Bill,
I'm not an expert, but I have done a lot of research on synthetic oils,
which I use because everything I have read indicates that mineral oil
BEGINS to deteriorate somewhere around 250°F and synthetics at about 350°F,
give or take, depending on formulations. The extra 100°F of protection
synthetics provides is why I use them.
A statement from Valvoline indicating there would be no breakdown until it
hits the flash point has to be a misunderstanding, either in the question
or the answer. That means that the oil would suffer no degradation until
it essentially ignited? Oil is a mixture of molecules of various sizes and
compositions, each with it's own boiling point. The lighter molecules
should start to boil off much sooner that the heavier molecules. This must
change the properties of the oil. What we need is a lubrication engineer
to sort all of this out.
Maybe it continues lubricating and doesn't suffer complete breakdown until
it hits the flash point, but I'll bet it's seeing some serious degradation
before then,
Jack Brooks
1960 TR3A
1974 Norton 850 Commando
Hillsdale, NJ
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net]On
> Behalf Of BillDentin@aol.com
> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2000 4:40 PM
> To: JHarkness@aol.com; Grand_Wazoo@MAIL.FLINET.COM;
> Kaskas@earthlink.net; Jack Wheeler; RDWISMER@aol.com
> Cc: 'fot@autox.team.net'
> Subject: (no subject)
>
>
> Amici:
>
> A week or so back we were discussing HOT OIL TEMPERATURES after
> a Test Day at
> Blackhawk Farms Raceway, where I felt my TR3 was running hot oil
> temperatures.
>
> Kevin Potter, who now builds my engines, called the VALVOLINE
> Engineering
> Department and requested their input. Their response blew his
> doors off.
> VALVOLINE said, "Our racing continues to lubricate and does not
> break down
> until it reaches it's Flash Point, which occurs somewhere
> between 450 and 460
> degrees."
>
> Wow! I was certainly no where near 450 degrees.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Bill Dentinger
>
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