Leveraging Ashless Dispersants for Efficiency
Dispersants play an important role in the engine oil by keeping particulate matter suspended within the engine, thereby preventing soot build up and corrosion.
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Aviation oils (a bit of research done for my glider club) – Jim’s Blog
Aviation oils (a bit of research done for my glider club)
I did a little research on engine oils, here is what I’ve found, starting with a summary valid for our horizontally opposed six cylinder engine:
- Summary: our options appear to be:
- Aeroshell W100 and CamGuard
- Aeroshell 15W50 by itself (it already has additives for antiwear/corrosion)
- Aeroshell W100Plus by itself (already has additives for antiwear/corrosion)
- Phillips 66 X/C 20W50 and CamGuard
Based on this I recommend a single weight oil in summer, so W100 and CamGuard is a good option there. Full disclosure, I’m a CamGuard believer, I use it with every oil change on my 180 (whose engine is now 700+ hours over TBO btw).
I recommend a multi weight oil in winter unless we are very diligent about thoroughly preheating the engine. From the above, it appears we can use 15W50 by itself, or Phillips 66 X/C 20W50 and CamGuard. Personally I’d lean toward the latter, with our application.
I derive this summary from the information below, which came from two articles:
- https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/2013/11/aircraft-oil-mineral-ashless-dispersant-synthetic/
- https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2013/february/19/all-about-oils
- Oil types: Quoted from boldmethod.com: There are two main oil types used in aircraft engines: mineral oil and ashless dispersant (AD) oil. Both types are made of mineral oil – a refined, petroleum based oil. However, AD oils have added chemicals (additives), which collect debris inside the engine and carry them to the oil filter. Unlike mineral and AD oil, synthetic oil is not made from whole crude oil. There are some synthetic blend oils used in aircraft engines, but they aren’t as common. Shell Oil tested all-synthetic oils in aircraft engines, and what they found wasn’t good. At 600 to 900 hours, the engines began to burn more oil and lost compression. “When the engines were disassembled, we found that the piston rings were covered with a gray tacky substance that was primarily made up of the lead by-products of combustion.”
- Break in oil: also quoted from boldmethod: Many pilots have learned to use straight mineral oil while breaking in a new engine. It’s thought that mineral oil is less viscous (less slippery) than AD oil, and that it will allow the piston rings to wear in the cylinder walls more quickly. However, not all manufacturers recommend this practice. The Continental Motors engine break-in guide recommends straight mineral oil, while Lycoming recommends AD oil when breaking in all turbocharged engines. What should you use? Check your engine’s manual and follow the manufacturer’s instructions – always the best bet for long engine life.
- Oil selection: Quoted from AOPA: When selecting oil, the first thing to consider is viscosity. Simply put, “viscosity” is the measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. Most air-cooled aircraft engines are designed for SAE 50-weight oil at operating temperature (approximately 210 degrees Fahrenheit).
In fairly stable, warm environments, a straight-weight oil such as Aeroshell 100, W100 or Phillips 100AW is a good option because these 100 oils all perform to the SAE 50 spec. In slightly cooler temperatures, straight-weight 80 oils will also work for some engines because they perform to SAE 40. If you have ever had to break in a new engine, you may have been told to use mineral oil. Mineral oil is a straight-weight oil that has no chemical additives and is typically used in engine and cylinder break-in to assist with the seating of rings.
For performance across a wider range of temperatures, it’s best to use multi-weight oil. Multi-weight oils are typically semi-synthetic, utilizing an added polymer to make the oil flow like a lower-viscosity oil in colder temperatures, yet still perform the same as a straight-weight SAE 50 oil at operating temperature. The most common multi-weight oils are AeroShell 15W50, Phillips 66 X/C 20W50, and Exxon Elite 20W50. The numbers in the name of the oil indicate the range of straight-weight oils that the multi-grade covers. For example, Phillips 66 X/C 20W50 oil has the viscosity of 20 weight oil in low temperatures for faster lubrication on cold starts and the viscosity of a 50 weight oil in high temperatures to protect the engine after it is fully warmed up. - Additives: again quoted from AOPA: The first and most important type of additives is ashless dispersants (AD). Ashless dispersant oils have an additive in them to aid in scavenging debris and carrying it to the filter or screen. This is a very important quality, given the relatively high wear of aircraft engines and the amount of combustion acids and other contaminants that get past the cylinder rings and valves.
Finally, the last category of additives is anti-wear and anti-corrosion additives. Oils such as Exxon Elite 20W50, Aeroshell 15W50, Aeroshell W100Plus, and Phillips 66 100AW include varying combinations of anti-wear and/or anti-corrosive additives. That said, products such as ASL CamGuard and AVblend can be added directly to non-additive oils such as Phillips 66 X/C 20W50. In these times when airplanes are flying less, I recommend using some sort of anti-corrosion additive in your oil. Please note that these are both FAA-approved additives. You should never use an unapproved additive, regardless of what you might hear around the hangar water-cooler.
Aviation oil recommendation
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Steve, would you add camguard to Victory?Re: Aviation oil recommendation
No camguard needed, that would be the point of using Victory SteveDA40 XL
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Aviation Consumer's November 2019 issue (link to abbreviated introduction) includes a lengthy article by Paul Millner (retired Chevron chemical engineer) about the history & chemistry of the Lycoming anti-wear additives, including Phillips Victory oil. He follows-up in the March 2020 issue addressing questions from readers.Summary: The original Lycoming anti-wear additive (TCP) was introduced to solve an acute wear issue with the O-320-H2AD engine using low-cost automotive-style lifters, but TCP neurotoxicity became increasingly problematic. So the industry mostly moved to a related compound (TPP) as a substitute. Unfortunately, while less toxic to humans, TPP releases phosphoric acid in the engine. This attacks copper & seals.
Paul's recommendation: Phillips XC 20W-50 plus Camguard unless your engine is required by AD to use the Lycoming additive.
In a September 2020 webinar - that unfortunately is not available online - Paul indicated that the only exception would be for very cold operation (e.g., Canada in winter) where Shell semi-synthetic 15W-50 (plus Camguard) is less likely to solidify in the oil filter. Paul also asserts that in addition to improved wear resistance, Camguard helps reduce corrosion, blow-by deposits & seal degradation.
From a recent BeechTalk thread on Phillips XC vs. Victory:
Paul Millner wrote:I'm pleased that you read and understood my article! I think you are doing it exactly right... in any case, you're doing exactly what I'm doing... Phillips XC 20-50 and Camguard... and staying far, far away from Phillips Victory.
Victory is *great* if and ONLY if the AD applies to your engine... but unless you have a 172 with the O320H2AD engine, it's very very unlikely that using Victory or other TCP/TPP containing oils is a good deal.
Chris
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
For us CONTINENTAL AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES™ engine owners, there is a SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER, SIL19-04. SUBJECT: Oil Brand Selection. PURPOSE: To recommend maintaining a consistent ashless-dispersant oil brand (qualified under MHS-24) for engine service, after break-in, until overhaul. MODELS AFFECTED: All Continental Aerospace Technologies aviation gasoline (AvGas) engines.Continental Aerospace Technologies™ (Continental®) would like to remind our customers and maintenance partners the ashless-dispersant oil specification for Continental aircraft piston engines is MHS-24. The latest version of publication M-0, Standard Practice Maintenance Manual,
Chapter 3, lists qualified oil suppliers and brands which meet the requirements of MHS-24.
I have a 2016 version of the M-0. I've attached a PDF of the SIL and the M-0, Table 3-1
- Attachments
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- SIL19-04.pdf
- (189.51 KiB) Downloaded 230 times
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- TCM M-0 Table 3-1 Oil Recommendations.pdf
- (77.3 KiB) Downloaded 285 times
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Chris, thanks so much. Phillips XC 20W-50 plus Camguard is the direction I am going. Although my oil analyses have looked good I still think it is a good shift. Again, thanks everybody for the education.Re: Aviation oil recommendation
I was just convinced by my mechanic to switch from Phillips XC (I fly 200 hours a year and do not use cam guard), to Aeroshell 15/50. I find this debate to be so worn out. Lycoming and Blackstone will not recommend one over the other which ultimately says to me that they are both just as good. If there was ANY evidence after millions of hours of engine/oil use of one oil being better than the other, we would know.Quick question, a few people have mentioned they use Aeroshell 15/50 AND camguard. I was under the understanding that Aeroshell has several additives in it already and camguard is basically already in there. Anyone have any info on this? N597RA 40.444
‘04 DA40-180
ATP, CFI
5M9, Marion, KY
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Roxi5m9 wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 4:51 am Quick question, a few people have mentioned they use Aeroshell 15/50 AND camguard. I was under the understanding that Aeroshell has several additives in it already and camguard is basically already in there. Anyone have any info on this?Camguard isn't necessarily the same, but the Aeroshell has the Lycoming LW 16702 additive in it, At least superficially, they both address the same issue. Namely, cam follower spalling. For most engines this is a factor for airplanes that wind up with periods of inactivity. BTW, you can actually get the Lycoming additive separately and add it to any arbitrary oil. It was specifically developed and is stated to be required for the O-320 variant that the early 70's C-172 came with. Here's a data point:
My plane has always undergone periods of inactivity for one reason or another. For years I used the Aeroshell with no additive and had no problem. Then I came to switch the XC 20W50 for no good reason, actually, but still did not use any additives. A couple of years after the switch the aforementioned spalling and a $15K engine teardown - at about 1140 tach hours. Right after, I moved down here to Oregon and my mechanic recommended the Philips/Camguard approach and 5+ years later everything is fine. No metal in the filter and excellent Blackstone reports. 2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Aeroshell W100 Spring thru Fall, Aeroshell 15W50 in the colder months, every 40 hours. Tried and true.Re: Aviation oil recommendation
Not sure if this was already mentioned... shell 15w50 already contains the Lycoming additive, so I would not double down with camguard. Same thing with w100+Lots of contention over which is better between camguard and the Lycoming “original” - all I know is the latter is significantly more expensive for not being a clear winner. If you’re to use it at all, might as well get it premixed with one of the above, or victory. Although like others have said, the jury is still out on victory... X/C is a pretty solid performer, so I have no reason to believe victory is anything but essentially X/C premixed.
Of course X/C plus an additive is significantly more expensive than the other premixed options, so if you can’t decide on brand except that you know you want an additive, I’d go for W100+ when and where it’s warm enough for it.
It’s not exactly science based but I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of flight school hours with X/C alone, and pretty much all at 100hr oil change intervals (yikes), I call that the gauntlet. There were two or three instances where cams where shot at TBO, but no noticeable performance issues beforehand (all non-roller engines...) and one instance of a bad cam requiring tear down before TBO. I don’t think an additive would make much difference in this environment though, these planes flew literally every day for the life of the engine.
