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name brand oil vs walmat oil

spencerhenry

New member
walmart 15-40 diesel rated, $9 per gallon. rotella 15-40 diesel rated $12.50 per gallon.
with as many trucks and machines as i have, saving $3.50 per gallon adds up over the course of a year. there are only so many refineries that make oil products, so i wonder who makes the oil that goes in the walmart jugs? is there any measurable difference in the name brand vs walmart brand? i know in the past i have used some name brand oils with no problems, and then changed the brand and the motor burns oil. changed back to original oil and no burning. so there is some difference it would seems between the brands anyway.
anybody have testing data to say one thing or the other?
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Blackstone labs is exactly what you need.
When you change your oil send a small sample to blackstone and they will analyze your oil and give you a detailed report of how it is doing.
So test the oil you take out (the name brand oil) for a baseline. Put the cheaper oil in and run it until next change. Then send some of it in for testing. Blackstone will send you free kits for sending your oil in. It costs for the analysis but in the long run the money you would save on your oil would sure make it worth it (or the money you save on not having to replace a motor because you knew not to run the cheap oil could save you even more).

Blackstones web site: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

note: I have no affiliation with Blackstone other than to say I am a very satisfied customer
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
note: I have no affiliation with Blackstone other than to say I am a very satisfied customer

Me neither, but they made me a believer in Amsoil, Red Line and Royal Purple. I've probably done a dozen different UOA (used oil analysis) tests and those three seem like they cannot be worn down. I forgot about the oil in my old '95 Jeep Cherokee (not Grand Cherokee, just the little boxy one) and ran the oil for 4 years and almost 30k miles.

The report came back to run another 20k and re-test. :wave: See, I knew what I was doing and didn't neglect my old trusty Jeep. I run the Amsoil Diesel and Marine in it cause it's older and has a few miles on it. Still doesn't leak or burn any oil. Tests with some other oils showed that they were pretty well done at about 4500 miles. I'd hate to have one of those oils in a car and use their 7500 change schedule. If you're curious, it was Rotella that was done at 4500 miles in my pickup. Amsoil still tested practically new in the same truck at 10k miles. So, I ain't no expert, no oiloligist, didn't even sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but something tells me that there is a difference between oils.

Hey, lookie here, a Blackstone kit...
 

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tommu56

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
If you got a lot of equipment look for a distributor to buy it by the drum.
and compare it to the gallons.

we are paying about ~$5.50 a gallon at work bulk
 

tsaw

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
I hate to be the one to crash this "oil" science thread , but consider this:

1) I drove a 1973 Ford Maverick without a air filter - AND without a oil change for ever 50,000 miles. The car took me round trip 5 days a week 40 miles - and another 140 almost every weekend.
Sometimes I went on a long weekend trip of 800 miles.
That same car I mention went on the http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/superior/
The Rust killed it. Not the engine.
It only needed a quart of fresh oil after 10,000 miles.

2) I purchased a Toro snow blower - an 8-24 in the early 80's. NEVER changed the oil EVER. Probably added a total of a quart since.
That engine , living in Wisconsin, must have thrown more snow than I can guess or calculate.

3) My current car - the one that has electrical issuses - only gets a oil change once a year. Been doing this for 5 years.


The 3 months or 5,000 miles change schedule is excessive.
And un-necessary.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
The 3 months or 5,000 miles change schedule is excessive.
And un-necessary.

I even hear some suggest every 3 months or 3000 miles. And I have to agree with you tsaw that is most likely excessive. The one way to be sure is to have your oil tested by Blackstone. They tell you how much life is left in the oil and so much more. They can tell if anti freeze has gotten into the oil, where you might have a major engine repair coming because of it.
Driving conditions and driver habits vary greatly across our nation. The oil shops give us a rule of thumb that might apply to some, but definitely not all vehicles. It's called advertising for a reason. I go by the old adage: Trust but Verify. Having my oil checked once every year or two is my verification. I run Mobile One synthetic and they tell me I could run the oil in my car up to 12,000 + miles. I never go that far but it's good to know I have that kind of protection.
 

Trakternut

Active member
Due to the colder climates and changing temps, plus the fact that 90% of my driving is intown, I change at 3,000 miles. Engines warming up and cooling down develop condensation in the oil which combines with the blowby (especially in high mileage engines) creates an acidic residue which will actually pit bearing surfaces making them wear faster.

Since I change my own oil, I take 'er out and drive 'er, giving the engine a good warmup to get solids suspended in the oil so when the plug gets pulled, everything goes into the drain pan.

One more thing to consider, even though your oil tests that it's good for 8-10-12, 000 miles, what about the filter? When they plug up, a bypass valve opens and you're circulating unfiltered oil through those bearing surfaces. :doh: Might just as well fill the crankcase with sand.

When I was a kid on the farm, my dad always told me that no matter how expensive oil and grease get, they'll never be more expensive than buying parts. Frequent oil changes are cheap insurance against component replacement.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Due to the colder climates and changing temps, plus the fact that 90% of my driving is intown, I change at 3,000 miles. Engines warming up and cooling down develop condensation in the oil which combines with the blowby (especially in high mileage engines) creates an acidic residue which will actually pit bearing surfaces making them wear faster.

Since I change my own oil, I take 'er out and drive 'er, giving the engine a good warmup to get solids suspended in the oil so when the plug gets pulled, everything goes into the drain pan.

One more thing to consider, even though your oil tests that it's good for 8-10-12, 000 miles, what about the filter? When they plug up, a bypass valve opens and you're circulating unfiltered oil through those bearing surfaces. :doh: Might just as well fill the crankcase with sand.

When I was a kid on the farm, my dad always told me that no matter how expensive oil and grease get, they'll never be more expensive than buying parts. Frequent oil changes are cheap insurance against component replacement.
:agree::thumb:
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Due to the colder climates and changing temps, plus the fact that 90% of my driving is intown, I change at 3,000 miles. Engines warming up and cooling down develop condensation in the oil which combines with the blowby (especially in high mileage engines) creates an acidic residue which will actually pit bearing surfaces making them wear faster.

Since I change my own oil, I take 'er out and drive 'er, giving the engine a good warmup to get solids suspended in the oil so when the plug gets pulled, everything goes into the drain pan.

One more thing to consider, even though your oil tests that it's good for 8-10-12, 000 miles, what about the filter? When they plug up, a bypass valve opens and you're circulating unfiltered oil through those bearing surfaces. :doh: Might just as well fill the crankcase with sand.

When I was a kid on the farm, my dad always told me that no matter how expensive oil and grease get, they'll never be more expensive than buying parts. Frequent oil changes are cheap insurance against component replacement.

Between my grandfather, my dad and then me, we put over 300k miles on an old 1962 Biscayne. So what, right? It never came from the factory with an oil filter! Back then, on the low models (my grandfather wouldn't buy one single option - that's where the dealers rob you he'd say) didn't come standard with seatbelts or even an oil filter.
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
Most of my driving is in the city making customer calls. I change oil & filter every 5k miles, and have all lube points serviced as well. Just for shits & giggles, I ordered an analysis kit and I'm going to have the oil analyzed at the upcoming change in a week or two. I have 88k on the truck, but it's mostly city driving, so it will be interesting to see what they find.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
One more thing to consider, even though your oil tests that it's good for 8-10-12, 000 miles, what about the filter? When they plug up, a bypass valve opens and you're circulating unfiltered oil through those bearing surfaces. :doh: .

Good point Monte. The test results will show all additives & gunk in your oil. I think they can tell if your filter is doing it's job or not, but I would love to see the answer to this from Blackstone.

Has anyone asked blackstone about the possibility of the filter plugging?
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
Good point Monte. The test results will show all additives & gunk in your oil. I think they can tell if your filter is doing it's job or not, but I would love to see the answer to this from Blackstone.

Has anyone asked blackstone about the possibility of the filter plugging?
Would not the the amount of particulates found in the analysis be a flag for Blackstone to recommend changing oil & filter?
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Would not the the amount of particulates found in the analysis be a flag for Blackstone to recommend changing oil & filter?

Yes, it would. High amounts of elements for which they test would indicate your filter has failed.
 

Trakternut

Active member
I guess I'm thinking that finding out the filter has failed would be after the fact, which has crap circulating through the engine. Changing oil and filter after it's plugged is akin to closing the barn door before the horse gets out.
Oil changes and lube jobs, as well as checking gearbox levels ain't called PREVENTIVE maintenance for nothing.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
I guess I'm thinking that finding out the filter has failed would be after the fact, which has crap circulating through the engine. Changing oil and filter after it's plugged is akin to closing the barn door before the horse gets out.
Oil changes and lube jobs, as well as checking gearbox levels ain't called PREVENTIVE maintenance for nothing.

Yup, I agree in a BIG way. I'm one of those odd people who have a complete logbook in each vehicle I own detailing all the maintenance performed, products used, date performed and mileage at the time. Since I have way north of a dozen vehicles to care for, throwing out good oil started to add up in the expense column pretty quick.

Other than the time I neglected my poor old Jeep, I generally just go by the onboard computer system in the vehicles. They seem to say the oil needs to be changed around 7k to 8k miles. With the oil I use and only quality filters, I feel pretty safe. Since I'm in the warranty business, I see actuarials all day every day on vehicle failures. I'd venture to say that 80% of internal engine failures are from not changing the oil on a timely basis, using the cheapest oil available and using junk Fram filters or any other filter that may be cheaper. Most people are shocked when I tell them that out of thousands of transmission claims I've seen, only a handful of those people ever had their transmission fluid changed.

So, most definitely, preventative maintenance is to try to 'prevent' failures.
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
The oil system on a passenger car only filters in by pass mode, meaning most of the oil is not being filtered at any one time. It takes a % of the oil and diverts is around the filter to the engine. This is why automotive filters are so small in comparison to comercial or industrial engines that have full filtration systems (sometimes multiple filters) that filter ALL of the oil going through the pump to the engine.

Personally I am an OEM guy when it comes to filters and oil. There is no argument if there is a problem, as it is THEIR oil and filter on their equitment. End of story, if a problem developes. My Caterpillar equitment gets sampled each year and tested, as my dealer ownes their own oil lab.

Regards, Kirk
 

Cletis

New member
I've worked for a Cat dealer for the last 17yrs. One of the perks is that the co will sample all of our vehicles for free. I sampled all of my vehicles for about the first 7 or 8 yrs and havent done it since. You can't rely on one sample. Proper oil analysis relies on the history of your samples. You'd be amazed at how much silica a gas engine will take. The gas engine intake systems are much more inferior than a diesel. I'm assinine about maintenance and worry more about viscosity for the ambient temperature more than anything else. All my engines go 5K between changes. One of Cat's biggest bull sh#% ploys is to always question the customers oil when something catastrophic happens. The customers oil pkg just about always exceeds the requirements. Funny thing is that Cat requires all dealers oil to meet certain ISO codes. Cat oil straight out of the jug will not meet their own codes! We've had to check it many, many times. The prices dropped considerably from Ford on their oil and filters. It's not much more than WM.

Cletis
 
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