Eurol Lubricants | Engine oil

What is engine oil?

Engine oil is a lubricant in liquid form that is used in an internal combustion engine mainly to protect the rotating parts from wear and tear. An internal combustion engine is used to generate energy, which in many cases is converted into propulsion. This energy generation is always accompanied by friction resulting in heat. Engine oil must therefore withstand these high temperatures to keep doing its job; namely, lubricating the moving engine parts. In addition, it must also fight pollution in the engine (such as tiny metal particles and soot deposits).

By adding certain additives, a suitable engine oil can be formulated (blended) for each engine, as there are many different types of internal combustion engines, each with their own characteristics and requirements. For instance, car manufacturers demand ever thinner engine oils to meet the latest emission requirements. The thinking behind this is that a thinner engine oil gives less resistance than a thicker (more viscous) engine oil.

On the other hand, the application is also influential. For instance, a lot of vehicles, vessels and aircrafts contain an internal combustion engine. But machines and power units can also have a combustion engine that requires an engine oil. To give you a rough idea, here is a small summary of what Eurol can provide:

Car engine oil
- Classic car engine oil
- Passenger car engine oil (PCMO)
Light commercial vehicle (LCV) engine oil
(LCV; Light Commercial Vehicle like a bus, chassis cab, transporter or a box truck)
Heavy duty engine oil
- Agricultural engine oil
- Construction equipment engine oil
- Earthmoving engine oil
- Coach / Bus engine oil
- Inland shipping engine oil
- Marine vessel / Ocean liner engine oil
Heavy duty truck engine oil
- Truck engine oil
- Off-road truck engine oil
Motorcycle engine oil
Two-, three- and four-wheeler engine oil
- Moped engine oil
- Scooter engine oil
- 2 stroke engine oil
- 4 stroke engine oil
Nautic engine oil
- Inboard engine oil
- Outboard engine oil

What engine oil do you need?

Want to purchase engine oil and are interested to know which engine oil is suitable for your car, bus, motorcycle, or truck? Consult our Oil Advisor – enter your vehicle’s registration number for advice on which oil to choose. Don’t have a registration number? No problem, you can search by make, model, and type. You can also get oil advice for your boat, machinery, or agricultural vehicle (tractor).

What else should you know about motor oil?

A few tips and key facts about motor oil for you.

Keep engine oil clean

Motor oil cannot be used indefinitely. The life of motor oil depends on: either the expiry date in the engine or the duration of use. This is specified by manufacturers (called OEMs; Original Equipment Manufacturers) in the so-called service booklets (e.g. Change every 15,000 km or every 12 months). Here it is important to note that if either is the case, the oil should be changed.

OEM usage indication

The OEMs may issue different indications. Consider normal use or intensive use. An extended maintenance interval is also possible (e.g. 30,000 km instead of 15,000 km). When this is the case, engine oil requirements change immediately. In many cases, a long-life engine oil is then required.

Automotive manufacturers often prescribe shorter drain intervals for cases where stopping and starting is frequent (e.g. taxis in city traffic). We therefore always recommend consulting the manufacturer's manual and, if in doubt, halving the drain interval.

Topping up engine oil (checking the oil level regularly)

Every engine always consumes a small amount of engine oil. In daily use, it is recommended to check the oil level regularly. If the oil level is too low, too little engine oil enters the engine, resulting in unnecessarily excessive engine wear. If you find that your engine oil level is too low, you must top it up. Too much engine oil, on the other hand, is not good either, which can also lead to engine damage.

Overuse of engine oil, how do I recognise it?

The most obvious cause of engine oil overuse is a more intense load than normal engine use. The closer you get to the engine's maximum performance and the longer you stay there, the more oil is consumed.

Another obvious cause is leakage. This can be recognised by an oil puddle under the engine or under the pipes. Leakage can also occur on top of the engine when seal rings or other causes start causing engine oil to leak (engine sweating).

Besides this obvious cause-effect relationship of excessive oil consumption, there are also less obvious causes. Some you can recognise more easily than others. Think, for example, of black smoke. The cause is then often in the engine itself. But lazy/loggy feeling of the car or little throttle response can also be an indication that too much engine oil is being consumed than normal. Our additives advisor will help you with this. This handy questionnaire enables you to find out what could be a possible cause of excessive engine oil consumption.

Check the oil filter!

It should be clear that engine oil becomes contaminated during periods of engine operation. An oil filter slows down the contamination by being able to filter dirt, dust and metal particles from the engine oil. So it is important to keep this filter clean and also respect the OEM's replacement intervals. Usually, this is always accompanied by replacing the engine oil itself.

5W-30 Motor Oil, what does it stand for?

5W-30 Is a viscosity. This term indicates the viscosity of a engine oil. A thin engine oil has a low viscosity and a thick engine oil has a high viscosity. Viscosity depends on temperature. Therefore, the viscosity of engine oil is measured at a low temperature and at a high temperature.

The first number with the addition of the letter W indicates viscosity at a low temperature. This is important for cold engine starts. The second number indicates the viscosity of the engine oil at a high temperature. This is important when the engine has reached its operating temperature.

OEMs indicate for each engine what viscosity is required. They also differentiate the environment in which the engine is used. For example, a different engine oil viscosity is needed for a car in Siberia than the same car would need in a tropical country. All this information can be found in the instruction booklet.

By the way, we know a whole range of such viscosities. For example, the somewhat older models of cars call for a 15W-40, 10W-40 or 5W-40. Newer models call for a thinner motor oil, such as 0W-30, 0W-20, 5W-30 and 0W-16.

The difference between types of engine oil

In addition to the difference in viscosity, there’s also a difference in the types of engine oil. In the past, there was just a single engine oil in each class – compare that with thirteen different 5W-30 engine oils today. But why is one 5W-30 engine oil different to another?

This has to do with the specific properties that a manufacturer sets for the engine oil. A synthetic engine oil is made up of basic oil and additives. Each manufacturer has its own requirements on the quantities of additives in the engine oil. In addition, there is often a difference between engine oils for gasoline and diesel engines, and between engine oils for engines subjected to high and low loads.

At Eurol, we sell the following types of oil:

Mid SAPS engine oil
Mineral engine oil
Semi-synthetic engine oil
Fully synthetic engine oil

ACEA classification

In addition, engine oil is also distinguished by its ACEA classification. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (or Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles in French, hence the ACEA abbreviation) is an organization that represents the 15 most important European motor vehicle manufacturers. ACEA mainly defines specifications for engine oils, the so called ACEA Oil Sequences. ACEA itself does not approve the oils, they just set the standards. Oil manufacturer's may make performance claims for their products if those satisfy the relevant requirements. The ACEA comprises four basic types of engine oil.

ACEA A engine oil for gasoline and LPG engines.
ACEA B engine oil for diesel engines in passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
ACEA C engine oil for engines with a soot filter or catalytic converter.
ACEA E engine oil for trucks, tractors, and earthmovers.

Want to know more about motor oil?

Do you want to buy motor oil and are you curious which motor oil is suitable for your car, bus, motorbike or truck? Then consult our Oil Advisor for an oil recommendation by registration number. No license plate? No problem, you can also search by make, model and type. This also allows you to get an oil recommendation for your boat, machine or agricultural vehicle (tractor).

Buying engine oil; where to buy?

Eurol has a variety of partners around the globe for motor oil. Visit our points of sale page to see how to get in contact with dealers. If, as a dealer or wholesaler, you have questions about our range of motor oil products, we will be happy to tell you more. Our account manager will be happy to visit you. Request your call via our contact page.

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