Why no silicone oil?

[Kestas]

Random thought. I can get silicone grease. I can get silicone spray. Why is there no silicone oil available in stores?

 

[JHZR2]

I asked this long ago. I believe silicone oil behaves like an ideal fluid and so is used to calibrate rheometers.... May be available at a lab supply...

 

[Tempest]

There is Dupont silicone oil in a small bottle at Lowes.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_363779-39963-DS1004101_0__?productId=3550504&Ntt=dupont+silicone&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddupont%2Bsilicone&facetInfo=

I think there are fewer uses for this type of product as opposed to regular oil products, so they aren't common.

I also think sprays are more common just to reach into areas easier and the solvent probably helps move the very non-polar oil to where it's supposed to go.

 

[ctrcbob]

Simple reason. Engine oil MUST be able to mix with regular engine oil. Right now, if you are low on oil, you can buy a quart anywhere to add to your car however silicone does not mix. Conversely if you were using silicone oil, you could not add regular or synthetic if you ran low.

Matter of fact, I think it is the law that all engine oil must be able to mix with any other engine oil.

 

[Trav]

I think the closest to it may be DOT 5 brake fluid. I use it to lubricate the cups in the mity vac.

 

[coolbird101]

We use silicon oil in the diffs and shocks on the rc cars my son races. Check hobby shops, comes in small bottles and is very expensive per oz. Diffs get anywhere from 2,000 cst to 15,000 cst and the shocks get anywhere from 200cst to 600 cst. Silicon is used because its not supposed to thin out with heat or thicken with cooling but it does. In the diffs it breaks down badly turning into a pungent black goo.
200 cst in theory would be close in viscosity to a 20 wt. oil.

 

[Tom NJ]

Silicone oil is a fine functional fluid in such applications as heat transfer and hydraulic systems. But it is a lousy liquid lubricant since it has poor lubricity and is unable to solubilize additives, and is immiscible with petroleum oils. It works in grease because anti-wear and other additives can be suspended and do not have to be solubilized.

 

[JimPghPA]

Dupont and another company make a range of silicon oil for special heat transfer applications. It is expensive, but for some applications it is the proper heat transfer fluid to use.

 

[Asterix]

Originally Posted By: coolbird101
We use silicon oil in the diffs and shocks on the rc cars my son races. Check hobby shops.


^This. Viscous couplings for engine cooling fans often contain silicone oil. A hobby shop is a place to get inexpensive oil to use to refill the coupling after all the oil has leaked out. Inexpensive, that is, with respect to the dealer price...

 

[HerrStig]

It's tough on converters.

 

[nthach]

Toyota used to stock a silicone viscous coupling oil for use in fan clutches.