Mislabeled oil?

[CCPC 26]

Am I right to assume that 30w non detergent oil is supposed to be clear? In the past, everytime I've bought ND oil for my pumps it's been clear except the last time when it looked brownish like regular detergent oil.

The reason I'm asking is, if this is the case, then I've got situation that kinda ticks me off. I bought some shell ND oil months back to change the oil in my pump. While I was refilling it with the ND oil I noticed it wasn't clear like it always was in the past. I was a little suspicous, so I double checked the bottle to make sure it was ND and not HD, and it was the ND, so I procceded to finish filling the pump. Well, today (using the same shell oil left over from last time, and a couple of new bottles) I went to refill the oil in my pump using the left overs from last time first. I noticed it was brown again, which refreshed my memory from the last time, so being curious, I opened the new oil that I had purchased yesterday, and poured a little of that in, and sure enough, it was clear which leads me to believe that the oil I used last time was missed labeled, and I've been running it in my pump for 2 or three months.

My first question is, if in fact it was detergent oil, what kind of damage could have occured with that oil in there for that amount of time?

Secondly, I'm pretty mad about this, and if I'm right about the miss labeling, I wonder if I would have a leg to stand on in pursuing some money from the shell corporation for any potential damages to my machine?

Any information on this, or advice on how I should handle this would be great.

[BigPete 14]

Maybe the clear stuff was mislabeled - its always kind of motor oil colored for me. All brands look pretty much the same. Never clear though.

[Aplus 525]

I use the ND motor oil all the time too. Never seen it clear, always has looked just like regular motor oil.

To think of it, I could see no reason it should be clear.....oil is oil, and the detergent is only an additive.

[Curb Appeal 14]

Lance,

I just had the same situation. The rig I just bought had milky white oil in it. At first I thought That it was water but I read on a forum post (not sure if it eas here or soewhere else) that putting detergent oil in the pump can turn it milky white.

I bought some Shell ND oil and drained and filled my pump. I just went out and brought the open quart into the house. After pouring it int a glass under the light, it is indeed almost completely clear. It has a very slight brown tone to it but you can only see that after a good amount is poured into the glass. As it comes out of the jug, it looks completely clear.

I've run the pump for a total of about 20-30 min after changing the oil and it is still clear on the dipstick and through the sightglass.

What did the suspect oil look like when you drained it?

I'm not sure about the difference in appearance between used detergent oil and water in the oil but since mine is still clear after running I'm led to believe that detergent oil was the cause of my milky white pump oil.

I'm also not sure about the long term damage of using detergent oil for any amount of time, much less a couple of months.

Keep us posted...

[One Tough Pressure 580]

Detergent oil causes foaming which is bad for the pump. General Pump oil is red, Cat pump is green, the oil I use from a local supplier is clear. I would not worry about the color.

[hoseguy 14]

Hi Guys, maybe you can help a newbe out. I'm thinking of getting a tank for my cold water units and acquiring a hot water skid unit. Does a tank work by gravity or doe I need a pump?

If so can you give me a good brand name.

Bob K.