Talk:Motor oil

message: "The first number '10W' is the viscosity of the oil at cold temperature and the second number is the viscosity at 100 °C"
any chance we could find out the temperature?    here http://www.waynesgarage.com/docs/oil_facts.htm    says 0c .  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.86.81.22 (talk) 06:58, 4 June 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: viscosity teperature

message: There are no links in this article. I am new to this, but may attempt to cross reference key words.
: Go for it!  By the way, it's best form to sign your posts, by typing four tildes ~~~~ -- this turns into your name and time:  Coneslayer 01:26, 2005 May 19 (UTC)
:Since the above initial comment, many links have been added and many other edits made to this article.  A few new sections and some more information have also been added.  The article is in significantly better shape now.  H Padleckas 17:47, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Links

message: I have n't  practically finished this article yet. I will modify modified the "Uses" section for certain mechanical corrections and I will add added a new "Synthetic Oil and Synthetic Blend" section and new a "Non-vehicle uses" section.  Both have been written offline.  I just haven't gotten to putting them in yet.  H Padleckas 03:25, 19 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Article <strike>not</strike> practically finished <strike>yet</strike> 

message: The article looks pretty good now.  However, it has reached 30 kb in length, which is considered a little long by Wikipedia standards.  Does anybody think the "Common Points of Discussion" section at the end is really necessary or unnecessary in this article?  H Padleckas 17:04, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This section has been removed by now.  H Padleckas 04:37, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

text: You are more likely to get an answer to any questions you have by posting on the Reference desk. Either the science or miscellany section will be suitable. I'm not an expert on this issue, but I imagine that you will need to drain it, transmission fluid is not designed as a lubricant Lurker haver 13:55, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Wow - is there an engineer in the house?  I'm sorry, I'm not usually slanderous in Wikipedia - but come on - does anyone on this page know what he or she is talking about?  "...transmission fluid is not designed as a lubricant..."?  Please people - this is not a forum, this is an article.  Please don't post information that is not backed up or cited from a reputable source, or so obviously untrue (I happen to know that transmission fluid is indeed a lubricant, as it was designed to be).  Go to a forum or something of that nature to determine what you should do.  No one would call up Encyclopedia Britannica and ask them what to do about your engine oil problem; this is not the place for such discussion. Also, please sign your posts.  Behavior such as this is what hurts the credibility of Wikipedia. Nicholas SL Smith 16:23, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Length of article 

message: I've again disambiguated this page so that it doesn't directly link to Motors. This article is about internal combustion engines with only one sentence mentioning electric generators. A bit of research confirms  that electric motors normally are air cooled, and lubricate their bearings using grease and not motor oil. (Unless they're used as liquid pumps, where the pumped media will carry away heat. This is also the case in large-scale generators.)  -- Mikeblas 14:34, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  motors 

message: I removed the following text for lack of references or citations. Content must be verifiable.
For example, most people in the United States believe that a common oil change frequency should be every 3000 miles or every 3 months, whichever comes sooner. This 3000 mile oil change interval has been relentlessly promoted by oil changing companies for decades. It had a scientific basis when engines used non-multi-weight, non-detergent oil. It no longer has any scientific basis, but it is still being promoted by certain entities, most notably the oil change industry in the United States (including car dealerships).  Indeed, studies have shown more wear occurs with fresher (1000-2000 mile) oil. This is attributed to additives re-establishing themselves, TBN converging, and filters becoming more efficient. Most manufacturers recommend oil change intervals of 6,000 miles or more for modern cars. In Europe, by contrast, where the influence of oil companies has been much less, oil is typically changed only at a major service interval, between 10,000 and 15,000 miles for a modern car. For convenience, the oil filter is usually also replaced at the time the oil is changed. --Ibanix 19:47, 28 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  oil changing company conspiracy 

message: Something that I think might be interesting for the article would be information about the different types of oil you can buy and whether or not they'll actually affect your car that much. I mean, I've got a 1994 Ford Fiesta (classic), done about 70,000 miles and I'm wondering whether I should buy the cheapest oil possible or something a little bit better. I heard that it makes no difference when you've got an old car but then it says on the container the cheapest oil comes in that it's for cars with 100,000+ miles on the clock, so I figured I'd be better off with the slightly better stuff. You know, on the cheapest oil, it's described as "motor oil" whereas the slightly better stuff is described as "petrol oil". Doom jester 11:32, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Types of Cheap Oil 

message: This article needs help with basic grammar, spelling, proper headings, and encyclopedic tone. --Charles Gaudette 09:55, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Needs cleanup 

message: This Motor oil article was already somewhat long when a new "How to change the oil in your car" section was recently added, making it even longer (about 36K).  Even before the addition of this new section, the "Maintenance" section provided an overview about motor oil replacement in a vehicle in order to provide a basic understanding of how it's done.  This new section includes a detailed step-by-step practical procedure on how to change the oil in one's vehicle, including such advice as wearing old jeans, not screwing in a new oil filter too tight, etc. 
According to Section 1.8.4 of What Wikipedia is not, Wikipedia articles are not Instruction Manuals (how-to guides).  Wikipedia is not the place for detailed step-by-step procedures such as the "How to change the oil in your car" section just added.  This how-to procedure section has since been removed and is now available only in previous revisions under history.  However, there is a Wikia called Wikihowto for such how-to procedures.  This how-to section (now only in previous revisions under history) for changing your car oil can be moved to Wikihowto and the section in the Motor oil article replaced with given an external link leading to it.  Of course, when the procedure has been moved to Wikihowto, it can have an external link to the Wikipedia Motor oil article.  H Padleckas 17:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: In another website called WikiHow, there is an existing how-to procedure called "How to Change the Oil in Your Car."    An external link to this WikiHow procedure has been placed in the "Maintenance" section.  H Padleckas 04:45, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've deleted most of the "how to" stuff, and merely placed the WikiHow link at the bottom.  I do think the "reason" why you need to change engine oil is still valid, hence why I left it in. -- Teutonic Tamer 18:23, 19 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  How to change the oil in your car 

message: These sections seem to be plagiarized from this page: http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm
Removed Copyvio 208.124.27.242 21:46, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  3000 miles myth/fact 

message: I find the below text to be rather confusing. Is that supposed to mean the oil can be pumped at a lower temp on startup or at operating temp?
The API/SAE designation for multi-grade oils includes two grade numbers; for example, 10W-30 designates a common multi-grade oil. The first number associated with the W (again 'W' is for Winter, not Weight) is not rated at any single temperature. The "10W" means that this oil can be pumped by your engine as well as a single-grade SAE 10 oil can be pumped. "5W" can be pumped at a lower temperature than "10W". "0W" can be pumped at a lower temperature than "5W"  
--Jkoether 16:02, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Multi-Grade Oils 

message: • Likewise, for "Single Grade Oils" I could not understand if a lower SAE number entails a lower temperature and a higher viscosity, or what. There is no clear association that I could discern. I had to go somewhere else for clarification. I understood that a denser oil freezes sooner, but that's about it. Daniel.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.194.237.249 (talk) 02:45, 15 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Single-Grade Oils 

message: The article comments:
:Motor oil used for vehicle engines is commonly called engine oil in American Petroleum Institute (API) documentation.
As far as I can remember I've always heard the substance called "engine oil" rather than "motor oil". It seems to me that "motor oil" is the American term, while "engine oil" is the British term, which happens also to be used by the API. If this is the case, it's probably worth mentioning the alternative name in the lead section. The term "engine oil" is also used a couple of times outside this section without definition. Hairy Dude 21:41, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Added engine oil in the initial paragraph. -- Teutonic Tamer 18:28, 19 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Motor" vs. "engine" 

message: The benefit of this new form of motor oil is the ability to transform the oil back into soil with no negative environmental effects.
That is an erroneous statement.  Used motor oil (traditional, synthetic, or biodegradable) contains heavy metals and other contaminants due to the combustion and wear processes.  Thus, it cannot be directly disposed of as if it were an innocuous substance.  In my opinion, the quoted claim above should be deleted. Shawn D. (talk) 11:32, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Agree.  I have rewritten that part so as not to lead people to just dump their oil out on the ground.  Also maybe we should add a section about proper disposal of all types of motor oil.  I looked around a bit on the recycling articles for a page to link to, but i think this is something that just need to be written from scratch.  Quickmythril (talk) 21:33, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Biodegradable Motor Oil Section Has Erroneous Assumption About Disposal 

message: The term "dino oil" is not defined in the article, not mentioning the fact that this is not really a term, but just a teenager's slang. What is it doing in the Wikipedia article?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.102.249.143 (talk) 03:09, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dino oil? 

message: Today, synthetic lubricants are available for use in modern automobiles on nearly all lubricated components, allegedly with superior performance and longevity as compared to non-synthetic alternatives. Some tests  have shown that fully synthetic oil is superior to conventional oil in many respects, providing better engine protection, performance, and better flow in cold starts than petroleum-based motor oil. These "tests" simply test the parameters of the oil itself and not really how well they work. Synthetics may offer little or no real-world benefit, as witnessed by the millions and millions of cars that lead long lives on plain motor oil. Generally, other components will fail long before the engine dies of an oil-related failure. Lab analysis of the wear metals contained in the used oil show identical or even lower wear with plain dino oils. Consumer Reports attempted to demonstrate the conventional vs synthetic advantages, but chose taxi cabs as a test-bed, which is actually a non-demanding application since the oil stays hot all the time, easily driving off accumulated water and fuels. This "test" in low-performance engines over a less-demanding driving cycle technically proved little about the subject.
I move this here because of lack of citations and POV issues. --THE FOUNDERS INTENT TALK 12:28, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Synthetic Oils

message: The image at the top of the page should not have a container of a brand name in it.  Propose it be replaced with generic image.  Undo advertisement. --THE FOUNDERS INTENT TALK 17:40, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The image can be modified to blank out the brand name.  H Padleckas (talk) 21:07, 17 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I just removed the brand name and re-inserted the picture.  This article does not have many pictures in it.  H Padleckas (talk) 23:11, 17 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I reinserted the branded bottle, they're wellknown and it can't be considered an advertisement. 109.58.56.96 (talk) 19:49, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Images

message: Synthetic lubricants are designed for "long life" extended drain intervals, but most users rarely run them long enough to gain a cost-effective return. If a "synthetic" oil costs 2 to 3 times as much as a conventional oil, it would have to be used for 2 to 3 times longer than a conventional oil just to break even.
Based on what kind of analysis?  wdl  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.146.23.84 (talk) 19:49, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Synthetic lubricants

message: or fuel, often in a gasoline: oil ratio of 50:1, and burned in use along with the gasoline.
:often in a gasoline: oil ratio of 50:1, and carburated along with the gasoline.wdl  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.146.23.84 (talk) 20:07, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: small two cycle

message: I suggest include information about oil change shops . --Nukeless 12:29, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oil change shops  

message: Motor Oil es una empresa dedicada a la comercialización de Aceites y Lubricantes el pais de Chile.
Su sitio web es http://www.motoroil.cl   siendo atendido por sus propios dueños. Ernesto Montenegro es Ingeniero Mecanico de la Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Varlaraiso y es In geniero en Mecanica Automotriz de La Universidad Tecnologicade Chie. El junto a su padre han formado Motor Oil Ltda.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.20.154.116 (talk) 03:23, 8 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Motor Oil Ltda.  

message: There should be a numerical indication of the range of viscosities for engine oils generally, and perhaps for selected important 'grades'.
—DIV (128.250.247.158 (talk))  —Preceding undated comment added 03:00, 17 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Viscosity examples/grades 

message: Having read the article on Motor Oil, it is quite interesting but doesn't help much. If anyone can help me with the following, it will be much appreciated.
When a car manufacturer specified 10w-40 motor oil for its particular model of car. Can 5w-50 be used instead?  The logic of it is 5w-50 supposed to be "better" than 10w-40 as it keeps its viscosity at higher temperature (the number 50) and has a "better" low temperature starting property (the number 5w)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 300c-crd (talk • contribs) 03:46, 4 January 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: This article has quite a few issues; a major one being the long ramblings about non-motor oils and uses in other types of motors.  This is layman's thinking.  A motor oil is to be in any type of internal combustion engine whether gasoline or diesel, whether 4-cycle or 2-cycle.  I already reduced the section on ATF and gear oils, because it's unrelated to this article, so only small mention is warranted. --THE FOUNDERS INTENT PRAISE GOOD WORKS 17:23, 14 September 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Motor Oil - ??? 

message: There is a site out there called www.oilspecifications.org which I think would deserve a link under the External links section. In my opinion it is the single most comprehensive site on the web about oil specifications. There is no other free source where you could find all this information in one place.  Even though I added it, it was removed with an explanation (spam) I don't agree with. I definitely don't want to add it again, because I don't want to violate any rules of this site. But, if someone who considers him/herself a lubricant specialist and has the appropriate privileges to add the link again and agrees with me that this site deserves a link here should do it.
The current external links do require some attention though. First of all the link to the ACEA European Oil Sequences is outdated. The current version should be 2008 not 2007. The link called 'A PDF table of motor oil technical specifications' is very far from being useful to anyone except to someone who may want to compile statistics of the motor oils. It contains only raw data about certain oils nothing else. Also it is probably made available against the intent of its author who starts the document with the following: "Thank you for your purchase of “No More Oil Change s: The Motor Oil Bible”. As a special bonus for your purchase, you've been given access to this technical specification comparison document.".
So concluding the things I wanted to say I feel that the site I linked in is relevant, is not in violation of any copyright, it does not sell anything and is closely related to the subject of the article. I am fully aware that Wikipedia is not a directory service and just because a site exists it doesn't deserve a link, but as a lubricant professional I strongly feel that if only a few sites deserves a link there, this one should be among them. If other editors have a different opinion I would be more than happy to discuss it.
--Pkarsai (talk) 17:47, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oil specifications 

message: Article says: -- S for "service" (typical passenger cars and light trucks using gasoline engines), and C for "commercial" (typical diesel equipment --. 
Does not the 'S' stand for 'spark' ignition and the 'C' for 'compression' ignition? Sounds more likely than service/commercial. AMCKen (talk) 19:24, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: 'S' or 'C'

message: I recently wrote an article about JASO MA and MB specifications: http://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/JASO_MA_JASO_MB.php 
If anyone finds it worthy of being linked to from the article page then please do so.
Pkarsai (talk) 10:00, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  JASO MA and MB explained 

message: The section on grade needs some beefing up. The line about gear oils seems to contradict the line about Kinematic viscosity regarding the relationship between flow rate and viscosity number. If the gear oil rating is different, it should be explained so the reader understands the difference between rating motor oil and gear oil. --THE FOUNDERS INTENT PRAISE  11:49, 21 March 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Grade

message: > Some applications make use of lighter products such as WD-40, when a lighter oil is desired
Wrongly, as WD40 is not a lubricant. Its nearly 100% white spirit with just a little mineral oil
> Most motor oils are made from a heavier, thicker petroleum hydrocarbon base stock derived from crude oil, 
heavier than what?
82.31.66.207 (talk) 22:52, 29 April 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Heavier (less volatile) than other petroleum hydrocarbon base stocks derived from crude oil....H Padleckas (talk) 18:20, 4 June 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  2 oopses 

message: According to the article, 10W-30 means viscosity 10 units at 0 degrees Celsius, 30 units at 100 degrees Celsius.
This does not make sense. The viscosity gets lower at higher temperatures, not higher !
If it takes 10 seconds for some amount of oil to flow through a standard orifice at 0 degrees, it must take less, not more at 100 degrees.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.193.115.5 (talk) 02:28, 22 October 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Multi grade: confusion 

message: I just noticed that while editing in beta, when you go to create a link to Motor oil, the little blurb that supposed to summarize the page so you know you're clicking on the right article reads "Motor oil: when people are messing with electricity, they can die". It only appears when editing, however; when you turn on the little "preview tag" function, that shows up as the proper text. I'm not sure how to edit either one of these, but I assume it can be done. It's not as bad as vandalism on a "public" place, but they have those little text blurbs next to the article name for a good reason, and that reason is not to screw around. If someone who knows how to would fix this, I'd appreciate it. I'd also love to know how it's done so I can do it myself next time, if you have a second to explain it to me..45Colt 01:33, 15 August 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tag for "motor oil" in beta editing vandalized 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified one external link on Motor oil. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
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thread_title:  External links modified (February 2018) 

message: We have no mention of "sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur" (SAPS) which is an essential property/classification for selecting the correct oil for engines with diesel particulate filters ie. C1, C2, C3 vs A5, B... etc. Widefox; talk 00:07, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: With respect, no it isn't.  It is important for oil formulators to know and to tailor formulations to meet OEM and industry specifications within the chemical limits that they define, but the public don't need to know nor care about SAPS so long as they use an appropriately-specified oil.  If your car has a DPF the OEM will define which oil specification to look for (perhaps ACEA C3, VW 507 00, BMW Longlife 04 etc).  The SAPS limits are built into those specifications so you can choose one with confidence without having to think about what sulphated ash is or why it is important.  Here is not the place to walk through all the specifications and lay out what they all require in terms of SAPS, HTHS or the myriad other important requirements. Weasley one (talk) 15:09, 27 September 2019 (UTC)
thread_title: SAPS

message: I've read through this, and while it's a fascinating dissertation into the uses and history of lubrication something is missing.
AFAICT nowhere does it say whether an SAE30 oil is thicker or thinner than and SAE40 one.
I _think_ a bigger number is thicker - but it's not obvious. Number774 (talk) 21:53, 17 December 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Which way is up? 

message: The "Future" section, up to the paragraph that describes treatment of polyethylene, reads like an advertisement, or a promotional brochure, and I daresay that is what it is.  It does not really contain any information about motor oil as such.  It is mainly a collection of incoherent buzzwords, briefly mentioning but not explaining any of them.  For those two reasons alone, it does not belong in Wikipedia, however, if more reasons for deletion are required...
What is an "enhanced hydrodynamic circuit", and where is it applied?  It is patented, so it is not a trade secret.
How could it automatically summon bulk oil pickup?  Is it really that difficult for the mechanic to call them him/herself when the drum is full?
Where do solar charged lithium batteries fit into this scheme?
How does oil re-refining "complete the circular ecosystem system", and does that actually mean something?
There is nothing futuristic or inexpensive about "An inexpensive interval (5-7,000kl) oil change at your local Auto store".  Most cars specify 10 - 15,000 km intervals.
There is nothing stopping the changing of oil without changing the filter with current techniques.
The main difference, hidden in all the jargon, and not directly mentioned or explained, is (I think) that they suck the old oil out by inserting a tube into the dipstick tube.  Good idea, but not exactly earth-shattering, and as I said above, it has no place in an article about motor oil as a substance.
At least I try (talk) 13:08, 18 March 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: That gibberish had only been recently added.  I removed it.  Chaheel Riens (talk) 13:23, 18 March 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Future 

message: The redirect Long life motor oil has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached.  Utopes (talk / cont) 05:21, 18 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  "[[:Long life motor oil]]" listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|Redirects for discussion]]