I mostly agree. But one other scenario occurs to me..... (not to
pour fire on the oil)
What if, as you and I suspect, that there are, say fewer refiners
than we'd like to think, brand Q's oil is actually the same as a SM
rated oil, but they haven't paid the API "dues" to have the privilege
of the SM "donut" (their word)? So, while the oil IS as manufactured
for an SM rating, it only says SJ. SM is suitable for use in all
previously specified SA, through L. The SJ rating does not disclose
the formula. It is only a test criterion. SM formulations supercede
the SJ, but are missing the ZDDP component.
The ONLY ways to guarantee that you are getting the proper amount of
ZDDP is to buy older oil, manufactured prior to 2002 at least, OR a
brand that actually speaks of their formulation, OR, add your own
additive with ZDDP. (I use Castrol GTX (brand loyalty) and STP Blue or Red)
If you've dealt with oil salesmen as much as I have over the years,
the only word they don't use is snake.....
Though there is a brand that speaks of whale oil for automatics....
Peter C
===
At 09:33 AM 7/22/2009, Bud Osbourne wrote:
>Peter,
>Correct, but with a minor exception (or is it two). Shell's Rotella
>oils were primarily intended for use in diesels. This is why they
>were, up until very recently, SJ spec. However, in the US, new
>automotive diesels will be sporting catalytic converters very soon
>(if they haven't already), hence Rotella's re-formulation to SM spec.
<had to snip this off for Mark B. loquacious filter>
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