[exmar]

Given the number of posts on oil, type of oil, how often to change, etc. in this forum, I thought some of you might find this amusing and interesting as to "corporate" thinking on oil and oil changes.

Craftsman EXi "Never Change Oil" engins.

I just had a friend ask me to look at their Brute walk behind mower with a Craftsman EXi engine because it's smoking like a mosquito fogger. The mower is only 3 years old. I asked her when she changed the oil last and she said the owners manual says it's not necessary, just top it up as...

www.mytractorforum.com

 

[OrlyP]

Planned obsolescence.

It's not limited to small engines. I've seen the same concept being applied since over 10 years ago by removing dipsticks on vehicle automatic transmissions. I grew up in an era where checking and visually verifying the level and condition of engine fluids is the norm. Sure, mechanical tech and reliability may have improved a lot since then, I still would feel edgy to operate machinery of unknown or undetermined health.

Regardless of what the manufacturer say, for as long as there's a fill and/or drain hole, I'd still change the oil. Motor oil is cheap insurance.

 

[exmar]

"Motor oil is cheap insurance." That is a very true and accurate statement. Be it a splash (slinger) lube or actually have a pump and oil filter, we're talking a quart or so of oil.. Talk about a no brainer.

 

[iowagold]

"Motor oil is cheap insurance." That is a very true and accurate statement. Be it a splash (slinger) lube or actually have a pump and oil filter, we're talking a quart or so of oil.. Talk about a no brainer.

good motor oil!
lol!
but we all know that...

i do not think you can change it too soon on some rigs...

I have been watching the ultra filtration videos again.
kinda cool how it works as a scrubber kidney pump.
royal purple and ams and a few others make kits as well as BIG equipment mfg's.
if you get the right filter socks you never have to change the oil again...
you just top off after the sock replacement...
super pricey system....
but if you are dealing with BIG engines with 100's of gallons of oil at 9 bucks a quart or more.
then a kidney system is cool...

the BIG truck companies use them as down time is an issue....
just change the socks every 6 mo or a year depending on the oil life indicator with the system.
the socks run 200 to 1000 bucks each.... but you do not have lots of waste oil to deal with...
and it scrubs the oil to better than refinery clean. that ppm thing.
on diesel it is yellow color! no kidding! when the system is working right.

i will have to look up the system on you tube...
cool video to watch!
they show up to sema shows for live demo.

 

[OrlyP]

Unless I'm missing something, the idea of ultrafiltration sounds great in the realm of removing tiny particulates. But at the chemical level, filters won't do anything to restore the oil additive package that's been used up.

Base oil by itself won't last very long in the chaotic environment of a crankcase. Additives are there to essentially protect the base oil and prolong its service life. Things like TBN (neutralizes acids), corrosion inhibitors, viscosity index improvers, anti-wear additives (ie. ZDDP), detergents, and many others, eventually runs out. So even if the oil is visually clean, it most likely lack the chemistry to prevent combustion by-products from attacking metal components. The same can be said with the base oil... there's nothing stopping the oil from degrading to a lower viscosity (shearing), which in turn makes it less effective at its number one job; lubrication.

That's why it's still important to change oil at the prescribed interval.

 

[GenKnot]

This trend is being driven by marketing to the consumer that doesn't want to get their hands dirty. Buy it, use it, and then get a replacement. Whether it is large like a car, or small like a lawn mower, consumers are being enticed by "lifetime" claims by the manufacturers. We live in a throwaway society. Salesmen love it!

You will notice that things such as break-in procedures are being removed from generator manuals along with other references to maintenance. Sounds good to many consumers! They don't have to do anything special...just use it. Easy peasy.

Of course oil breaks down, gets contaminated, additive packages begin to fail, acidity increases, etc., etc. But many consumers don't know about such things or even bother to educate themselves.

I know people that buy a new car every year just so that they don't have to do any maintenance whatsoever...not even the simple things like new tires, or oil changes.

 

[Matt88-8]

Seems like simple math to me. Guy with small yard buys mower. Uses for 1hr per week, 10 weeks a year. Mower lasts 10 years and then motor goes bang.. guy is happy.



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[motormonkey]

The expectation is that the oil will outlast the engine.

 

[exmar]

Seems kind of a good fit for a battery powered mower? It suddenly struck me that it was like my own situation with weed eaters. Last year I gave away a 20 year old "largish" Stihl two cycle machine and got a WORX (?) battery unit. The battery unit won't take a brush blade and do land clearing, but it is lighter and does all the grass trimming I want to do.