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again with gelling and sludging

by induction1, May 13, 2004



i hate to beat a dead horse, (and i've looked at all the posts) but are there certain brands that are more prone to gelling? a mech once told me he'd never use pennzoil because of this. what about oil weights? also, is it ok to mix weights (i.e. 5w30 w/ 10w30)? thanks

As long as they are similar in makeup - it is OK to mix weights, just not recommended. There are more polymer additives in the 5w-30 than the 10w-30 to get the wide multi-weight range. Gelation forms more easily with more polymers in the mix - that is why most techs rcommend going with the narrowest range of weight for the given drving conditions.

As far as brands - that is hard to say - formulations change all the time, amny brands are made by someone else. The idea of regular dino vs synthetics and which one is better is constantly debated. The makeup of synthetics usually has lower levels of these multi-viscosity polymers in oils - which makes them very resistant to sludging and thermal breakdown of the motor oil itself.

Then again - most of the current formulations( conventional, synthetics, and blends) out there have enough detergency and resistance to thermal breakdowns, coupled with consistent and routine maintainence - that sludging is not an issue.

As long as you keep up with the maintainence and keep an eye on the car. I wouldn't worry too much.

Good Luck.



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