Synthetic Oil

[Werner]

Hallo Gary, the Continetal engine is known to me, it is also flown in Germany. But aircooled aircraft engines that run on AVGAS (leaded gasoline) and generally operate at a fairly constant speed can not be compared to car engines. This changes the requirements for the lubricating oil. But that's another topic.

In principle, unalloyed automotive engine oils remain light because they do not dissolve the soot that forms during combustion. The dirt settles inside and is only partially discharged during the oil change. Oils with cleaning additives (HD) dissolve soot in the oil, and when replaced, the dirt protection is rinsed out.

Synthetic oils tend to be somewhat aggressive on their own, thereby dissolving soot and keeping it in suspension. Synthetic oils are additivated differently, the main danger here is the corrosion.

As a rule of thumb, thick mineral oils leave more residue in the combustion chamber than low-viscosity mineral oils. Modern synthetic oils burn almost without residue and also clean the engine interior.