Oils Well That Ends Well
By PHIL HASTINGS

Today’s oils are not what they used to be... or what you think they are.

Up to 10 or 12 years ago generally available oil contained an extreme pressure additive known as ZDDP { Zinc Dialkyl Dithiosphosphate } or ZP { Zinc Phosphate }. This ZDDP package worked somewhat like catastrophic insurance. It protected the engine in the event of oil film break down.

But it seems the ZDDP package has a deteriorating effect on catalytic converters that the EPA has mandated auto manufactures warranty for 80,000 miles. This mandate has been in effect since 1996.

In an effort to keep from warranting any more converters than necessary, auto manufactures have approved only oils that have reduced amounts of ZDDP. ZDDP content should be between 1200 PPM (parts per million) and 1400 PPM with 2000 PPM being the upper limit. This is an equivalent of .13 to .15 percent, however today’s oils contain much less, somewhere in the neighborhood of as little as .05 percent.

Heavy duty oils, such as diesel or racing oil used to be acceptable, but now catalytic converters are being mandated for heavy duty trucks, so in turn ZDDP has been reduced in their oils as well. To tell if you are using ZDDP reduced oil, you only have to look at the bottle and notice an API donut shaped {two circles one within the other} stamp and see if it states Energy Conserving. This means that this oil has reduced ZDDP, the primary benefits of ZDDP additive packages are anti wear and anti scuffing particularly between mating surfaces that are under extreme pressure. ZDDP also has beneficial anticorrosive and antioxidant properties.

Ironically the elimination of ZDDP has more to do with Sulfur {in the form of Sulfated ash} than the zinc compound itself. Sulfated ash pertains to the metallic compounds contained in traditional motor oil’s additive formulations of 10 to 12 years back. Some of the ash invariably finds its way into an engines combustion chamber and ultimately into the exhaust system. The compounds produced when the ash is combusted reduce the efficiency of catalytic converters and oxygen sensors. It’s specifically the effect on catalytic converters that’s the primary reason behind the elimination of sulfated ash compounds {ZDDP}.

As in the 80’s when Tetraethyl Lead was removed from gasoline, although lead compounds are known to be poisonous... their removal from gasoline had little, if anything to do with health issues. The banning of lead additives was instituted because of their harmful side effects on oxygen sensors and catalytic converters, essential tools in the automotive emissions controls.

So to put this in the order of events:

1. Lead was removed from gasoline
2. ZDDP from motor oils
3. Sulfur from diesel fuel
4. ... And now ZDDP from heavy duty motor oils.

All of these products are anti-wear additives. Now, not only our daily driving cars... but our heavy duty diesel engines are no longer protected from extreme pressures and corrosion.

There are answers to these problems, without a negative impact on environment. If you investigate aftermarket additives, you will find there are some that use a new technology in lubrication to replace extreme pressure additive in oils and diesel fuels without harmful side effects on engines or the environment. 

Chlorine additives can be harmful to your components after a short period of time, so do your research and homework to discover if the additive of your choice has had the proper testing done.

Tested aftermarket additive products can offer protection beyond any lubricants from yesterday or today’s oil technology. These additives not only protect but boost efficacy and extend life of the oil as well as the components.

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