Blue motor oil???

[54Illinois]

I scored some Valvoline VR1 racing oil from AutoZone when it was $1.00 a quart.  10w-30 was the viscosity. 

 

I added one quart to an oil change to increase the zinc for the 230. 

 

The other oil was SAE 30 PennZoil which was also a $1.00 a quart.

 

Why was the Valvoline blue???

[Young Ed]

I am not sure but you somewhat answered a mystery of mine. I drained this out of a flathead I bought used and was wondering also how the oil got blue. Mine was only 1/2 blue so did they just top it up with that valvoline?

Edit: the non blue oil could just be leftovers in my drain pan.

 

Edited April 5, 2015 by Young Ed

[Plymouthy Adams]

contents are proprietary and being synthetic also...it is hard to make a call on the actual color and why...but these are two good factors to base it on...

[Lloyd]

All the Valvoline oil I ever seen was blue straight out of the can. Been that way since I was in high school and my neighbor and good friend used it in his car..

[desoto1939]

I went onthe valvoline web page and yes they state that their  VR1 racing oil has a blue color.  They did not state why but i guess this might be used identify that you are usint their specific brand and their racing oil. 

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[Lloyd]

Its so when you pour it in you can make different sounds, like -

ooooo, ahhhhh...

[Don Coatney]

Its so when you pour it in you can make different sounds, like -

ooooo, ahhhhh...

That is better than snap-crackle-pop

[Captain Neon]

I use regular Valvoline in the wife's car and it is the colour of honey.  The blue colour may be for racing oil.

[Niel Hoback]

I have some oil here in a gallon jug. It's very blue because it's synthetic blend 2-cycle oil.

[fstfish66]

i run  val  VR1  in my  40,,,ran  it in my  barracuda for years,,,flat tappet cam,,,ive never seen  blue,,, ill be doing an  oil  change soon ,,,ill pour  some  out of the  fresh and  check it,,, make sure you DO NOT have  VR1  for  off road,,,,that is  only  formulated for  500  miles,,mixing  more then  one  brand  at the  same  time  is  not  a  good thing to do,,,all engine  oils are the same  EXCEPT  for the  additive  package,,,once  my  VR1  is  gone ill be  switching  over to joe  gibbs  driven  classic  car  or  lucas classic car oil,,,VR1  at  auto  zone fora  buck ??  you  got a DEAL,,  

[Ulu]

All the 2-stroke oil I've seen is blue. I've seen blue Valvoline too.

 

...but for color I'll take Royal Purple, thanks.

[fstfish66]

am  i  suppost to use  royal  purple  in this car ??????????? 

[Robert Horne]

am  i  suppost to use  royal  purple  in this car ??????????? 

Yes, and purple coolant also..........

[Captain Neon]

am  i  suppost to use  royal  purple  in this car ??????????? 

Purple windshield washer fluid too!

[Niel Hoback]

Do they still sell Purple Martin gasoline?

[Don Coatney]

Do they still sell Purple Martin gasoline?

How old are you again?

[Niel Hoback]

Older than my car.

[Don Coatney]

So am I But I don't recall Purple gas

[1950 Special Deluxe]

When I was a kid, they sold purple gas for farm use.

It was sold to farmers at a discount.

It was a die that the gas companies put in to identify that it was for farm use only.

It was illegal to use it in cars or any truck without a Farm (F) plate.

The farm truck could only be used for farm purposes.

I still remember the police randomly coming into town with a siphon pump and checking all vehicles to see if they were running purple.

[fstfish66]

i think  premium gas when i was a kid  was  purple,,,im 56  in case  your wondering,,,,,

[JD luxury liner]

The big picture here is , how much do we know about Zinc. The oil today has reduced Zinc. It is necessary for solid lifter camshafts. It can be put in as an additive. I was told this during my current rebuild. Thank you Monte Hammett. (not a forum member) 

JD  

[TodFitch]

The big picture here is , how much do we know about Zinc. The oil today has reduced Zinc. It is necessary for solid lifter camshafts. It can be put in as an additive. I was told this during my current rebuild. Thank you Monte Hammett. (not a forum member) 

JD  

Yes, zinc has been reduced to about the level it was raised to in the 1950s to deal with issues in the then new V8 engine designs. That is far higher than the zinc content that was in the oil when the L-6 engine was designed.

[fstfish66]

yes the  zinc  can  be added,,,but  some  oil companies  claim  additives  dont always mix  properly  with  every  brand  of oil,,,all motor oils are based the same,,,but each  company  uses a differnt  additive package,,,  learned  this at a oil  seminar  at carlisle,there are a few companies that make  classic car specific  oils,,,  bradd penn,,,valveoline VR1 ,joe gibbs driven  oils, lucas,,,these oils  are not  cheap,,,if your  local  auto  store doesnt  carry  it  in the  viscosity  you need,,, most  mail oder  places,,,summit,,jegs  carry them,,,and  most times the  shipping  is free,,,remember  these oils are not  cheap,,,but im  guessing  most of  us  only change the oil in our  classic cars once a season ?

[james curl]

Gulf No Knox was purple if I remember right, anyway their premium grade of gas what ever it was called was purple.

[larryconnors]

When I was in high school I worked at an oil mixing plant. I used to mix motor oils in batches of several hundred gallons to maybe a thousand. I clearly remember that Pennsylvania grade oil was green in color and that Mideast oil was blue in color. That tells me that the oil in question is probably from the Mideast.