In reply to a message from John M Holmes sent Sun 31 Mar 2013:
Hi John,
Your question raises an important point concerning the
health of older engines. These high detergent levels in
certain oils can kill-off the good bacteria living in the
sump which digest & coagulate ‘toxic’ combustion by-products
& allow them to be trapped in the oil filter.
With normal oils these bacteria, especially the e-coli 0401
type in the americas and the related 0104 in europe,
naturally colonise engine internals in the first few months
of use. Although invisible, they survive the high-
temperature conditions in a similar way to those found
around volcanos and other inhospitable locations.
Modern engine manufacture, with its scrupulous cleanliness,
has eliminated the seeding of these bacterial colonies, and
as a result they require finer filters to remove these by-
products [finer filters need more pressure and reduce
power].
For those who’ve used the high-detergent oils in older
engines and may have weakened their bacterial colonies, the
good news is that the system can be easily restored by
adding a tablespoon of old engine oil from a non-detergent
car from the same continent.
I’m sure it’s a surprise to many of you realising that
biotechnology is at-work in the sump of your beloved jaguar.–
The original message included these comments:
Hi Mike, Wondered what might be a disadvantage of diesel
engine oils with detergents?
–
Dave S3E,RR SS, BMW’02,Tr4a,Elise, http://www.xketype.com
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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