Figured I'd p*** this on and see if anyone else has noticed it Well i dont normally buy cheap oil for any of my cars but the motor is gunna come out soon and has been burning/leaking some oil so i figured what the hell and stopped into Shucks and got some Chevron brand 30w When i pored it in i spilled a bit on my fingers and later i smelled my hand and it really reaked of sulfer, it was really pungent. I had a couple people take a whiff of the bottle and they noticed it too without even telling them first I dont know if its Additives or if its just really bad east coast oil but i'm not gunna buy anymore of that.
Sulphur is a lubricant (good thing ). It has been in diesel fuel for years, until the feds made the industry re-formulate, and re-design engines, to a low-sulphur fuel. ( 2007 ) I think the jury is still out on whether it is good or bad. No matter what anyone tells you, if the oil has the approval lettering on it, it is comparable to ANY oil with the same approval codes on the container. Of course everyone, including me has their favorites. I think the only differences are the additives. Budget oil aint necessarily bad oil...........
Chevron is usually considered to be the best of the best, probably the #1 brand in America. Oil and diesel fuel and everything seems to smell a little weird anymore.
I'm not joking here and don't wana steal your thread but I noticed yesterday that my gas smelled like there was Dish soap in it. What are they selling us?
That's not cheap oil. Cheap oil is the stuff you buy at the junked up gas stations close to the border in New Mexico that does not have any federal approval codes on it. I can't remember the name, but it comes in a yellow container. I needed cheap oil b/c I was driving cross country in the summer in an old Buick that needed about 2 quarts every half tank of gas. I had to stop for oil stops before gas stops. I also had to rig a squirter system from a junkyard that used the pump and nozzles from a windshield cleaning system to spray water on the radiator to keep the car from overheating. It was about 110 degrees out. I had to stop for water stops a lot to keep the system going. It was the only thing that saved me from breaking down on the Vegas Strip as I p***ed through right in front of the water show. I called it The Sakowski Super Squirter System. It got me across the country just fine. wil www.sakowskimotors.com
In the 'early 70's I was an engineman in the Navy aboard a minesweeper. Sweepers ran 1600 cubic inch V-12 diesels, either Packards or Waukesha's. The first time I changed oil in them I told my CPO (chief) it smelled like somebody **** in the oil. It did smell bad. He ***ured me it was just the way it smelled. It was only the new oil, after it had been run for only an hour or so it never smelled anymore. These were expensive engines and the Navy used the best parts and oil in them. Nothing wrong with oil that has an odor.
I've noticed the sulfur smell lately in some of the oil we're getting at the shop. We buy 55 gallon drums of synthetic blend 5W20 for newer Fords and Hondas. I'm not sure who makes it (possibly Chevron?) but it smells VERY strongly of sulfur. You can walk by as someone is pouring it in the car and smell it from several feet away. I haven't seen any problems from its use. Like the others have said- if it meets the SAE standards then it is a good quality oil regardless of what it smells like. Jay
There are still trace amounts of sulfur in motor oil and in the United States, there probably always will be. Trying to remove the last traces of sulfur is a expensive process. It may smell like a lot to you in the can or drum you're speaking of, but the human nose can pick up the smell of sulfur in the ppm ( parts per million ) range. There are 2 main reasons for sulfur removal. One is to eliminate acid rain and the other is to give catalytic converters longer life. Sulfur and zinc will kill the catalyst in the converters and make them ineffective. And 283Nova, making a blanket statement about the quality of Pennzoil or Quaker State being bad oil is wrong. I worked for almost 40 years in the R&D end of oils and chemicals fo major oil companies. One of the best oils out there was Pennzoil. And yes, Quaker State had some real problems years ago and the oil was junk, but they've come a long ways back compared to the branded junk oil that is bought at a new car dealership.
I've always heard that sulfur was a major contributor to engine sludge. Urban legend? dunno Another thing to consider is the world oil market's been volatile lately, perhaps chevron switched the crude source for the refineries making US lubrication oil. Not all crude is equal coming out of the ground.
Sulfur compounds in big quan***ies can can cause sludge, but I think this is a hold-over from the 20's and 30's when motor oil contained large amounts of sulfur. The biggest cause of sludge is heat that'll break down the oil, lack of filtration and a lack of additive packages to carry the larger molecules to the filter. And yes, sulfur compounds combined with water can make a acid, though weak. This is one of the reasons you should change your oil and filter before putting your car/motorcycle/mower or whatever has a gasoline motor away for winter storage.
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