Will 'Graphite' Help Motor Oil Performance? Let's find out! Vintage Arco Graphite vs Quaker State

Vintage Arco 10W-40 motor oil with graphite tested against Quaker State Advanced Durability 10W-40. Lubricity test, independent oil analysis, evaporative loss (heat tolerance), cold temperature performance, fuel efficiency using EFI generator, and modern oil and graphite blended and used in a small engine.

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This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information portrayed in this video, you assume the responsibility for the results. Project Farm LLC

[Iggy]

This man is the epitome of the saying “some people can’t be bought” absolutely phenomenal reviews. No biases at all.

[lockpickinglawyer]

Interesting... thank you. I’d love to see a similar test with molybdenum disulfide powder added to motor oil.

[CharlieOneHundred]

This guy is my quarantine life saver for boredom

[andyharman]

I ran Arco Graphite in my 1975 Vega for a couple of years. It worked fine. I did annual oil changes with it, about 10k miles each. I remember reading about Arco Graphite in Popular Science when it was introduced. One point that stuck in my mind was that the Graphite particles had to be sub-micron sized so they would not get caught in the oil filter. People that want to experiment with adding solid lubricant to their oil should keep that in mind.

[jaynaforsgren]

My wife: what are you watching

Me: watching a guy race oil

[Akcdr]

Would like to see a filter tear-down after running on graphite.

[CodeOptimism]

The thoroughness of your testing methodology never ceases to amaze me. Before/afters, thermal camera readings, purges, warm-ups, the list goes on... wow. My #1 favorite channel.

[MC-detf]

I used the ARCO Graphite oil for years on vehicles and equipment I owned. When it became scarce I bought up what I could find and began using it as an additive to oil when I would do an oil change. And yes the great part about the product is the graphite would get into the pores of the metal and make parts last by reducing friction. The only complaint I remember about the oil was that is was black so people could not tell by the color how old it was – if the oil needed to be changed. Now my wife had a 1972 Toyota Corona back in the day and when I changed the oil to ARCO graphite the RPMs went up several hundred on the engine and I had to idle down the engine- slow it down with idle screw. Showed me that the oil was reducing friction immediately on that engine. Now the problem with cars today would be the catalytic system most likely the graphite could be a problem. However back in the day the ARCO graphite oil was my go to oil. In fact I have a lawn mower and air compressor that still has some ARCO oil running in them- these are 30 to 40 years old and still running fine. The one thing I thought back in the day as to why ARCO Graphic was taken off the market was the possibility that it could cause equipment to last too long. Some stuff might never wear out.

[Zeusrd]

I wonder what effect the graphite would have on a filter..?

[rajgill]

Your dedication to be accurate an unbiased is incredible!! Don't take that lightly

[NaN.]

How about taking a modern oil, and then mix additives like a lot of calcium, iron, boron and zinc and make the ultimate DIY oil! Will it be better than itself?

[jeffs]

A friend of mine once bought a Volkswagen that the gentleman, the seller, had posted about the fact that he had run Arco graphite since new. When my friend took the oil pan off to replace the gasket, he discovered that there was about an inch thick of layers of graphite from when the oil had heated up and cooled heated up and cooled and it took a hammer and it chisel to break it out.

[xXWONDRBRADXx]

“None of the oils seem to be aware the race has started” I love your humor

[ProgenitorFoundry]

Man this channel deserves alot more love, the amount of effort he puts into the videos is kinda amazing

[mwnciboo]

Neighbours "Every weekend, he is in there. It sounds like he is running a Lawn mower indoors? Sometimes I've heard him talking loudly to himself. He unloads oil from his vehicle every friday night into the garage...should we be concerned?"

[mikeshawn]

Fabulous video. It takes me back to my early days in engineering. ARCO tried to expand the technology into the fuels market for power plants. The fuel was called COM for coal oil mixture. Coal would be ground super fine (like graphite) to remove some of the sulfur and ash and then be blended with oil and a small amount of water. Surfactants were used to keep the coal suspended and to emulsify the water in oil. The basic technology was based on ARCO experience with their graphite motor oil. We built a pilot plant and the first batch had the coal drop out of suspension. I hear it took months to get all of the sludge out of the cargo hold. As far as I know, that ended ARCO's involvement with the COM product.

[tjt]

Happy to see this Arco oil comparison! I always used it in the '70's until it wasn't sold east of the Mississippi any more. My car was a 1970 Buick Electra 225 with 111K miles. Very reliable car. Somehow I lost all oil and didn't know it. Maybe a shop didn't tighten the drain plug, I don't know but weeks later when the idiot light finally came on I was driving home from work at 50 mph. I looked at the dipstick and it was DRY, literally! It didn't even have the film of oil that remains when it's freshly wiped off, there was no drop on the tip, this looked like it hadn't been in any oil at all for a long time. I have no idea how long I drove with no oil. It was so long since it 'supposedly' was changed that I couldn't remember. I know it's hard to believe but it had to be the graphite oil I always used. I'd like to see you try to approximate that kind of test. Run an older engine long enough to cover everything and every gap with graphite then let it run out and see if the engine seizes up like it would with regular oil. There was a lot of talk back then about people being afraid the graphite would plug the filter but I never had any kind of oil related problems with a filter or that engine and never saw graphite settled out in the can. Back in the 70's I wasn't looking at viscosity and lubricity too much. I knew synthetics were better so I switched in the 80's. If they still sold Arco I'd have used it longer. In today's engines with tighter tolerances and thinner oil using that old 10W-40 graphite would be taking a chance. But it was great while I had it. I was Not surprised at all by the small wear mark from your lubricity test! That big difference alone is yelling out to take a closer look at this. My car didn't leak or burn oil either. I think the graphite may have helped seal those gaps. After that, I heard about oil with Molybdenum Disulfide in it. The molecular structure is the same as graphite, that's why it's also a lubricant. However, I never used it because if the graphite should burn it would make CO2 but if MoS2 burns in the cylinder, it forms Molybdenum dioxide, MoO2, which is a solid like silicon dioxide - sand, and I didn't want that in my oil. (Not to mention the sulfur poisoning the catalytic converters.) I've been wanting to relate this story for a long time. I think some comparison tests using the graphite coating in the engine might give some interesting results. I will add that the car was old when I got it, about 70K miles so maybe the worn surfaces were less liable to seize. It may have had a thick coating of graphite, I have no idea. Nowadays I'm happy with synthetics. My last car, 1989 Trans Am, had the original engine and trans with 149K miles when I sold it. My daily driver for 30.5 years. P.S. You commented on the high calcium level in the oil analysis and that calcium is used in the detergents. It could be high as a means of helping keep the graphite in suspension. I hope to see more graphite comparisons. I enjoy your tests. You do a good job.

[averagecarguy]

Sports may be cancelled but the cold oil race makes up for it

[jackelliott]

I used to work for ARCO when this product was introduiced. One thing you are missing is that the graphite builds up on the motor parts over time, and does not drain off after the engine is shut down. When you do a cold start, the graphite is on the cylinder walls already. That offsets the low flow rate.. I ran a 74 olds 350 on the oil and had 185000 trouble free miles. That was followed by an 82 Old Cierra with the infamous Buick 3.0. The camshafts were notoriously soft in this engine. I sold mine with 175, 000 miles, an unlike others never had any engine issues. Another issue is the breakdown of the viscosity improver over 30 plus years. As someone else said, it failed because it is black, and everyone wanted to see amber oils.

[Djstz]

When that came out everyone changed the their oil to that. After some time new cars were being brought into dealerships on the back on tow trucks. Mechanics would just drain the oil out and replace the sparkplugs. The graphite seeps past the rings and fouls out the plugs. That is why you don't see it on the shelf anymore, not due to the base oil.