Automotive Fluids - Lubricating Oils & Greases,
Fuels, Coolants & Brake Fluids
4 KEW Engineering
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Copyright 2009
KEW Engineering Lid
4 What is Viscosity?
4 How is viscosity rated on engine oils?
4What is the importance of viscosity in my engine?
‘4 What defines an oil's Viscosity?
4 How does Temperature affect Viscosity?
4 What is Viscosity Index (VI)?
4 What is a multi-grade oil?
What is Viscosity?
Viscosity, by definition, is an oil's resistance to flow and shear. Itis the single most critical
physical property of the oil as it affects both the wear rate and the fuel efficiency.
Water is a low viscosity fluid; syrup is a high viscosity fluid. With oil, ike syrup, as you increase
the temperature, the viscosity lowers, meaning it flows faster, or more easily.
The most common unit of measure for viscosity is the Kinematic viscosity and this is usually
quoted in data sheets at 40°C and 100°C. The commonly used unit of measure is centistokes but
the correct SI unit of measure is mm/s.
Kinematic Viscosity is a measure of the fluids resistance to flow and shear under the forces of
gravity, or how easily the oil flows to the different parts of the engine.
Kinematic Viscosity (ASTM D445/ISO3105): 1 centi-Stoke (cSt) = 1 mm/s.
Absolute Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s intemal resistance to flow and may be thought of as a
measure of fluid friction and of the oil's film strength to support a load.
Dynamic or Absolute Viscosity: 1 miliiPascal second (mPa‘s) = 1 centi-Poise (cP)
High-temperature high-shear-rate (HTHS) viscosity is an indicator of an engine oil's resistance to
flow in the narrow confines between fast moving parts in fully warmed up engines. The most
common test for this is ASTM D 4683 as it closely mimics the conditions found in an engine's
crankshaft and connecting rod journal bearings, as well as other narrow regions such as between
the cam and follower on flat bucket tappets. This measurement influences such factors as fuel
consumption, valve-train wear and bearing protection.
Cold cranking viscosity simulates the viscosity of an oil in crankshaft bearings during start up on a
cold winter morning. The test determines if an engine can be cranked over fast enough to start
under extreme cold ambient conditions. ASTM Method D 5293 simulates an oil's cranking
resistance when cold, and thus indicates the lowest temperature at which an engine is likely to
start
Cold pumpability measures the resistance of an oil to pumping through the engine after a cold
start. The most widely used test is ASTM D 4684. fan oil's viscosity becomes too high, pumping
will be hindered with possible cavitation issues. Viscosity here becomes an important factor in
determining whether the engine runs with sufficient lubrication after starting in severe cold
conditions. The Cold Pumpabilty test is always conducted at 5°C colder than the Cold Cranking
test to ensure the pump can deliver the oil to the bearings.
How is viscosity rated on engine oils?The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) developed a scale for both engine and transmission
oils. The measurement is undertaken in a laboratory in accordance with standard procedures. W
is Winter and oils with the W must meet the requirements of the Cold Cranking and Cold Pumping
criteria.
Table 3 - SAE Viscosity Grades - Engines
SAE Viscosity Grades for Engine Oils (SAE J300) - December 1999
Absolute Viscosity (cP)
Kinematic Viscosity
(cSt)
HTHS (cP) 150°C
Maximum Cold
Maximum Cold
High-Temperature-
(1) - for OW-40, 5W-40 & 10W-40 oils
(2) - for 15W-40, 20W-40, 25W-40 and SAE40 oils
Grade | Cranking Pumping | Minimum | Maximum High-Shear
ow | 6200@-35°C | 60000@ 40°C | 3.8 - =
sw [6600@-30°C |60000@-35C| 38 =
tow | 7000@-25°C [60000@-30C | 4.1 =
15W | 7000@-20°C [60000@-25°C | 56 =
20w | 9500@-15°C [60000@-20°C | 56 =
25w [43000 @-10°C [60000@-15'C | 93 - =
20 = : 56 <93 26
30 = = 93 <12.5 29
40 - - 12.5 <16.3 2.9 (1)
40 - - 12.5 <16.3 3.7 (2)
50 = : 16.3 <21.9 37
60 - - 219 <26.1 37
Note
Table 4 - SAE Viscosity Grades - Transmissions
J306 Viscosity Classification for Automotive Gear Oils
Effective from 1st January 2005
SAE Temporatare for | Minimum Maximum
Viscosity | "2 Vneosity of | Viscesityat | Viscosity at
Grade | ssoon0ep co) | (eSHa 100° | (eSt)a 100°C
ASTM D 2083 | ASTMD 445 | ASTMD 445
TOW 55 a1 =
75W ~40 a4 =
EN 26 7 =
E5w 12 11 =
80 = 7
20 | 100
200—| —1000 |-80
|—800 [80
|—600 l-70
100] |_ soo
}-10 |-6o
a Cl |—a00
re 55
so L300
tC L-s0
so—| 200
ao 6 45
30 5 ro d L150
4 ro
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ro L_60
What is the importance of viscosity in my engine?
The viscosity will determine how easily the oil is pumped to the working components, how easily it
will pass through the filter, and how quickly it will drain back to the engine. The lower the viscosity
the easier all this will happen. That is why cold starts are so critical to an engine because the oil is
cold, and so relatively thick.
But, the lower the viscosity, the less the load the oil can support at the bearing on the crankshaft.
The higher the viscosity, the better the load it can support. Even this, however, has a trade-off,
since the higher the viscosity, the more the drag at the bearing, and hence, potential power loss,
or increased fuel consumption. So a compromise is chosen to minimise power loss, but
maximise load support.For domestic use, engine life is important, and in the main you should adhere to the
recommended viscosity for your engine. For motorsport, engine life is not critical, winning is, so
these high performance engines can use lower viscosity oils to maximise power output to the
wheels, but then again they generate a lot more heat so may use a higher viscosity anyway.
What defines an oil’s Viscosity?
The oil's viscosity is defined in the main by the size of the molecules. The larger the molecule
structures, the thicker, or higher, or heavier the viscosity.
The size and structure of mineral oil molecules vary, so the average molecule size dictates the
viscosity, whereas the synthetic oil manufacturing process results in consistently sized molecules
of an identical structure.
As mineral oil ages, the molecular size and structure changes and hence, the resulting changes in
viscosity over the service life of the oil.
——
nee
Figure 4 — Mineral vs. Synthetic Oil - Molecule size.
How does Temperature affect Viscosity?Large change Small change
in Viscosity in Viscosity
2 seustits
Viscosity cSt (mm?/sec)
“40-20-10 0 10 20 90 4Q so eo 70 90 90 100 110 120 120 140 180 160 170
Temperature °C
Graph 1 — Viscosity and Temperature relationship for an oil
The viscosity of an oil changes - dependant on the temperature, the pressure, and the actual shear
stress on the oil as a result of flowing between moving components. The viscosity of the engine oil
will depend on whether the oil is, for example, in the sump, the pump, the cooler, between the cam
and followers, or in the crankshaft bearings.
The rate at which viscosity changes with respect to temperature is noninear. To put this in to
perspective, Graph 1 above is commonly used to ascertain the viscosity of a fluid at varying
temperature points based on the two known viscosity values quoted at 40°C and 100°C. In order
to draw a straight line, the viscosity is plotted as logarithmic function against the linear
temperature scale
To put this into perspective, this means that for a 10°C increase at low temperature, the viscosity
may thin out by more than 500cSt. However, the same 10°C difference at normal running
temperature will result in a change of less than 5cSt.
The ideal viscosity at a bearing is around 10cSt or higher depending on various factors such as
the load, rpm and design or dimensions of the bearing shells. Much higher than this and drag
results, much lower than this and boundary lubrication occurs, so you can see why itis critical to
keep the engine at an optimum temperature point during running so it is not too hot in Summer or
too cold in Winter. And add in the cold starting problem in Winter and you can see why Viscosity
Index is a crucial factor in choosing the right oil
What is Viscosity Index (VI)?
Itis the rate of change of viscosity between two temperatures. The lower the VI, the more the drop
in viscosity as the oil warms up. The higher the VI value, the less the drop in viscosity as the oil
warms up.
As stated above, the oil's viscosity will thin out rapidly at first when cold, the rate of thinning thenslowing as the engine warms up and will stabilise as running temperature is reached. ttis during
the cold start where the concem is greatest owing to the heavy drag from the treacle like oil. it can
take up to 90seconds for the oil to properly circulate in an engine following a dry start from cold
Ideally, oil would have flat viscosity line with no change in viscosity irrespective of temperature.
ome
ss 888 8888
Viscosity est m/e)
SAE30—O11A
'SAE30-O118
35 ao a0 0 uo 80-40 G0 e070 00 wo 100 10 120 150 160 180 160 170
Temperature °C
Graph 2 —- Comparing the VI of two different SAE 30 oils.
But as this ideal oil does not exist, then the Viscosity Index can be improved to reduce the impact.
Generally this is modified by the inclusion of additives known as VI Improvers to form multi-grade
viscosity oils. Synthetics usually have a naturally higher viscosity index than even the artificially
increased VI of mineral oils. Group 2 & 3 oils also have a higher VIthan cheap Group 1 oils. See
Base Oils Explained
What this means is that in the example in Graph 2 the SAE30 — Oil B has a lower VIthan SAE 30
—OilA. There are two benefits to a higher VIoil. Not only s the oil thinner when cold, but itis
thicker when warm. A higher VIoil can only be of benefit to a car owner living in a cold climate in
Winter months.
What is a multi-grade oil?
Up until the 1960s it was quite common to change the oil depending on the season and old
handbooks from the period recommend oils as low as SAE 5W for very cold ambient conditions
SAE 30 and 40 grades would be typical for Summer use, and sometimes a SAE 50 grade would
be substituted if the engine started to use more oil. Multi-grade oils were developed to allow year
round use as a resutt of artificially raising the VI of the oil.
Scientists discovered the use of polymers and the fact that these would expand with heat. VI
Improvers are polymer material that expands as the oil warms up. This does NOT thicken the oil
as is often stated. It merely slows down the rate at which oil thins out as the temperature rises.
The base oil in use in a multi-grade (aka multi-seasonal) is the first number (such as 10W or
20W), where as the second grade is the viscosity achieved using the VI Improver (such as 40 or50). 20W50 is a base oil of SAE 20W and the viscosity grade at running temperature is SAE 50.
Viis modified -
— W- Winter
Py
SAESW
"30 a0 a0 0 020-30 40 50 oo 70 a0 90 100 110 120 150 140 150 160 170
Temperature°C
Graph 3 — A Multi-Grade/Multi-Seasonal oil operates within the safe limits of Too Thick
and Too Thin,
However, these VI Improver additives are susceptible to shearing damage from the mechanical
components and would lose some of their performance, resulting in 20W50 oil acting more like
15W40 oil. This damage can happen very early in the life of the oil and is seen as part of the
bedding in of the oil following an oil change. This is why the oil pressure often appears to have
improved just after a fresh oil change as the oil is yet to bed in so is consequently thicker giving a
false impression of improved oil pressure.
Historically, with older engines having looser clearances from wear, and especially in the
Mini/1100/Metro's (with the gearbox in the sump resulting in rampant shear damage to the VI
Improvers), these engines still generally require a thicker oil such as a mineral 20W50 or 15W40.
Infact it was the launch of the Mini in 1959 that resulted in the 20W50 scenario with BMC/BL
products. The shearing damage on the typical 15W40 caused problems and lam told by reliable
sources that the resulting 20W50 was selected to counter this shearing action. 20W50 then
seemingly became the defacto oil choice for BL products in the 1970s and is trotted out as the
required specification on every forum irrespective of the ambient temperatures
Inthe case of the B Series engine, it must be remembered that the early units used in the MGB
between 1962 and 1965 were also a 3 main bearing design and owing to bearing failure lam told
the required viscosity was increased. In addition a cooler was added as standard yet this is often
quoted by MG mechanics as being unnecessary and that a thermostat is recommended. inthis
case, with a 5 main bearing engine and a cooler without a thermostat one must wonder if a
20W50 is right for these engines or not? A high VI 10W40 or OW40 would surely suffice?
20W50 is still used in more modem cars only where extreme ambient heat is encountered for
some of the off-road 4x4 pick-ups, such as in Western Australia and the Middle East.
Modern cars are now designed to run on 10W30 or even 0W30. This is partly due to tighterclearances in the machining processes now used, but also to reduce fuel consumption even
further and meet the ever tightening Euro specifications on emissions. Owing to the use of
synthetics now, the 0W30 oils do not necessarily result in more wear as the film strength of
synthetics is superior to mineral oils.
Historically, the US have long used 10W30 for other reasons, in part, Iwas told, this being to
prevent bore polishing as a result of the ash deposits that occurred on US design engines with a
greater clearance between the piston top and the cylinder wall.
Guide to SAE Viscosity Grades of Engine Oils for Passenger Cars
Multigrade oils such as SAE 5W-30 and 10W-30 are widely used because, under all but extremely,
hot or cold conditions, they are thin enough to flow at low temperatures and thick enough to perform
satisfactorily at high temperatures. Note that vehicle requirements may vary. Follow your vehicle
manufacturer's recommendations on SAE oil viscosity grade.
the lowest outdoor expected Typical SAE Viscosity Grades for
temperature is Passenger Cars
0°C (32°F) 5W-20, SW-30, 10W-40, 20W-50
18°C (0°F) 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-40
Below -18°C (0°F) 5W-20, 5W-30
Table 5 — SAE recommended Viscosity Grades
The above SAE table describes the typically recommended viscosity grades based on ambient
temperatures, leading people, in my opinion, to think that OW40 oil is overkill for British
conditions. As noted, Synthetics usually have a naturally higher viscosity index than even the
artificially increased VI of mineral oils. Therefore, a OW40 is better than a 10W40, since both offer
the same viscosity (SAE40) at running temperature, but the SAE OW will circulate more readily
during a cold start than a SAE 10W. tis patently incorrect, as is often stated, that OW40 is too
thin when compared to a 10W40. Howis it too thin? In fact the performance of a cheap 20W50
sheared down in service is likely to be far worse than that of a OW40 at running temperatures.
See Graph 4 below.e “460 335 |251 191 5
_ (sae 10W-30 762 | 1147 113] 88
[—=SAESW30_|564|398 269|214 161124, 97 | 77
Graph 4 - Comparing Viscosity Grades during Warm-up