Exxon Elite Oil: More favorable oil analysis or simply coincidence?

Denny,

I completely agree with everything you said.

If however, there's a chance that the owner might occasionally start
the engine around 40Fdays without pre-heating (not exactly a temp that
normally requiring pre-heating), the Phillips X/C 20W50, at only $40 a
case, would be a better choice than Phillips 100AW or 100AD.



Denny wrote:
Pete, I have no criticism of your determination to maximize engine
longevity... I have a pair of engines I'm babying along...
Yes, I have rebuilt aircraft engines sob, sob...
Let me play devils advocate here based on the additional information
you have given to other posters..
1. you run the engine regularily..
2. you preheat in cold temps...
So, let me be the first to say you are wasting your money on
semisynthetic, multiviscosity oils! Yes, wasting your money, kemo
sabe...
You should be using a good, single viscosity oil, changing the oil
religously at 25 hours, and your filter at 50 or 75 hours... Having
that bright, golden, fresh, slippery, oil in the engine will do more to
prevent wear than anything else you can do...
Every branded oil company has an excellent, single viscosity, petroleum
based oil, with Lycoming additive that they can barely give away... An
industry secret that FBO's know... Let me suggest Phillips 100AW at
less than half the price of 15W50, or 20W50 as a good oil to use...

Now, this advice does not apply to engines that routinely go weeks
between starts, that are started stone cold, etc.. There a
semisynthetic, multiviscosity oil is probably the best - actually a new
owner that runs them often is the best, but it's an imperfect world...

The other habit I would forego is ground running... More engines than
you can wave a stick at are burnt' up getting the oil temp "into the
green"... By the time you run up and taxi to the runway that engine
is ready to go..

The last comment I will make on this is that changing oil brand/type is
guaranteed to obscure the analysis for 2 to 4 changes...
No, I don't do oil analysis... I change my own oil, I cut open my own
filters, i clean my own plugs, and I listen to my engines... Not
perfect, but it's an imperffff, uhh, geez the echo in here is
deafening...

denny

I don't think there's enough datapoint to draw a conclusion.

That being aside, the benefit of using different brand of oil *pales*
compared to simply adding 30% to your flying frequency. Just fly 30%
more often. You don't even need to fly 30% more hours. Just go out
one *extra* day every week (or two weeks) and fly for half an hour on
top of your existing flying schedule. You'll do better to the engine
than any fancy oil can possibly achieve.

I for one, use the cheap Phillips X/C 20W50, change every 25 hours, and
fly at least twice a week.

Each of us has a hot button, but I'd be willing to bet that one cold
start with marginal preheat would drive the metal analysis way off the
chart. I have no problem with looking for a trend, but consider it for
feedback to your operating guidelines too.

nrp wrote:

Each of us has a hot button, but I'd be willing to bet that one cold
start with marginal preheat would drive the metal analysis way off the
chart. I have no problem with looking for a trend, but consider it for
feedback to your operating guidelines too.

No cold starts here, at least assuming my Tanis heater is working
correctly.

I am religious about plugging in the Tanis heater both at my home T-hangar
and at my destination hangar if temperatures drop below 50 degrees F or so
(this also prevents having to run the engine for a longer than normal time
on the ground to bring the oil temperature up to the minimum of 120 for
takeoff).

When temps fall below 30 degrees F, I throw on the prop and cowling cover
that I purchased a couple of years ago from Kennon in addition to the Tanis
heater.

--
Peter

M wrote:

That being aside, the benefit of using different brand of oil *pales*
compared to simply adding 30% to your flying frequency. Just fly 30%
more often. You don't even need to fly 30% more hours. Just go out
one *extra* day every week (or two weeks) and fly for half an hour on
top of your existing flying schedule. You'll do better to the engine
than any fancy oil can possibly achieve.

Thanks, M.

In my case, I fly a minimum of twice per week, every week now for over two
years, as I use my aircraft to commute to my customers' cities of business.
Toss in one Angel Flight every three weeks or so and at least two personal
flights a month, and that brings up the flying total to about 12 legs per
month.

--
Peter

Congrats! If that's your flying schedule, I don't see any reason why
your engine won't make to the TBO and beyond, regardless of what brand
of oil you use (right viscosity for the temperature of course), as long
as the engine is operated properly. I'm sure most the A&Ps will have
the same opinion about an engine that's flown twice a week.


Peter R. wrote:
In my case, I fly a minimum of twice per week, every week now for over two
years, as I use my aircraft to commute to my customers' cities of business.
Toss in one Angel Flight every three weeks or so and at least two personal
flights a month, and that brings up the flying total to about 12 legs per
month.

--
Peter

M wrote:

Congrats! If that's your flying schedule, I don't see any reason why
your engine won't make to the TBO and beyond, regardless of what brand
of oil you use (right viscosity for the temperature of course), as long
as the engine is operated properly.
snip

You know, I was too quick to post my schedule. In retrospect, there are
normally two weeks off a year due to the aircraft's annual, and in the last
two years I have canceled three times due to weather and once due to
unscheduled maintenance.

Sorry 'bout the overstatement.

--
Peter

We switched from Aeroshell Multigrade 15w50 to the Exxon Elite 20w50 in
a Cherokee Six with a Lycoming 0-540-E4B5. We had decrease in metals as
well. Decided to just stay with the Exxon. This was by no means a
scientific study. We had 4 analsis before the change and are now up to 4
after. These were 40-50 hour changes in southwest Virginia in various
seasons. The plane if flown roughly every 2 weeks year round.
Peter R. wrote:
With my rebuilt Bonanza engine, I have been faithfully sending in every oil
sample drawn from the 40-50 hour oil change to Aviation Laboratories for an
oil sample.

When I receive the report from the lab, I log it to an MS Excel spreadsheet
in order to catch any trends. Currently I have seven oil analyses logged
over the 300 hours that this engine has on it.

Normally I use Aeroshell Multigrade 15w50, but last winter I used Exxon
Elite 20w50 for one of the oil changes under the assumption that it would
combat corrosion that might occur from condensation build-up in the oil
after engine-shutdown.

An interesting data point has emerged that has me curious. All of the
metals discovered in the oil analysis after using Exxon Elite were of
significantly lower quantities when compared to the analyses from the
Aeroshell multigrade, either before or after the use of the Exxon Elite.

Is this just coincidence or does this indicate that perhaps Exxon Elite
does provide better engine lubrication?

My aircraft is a few hours away from an oil change and, as we approach
winter in the Northeast, I am considering using Exxon Elite again.

Robet Coffey wrote:

We switched from Aeroshell Multigrade 15w50 to the Exxon Elite 20w50 in
a Cherokee Six with a Lycoming 0-540-E4B5. We had decrease in metals as
well. Decided to just stay with the Exxon. This was by no means a
scientific study. We had 4 analsis before the change and are now up to 4
after. These were 40-50 hour changes in southwest Virginia in various
seasons. The plane if flown roughly every 2 weeks year round.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your observation.

--
Peter

Which metals showed a decrease?

Al
1964 Skyhawk
Spokane, WA

Robet Coffey wrote:
We switched from Aeroshell Multigrade 15w50 to the Exxon Elite 20w50 in
a Cherokee Six with a Lycoming 0-540-E4B5. We had decrease in metals as
well. Decided to just stay with the Exxon. This was by no means a
scientific study. We had 4 analsis before the change and are now up to 4
after. These were 40-50 hour changes in southwest Virginia in various
seasons. The plane if flown roughly every 2 weeks year round.
Peter R. wrote:

With my rebuilt Bonanza engine, I have been faithfully sending in
every oil
sample drawn from the 40-50 hour oil change to Aviation Laboratories
for an
oil sample.

When I receive the report from the lab, I log it to an MS Excel
spreadsheet
in order to catch any trends. Currently I have seven oil analyses logged
over the 300 hours that this engine has on it.

Normally I use Aeroshell Multigrade 15w50, but last winter I used Exxon
Elite 20w50 for one of the oil changes under the assumption that it would
combat corrosion that might occur from condensation build-up in the oil
after engine-shutdown.

An interesting data point has emerged that has me curious. All of the
metals discovered in the oil analysis after using Exxon Elite were of
significantly lower quantities when compared to the analyses from the
Aeroshell multigrade, either before or after the use of the Exxon Elite.

Is this just coincidence or does this indicate that perhaps Exxon Elite
does provide better engine lubrication?

My aircraft is a few hours away from an oil change and, as we approach
winter in the Northeast, I am considering using Exxon Elite again.