how does the motor oil work?

Question

what is the difference between mineral oil and semi-synthetics

Answer 1

Night and day! Mineral oil is a light oil with a low flash point and cant be used in internal combustion engines! Synthetic oils used in internal combustion engines have ptfe resins or teflon in them and dont lose their viscocity or thickness like regular motor oils! The resins tend to make the oil capillate or stick to metal. If you can afford them and have a vehicle you truly want to take care of, synthetic oil is the way to go!

Answer 2

Until a few years ago, we all used mineral oil in our engines, eg Essolube 20-50, Shell etc. This oil has additives to make it work better but for modern engines it is not good enough.

Fully-synthetic oil does not degrade as quickly and is generally a better at lubricating and cooling. But it is expensive.

Semi-synthetic is a mixture of the two, OK for most cars but I use fully-synthetic for my high-revving motorcycle. A motor run on fully-synthetic should last better and give better performance.

It is important to use the correct viscosity oil for your motorcycle, whatever it says in the service book, 10-40, 15-40 or whatever.

Answer 3

Oil forms a thin layer (we're talking microns thick) on the moving parts of the engine, thus preventing them from actually touching one another and generating enormous friction (and the heat that entails). This is why engines overheat if they run without oil, or if the oil breaks down and becomes too thin.

Viscosity is just a measure of how thick the oil is. The higher the number, the thicker it is. You need the oil to be thick enough to ensure it fully coats the necessary parts, but not so thick that that coating interferes with their movement.

The posts above do a nice job explaining the differences between types of oil.

Answer 4

If you are looking or a good motorcycle oil Rotilla is what I use, synthetic without the big price. What ever you choose do not get one with "friction modifiers" in it, the "super slippery" oils will make your clutch start the slip.