SAE 30 detergent or non-detergent?

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: NH73
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
Non detergent oils are strictly for antiques or very specialized applications.

All lawn & garden equipment engines I know of produced in the past 25+ years should use a modern (detergent) motor oil.

--- Bror Jace


As far as antique engines goes, if you don't know what condition it in, I would continue using Non Detergent oils. If you rebuilt it, clean them up of all there sludge, them its time to use a detergent oil.


NH73, your recommendation might hold water on an engine with an oil pump and oil pickup that could become clogged. On a splash lube engine though?? I would think detergent oil used in an antique would be fine. If it brakes lose some sludge, it will still be a splash lube engine and should be fine.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: Warstud
Originally Posted By: Sierra048
I still don't understand why a 10W-40 full syn, with detergents/cleaning ability, would be OK but an SAE 30 with the same traits would not.

Not all SAE30 is the same...there is HD30 and ND30. The ND is non-detergent.



I thought ND meant not dirty.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
I thought ND meant not dirty.


No, it means Never Dump, as in you can never dump the sludge out of it once you use ND30 oil in a combustion engine.

 

[lars11]

Naah, it's one of those secrets that societies like skull and old compressors are tryin to keep away from the rest of us. It means Non Discloseable 30. It's actually a bit like the juice of life, you should run it in new common rail turbo diesels with aftertreatment stuff FIRST and then as tooth paste, AND THEN you could drop it in the old 300 rpm compressor. Sings like a screaching wiper. love that sound, means I can buy something new soon.
rant rant

 

[901Memphis]

10w30 synthetic with an API SL rating.