[Vwdiesel] POLYMERIZED ENGINE OIL

[Rolf Pechukas]

> How would groundnut oil perform; chefs always quote it as a high  
> temperature
> oil..

'groundnut oil' is peanut oil
and you're right, that's one of the best
also one of the most expensive
rapeseed (Canola), castor, and olive also have comparable properties

some nut oils, though, are notoriously prone to polymerization (TUNG  
oil, for eg)
which makes them great in varnishes but terrible in engines

some oils (coconut, palm) resist polymerization entirely
and people have tested these oils as not only fuels but as lubes in  
favorable climates (i.e. where there's a lot of coconuts and heat)
but they are solid at room temps here

the chief signifier is the oil's IV number (Iodine Value)
(the lower the better)
AND its freezing point
(the lower the better)

castor has the best combined value, which is why it was the main oil  
used in industrial lubrication before petro became industry standard


> How does it handle cold temps though?

not well?
don't know
have only been trying this in warm months so far

in cold I may switch back to petro, or try to get hold of some  
industrial castor oil
or add low-temp modifiers



little bit of background, BTW:
there are 2 reasons I chose to run SVO as lube:

1. b/c I run WVO as fuel and there have been, ironically, scattered  
reports of WVO blow-by polymerizing PETRO crankcase oil
my thought was that SVO and WVO would be more compatible and less  
subject to chemical incompatibilities that might result in sludge- 
ification

that has turned out to be only mostly wrong

with veggie, either as fuel or as lube, the main goal is to stay  
'ahead' of polymerization

polymerization happens when all the natural anti-oxidants in the oil  
get used up

this varies depending on the type of oil, its additives, how long it  
has been in use, how much temperature, pressure, and metal it has  
been exposed to, etc

running WVO and having blow-by WILL accelerate the 'using up' of  
naturally occurring anti-oxidants
(as will running low levels of CC lube, running hot crosstown in NYC,  
running fast on the Merritt Pkwy to get to NYC, etc)

but at least with veggie in the sump and veggie in the tank, you KNOW  
what you are up against
and you know that SO LONG AS you keep the oil fresh and the anti- 
oxidants replenished, you will be fine

with veggie in the tank and petro in the sump, especially in an older  
engine with blow-by, you are facing a much more mysterious chemistry
it was this combination I was trying to avoid

(AND when you're using SVO as lube, your waste oil becomes fuel)



2. I wanted to be running a totally non-petro car
not a big fan of invading countries and murdering people and stealing  
their resources just so I can get to my HS reunion
veggie works great as fuel and lube
or at least it has great potential to
and this country is GREAT at producing veggie
so I considered it my patriotic duty to get MYSELF off fossil and on  
to AMERICAN veggie

and I have no problem burning up an engine or two (which I haven't  
even officially ruined one yet)(and it does have 410k km on it) in  
that endeavor


peace out

Rolf in MA