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What is Detergent Oil?


GrumpyGrizz

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I have heard of "Detergent Oil" or "Detergent Motor Oil" in a few threads but can't find a description of what this is. Before I start mixing Tide and Quake Estate, can some one enlighten me? Thanks.

On a side note, is anyone using Slide Glide in there Shotgun?

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Pretty much any "regular" engine oil is detergent. If it's a non-detergent, it will say so on the bottle. Detergent oils have additives in them to help keep and clean the sludge out of an engine. If you are using it a gun lube (like Mobil1 or the like) don't worry about it.

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Really old school lingo. I remember as a kid being told to be sure to get detergent oil when I went to the gas station. And yes for a while some would clearly say non detergent oil but I have not seen any in a long time. So basically any engine oil is detergent oil I guess.

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Really old school lingo. I remember as a kid being told to be sure to get detergent oil when I went to the gas station. And yes for a while some would clearly say non detergent oil but I have not seen any in a long time. So basically any engine oil is detergent oil I guess.

Just FYI, non-detergent oil is still around. I just saw it at AutoZone a couple days ago. Some older lawn equipment still uses it. Detergent oils will (or did) "foam" a bit and there isn't/wasn't room in the crankcase for the "foam". New(er) oils probably don't foam like older stuff did though.

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Hey SLM I stand corrected. I was board at work today and went to NAPA and they have non detergent oil still. I went to the guys who do our small engine repair and was told they put non detergent in alot of pumps and compressors like pressure washer pumps to keep the foam down.

He also gave me a very detailed breakdown of the whole 10-30 vs straight 30 etc.. Who'da thunk it?

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Sorry if this is off topic but what did that polar bear have for lunch in your personal photo???? :surprise:

Either a seal or a member of Greenpeace, who sacrificed himself to save the poor polar bear.

Thanks for the info on the detergent oil. What advantages does motor oil have over oil designated for firearms?

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Most modern engine oils have various additive packages in them. These packages contain lots of stuff, among them detergents to help clean things up a bit (and anti-foaming agents, friction modifiers, etc). Diesel oils typically have a much higher content of detergents, as does automatic transmission fluid - hence the old trick of running ATF in an old engine to attempt to clean it up and restore lost performance/drivability.

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Detergent Oil (In simple terms)

Virtually all modern multi-weight oils are detergent oils. Detergent oil, cleans the soot of the internal engine parts and suspends the soot particles in the oil. The particles are too small to be trapped by the oil filter and stay in the oil until you change it. These particles are what makes the oil turn darker. These tiny particles do not harm your engine. When the oil becomes saturated with soot particles and is unable to suspend any more, the particles remain on the engine parts. Fortunately, with the current oil change intervals the oil is changed long before the oil is saturated.

Non-detergent oil, such as SAE 30, is not used in modern passenger vehicle engines. It is still used in some gasoline engines such as lawnmowers.

Jim Roberts, P.E.

Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp.

PS - If you are really interested some friends and I have a (governmental) patent on nuclear grade oil. I get some of it free as part of my payment. It works great on firearms. PM me and I can send you a sample. It is much like synthetic (Mobil 1, Castrol CTX, etc.) but will not break down to "goo" in high radiation fields. Also, never buy "additives" to put into your car. They're all hype.

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"It is much like synthetic (Mobil 1, Castrol CTX, etc.) but will not break down to "goo" in high radiation fields."

I hope I'll never have to test such a product with my pistol! :unsure:

Doug

Or shotgun or rifle!

Doug, you gonna be at Ephrata?

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"It is much like synthetic (Mobil 1, Castrol CTX, etc.) but will not break down to "goo" in high radiation fields."

I hope I'll never have to test such a product with my pistol! :unsure:

Doug

Or shotgun or rifle!

Doug, you gonna be at Ephrata?

Yes Sir!

I'll be shooting on Friday and RO on Sat. See you there! :cheers:

Doug

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Non-detergent oil is used in most things that do not have an oil pump. Push type lawn mowers etc... use the crankshaft or an oil slinger to splash the oil on the inside of the engine to lube the moving parts and that is what make it foam.

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