Aeroshell 100, 120 or 15w-50?

[DanH]

Many years ago I asked an Aeroshell rep this same question. He said that for the Texas climate the 100W+ was fine year-round and also the least expensive.

Lycoming also has an opinion. Texas and Alabama both have lots of mornings with crankcase temps below 60F.

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by chrispratt

Many years ago I asked an Aeroshell rep this same question. He said that for the Texas climate the 100W+ was fine year-round and also the least expensive.

Unless you do a lot of cross-country flying to the North during winter, I would think the advice would apply to your situation as well. 750 hours later, engine runs great (knock on wood), takes about 1 qt every 12-14 hours. (O-360 A1A).

My 2 cents.

Chris

Another datapoint that will do nothing to settle this discussion....

For the first 17 years and ~1200 hrs of my O-320 I used W100 year-round. I run a sump heater 24/7 in the winter months (uh oh.....did I just say that??) so the heavier oil was never an issue. A couple years ago I switched to Phillips XC20W-50 because it is now less expensive than W100. The reasons I formerly used W100 was cost and I had read the heavier oil didn't drain back into the sump as quickly but I don't know if that was factual. But oil usage hasn't changed with the Phillips so the RV-6 and I are both happy. I am usually able to get the -6 in the air weekly in the winter so the type of oil in the sump is probably a non-factor.

[Larry DeCamp]

Bob, whats your issue with Camguard besides price ? I use it for perceived moisture resistance since I only fly once a week in winter. Also, I thought it supplied some wear resistance that straight Phillips 20-50 does not ?

[BillL]

Originally Posted by bkervaski

So that's concerning. At 50 hours should I go ahead and switch to w100 plus instead of the 100 straight mineral oil to avoid any build up that a later switch to w100 plus may dislodge?

Short answer is YES, as soon as the break-in is complete ( basically the temps have dropped) then change to a fully formulated oil. 50 hr is likely too long. Once the oil consumption has stabilized for sure, the advantage of the 100 is over. You want all the advantages of lower friction, better acid control and the additives to keep stuff in suspension and not continue sludge formation. W100 or multigrade. I have personally switched to multigrade.

. . .Use the straight mineral oil for two short oil changes to get the wear particles out and switch the fully formulated oil of your choice.

[Walt]

Originally Posted by BillL

. I have personally switched to multigrade.

. . .Use the straight mineral oil for two short oil changes to get the wear particles out and switch the fully formulated oil of your choice.

New 370 ready for first run tomorrow, plan is basically the same as above, 2 oil changes (5hrs then again at 20hrs) with Phillips 20W-50M then over to Phillips XC 20W-50.
Add some Camguard to the mix after 50-60 hrs.

[rocketbob]

Originally Posted by Larry DeCamp

Bob, whats your issue with Camguard besides price ? I use it for perceived moisture resistance since I only fly once a week in winter. Also, I thought it supplied some wear resistance that straight Phillips 20-50 does not ?

Easy to answer.

Engines that I've worked on that have had a steady diet of XC are always clean inside.

Engines with a steady diet of Aeroshell and/or Camguard will have carboned ring lands, burnt oil deposits on the back sides of pistons, and everything inside is varnished.

I've seen pitted tappets and cams on engines with Camguard.

Blackstone will tell you there is no difference between brands: "we’re pretty confident in saying that, in general, it doesn’t matter what oil you use, as long as you’re following the manufacturer’s recommendations." That said, I've gotten samples to them from engines with known problems making plenty of shavings in the filter and they came back fine.

Bottom line is that one can use the least expensive oil, X/C, and with a bit of good behavior by doing things like: flying often, keep the engine cool, aggressively leaning, running LOP, changing oil on condition rather than on time or calendar, don't preheat too long, avoid starting cold, leave the dipstick open after flying or preheating...yada yada yada you can expect very few problems.

[Plummit]

The only thing this thread is missing is a review of an engine running MMO! ;-)

-Marc

[rocketbob]

Originally Posted by Plummit

The only thing this thread is missing is a review of an engine running MMO! ;-)

-Marc

I use it to remove the s*** Aeroshell leaves behind. Works great for that.

[BCP Boys]

This is one of those topics that is similar to politics or religion. You are never going to get the "right" answer because people express their experiences and their beliefs based on those experiences.

I've been following Mike Bush's recommendations for over 20 years as I use to be a twin Cessna owner for many years and Mike Bush is and was the man to listen to because he took his engines that were designed for 1500 hr TBO to close to 3000 hrs.
Someone suggested listening to him which is a good recommendation so that you can come up with your own conclusion. All i can tell you is that it is great education and like all other educational material, you have to decide how you will use your new found knowledge.

[rocketbob]

Originally Posted by BCP Boys

This is one of those topics that is similar to politics or religion. You are never going to get the "right" answer because people express their experiences and their beliefs based on those experiences.

Disagree. I see what I see. Have had many in-depth conversations with one of the Phillips engineers when a close friend was testing oil for them.

Bottom line: X/C is less expensive and works as well according to the data presented in the newsletter here: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f64139...g_17_AC.01.pdf

And it doesn't paint the inside of your engine brown.

The comments about copper in Aeroshell samples is and has been interesting.