Morris lubricants oil or something else?

Having looked after Base Oil exports for many years in the past - which went to various Company's in EU / UK ... for producing over counter Lubricating Oils .... (I ran testing / loading / discharges etc ).

I have one rule :

The more budget the oil - the more often I change it.

Why ? The cheapest can often include recycled and with various additives to bring it up to spec. As you move up the brands - recycled phases out - but additives still prevail. All Oils have additives to counter specific items ... but the bottom line is life of the oil .. how soon does it break down.

There's nothing wrong with using cheap oil of the required form - just resign to the fact of changing it more often.
 
I rate Morris lubricants very highly, have used them extensively in the past on older vehicles, especially some exotic ex military vehicles with demanding oil types.
Regularly use there advise line, very helpful, unlike a certain company that led me down the wrong path.
I had a few friends high up in major truck maintenance roles, they all thought Morris were excellent, without exception.
My go to company for oils if there isn’t another major supplier that provides what I need.
Basic old engines need a decent basic mineral oil, but in my experience if you want to treat you’re engine well Morris do provide, probably above many other lubricant suppliers.
 
Just interested as to how the average person rates an oil ? By colour after a period ? Rubbing it between fingers ? or some 'test' thyat they've devised ?

Seriously - I am interested to know how .....

I owned / ran Labs for years and to test Lub Oil was serious set of work ..... requiring good lab staff and equipment.

I will repeat my previous comments regarding budget oils ... change the oil more frequently if used ....
 
I think more interesting is how I’m supposed to know which are budget oils. Price is a terrible indicator these days.
 
Refueler said:
Just interested as to how the average person rates an oil ? By colour after a period ? Rubbing it between fingers ? or some 'test' thyat they've devised ?

Seriously - I am interested to know how .....

I owned / ran Labs for years and to test Lub Oil was serious set of work ..... requiring good lab staff and equipment.

I will repeat my previous comments regarding budget oils ... change the oil more frequently if used ....
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I have used a digital scan of a paper chromatogram (look up "Blotter Spot Test") which is supposed to detect various oil ills.

In my hands, it only detected the accumulation of debris (probably soot or wear metal) on the longest oil change interval I used (6 years, of course much longer than any manufacturers recommendation) . In general, I think you have to push oil pretty hard before it shows any sign of breakdown.

I had an idea for a possible student project enhancing this test significantly, but never managed to fit it in to the course timetable.

A magnetic dipstick can keep tabs on wear metal accumulation, but seems never/hardly ever used, unlike the much less useful magnetic drain plug, which is quite common. Go figure.
 
lustyd said:
I think more interesting is how I’m supposed to know which are budget oils. Price is a terrible indicator these days.
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Price indicates a "budget oil" by definition. Brand is another indicator, and spec (as old as you can find, if compatible) and composition (not "synthetic")

Another reason to select a "budget oil" is the avoidance of fakery, supposed to be a significant threat in Taiwan but not unknown in the UK, particularly if buying on't Internyet.
 
ducked said:
A magnetic dipstick can keep tabs on wear metal accumulation, but seems never/hardly ever used, unlike the much less useful magnetic drain plug, which is quite common. Go figure.
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That's a thought I have one of those devices for magnetising/demagnetising screwdrivers, wonder if it would work on a dipstick?

1768304846468.png
 
I used one of those telescopic magnetic pickup tools. I suppose it might be possible to araldite tiny neodynium magnets dirrectly to the original dipstick.

Actually magnetising a dipstick could also work but the magnetism is likely to be quite weak, and weaker at operating temperature.

A counter argument / question might be whether its a good idea to introduce magnetised wear particles into your engine, but I'd think thats more a concern for magnets on your sump plug or oil filter than for a dipstick, which can be removed and cleaned before you run the engine
 
Refueler said:
Just interested as to how the average person rates an oil ? By colour after a period ? Rubbing it between fingers ? or some 'test' thyat they've devised ?

Seriously - I am interested to know how .....

I owned / ran Labs for years and to test Lub Oil was serious set of work ..... requiring good lab staff and equipment.

I will repeat my previous comments regarding budget oils ... change the oil more frequently if used ....
Click to expand...
Personally, if the fill oil is from a trusted source (NOT EBay or similar), and meets (allegedly!??) Engine makers specs...my small non turbo diesel engine is so lightly stressed, hours run so low, and the fill quantity so small, that it gets changed at least every season... occasionally more often. Cheap insurance!
I do monitor for fuel contamination and emulsification. Levels, Sight n smell, feel.

The saildrive ATF renewed every autumn lay up, for similar reasons. Fiddly, but not difficult.

Lab testing would be a very serious extravagance, in my case.
One off, amateur testing is just p1ss1ng money away...imho...
 
Refueler said:
I understand and its not easy for anyone to determine all ... but already one has been monetined here that I would recc'd frequent oil changes with !!
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You'll have to give us a clue...

C0mm@ ...imho...I've used it in banger cars, when super cheap. Yearly change, no long distance or high load applications.
 
ithet said:
That's a thought I have one of those devices for magnetising/demagnetising screwdrivers, wonder if it would work on a dipstick?

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You need to understand where the dipstick sits inside the engine, I would suggest that in some engines it is very unlikely indeed that a passing "wear/damage particle" , likely relatively heavy, in a turbulent oil bath, would be attracted to a magnetised dipstick. Many dipsticks don't reach anywhere near the bottom of the sump, no need.

... a magnet glued on to the end? No thanks..

I've retro fitted v high strength magnetic sump plugs to highly stressed turbo diesels. These are low down in the sump, for obvious reasons.
 
Things to check yourself with oils:
magnetic drain plug, only picks up ferrous particles, many wear metals are non ferrous.
Water in oil? Drop it onto a hot plate and see if it crackles.
Open up the oil filter and look in between the folds.
Take a sample of oil and pour it onto some paper towel, see anything apart from oil?
I have worked in some large engine companies laboratories and it can be surprising the amount of wear particles that come off in the first few hours running. Interestingly one company I regularly visited would have each series of bearing metals doped with a different specific metal in addition to the normal metals. After certain running periods on the test beds they would measure metal contaminants on the oil filter, each element had to be below a certain level ( very low, in the ppm range). If one particular element was too high they could then determine if it was from a main bearing or camshaft bearing etc, very clever idea.
Generally I just change the oil. I stick with major brands, eg Shell, Esso, Morris, Smith & Alllen and stick to recommended service intervals or better.
Some budget oils are cheap for a reason, I have been in some lubricant laboratories that are far from great. Not naming any.
 
I used the Morris Lubricants versimax oil in the end. £30 for 5L so I guess budget.

I don’t agree that price is a good indicator these days, I’m sure if I shop around someone is selling the same bottle for £70.
 
seeSimon said:
You need to understand where the dipstick sits inside the engine, I would suggest that in some engines it is very unlikely indeed that a passing "wear/damage particle" , likely relatively heavy, in a turbulent oil bath, would be attracted to a magnetised dipstick. Many dipsticks don't reach anywhere near the bottom of the sump, no need.

... a magnet glued on to the end? No thanks..

I've retro fitted v high strength magnetic sump plugs to highly stressed turbo diesels. These are low down in the sump, for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...
Telescopic magnetic pickup tool self - adjusts for depth. Probably wouldnt have fitted all engines, but I didnt have all engines.

However, I really doubt it has to be at the bottom of the sump to attract ferrous wear particles, as long as its in the oil. A lot of the ferrous wear particles my last car had settled out of the oil very slowly in still oil, and some of them probably didn't settle out at all. Engine operation will tend to keep them in suspension

You think a high strength magnet on a sump plug will attract ferrous metal, but it wont on a dip stick? Hmm...

So this couldn't happen then?

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/deposit-on-dipstick.195326/

The advantage of a mag dip stick is/would be that you can check it whenever you want. You can only check a sump plug when you change your oil.
 
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I have been using Morris Lubricants for over 50 years. They are a lubricant manufacturer with their own R&D, Testing facilities and labs. They have a 140 year history and cannot be described as a 'budget' outfit.
It is true that they have, for many decades, continued to produce 'legacy' products long after the big boys had departed for more mainstream markets. Classic cars, trucks and particularly steam (reciprocating and turbine) were all catered for (and still are) giving the false impression that that is all they do. Nothing could be further from the truth.
They even ran (and delivered by) their own 'Sentinal' steam lorries made just up the road from them in Shrewsbury.
I have always had better tribology reports from Morris's than any other company, and you could pick up the phone and speak to the guy who did the analysis if you needed to. Unless you are using one of their products for a purpose it was not designed for then you will have no issues with their products. They do not rip customers off - that does not make them 'budget'.
I have spent many an enjoyable hour chewing the cud at their premises.
 
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