Posted by Gordon Maney, Editor, Power Wagon Advertiser on July 18, 2000 at 22:59:12:
In Reply to: Detergent Vs. Non-Detergent oil after dropping pan posted by Drew on July 18, 2000 at 17:26:22:
Detergent oil is so named because it contains an additive called detergent. It also, necessarily, contains an associated additive called dispersant.
The detergent keeps particulate contaminants in suspension, rather than having them settle to the bottom. By keeping the particulates in suspension, they can travel to the filter and be removed.
The dispersant keeps the particulates separated, so they do not clump together and become a big enough object that it sinks to the bottom.
Yes, in a partial flow filter system such as the 230, you are sending unfiltered oil on to sites in need of lubrication. But, you are doing that with any oil you might choose to run. The benefit of detergent is always to your advantage. Always use detergent oil, and change your oil frequently.
The bottom of your pan is not the only place where particulates have settled out over the years. They have also settled out on every other horizontal surface where oil travels in the engine, including the lower surfaces of oil passages.
Detergent will help keep an engine clean by keeping those particulates in suspension long enough to reach the filter. Detergent will not clean a dirty engine by loosening deposits and washing them away, as the name “detergent” would seem to imply.
There is no shortage of stories involving people who had engines fail when they changed from non-detergent oil to detergent oil. They are just that. Stories. Coincidence.
Non-detergent oil is good for the hinges on your screen door, and for the exercise wheel in your hamster cage. Don’t put it in any engine you value. Not even your lawn mower. Change oil in it frequently, as well.
Now I suppose I will get a gob of sludge flung at me....