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Where Does All of That Motor
Oil Go?
Volatization, the methods used to
test it, and why AMSOIL
decided consumers would care
When speaking about their vehicles, motorists may
often comment that their auto “uses a little oil now and
then.” Although many are positive that the vehicle is “using” this oil, upon
further questioning they often
cannot explain how or why or where exactly the oil disappeared. Is it leaking?
Certainly some vehicles
will leak an amount of oil out of seals, gaskets and joints. But others that
“use” oil have no leaks at all.
So where does this oil go? The oil goes through a process known as volatization,
and it can end up costing
motorists more than just the price of a few quarts of oil.
Why Oil Volatizes
After crude oil has been pumped from the ground, it is
sent to a refinery where it is distilled into its useable
components. Distillation separates the crude into fractions based on their
individual boiling ranges. The crude
is heated until each fraction boils off as a vapor, and then is condensed and
subjected to further processing.
This boiling is essentially the same circumstance occurring during volatization
in an engine, with lighter
molecules vaporizing and heavier molecules remaining. In refining, this process
can effectively increase the
amount of similar molecular structures in each fraction, and therefore improve
the stability and quality of
each product refined. However, even the final petroleum-based product still
consists of a wide range
of hydrocarbon structures. These are sometimes referred to as a “chemical soup.”
This “chemical soup” found in standard petroleum
mineral oils contributes to many of their shortcomings
when compared with synthetic oils. Because these molecules prevent uniformity,
the oil has a tendency to
deteriorate more rapidly. If lighter fractions are present in the oil, they can
boil off (or volatize) which leads to oil
consumption, oil thickening and a loss of performance.
Money to Burn?
Even though many motorists do not realize it, when
they notice that their vehicle is “using” oil they are often
witnessing the effects of volatization. Most simply buy extra oil to replace
what they assume the motor has
“used” and check regularly to see if the level is low. But is adding more
mineral oil necessarily the best solution
to the problem? What they may in fact be doing by adding more petroleum-based
mineral oil is burning
up their money.
For example, if an automobile needs five quarts
of mineral oil sold at $2 a quart to operate during a 3,000-mile drain interval, and the mineral oil used in the vehicle volatizes and is
replaced at a rate of one quart
every 1,000 miles, the automobile actually goes through 7 quarts of mineral oil
during the drain interval and the
motorist spends an extra $4 per oil change interval on “topping off” the levels.
Considering that the average
vehicle puts on 15,000 miles a year, $20 in extra oil is used to keep the oil
levels sufficient.
But extra oil is not the only expense motorists
face when dealing with volatization. As motor oil goes
through the process of volatizing, the chemically lighter (or more volatile)
portions are always the first to “boil off”
in the oil. This leaves the heavier, less pumpable portions behind. This heavier
oil cannot be relied upon to
flow easily and quickly to all of the engine components. The end result is
decreased fuel efficiency, premature
component wear and deposit formation within the engine. The expense to the
motorist can be quite
substantial.
The Synthetic Solution
Synthetic motor oils have a natural advantage over
petroleum-based oils when it comes to volatility. This is
because synthetic oils are designed to have uniform chemical structures. This
eliminates the extra chemicals
and hydrocarbon structures (or “chemical soup”) found in oils based only
in mineral stock. Because they
contain less lighter chemical portions to boil off, synthetic products lose less
of their lubricating abilities to
volatization.
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils maintain their viscosity and provide ongoing cold
start protection, fuel efficiency and reduced oil consumption.
An AMSOIL First
Surprisingly, volatility was not always considered
when comparing motor oils. Few oil companies published
test results measuring an oil’s volatility until the 1980s, when
AMSOIL became
the first in the United States to
publish NOACK Volatility Test results.
In the NOACK Volatility Test the oil is heated to
150° C for a specified period. Lighter oil fractions will “boil
off,” leading to oil consumption, oil thickening and a loss of performance. The
percentage lost, by weight, due to
this “boil-off” is reported.
The test has different passing requirements
depending on the weight of the oil being tested. For example,
10W-30 oil in the United States may lose up to 22 percent, by weight, and still
be “passable.” However, with
20 percent gone, the oil suffers significant performance deficits in
characteristics such as pumpability and
lubricity.
Effective July 1, 2001, a new specification,
known as GF-3, allows a maximum of 15 percent loss. European
standards, which have been stricter for years, already limit high quality oils
to a maximum of 13 percent loss. AMSOIL 10W-30 loses only 6.76 percent to volatility.
AMSOIL reports these results because they enable
informed consumers to understand the value offered by
synthetic motor oils. Low oil volatility means reduced oil consumption rates,
maximum fuel efficiency and higher
levels of performance for longer periods of time.
T's Advanced Synthetics
Greg and Marcy Thurman
Your Nationwide
AMSOIL
Authorized Independent
Dealer
Nationwide US Warehouses,
Canada and Palm Harbor, FL
727-798-8552
E-Mail:
greg@tsadvancedsynthetics.com
If you
experience problems or have questions or comments about
our website please email us at
greg@tsadvancedsynthetics.com
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