Is Re-refined Oil as Good as the Original?

The answer is “Yes”. Lubricating oil doesn’t wear out, but it does get dirty and loses its protective additives. Once contaminants are removed and a fresh additive package is added, it takes on a new life. Test after test has proved there is no difference in quality between re-refined oil and virgin oil. Re-refined oil products are subjected to the same testing as virgin oils including cold start, rust-corrosion, anti-wear, high temperature, etc. and must undergo the same API (American Petroleum Institute) testing process in order to be API-certified. The quality is so similar that retailers are not required to indicate on a product’s packaging how much re-refined base stock is used in a particular product.

Re-refined oil is energy-efficient and environmentally beneficial:

• According to the EPA, an estimated 185 million gallons of oil is improperly disposed of each year in the U.S., being dumped on the ground, down storm drains or in the trash where it ends up in landfills.
• If all the oil from American do-it-yourself oil changes was recycled, it would be enough motor oil for more than 50 million cars a year.
• It takes just one gallon of used motor oil, compared to 42 gallons of crude oil, to produce the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil.
• Recycling just 2 gallons of used oil can generate enough electricity to run the average household for almost 24 hours.
• The cost of re-refined oil is nearly the same as virgin oil, and is some cases, may be cheaper.
• Re-refined oil is available in the same viscocity grades as virgin oil.
• Re-refined oil reduces U.S. dependence on imported oil

In addition to re-refining, used motor oil can be recycled and reused in other ways, including furnaces, turbine engines, and manufacturing facilities, among others.

Who’s Using Re-refined Oil?

There are thousands of cars, trucks and fleets around the world using it. A partial list includes:

• Coca-Cola
• UPS
• US Postal Service
• Frito-Lay
• NASCAR
• Numerous state and municipal agencies including waste management, emergency services and transportation

Engine & Vehicle Manufacturers Approve of Re-refined Oil

Manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Cummins and Detroit Diesel agree that as long as the oil is API-certified it will not void warranties. Mercedes Benz actually uses products with re-refined content in its new passenger cars. According to MB, “If these re-refined oils are manufactured correctly, there is then no reason not to use them. We approved the use of re-refined oils for use in our engines decades ago.”

Recycling Programs

Oil from lawnmowers, boats and RVs can be recycled just the same as oil from cars and trucks. If you change your own motor oil it’s critical to dispose of it properly as improperly handled used oil from one oil change can contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water - a year’s supply for 50 people. For a list of recycling centers, visit http://earth911.org/.

Re-refined oil is an excellent way to turn a nonrenewable resource into a renewable one.

What goes around comes around, and other interesting news

There have been a couple of interesting articles in the local and/or national news in the last few days. I thought these were worth sharing:

First is an article from a local Southern California paper, the Orange County Register. Turns out the Orange County Sanitation District, in conjunction with the University California Irvine’s National Fuel Cell Research Center and private companies, is going to make hydrogen fuel from sewage. Talk about a renewable resource! You can read about it at: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fuel-district-hydrogen-2122433-sewage-methane

Next, for those folks who love new car smell, you might me able to breathe a little easier. Until reading this article I had no idea that “new car smell” was toxic. Apparently, the chemicals used in the various plastics and padding can be carcinogenic. You can find out more at the MSN Tech and Gadgets web site.

Lastly - I just thought this was funny. From About.com Auto Repair, the difference between men and women when it comes to oil changes.

Haven’t forgotten about synthetic oil curves - just been busy with other projects. Hopefully one will be posted in the next day or so.

Comparing Oil Condition to Determine Optimal Oil Change Interval

3,000 & 4,000 Mile Oil Condition Comparison

As promised, here is some additional oil condition/oil change interval information on the PT Cruiser discussed in August 6th’s posting. This chart displays the same information, but the curves are shown in a side-by-side comparison instead of the cumulative curve on the previous chart. What you see is that the oil additives depleted at approximately 450 miles for both curves. The first oil change, represented by the thin yellow line with the gray shading, shows an increase in oxidation (after additive depletion) until the oil was changed at 3,000 miles. The second oil change, represented by the dark green line with the green shading, shows oxidation increasing until the oil is changed at the 4,000 mile mark. As we stated in the August 6th post, it’s o.k. to drive without anti-wear additives - it’s oxidation you need to watch. When the oxidation level peaks and then starts to decline is when viscosity becomes a serious problem and an oil change is a must. In this particular case, oxidation had not peaked and the owner determined he could drive an additional 1,000 miles before changing his oil. While this customer is o.k. with changing his oil every 4,000 miles, other drivers may prefer to change earlier, or later, depending on their results. We recommend reviewing your manufacturer’s suggested maintenance schedule in conjunction with IntelliStick data. In the case of the PT Cruiser, Chrysler recommends oil changes every 3,000-6,000 miles, depending on driving conditions.

When do additives deplete? Much sooner than you’d expect.

Additive Depletion with 5W30

One of the key factors in determining the condition of oil is the amount of additives, or lack thereof. As defined by NORIA, additives are a chemical substance added to a petroleum product to impart or improve certain properties. Common additives include antifoam agents, anti-wear additives, corrosion and rust inhibitors, detergents, and oxidation inhibitors, among others.

 The oil condition curve pictured above is from an IntelliStick user who drives a PT Cruiser, uses conventional 5W30 Penzoil and does a lot of stop and go driving. See the dips in late November and April? Those indicate that the oil’s additives are depleted. This correlates to approximately 450 miles. That’s right - 450 -  not 4,500 miles.

These results are typical for this type of driving condition and oil. While this news may appear alarming, it will not cause severe engine damage, just the usual wear we’ve all come to expect. However, it is very important to be mindful of the engine oil’s oxidation. While it’s o.k. to drive your vehicle without the anti-wear additives, oil oxidation is the enemy. The increase in oxidation is indicated by the upward trend of the curve. At a point where viscosity beings to change (not shown in these curves) the oxidation becomes bad enough to cause severe damage.

So, if you REALLY want to protect your engine and keep it like new as long as possible, you could change your oil when your additives deplete. But, we think most people would agree that would be inconvenient, expensive and wasteful. (Of course if you are professional Formula 1, Nascar or other performance driver that may be a viable option.) Some people like to use additive packages (may be beneficial with older cars), but there are many credible sources that dispute their effectiveness. Here’s a link to an interesting additive evaluation with visuals so you can see what’s happening: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm. Don’t believe the hype about oil additives resulting in better fuel economy - this has yet to be proven and several companies were fined by the FTC for making false claims along these lines. Here is one of the press releases from the Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/02/zmax1.shtm.

We’ll use this car’s IntelliStick data to discuss oil change intervals later in the week.

For those of you who wonder how additives perform in synthetic oil, we have seen additives last longer, but just as with conventional oil, not as long as you would think. We hope to have a real-world synthetic curve posted in the next few days.

Ethanol and Bio Diesel - What are they? Do they make sense?

Neither rain, nor sleet nor earthquakes…

Boy, that was an interesting ride. The building shook for about 15 seconds due to the 5.8 earthquake that hit not too far from us earlier today. All systems are go so I’ll go forward with today’s posting.

Working for a company that specializes in oil condition monitoring, we often come across information (relying most heavily on articles authored by technical experts) on alternative fuels, including biodiesel and biofuel (ethanol). I’ve picked out several articles that I think our worth sharing. They really helped me form a better understanding of these fuels and I hope you will find them useful, too.

First a quick explanation of these two somewhat similar, yet different, alternatives.  Ethanol is an alcohol produced  from plant materials such as corn or sugar cane, among others, which is blended with gasoline. The most common formulation is E-85 which is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded gasoline.

Biodieseluses vegetable oil (such as soybeans), recycled cooking grease or animal fats as a fuel source for diesel engines. Biodiesel is often blended with tradition diesel put can also be used in it’s pure form - B100. For a real-world example of a company using B100, check out this story of a salt-mining company that uses if for heavy equipment: Who’s Using B100? 

While both alternative fuels have definite environmental advantages over traditional fuels, they aren’t without their drawbacks including production costs (it takes a lot of oil-dependent machines to produce these fuels) and how to produce enough product on a large scale. It’s worth noting that according to the New Scientist,even if the U.S. devoted all its corn to ethanol and all its soybeans to biodiesel, we would only be able to offset our gas and diesel consumption by 5% - not to mention the problems that would cause with the food supply.

An article from the University of New Hampshire’s Biodiesel Group with lots of statistics on U.S. oil consumption and a potential solution to the issue of how to create biodiesel on a large scale - algae farms: Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae

An article from Science Daily discusses a study from Cornell University and University California Berkeley which addresses issues with production costs: Ethanol and Biodiesel From Crops Not Worth the Energy

Biofuel Plant Reminiscent of Flux Capacitor

For those of you who were around when Back to the Future was a box office hit - do you remember the flux capacitor in Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine? It was powered by plutonium and biofuels, in this case - garbage. Well, it looks like we’re getting one step closer to Doc Brown’s innovative power solution. The local (Southern California) news this morning announced that BlueFire Ethanol (bluefireethanol.com) received zoning approval from the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission to operate a $30 million ethanol plant in Lancaster (this is a first for L.A. County). The plant will be located next to the Lancaster Landfill and will make ethanol from biowaste including wood chips, grass cuttings and other organic waste diverted from the landfill. In contrast to corn crops often used by other ethanol production facilities,  biowaste-based ethanol is expected to require less energy to produce, and hopefully help keep down the price of a box of cereal. Construction on the plant is expected to be complete in late 2009. Doc Brown would be proud.

Exposing the 3,000 mile myth

For many drivers, the 3,000 mile oil change has gone the way of the 8-track and they are now using condition-based oil changes in conjunction with following the manufacturers recommendations.

But here in California, where IntelliStick is based, 73% of California motorists believe they should change their oil more often than the manufacturer recommends. We are pleased to see that the State’s Integrated Waste Management Board has exposed the 3,000 mile myth and officially recommends that drivers follow the manufacturer guidelines - not the stickers provided by the dealers and quick-lube service providers.  Here is a link to the site http://www.3000milemyth.org/

A little bit of education about today’s engines, and oils, can go a long way to saving money and eliminating waste. You can use the money you save to offset the price of gas.

Viscosity, Additives and Other Important Considerations

Here is a link to a Popular Mechanics article “How to Pick the Right Motor Oil for Your Car”, which explains various oil-related terms such as viscosity, types of oil, additives, etc.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1266801.html?page=3

What is the best oil?

The answer is…it depends.

Ever notice that most of the oil comparison studies are published by oil companies? It should not come as a surprise that each oil company’s product tests better than the competition. Of course it does - the tests are performed in very specific, controlled environments so the tests will come out in their favor. The rest of us drive in very different conditions.

The import tuner who needs maximum performance for racing is going to have different needs than the parent with 5 kids who need to be dropped off all over town for ballet lessons, karate, and baseball practice. Not to mention folks with long commutes on the highway.

Even IntelliStick employees have their own opinions about which oil performs the best. One employee was certain that a particular synthetic oil outperformed other synthetics. What he found through monitoring his oil is that the additive package, even in the synthetic, depletes very quickly - which means his oil is starting to oxidize much sooner than expected. (It’s the oxidation that causes problems with varnishing and viscosity that lead to engine wear/damage.) He is considering a change to a different brand so a comparison can be made. This blog will provide an update.

Knowing the condition of oil allows drivers to evaluate different brands, types of oil, and even filters to determine the one that works best in their car or truck.

We encourage you to find out what works best in your vehicle, in your specific conditions, and let us know the results.

What Onboard Algorithms Don’t Tell You About Your Oil

While some of today’s onboard sensors are more sophisticated than their predecessors (which only use engine RPMs to determine when to change oil), they still use an algorithm - not actual oil condition - to determine oil change intervals. Check out this posting from AOL Autos for an explanation of GM’s oil sensor technology: http://autos.aol.com/article/auto-repair/_a/is-the-3000-mile-oil-change-a-thing-of/20080210161809990001

Algorithms can be useful, but they don’t provide you with the information on the real-time condition of your oil that you get from an oil condition monitor. With an oil condition monitor you are able to:

• Detect intrusion from water, coolant or fuel. Intrusion can lead to catastrophic engine failure - not to mention catastrophic repair bills.
• Compare oils (synthetic vs. conventional, Royal Purple vs. Mobil 1, etc.) and oil filters to determine which works best for your vehicle and application. We know some people are VERY brand loyal. Now you can prove it, or, perhaps be surprised by what you find out.
• Maximize performance  - drivers who are concerned about top performance want to know when their additive package is starting to deplete (much sooner than you’d expect) and want to keep their oil in the best condition possible.

If your vehicle uses an algorithm, you only have part of the picture. With an oil condition monitoring system you get the whole picture - in real time.