoil mythology?

[asand1]

My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?

 

[rvt]

I think lot of it was in the engines of the time.

1. Auto chokes frequently out of calibration or the vacuum break inoperative. Many engines ran very rich when cold, some chuffing out black smoke, washing cylinder bores and causing excess upper cylinder wear. This lead to blowby and more contamination of crankcase.

2. Heavy cast iron engines thermal mass slow to warm up. Combined with short trips and cold temperatures a recipe for sludge.

3. Owners neglecting oil changes.

4. Leaded fuel increased contaminates into crankcase.

5. Oils of the time in general were not as good, including Pennzoil.

I was doing oil changes in the '60s and did not see Pennzoil as better or worse than typical. Engines which tended to have regular oil changes and long highway trips stayed clean (not much different than today's clean engines). Engines which had short trips with neglect were filthy with sludge.

 

[JohnnyZ52]

Additive packs have changed considerably in the last 20 years. We are at a time right now where most any major name brand oil will do a good job for manufacturer specified OCI.

Pennzoil makes some of the best oils available right now.

 

[Quest]

IMHO it all started waaaaay before even the API standards came into picture. General motor oil has very poor additive package, and most of them were just crudely solvent-scrubbed (doesn't even come close to Gp-1), so oil has a lot of wax and impurities within. Compounded with carb'ed engine, poor maintenance of automobiles and all sorts of harsh operational conditions, they tend to sludge up in relatively short notice.

I heard equally convincing stories about Quaker State oil sludge up too...and same goes with Duckhams, Castrol, etc.

Since the inception of API standards for automotive lubricant manufacturers to follow, it helps dramatically in improving the quality and better additive and base oil formulation to meet the ever stringent emissions standards as well as engine manufacturer's various torture tests have bring out the best of automotive lubricants these days.

In other words: anything that is current (API SN/ILSAC-GF5) is considered to most advanced motor oil most suited for tight emissions standards, computerised controlled automobiles.



Q.

 

[Brons2]

Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


look at the MSDS, almost all conventionals are paraffin based. Paraffin is good, aromatics are bad.

 

[mongo161]

IMO...The stories about Pennzoil Conventional and Quaker State, from what I had heard way, way back in the day, was it was all attributed to PA Crude oil.

IMO...Many thought that PA crude was responsible since it contained too much paraffin, (wax), used for motor vehicles.

I noticed that all those "rumors", from the 60's, 70's and 80's, all disappeared when SOPUS bought out Pennzoil and Quaker State and moved operations to TX.

 

[skyship]

There has been a very big improvement in detergent and dispersant additives in the last 20 years, an oil with a good detergent pack like the old UK Duckhams was regarded as something special and cost a lot more, so Iffy lube and DIY oil changers used El cheapo 10 or 15w40's that were a tad short on any additives.
I think head gasket and themostat or choke failures were also more common in the old days, as was the use of cheap thickners like STP black death special.

 

[electrolover]

Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


How old is your dad?

 

[LeakySeals]

Was true decades ago. But just like your tv changed oils and engines have changed. Now Pennzoil has progressed to one of the best, if not the best dino

 

[asand1]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


How old is your dad?
59

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?




Oh Cripes sake! I`m so friggin tired of hearing that!^^^^

 

[kb01]

There seems to be a lot of folklore regarding Pennzoil and Quaker State. I'm guessing they just had an enormous market share back when engines were prone to having issues; as a result, they got the blame for it.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Brons2
Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


look at the MSDS, almost all conventionals are paraffin based. Paraffin is good, aromatics are bad.
Paraffin is a TYPE of crude oil, not crude filled with LUMPS of "paraffin". Paraffin crude makes good lubricating oil, it's a shame to turn it into gasoline. In the UK, kerosene is CALLED paraffin, as in "paraffin lamp" or paraffin engine.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.


These stories always make me laugh. Ever notice, the guy with the sludged engine is ALWAYS certain its seen a "lifetime" of "Xxxxxx oil"? No exceptions, not even one time. I suppose if that were true, the best way to prevent sludge would be to mix brands from time to time. Somehow its the guys who are uncertain which brands the car has used or who switch brands from time to time who don't seem to have the sludge problem. Coincidence?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: asand1
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


How old is your dad?
59


He is my age. I never heard that tale. I used what my Dad had in the cases of Quaker State in the round metal cans. "Super Blend" I think. They were free for me.

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: asand1
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: asand1
My dad has always told me Pennzoil conventional was junk and always carboned up. He cited years of repairing and rebuilding engines ran on it.
His reasoning was that it was paraffin based and did not do well under heat.

Any insight to some history that might confirm this?
When was the formula changed?


How old is your dad?
59


59? He's still a young man. I am 76, and began driving in the early 1950's. In the 50's. I used mostly Sinclair straight 20 weight. No problems in a car that I bought new in 1954 and had 140,000 miles on by 1959. As the multigrade oils were coming into general use about that time, I began to use Quaker State Super Blend, and used mainly that brand until Mobil 1 came out and I began to us it about 1977.

I never had any problem with Quaker State, which was certainly a Pennsylvania crude, and never knew anyone who had a problem with it. Never saw any complaints about it in any of the automobile mags of the time. I still have a pretty large collection of auto mags from the 50's and 60's.

Since your dad is 59, he probably did not start a career as mechanic until about 1973 at the earliest. Engines from that era were as long lasting as anything made today. Most of them were on 3000 mile OCI's for severe service, and 7500 for easy conditions. In those days, I usually changed at 5,000 miles as a reasonable compromise. IMHO, any engine that was sludged up had not had timely oil changes.

 

[shell_user]

I have a few things to say about this. Whatever your dad told you is false. TOTALLY FALSE. My father is with all respect to DONALD, a bit older and has always used PYB/QS ROTELLA/SHELL. Never a sludge issue in his 55' Chevy drag car, and no issue at all in his stock 56' 210post car. I used QS since I started driving, never any issues either. The real problem was people didnt pay attention to oil change intervals nor did they check their oil levels period.

 

[Zeus103363]

I have herd the same thing about both Pennzoil Conventional and Quaker State Conventional. Personally, never seen it from either of those brands. I did see a hudge build up of sludge from havoline back in the mid 80's in a GM 305. I am sure at some time every major brand has slugged up an engine. Though its not the oils fault. It's the lazy person behind the wheel that doesn't take care of there vehicle! You got to remember also, evey time the API releases a new service standard, the oil blenders of every brand of motor oil have to change the formula of each and every different viscosity of motor oil they market to meet the new performance service standard. conventional and synthetic alike. The Pennzoil conventional of today is far advanced from the Pennzoil conventional that generated all thoes horror stories. Just think, as hard as it is to believe, in 20 years our kids will be on BITOG posting about some horror story someone told somebody else said that there dad said that the beloved M1 sludges up there engine!

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: mongo161
IMO...The stories about Pennzoil Conventional and Quaker State, from what I had heard way, way back in the day, was it was all attributed to PA Crude oil.

IMO...Many thought that PA crude was responsible since it contained too much paraffin, (wax), used for motor vehicles.

I noticed that all those "rumors", from the 60's, 70's and 80's, all disappeared when SOPUS bought out Pennzoil and Quaker State and moved operations to TX.


That. It was blamed on the "waxy" Pennsylvania crude. Its kind of an urban legend. I don't know if there ever was any truth to it. Maybe in 1952 or something.