Slick Sensation

DON'T LET YOUR ENGINE GET WASTED! USE THE PROPER MOTOR OIL

RUSSELL YOUNGBLOOD ISN'T MUCH on following routines since he retired, but when it comes to his 36-foot motorhome, you could set a watch when it comes to him making oil and filter changes. When the trip odometer rolls over at 3,500 miles, the closest RV dealership can count on him driving in for an engine service.

Youngblood - and other RVers who take their tow vehicle or motorhome s engine-oil changes seriously - are saving a lot of money by staving off future problems.

Preventive maintenance is critical to any motor vehicle - RVs more so, because of severe or infrequent use. Let those mechanical things go unattended and the repair costs skyrocket when parts begin to fail. The engine is a prime example of how preventive maintenance can put off a repair bill running in the thousands of dollars.

"Remember the old Fram commercial where the guy holds up an oil filter and says, 'Pay me now, or pay me later'?" asked Jerry Woodcock, service manger for Charlie Henderson Ford in Waveland, Mississippi, when asked about preventive maintenance. "Well, that's exactly the case when it comes to servicing the engines on RVs and pickups that see a lot of hard use."

According to Woodcock, the $75 it costs to do a full oil service on a Ford 7.3-liter or 6.0-liter diesel is far cheaper than the $7,000-$10,000 it costs for a complete rebuild - a job they see quite often.

He added that if an owner takes the time and effort to have a gasoline engine's oil and filter replaced every 3,500-5,000 miles, it should provide years of service and run more than 150,000 miles without a thought of seeing the inside of a shop for a rebuild. Take similar care of a diesel and it may well see double that mileage before an overhaul becomes necessary.

But preventive maintenance is more than changing the oil. It's also very important to use the right oil for the right application.

"Selection of the proper engine oil for use in RVs is critical to engine longevity," said Allan Periy, coordinator of Product Technical Services/Kendall Oil and 76 Lubricants. "Which oil is used should be based on the type of engine and operating conditions, such as speed, loads, temperature and driving cycle.

"It should meet the recommended Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) viscosity grade, as well as the American Petroleum Institute (API) and International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) performance levels specified in the owner's manual. These recommendations are based on the engine-builder's knowledge of what is best for that specific engine and application under different operating conditions."

Automotive oils are a concoction of base oils fortified with special additives designed to perform specific tasks. Everyone knows engine oil provides lubrication and a cushion between the moving parts. What many RVers may not realize is that very same oil must perform some basic housekeeping chores, such as removing sludge deposits, neutralizing acids created after the combustion process, removing other combustion byproducts and preventing corrosion from water and acids.

Oil is also a primary cooling fluid, transferring heat from the hottest areas of the engine so it can be dissipated in the oil pan and oil cooler. And the oil also has to protect itself from heat, oxidation and moisture contamination. It's a tough task, and some oils are better at it than others.

"Commercial diesel-engine oils and gasoline-engine oils are fully formulated lubricants made with a carefully balanced combination of additives tailored to the specific application," says Kendalls Perry. "They are designed for use as-is, without any further modification or additives."

Commonly used additives include detergents, dispersants, antioxidants, antiwear agents, rust inhibitors, friction modifiers and antifoam agents.

"Collectively, these additives help to keep the engine clean, retard oil oxidation, protect against sludge and varnish deposits and extend oil life," Perry explains. "They also provide wear protection, rust- and bearing-corrosion protection and resistance to foaming."

ADDING ADDITIVES

SOME RV OWNERS, IN THEIR QUEST to maximize engine protection, fall prey to the shelves full of aftermarket oil treatments. If you're one of those, heed this warning from Perry:

"ConocoPhillips Company - and most OEMs - does not recommend the addition of any supplemental oil-treatment additives to boost lubricant performance. Use of supplemental additives can upset the critical additive balance, and can potentially result in undermining the performance of the lubricant," he warns. "It can also lead to voiding of the warranty from the OEM and oil marketer."

GASOLINE-ENGINE OIL GRADES

LOOK CLOSELY (THIS MIGHT TAKE A magnifying glass) at the back of any oil container and you'll see the grade of the oil; the better the oil, the more letters and higher the numbers behind those letters on the container labeling.

Almost all gasoline-engine oils meet the API "SL" standard, issued in July 2001. Better grades may have the ILSAC (starburst symbol) GF-3 code.

Oils with these designations on their labels meet 2001 OEM warranty requirements, according to Maurice E. Le Pera, owner of Le Pera and Associates, a leading petroleum-consulting firm in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Oil labeled "ILSAC GF-3/API SL" boasts the current industry standard for gasoline-engine service and should perform ideally in your gasoline-powered RV

Last year, the 2004 OEM warranty requirements were scheduled to be raised and receive a new rating: ILSAC GF-4. Use an oil with the newer designation and your engine will be protected to an even higher degree.

DIESEL-ENGINE OILS

DIESEL OILS ARE AS DIFFERENT from gasoline-only oils as the engines themselves. That's because oils designed for diesel use must contend with far dirtier conditions within the engine. For that reason, it's very important to read the oil labels closely to make sure the one you're choosing is designed for diesel use.

"Diesel-engine oils require higher levels of dispersion and alkaline reserve (TBN) than gasoline-engine oils, in order to handle soot and higher levels of corrosive acids," noted Perry.

Diesel oil labeled with the API CI-4 grade is the current industry standard for heavy-duty diesel-engine oils, and is designed to meet the lubrication requirements of many newer, low-emission diesel engines, as well as oldergeneration diesels.

There is a caveat, however: Engine builders like Cummins, International, Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel may have additional lubrication requirements specific to their engines that also must be met.

That is why such oils as Shell RotellaT (API CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, SJ/SL) and Castrol RX (API CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF-4, CF/SL) have extended notations on their labels showing they meet or exceed the use requirements of those manufacturers diesel engines.

Those extra additives, intended to provide added engine protection, are why such oils cost more. More than once, the experts we interviewed all said die same thing: When it comes to engine oils, you really do get what you pay for.

That is why it can't be stressed enough to read your owners manual very carefully to find the minimum oil-grade requirements - or risk voiding the engine warranty should any problems arise.

OIL WEIGHT & VISCOSITY

USING THE PROPER OIL ALSO means following the owner's manual recommendation for oil weight and viscosity.

"The biggest mistake vehicle owners make is using the wrong viscosity of oil - and that costs them both fuel economy and power," said Pete Misangyi, Ford Supervisor of Fuel and Lubricants Engineering. "Using the wrong weight oil can reduce fuel economy 3 to 4 percent, and have a similar [detrimental] effect on power."

Oil must provide protection through a wide range of temperatures, from cold starts to long hauls. That's why the SAE has an oil-flow test that determines the rating at 0° F (low) and 210° F (high).

When an oil meets the SAE's low-temperature requirements, it earns a W (as in winter) after the viscosity rating (example: 5W); oils that meet only the high ratings just get a number (such as SAE 40). Those oils that do well at both ends of the heat spectrum receive the type of double rating we're most accustomed to seeing (such as 10W-30).

If you live in a hot climate or are driving through a region where a combination of high heat and high altitude might be encountered, your owners manual may suggest a multi-grade or all-season oil, perhaps 15W-40. Such oil incorporates the cold-flow characteristics of a 15-weight oil at start-up, combined with the protective properties of a 40-weight oil for higher temperatures.

Conversely, if you live in a predominantly cold climate, the recommended oil might be a 5W-30.

Just remember that the first number designates the oil "weight" (how it responds in normal ambient temperatures); the smaller the number, the more fluid the oil is at lower temperatures. The second number is how the oil responds to high operating temperatures.

SYNTHETIC OR MINERAL-BASED?

THE DEBATE OVER THE USE OF SYNthetic vs. mineral-based oils continues to pop up in conversations about oils and engine maintenance.

"The type of engine oil used may be a conventional all-mineral-oil based oil, a synthetic blend or a fully synthetic formulation, as long as it meets the engine manufacturers requirements," said Perry.

"Fully qualified mineral-oil-based lubricants meet the service requirements for most engines, and will provide adequate protection in all types of service when used in accordance with the engine manufacturers' service guidelines.

"Some premium-quality mineraloil-based lubricants also meet the additional performance requirements specified by certain engine manufacturers. In general, synthetic lubricants are not required unless specified by the engine builder for use under warranty."

However, Le Pera sees synthetic-oil use in RVs as being well worth the added costs.

"RVs put a tremendous strain on the engine ou, as you are pulling a load that makes the engine really work," he said. "Such stress invariably places a lot more thermal loading on the oil which, in turn, taxes its thermal and oxidative stability.

"Having said that, my feeling is that you have a little [better] protection against both thermal and oxidative instability by using a synthetic. It would be like an insurance against having oil-breakdown problems."

Nearly everyone we spoke with said synthetics are better at withstanding high heats and have longer service intervals.

"Synthetic lubricants may be desirable or even required when operating the vehicle under extreme conditions, such as towing heavy loads for long distances or operating in extreme climates," noted Kendall Oil's Perry.

"Compared with conventional engine oils, synthetics provide better oxidation stability and resistance to thermal breakdown at high temperatures, resulting in fewer deposits and longer oil life. They do not thin out as easily at high temperatures, and maintain good film strength for better engine protection. They also have lower volatility at high temperatures, resulting in lower oil consumption."

Perry sees synthetic oils and synthetic blends as having superior low-temperature properties that allow quick flow of the oil to critical engine parts during cold starts. Synthetics and synthetic blends can also help to reduce operating temperatures.

Misangyi added an interesting note about switching oil types, pointing out that it "doesn't make any difference whether you use synthetic or mineral-based oil, or if you switch from one to the other. As long as the oil meets the engine manufacturers API rating and SAE viscosity requirements, you're good to go."

However, if you plan on switching to synthetic oil in an engine that did not originally come with synthetics in the oil pan, many recommend waiting until the engine is fully broken-in (often identified by a decrease in oil consumption), before making the switch to synthetics.

1 CTC Analytical Services/Staveley Services Fluids Analysis, (800) 982-6626, ctclink.com. Circle 211 on Reader Service Card.

Herguth Laboratories, Inc., (888) 437-4884, herguth.com. Circle 212 on Reader Service Card.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Jan 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved