As a young man, I always changed my engine oil often. At that time, not in today’s world, lead-bromide was added to gasoline to reduce pre-ignition in the combustion chamber. Getting rid of gasoline dilution and the lead was essential in extending the life of an engine. The lead-bromide would produce a dangerous smog for humans to inhale, and it also deposited lead into the engine. This lead floating around in the engine helped wear out the engine much sooner.
Also, as a racing enthusiast, my engines were always top of the line. I would purchase the very best of everything to create the most efficient breathing engine I could develop. That meant power and high RPM’s. With a good income, there was nothing that I would let slip by. Each part going into that engine was the best option on the market.
Along the way, I cut a spin-on cartridge apart. The contents were paper. 1/32 of an inch think. Capable of allowing at least 7 to 9 or more quarts of oil through per minute. My conclusion was that this will stop big rocks and let the rest flow through. What about the small pieces of lead, metal particles, and dirt from the environment? Those are all damaging to the sliding surfaces within any engine, alias ware. Working a second job in gas stations, I had the task of changing many an engine oil. Many times, the oil was so dirty that I had to flush the engine before pouring fresh, clean oil into it.
Let us consider water. The moisture from the air will deposit water molecules into the oil. Water molecules are hurdled at the oil surface, never to leave unless heated, clumps of water will settle in the bottom of the pan since water is heavier than oil. Why and how. You have heard that water and oil do not mix. The lucky ones that took chemistry and of course, understood the topic know that water is polar and oil is non-polar. Conclusion; they do not mix they may emulsify, leaving a caustic environment.
To prove this conclusion, I have taken paper both printed and full of pictures. I have placed the paper in a flat pan then poured oil over it. Days, weeks, or months later, it is soaking in oil, yet the paper retained its integrity. The pictures are still there, the print is still readable, and it does not fall apart as it would if I used water.
Now that I have covered the topic of oil, let’s talk of my motivation. First, the 39 Ford coupe with the most robust engine I could build. Shift from 1st to 2nd at 65 MPH, second to third at 105 MPH, and was never lost a race. The power curve peaked at 6500 RPM’s and would go to 7500. Using tetraethyl gasoline (about 110 octane with lead-bromide). Rear ends, transmissions and blown pistons were common place. I would buy oil by the case and never satisfied with the cleanliness of the engine. After thousands of dollars in engine development, the knowing that it was not as clean as it should be was a bother. I sold an engine that I had maintained. The purchaser started to take it apart. As soon as he got the valve covers and the intake manifold off, he stopped and reassembled it. I felt my maintenance had been successful. Then I found the filter by John Frantz sold by Sky Corporation of Stockton. Suddenly I could filter my oils by replacing the 1/32 of an inch spin on to a secondary filter of about 4 and ½ inches long of tightly packed toilet paper. Along with that, I could get rid of the so-called detergent that most oil companies required. It is nothing but a selling tool to let the public think it actually cleans. It only suspends the particles so they may be resent through the system. Dark or black oil is not necessarily dirty; it is black, the color of the heated detergent. Again, the oil companies are using this to imply that your oil needs replacing. You need to properly filter the oil to clean it, which may remain black.
The next part is the most important. It is what should be shown to customers:
Since finding the filter; every car I have owned had a filter by John Frantz. My maintenance time and money reduced immediately, and the oils were always clean.
Let’s start with one I have today. Twenty years ago, I purchased a 1986 Jaguar coupe in Arizona, brought it to California, rebuilt a 1998 Corvette engine while upgrading it, and installed it along with an R-4 transmission. Changed oil twice since then and am still driving it. The oil changes were for possible gas dilution. I tend to drive it faster than my other cars. Had it up close to 200 MPH occasionally. I am getting too old for that, but it is a good memory. The engine is still purring away. It does not use oil; I drive it year around. It is soon to be my son’s car.
Then let’s discuss my father’s 1980 Buick. When he purchased a new car. He would walk in with cash and negotiate the terms then drive away with what he wanted. My father traveled everywhere. Many-many times drove this Buick across the USA, throughout Canada, and some parts of South America. He put more than 700,000 miles on that Buick over twenty plus years. I would change the filter. He would be off driving. After he passed away, I took over the Buick. I ran the mileage up to over 800,000 miles in the twenty first century before the old Buick had a short in the electrical system that totaled it. Over 800,000 miles and still running without using oil, just purring along.
The last one is the most surprising. I have not mentioned my water-skiing passion. Competitive Slalom Skiing. 3 to 5 days a week, I would ski twice a day, sometimes more. I ran a ski school using this boat. I ordered the hull, the engine, transmission, trailer, and upholstery to my specs. I choose a 427 cross bolt main engine with one large four-barrel carburetor. Two friends of mine who were also skiers. They bought the same type of boat and engine. The only difference was the upholstery. I suggested that they use a filter by John Frantz. They declined.
Their response was, “The manufacture says to change the oil and spin-on filter every 50 hours. They must know better than you.”
They considered me a screwball. At that time, nondetergent oil was on the auto shop shelves. I chose nondetergent to prove my point about detergents, and the filter by John Frantz. The use of these boats was under the exact same conditions. I ran it on conventional fuel and changed oil occasionally (150 to 250 hours) for gasoline pollution in the oil. Checking the oil, it looked the same as when it came from the can. A boat motor must run up the hill every second the boat is under way. No cruising like in a car. This means that the engine is working much harder when under way.
Now the outcome caused by this screwball. One friend overhauled his engine at just over 1,225 hours. The other friend overhauled his engine at 1,450 hours. My boat was used much more than theirs in both salt water and fresh. Many years later, my galvanized trailer was like new. The engine was still humming along at over 8,600 hours of use. The hull structure literally fell apart. The engine was still humming along and not using oil.
Signed, Your local screwball