The Ford Barn

alexiskai · 09-08-2022, 04:04 PM

The main difference is that detergent oil, like detergents in your washing machine, holds contaminants in suspension so that they can be rinsed out when the fluid is changed. If you don't use an oil filter, the contaminants simply recirculate until the detergent capacity of the oil is used up. Non-detergent allows contaminants to sink to the bottom of the oil pan, so they don't get removed unless you drop and clean the pan. Non-detergent oil will probably appear to be cleaner for more miles, because the contaminants aren't staying in the oil.

I gotta ask, though, why not just use regular 10W-30? In Arizona it's not like you're doing a lot of extreme cold starts.

09-08-2022, 04:04 PM	#2
alexiskai Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Mebane NC Posts: 3,179	Re: which is the best way to go The main difference is that detergent oil, like detergents in your washing machine, holds contaminants in suspension so that they can be rinsed out when the fluid is changed. If you don't use an oil filter, the contaminants simply recirculate until the detergent capacity of the oil is used up. Non-detergent allows contaminants to sink to the bottom of the oil pan, so they don't get removed unless you drop and clean the pan. Non-detergent oil will probably appear to be cleaner for more miles, because the contaminants aren't staying in the oil. I gotta ask, though, why not just use regular 10W-30? In Arizona it's not like you're doing a lot of extreme cold starts.