Used Oil Analysis of CAMRY'S Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 after 4,920 miles

Where would they get that data? It doesn't exist. Unless you want data from Amsoil dealers, LOL.

Bullshit.

I've thought about the oil analysis stuff in the past. Instead, I currently own two 1990 vintage Chevys (Beretta and 1/2 ton.) They both have about 150,000 miles. Neither of them has had the heads off or rings or bearings done. Both of them still run fine. Rust will take them both first.

I'm actually amazed the truck still works - I blew the intake last winter and filled the motor with chocolate goo. I was so cheap I reused the valve cover gaskets because I thought the motor was a goner. I swear, the damn thing has more power than it used to! Probably because I timed it by ear... probably one degree away from spark knocking the rings into pieces... :)

My point is... oil analysis may be cool, but it's pretty much pointless. You'll be tired of the car before the car is tired.

Ray

That is my point.. There is a "black hole" that real data never seems to emerge from. Lots of claims, lots of opinions, but very little meaningful data.

That's good if you're making lumpia but it's different than typical Chinese soy sauces... and the Chinese sauces come in a variety of different densities and sweetnesses, for various different table and cooking applications.

The plates were very interesting. We found, for instance, that Pearl River Bridge Gold Label is identical to the cheaper and lower grade Pearl River Bridge sauce, except with more water and salt added. And also that there are a lot of companies selling Pearl River Bridge sauce that isn't actually the real thing at all. It seems that that brand has enough of a name that other Chinese companies are printing labels with that name on it.

Oh... another interesting thing we found is that the heavy sauces almost always have less wheat than the table sauces, which is important if you are cooking for people who can't handle wheat proteins. Some of the sauces that claim to use peanuts instead of wheat will actually use wheat anyway because it's cheaper.

Let's hear it for Chinese quality control...

--scott

And there is the rub.

There probably ARE some people who have done good controlled studies on the subject, but they aren't going to be telling anyone about them because that's valuable proprietary information.

--scott

All the meaningful data that's available shows no benefit for synthetics in terms of engine protection, except in very cold climates and for high performance engines. Naturally these studies are attacked. There's also absolutely no data showing better fuel economy from synthetics.

Anyone want to buy an Ionic Breeze?

Amazing. Well, for us, the wife either goes with Datu Puti or Silver Swan... and won't touch anything else. Even Kikkoman. Well it's her dish, so that's fine with me... :D if I cook, so long as it's black and smells like soy sauce, that's good enough for me.

Isn't gel electrophoresis for determining protein weights? So you have a bunch of sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyacrylamide handy at home, eh? :D It's been years since I took a biochemistry lab.

Michael

If you can't handle wheat, you probably should stay away from any bottle of that stuff. I've never seen a peanut soy sauce. Sounds icky. I prefer Aloha brand shoyu. This is a fake sauce and one that many folks would say sounds icky. :-)

Yaaaay!

Well, I am probably as stingy and tight with my money as ANYONE but I ONLY use syn oil in my 99 Camry 6 cyl. here in Edmonton, Canada. No matter HOW COLD it gets, e.g. -40, there is NO DRAG....car starts instantly. Try THAT with dino oil.

Going through Death Valley...no oil breakdown. Try THAT with dino oil.

Fair enough. If you experience temperatures that low, then synthetic is one method to approach it. Block heaters are another.

My experience is that this would not be a problem at all as long as you are a "normal" driver who does little or no towing, avoids excessive idling, keeps to moderate speeds, changes the filter every oil change, etc. I have averaged 5-6,000 miles between oil changes for 30 years on all my vehicles (one kept for 15-1/2 years) and have never had a mechanical engine problem at all, let alone one that was oil-related. I ALWAYS do my own oil changes and let the old oil drain out for a minimum of 4 hours, usually overnight. 10K mile intervals as the norm might be pushing things a bit, but you are fine at 6-7,000 with the caveats listed above.

Depends on a couple of factors..If your car is within the warranty period, and you want to maintain that warranty, then you do what the manufacturer specifies. If they specify 5000 miles, then you might be taking a risk if you went too far over that.

If you dont care about that, and you are not running under severe conditions, then you can probably run 6-7000 miles between oil changes.

I'm 100% with you guys on this and it is exactly what I do. Right down to the Kind of oil: Pennzoil Platinum 5W20 in the 5 quart container. Not that you need my support, but I thought I would chime in here and give my own Personal Endorsement to what is being said regarding extended oil change intervals.

Carry on.

Nick

My sneaking suspicion is that Kikkoman is overpriced junk as Japanese style sauces go, but I don't really cook that style food and so I never did test any of those sauces.

Your wife has the right idea, though... find something good that you like and which is consistent, and stick with it.

You're basically taking everything in the sample and separating it top to bottom by molecular weight, then right to left by electric charge. The faster it climbs the gel, the lighter it is, and the more it's pulled by the polarization voltage across the plate, the more charged it is.

Then you can apply a dye that indicates protein, or pH, or anything else you want. We used a dye for proteins since that's the interesting stuff you want to characterize with soy sauce.

I'm not a biochemist but I have friends who are and who will loan me stuff out of their lab in exchange for my loaning them stuff out of mine.

--scott

I grew up with Aloha Shoyu and it's probably one of the better Japanese style sauces. They have limited distribution on the mainland.

There are some good peanut-based soy sauces out there.... ask your local Vietnamese market for "vegetarian soy sauce" and they can probably find something of that style.

The Chinese have perfected processes for making soy sauce out of human hair and other repulsive procedures....

--scott

Don't blame the oil for that. People shouldn't live that far north. You have to wear clothes all the time. If you went outside in shorts you could die! How can people live like that? Water is supposed to be a liquid. When it turns into a solid form, this is a sign that human habitation is not a good idea.

Actually, what fails at high temperatures are mostly the viscosity improvers and not the oil itself. The VI chemistry is getting better and better, and it's not related to the base oil at all.

--scott

Extreme cold is one of the two good reasons for synthetic oil.

But the implication that oil with a conventional base stock would break down in Death Valley is false. Conventional base stock oil has no problem with a high atmospheric temperature, and the engine temperature varies only very slightly with outside temperature. No matter what, the thermostat still opens at 190 degrees or so, and the outside temperature never gets that hot.

The synthetic fringe tries to imply that it's "dino oil" versus synthetic. In fact it's not that simple. Both synthetic base stock and conventional base stock oils are highly engineered products with additives to maintain viscosity, neutralize acid, and suspend contaminants. It's not like comparing a can of oil from the 1940's with a bottle of the best full synthetic.

In fact, in the U.S., the vast majority of oil sold as synthetic has a base stock derived from petroleum.

What _is_ true, is that with synthetic base stock you can make an oil that flows better in cold temperatures, and that can withstand higher engine temperatures and pressures, such as those found in very high performance engines--not the engine in a Camry!

Mobil and Amsoil really wish that you would stop stating this fact!