Foxtrot08 makes an oil thread! (Page 39 of 160)
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Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Last time I let that think run near to 10 percent it was about 6k miles including the massive idle time. I don't trust it at all. Been just doing the normal 3k synthetic changes to account for the many hours of idle. Just noticed the occasional ticking happens at about that time. Idle oil pressure sits at about 20. Tick stops if you give it a little gas and doesn't come back unless you're still idling for several minutes again. So I kinda assumed the oil is thinning out and draining down faster than it's getting in there maybe. Slight bump in pressure rewets everything and it goes away. Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: There's alot of mechanical reasons that could lead to the tapping. As for the oil, it would have to be shearing substantially. But your oil monitor should take the idle time into account. That being said, an oil analysis would be a cheap way to tell if you're getting fuel dilution, or if the oil is shearing down. As that would be two reasons why the ticking begins. Otherwise, it may be as simple as a worn out oil pump. That just isn't pushing the right GPM at idle. Or maybe just a little bit of varnish build up on the lifters that's leading to a little bit of interference ticking. Etc. You might be getting some fuel dilution. Being 22 years old essentially, it’s really hard to give you a direction. But if 3k miles keeps it happy… why change it. |
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Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: You might be getting some fuel dilution. Being 22 years old essentially, it's really hard to give you a direction. But if 3k miles keeps it happy why change it. Hope to keep it from ticking at all and not just an occasional thing I just imagine my wife sitting there not hearing it while listening to music when she should give it a little gas and moving me closer to having to do an engine swap lol |
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Originally Posted By victorgonzales: I was considering 40 weight to keep the oil pressure up a little during idle. Probably keep the same schedule but might keep it from draining as fast if it bumps up a few psi and is a little thicker when very hot at idle. But obviously don't want to cause a worse problem. General internet searches suggest it's a normal solution for my situation Hope to keep it from ticking at all and not just an occasional thing I just imagine my wife sitting there not hearing it while listening to music when she should give it a little gas and moving me closer to having to do an engine swap lol Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: You might be getting some fuel dilution. Being 22 years old essentially, it's really hard to give you a direction. But if 3k miles keeps it happy why change it. Hope to keep it from ticking at all and not just an occasional thing I just imagine my wife sitting there not hearing it while listening to music when she should give it a little gas and moving me closer to having to do an engine swap lol Honestly, going to a 40w to maintain oil pressure at idle… may or may not work. It all depends on the “why” it’s losing oil pressure. If it’s shearing or fuel dilution. Yes, it will help a bit. If it’s something mechanical, that’s allowing it to drop pressure. Then it really won’t, you know? That’s why there’s no definitive answer. You can try it - certainly won’t hurt. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By victorgonzales: I was considering 40 weight to keep the oil pressure up a little during idle. Probably keep the same schedule but might keep it from draining as fast if it bumps up a few psi and is a little thicker when very hot at idle. But obviously don't want to cause a worse problem. General internet searches suggest it's a normal solution for my situation Hope to keep it from ticking at all and not just an occasional thing I just imagine my wife sitting there not hearing it while listening to music when she should give it a little gas and moving me closer to having to do an engine swap lol Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: You might be getting some fuel dilution. Being 22 years old essentially, it's really hard to give you a direction. But if 3k miles keeps it happy why change it. Hope to keep it from ticking at all and not just an occasional thing I just imagine my wife sitting there not hearing it while listening to music when she should give it a little gas and moving me closer to having to do an engine swap lol Random thought / dumb question. Did you check the oil levels in the engine when it starts to tick? It may be a little low due to various issues. Noack, worn out, etc. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Random thought / dumb question. Did you check the oil levels in the engine when it starts to tick? It may be a little low due to various issues. Noack, worn out, etc. |
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Just a heads up. Group 3 base oils are going to become extremely short. I’ve received written price increases of up to 20%. And tonight I was verbally told 45% with the increase letters being re-written. The majority of the group 3 base oil production in the world, is currently offline. Shell’s GTL plant has been hit and could be offline for 3-5 years. This is literally nightmare fuel and my industry is melting down, right now. I’d maybe buy an oil change or two for you DIY’ers out there. Pennzoil is done. Valvoline is probably going to be hurting. Chevron is going to be hurting. I’ve bought about 1.3m in inventory just to try to have inventory for a bit. This is gonna hurt. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Just a heads up. Group 3 base oils are going to become extremely short. I’ve received written price increases of up to 20%. And tonight I was verbally told 45% with the increase letters being re-written. The majority of the group 3 base oil production in the world, is currently offline. Shell’s GTL plant has been hit and could be offline for 3-5 years. This is literally nightmare fuel and my industry is melting down, right now. I’d maybe buy an oil change or two for you DIY’ers out there. Pennzoil is done. Valvoline is probably going to be hurting. Chevron is going to be hurting. I’ve bought about 1.3m in inventory just to try to have inventory for a bit. This is gonna hurt. Thanks for the heads up Any idea why this is happening? |
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Direction, not intention, determines destination.
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The Shell facility is in the Middle East and was hit yesterday. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shells-pearl-gtl-facility-qatar-stops-production-after-attacks-2026-03-19/ |
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Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Yikes. Is this going to be a no supply at all situation or just a double the price situation? Uh… My gut feeling is “no supply” if this continues, of modern engine oils. There’s no way to hit current standards without group 3s. Now, there is still some group 3 production. But not enough to fill global demand. And this gap is huge. So I’m expecting enormous shortages. It’s going to be like prices probably quadruple. And certain products cease to exist. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Uh My gut feeling is "no supply" if this continues, of modern engine oils. There's no way to hit current standards without group 3s. Now, there is still some group 3 production. But not enough to fill global demand. And this gap is huge. So I'm expecting enormous shortages. It's going to be like prices probably quadruple. And certain products cease to exist. |
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Uh… My gut feeling is “no supply” if this continues, of modern engine oils. There’s no way to hit current standards without group 3s. Now, there is still some group 3 production. But not enough to fill global demand. And this gap is huge. So I’m expecting enormous shortages. It’s going to be like prices probably quadruple. And certain products cease to exist. Well, shit. "Just ordered $350 of 0W-20 from Walmart". Should keep the family fleet of Hondas running for a while
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Originally Posted By Precious87: Well, shit. "Just ordered $350 of 0W-20 from Walmart". Should keep the family fleet of Hondas running for a while ![]() |
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Just a heads up. Group 3 base oils are going to become extremely short. I’ve received written price increases of up to 20%. And tonight I was verbally told 45% with the increase letters being re-written. The majority of the group 3 base oil production in the world, is currently offline. Shell’s GTL plant has been hit and could be offline for 3-5 years. This is literally nightmare fuel and my industry is melting down, right now. I’d maybe buy an oil change or two for you DIY’ers out there. Pennzoil is done. Valvoline is probably going to be hurting. Chevron is going to be hurting. I’ve bought about 1.3m in inventory just to try to have inventory for a bit. This is gonna hurt. You mentioned something in another thread and I bought oil for an oil change next year (my DD is 1 year/10k miles), just bought another after reading this and enough to keep it topped up between changes. |
"You can't tourniquet a taint, folks." - Andrew Branca
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Originally Posted By JackRebney: You mentioned something in another thread and I bought oil for an oil change next year (my DD is 1 year/10k miles), just bought another after reading this and enough to keep it topped up between changes. Originally Posted By JackRebney: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Just a heads up. Group 3 base oils are going to become extremely short. I’ve received written price increases of up to 20%. And tonight I was verbally told 45% with the increase letters being re-written. The majority of the group 3 base oil production in the world, is currently offline. Shell’s GTL plant has been hit and could be offline for 3-5 years. This is literally nightmare fuel and my industry is melting down, right now. I’d maybe buy an oil change or two for you DIY’ers out there. Pennzoil is done. Valvoline is probably going to be hurting. Chevron is going to be hurting. I’ve bought about 1.3m in inventory just to try to have inventory for a bit. This is gonna hurt. You mentioned something in another thread and I bought oil for an oil change next year (my DD is 1 year/10k miles), just bought another after reading this and enough to keep it topped up between changes. 3-5 years repair is doubtful and likely just hyperbole. qatar runs on slave labor, they will just start cracking the whip. if that doesnt work they will throw money at it until the problem goes away. |
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Originally Posted By Shooter66: How does this affect products like Mobil 1 and other synthetics? I assume they use some gas to liquid product in the mix. I didn't even ask the question, just ordered ![]() Gonna use it anyway, and the kids like spending "shop time" with dad |
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Since we are on the topic. Let's say these oils are gone for two years. What the hell do billions of people put in their cars? Is there a backup plan for motor oil? Can other oil facilities convert to replace this supply even if it's a less diverse product selection? If 70 percent or engines seize up from no oil that's kind of a big global problem |
¯\_(?)_/¯
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Just a heads up. Group 3 base oils are going to become extremely short. I’ve received written price increases of up to 20%. And tonight I was verbally told 45% with the increase letters being re-written. The majority of the group 3 base oil production in the world, is currently offline. Shell’s GTL plant has been hit and could be offline for 3-5 years. This is literally nightmare fuel and my industry is melting down, right now. I’d maybe buy an oil change or two for you DIY’ers out there. Pennzoil is done. Valvoline is probably going to be hurting. Chevron is going to be hurting. I’ve bought about 1.3m in inventory just to try to have inventory for a bit. This is gonna hurt. Thanks for this tip, Foxtrot. I thought I was okay for the season on oil and UTF, but now I feel like I'd better pick up an extra drop for a few things. |
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time to build a GTL plant in the Baaken? theory being you need to be some where where there is lots of gas and no good way to transport it. keeps price down. I dont know what other inputs they need though. anywhere else in the states there are enough pipelines to move it somewhere where its worth more. |
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Originally Posted By victorgonzales: Since we are on the topic. Let's say these oils are gone for two years. What the hell do billions of people put in their cars? Is there a backup plan for motor oil? Can other oil facilities convert to replace this supply even if it's a less diverse product selection? If 70 percent or engines seize up from no oil that's kind of a big global problem Chevron and XOM are putting in group 3 production. Not GTL, but they’re putting group 3 production in the U.S. converting group 2 to group 3 at their different refineries. They’re just a few quarters off. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: There’s alot of mechanical reasons that could lead to the tapping. As for the oil, it would have to be shearing substantially. But your oil monitor should take the idle time into account. That being said, an oil analysis would be a cheap way to tell if you’re getting fuel dilution, or if the oil is shearing down. As that would be two reasons why the ticking begins. Otherwise, it may be as simple as a worn out oil pump. That just isn’t pushing the right GPM at idle. Or maybe just a little bit of varnish build up on the lifters that’s leading to a little bit of interference ticking. Etc. Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Originally Posted By victorgonzales: My 2005 Tahoe gets slight lifter tick at idle when the oil get about 3000 miles on it. Mind you the wife sits and idles the thing 30-45 minutes per weekday waiting to pick the kid.up from school. Oil life usually reads about 50% on the dash when this starts happening. I use 5w30 full synthetic. When I change the oil it goes away. My question is would a change in oil weight help this ? It's never cold in Phoenix so cold start probably not an issue but would 40 weight be better for her sitting and idling in 115 degree temps? Or just keep changing the oil more often? Tahoe has 125k miles btw. The vehicle spends more time hot idle than actually driving probably. There’s alot of mechanical reasons that could lead to the tapping. As for the oil, it would have to be shearing substantially. But your oil monitor should take the idle time into account. That being said, an oil analysis would be a cheap way to tell if you’re getting fuel dilution, or if the oil is shearing down. As that would be two reasons why the ticking begins. Otherwise, it may be as simple as a worn out oil pump. That just isn’t pushing the right GPM at idle. Or maybe just a little bit of varnish build up on the lifters that’s leading to a little bit of interference ticking. Etc. There is an o ring on the oil pick up tube that likes to fail thicker oil acts as a bandaid still need to fix |
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Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Shit. I have enough on hand for roughly a year of normal ops, things will get interesting after that. Guess it’s time to start stretching those oci’s a bit. Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Chevron allocation starts today. Shit. I have enough on hand for roughly a year of normal ops, things will get interesting after that. Guess it’s time to start stretching those oci’s a bit. A year? What are heck you envisioning? |
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Odds of this having a positive impact? https://ilma.org/ilma-seeks-immediate-relief-amid-group-iii-base-oil-supply-disruptions/ |
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Originally Posted By TowerTasteless: Odds of this having a positive impact? https://ilma.org/ilma-seeks-immediate-relief-amid-group-iii-base-oil-supply-disruptions/ Sounds like maybe using possible inferior Chinese style base oils? If so, i’ll pass. |
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Originally Posted By boolzi: A year? What are heck you envisioning? Originally Posted By boolzi: Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Chevron allocation starts today. Shit. I have enough on hand for roughly a year of normal ops, things will get interesting after that. Guess it’s time to start stretching those oci’s a bit. A year? What are heck you envisioning? That the current situation in Iran might not be resolved in the next few weeks. None of the serious effects have even begun to be felt yet. A lot of crude inventory sits in tank farms and tankers anchored off our coasts. Once that inventory gets used up, then things will actually start getting interesting. |
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Originally Posted By HiPower1935: That the current situation in Iran might not be resolved in the next few weeks. Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Originally Posted By boolzi: Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Chevron allocation starts today. Shit. I have enough on hand for roughly a year of normal ops, things will get interesting after that. Guess it’s time to start stretching those oci’s a bit. A year? What are heck you envisioning? That the current situation in Iran might not be resolved in the next few weeks. Its hard to believe theres much left after all the bombing. No matter what we do in the middle east it always seems to turn to shit. You got trump and investors adamantly claiming this is short lived, but history says the middles east sucks you into a quagmire. Its like quicksand. Oh, and i agree the oil price increase hasnt been felt yet. It takes a minute to hit the consumer. Diesel globally will impact everything that comes here, gets shipped, gets grown. You will feel it through amazon and at the grocery, lumber..just so many products will edge up with fuel costs. Now, mix in jet fuel. |
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Originally Posted By boolzi: Its hard to believe theres much left after all the bombing. No matter what we do in the middle east it always seems to turn to shit. You got trump and investors adamantly claiming this is short lived, but history says the middles east sucks you into a quagmire. Its like quicksand. See my edit above. |
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Originally Posted By HiPower1935: See my edit above. Originally Posted By HiPower1935: Originally Posted By boolzi: Its hard to believe theres much left after all the bombing. No matter what we do in the middle east it always seems to turn to shit. You got trump and investors adamantly claiming this is short lived, but history says the middles east sucks you into a quagmire. Its like quicksand. See my edit above. Lololo…see my edit. We editing.. |
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Originally Posted By boolzi: Lololo…see my edit. We editing.. Lol Fuel isn’t what I’m concerned with, that’s mostly made pretty locally. Lubes on the other hand, are some fairly specialized products that are often a truly global supply chain. Aka, a GTL plant in Qatar gets hit and no more Pennzoil for a while. |
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Originally Posted By TowerTasteless: Odds of this having a positive impact? https://ilma.org/ilma-seeks-immediate-relief-amid-group-iii-base-oil-supply-disruptions/ A little. But not a lot. There’s just not enough group 3s right now. PAOs and esters can take some slack. But not a lot. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By eric496: Thanks! I had just used the last of my oil and hadn't ordered more yet until I read your post. Pennzoil is done? As in permanently? With GTL base oils? Yes. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By boolzi: Something else i’ve read is 85% of polyethylene exports from the hormuz. Thats all the plastic bottles oil goes into, and also includes my pvc and pex i use for woirk. We have an injection molding supplier in Taiwan that told us they have no ETA when they can get us parts because of the Iran/strait situation. |
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: A little. But not a lot. There’s just not enough group 3s right now. PAOs and esters can take some slack. But not a lot. Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Originally Posted By TowerTasteless: Odds of this having a positive impact? https://ilma.org/ilma-seeks-immediate-relief-amid-group-iii-base-oil-supply-disruptions/ A little. But not a lot. There’s just not enough group 3s right now. PAOs and esters can take some slack. But not a lot. Won’t PAOs and esters potentially also climb in price as alternatives are sought/needed? |
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: With GTL base oils? Yes. Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Originally Posted By eric496: Thanks! I had just used the last of my oil and hadn't ordered more yet until I read your post. Pennzoil is done? As in permanently? With GTL base oils? Yes. Bummer. No more Ultra Platinum for my WRX in a couple years or so. |
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Will be interesting to watch if GM and the OEMs hold their ground or allow substitutions or ad hoc formulations. Suppliers whether it be ILMA or the majors big in PCMO are in deep kimchi. Sectors like Industrial or HDMO will also feel the pain especially in the gear oil segment. On top of all this is the recent brain drain across the industry. Whether it be layoffs or retirements, supply chain teams will be challenged navigating the disruption. Those with years of experience “been there, done that” with supply optimization and recovery are long gone. Expect a lot of volatility and inconsistency. https://jobbersworld.com/market-volatility-is-testing-the-lubricant-industrys-pricing-playbook/ |
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Originally Posted By bluemax_1: Won’t PAOs and esters potentially also climb in price as alternatives are sought/needed? Originally Posted By bluemax_1: Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Originally Posted By TowerTasteless: Odds of this having a positive impact? https://ilma.org/ilma-seeks-immediate-relief-amid-group-iii-base-oil-supply-disruptions/ A little. But not a lot. There’s just not enough group 3s right now. PAOs and esters can take some slack. But not a lot. Won’t PAOs and esters potentially also climb in price as alternatives are sought/needed? Oh for sure. They already are. Just saying they can make up a tad bit of shortage. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By Manchu65: Will be interesting to watch if GM and the OEMs hold their ground or allow substitutions or ad hoc formulations. Suppliers whether it be ILMA or the majors big in PCMO are in deep kimchi. Sectors like Industrial or HDMO will also feel the pain especially in the gear oil segment. On top of all this is the recent brain drain across the industry. Whether it be layoffs or retirements, supply chain teams will be challenged navigating the disruption. Those with years of experience “been there, done that” with supply optimization and recovery are long gone. Expect a lot of volatility and inconsistency. https://jobbersworld.com/market-volatility-is-testing-the-lubricant-industrys-pricing-playbook/ I was waiting for you to chime in. I do wish you were closer to Ohio, lol. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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Originally Posted By boolzi: Will this affect conventional oils, like regular white bottle rotella? Probably. But they can reformulate that down to group 2s technically speaking. Rotella T2 fleet exists. And it’s a straight super cheap conventional. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.

