Sodium oils Ok for GEMA engines?

[Greg L]

I thought that I had read a couple years ago either on a Hyundai forum or this forum not to use sodium based oils like Valvoline or Mobil for GEMA Engines?

Or am I way off base here?

 

[92saturnsl2]

There's SO many oils out there using sodium as an additive, that it would be ludicrous to suggest that you can't use them in a certain engine. We're talking likely 50% or more of oils you can buy right off the shelf.

If some number of failures has or will happen as a result of the oil additive, you bet there'd be a hungry lawyer or two out there ready to slap a class action lawsuit against Mobil, Valvoline, Warren, Castrol, and the umpteen other oil companies that distribute/sell oils with a sodium additive pack. I just don't buy it unless there's concrete evidence somewhere, not something circumstantial. If this is true, I'm buying a GEMA powered car tomorrow, and will be scouring the phone book and internet for good attorneys!

 

[CT8]

What is a gema engine?

 

[Greg L]

Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance....if I remember correctly. Engines used in the 2000's decade by Mitsubishi, Jeep, and Hyundai.

Four cylinder engines that are no longer made

 

[92saturnsl2]

Caliber SRT/4 and Lancer EVO turbo 4's were among them. Excellent engines, IMO. I know I ran oil w/ sodium in my SRT/4 at times...

 

[69GTX]

Oils at Pqia

Actually, other than Valvoline, NAPA, and Mobil 5K it's not that easy to run into sodium oils at your local larger retailer. Most of the ones where I shop are Calcium and Magnesium oils. A lot of the bargain brands do seem to show up on the list though....which is to be expected since lower cost is why they went that way in the first place.

 

[CT8]

Thanks on the GEMA.

 

[Rand]

Probably just more bunk from the people who think sodium is something you put on your food.

 

[RichardS]

I've been caring for an 08 2.0 GEMA motor. Nothing I have ever read says sodium would be an issue, and I don't remember there being any mention of low sodium necessary for Chrysler MS-6395

 

[bvance554]

How many engines with regular maintenance with approved oils have had an oil related failure? Raise your hand.

 

[ShotGun429]

As a engine rebuilder here, the sodium based oils have a outstanding record of cleanliness,the principle purpose of "salt" additives in engine oils is for a "detergent" action...think of it like grains of sand sloshing about and "scrubbing" surfaces and "preventing" carbon detritus deposits from caking up... Bargain basement,lower cost oils? No.

 

[BigD1]

Valvoline is/was using Lubrizol HyperZDP(TM) System, and the partnership of Valvoline and Lubrizol were awarded SAE Environmental Excellence in Transportation (E2T) award. Cheap...no. Innovative...yes.

http://newscenter.lubrizol.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=250972&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1649954

 

[Greg L]

Great!

Thank you for the feedback.


GL

 

[04SE]

Originally Posted By: ShotGun429
As a engine rebuilder here, the sodium based oils have a outstanding record of cleanliness,the principle purpose of "salt" additives in engine oils is for a "detergent" action...think of it like grains of sand sloshing about and "scrubbing" surfaces and "preventing" carbon detritus deposits from caking up... Bargain basement,lower cost oils? No.


Salt & scrubbing?

WOW.

 

[Doublehaul]

Valvoline produces THE best UOAs on this site IMHO...i wouldn't take advice from anyone who recommends you avoid it...besides the fact they are a top 3 blender in the USofA

 

[ndfergy]

As the commercial laments,"How does Hyundai do it". An NSA insider has leaked that Hyundai has a secret mining contract with the United Federation of Planets to obtain a proprietary metal called Antisodiminium. Details to follow.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Actually, other than Valvoline, NAPA, and Mobil 5K it's not that easy to run into sodium oils at your local larger retailer.


I disagree. For grins, I went to the VOA section and went through a couple dozen VOA's to try to get a good idea just how common an additive sodium is. Not very scientific, but it was just shy of 50%. I did skip over boutique oils, or those that I presumed not to have nationwide (US) availability. There are plenty of other brands that use sodium (perhaps not across their entire product line) than the ones you listed.

If we made this even more technical by considering each oil's market share, my hunch is that it would improve the chances of a given vehicle/engine encountering an oil whose additive back includes sodium.

Without getting into the nitty gritty, my point is that oils w/ sodium present are quite common. If there was something about the sodium harming GEMA engines, it surely would have surfaced by now, IMO.

 

[bvance554]

Originally Posted By: 04SE
Originally Posted By: ShotGun429
As a engine rebuilder here, the sodium based oils have a outstanding record of cleanliness,the principle purpose of "salt" additives in engine oils is for a "detergent" action...think of it like grains of sand sloshing about and "scrubbing" surfaces and "preventing" carbon detritus deposits from caking up... Bargain basement,lower cost oils? No.


Salt & scrubbing?

WOW.


Yea not the best sodium additive testimonial. Makes me doubt the engine builder credential. Everyone knows baking soding is a much more mild scrubbing agent.