Continuing my ongoing trend of providing useless info, one of the things that annoy me is companies getting something made by somebody else, repackaging, and selling it as super secret technology that only them have because Moses gave that to them in a clay tablet. On the top of my list is electrical connectors used in cars, which is why I try my best to find the part numbers I can then go to a proper electric supplier and get the terminals and connectors instead of the ever-so popular pigtails. For today's episode, the topic is "supercharger oil," which companies like to act like it is an exclusive fluid that is old collected in a hidden island by naked maidens. Keep the oil, I will keep the maidens.

Anywhoo, looking at some Mercedes notes, I found that they use two kinds of oil:

• Mercedes-Benz "kompressor oil" part number is A000-989-62-01, a.k.a. GM 12345982 or Ford ESE-M99C115-A, is used in their Eaton-sourced roots superchargers. With a bit more research, we find this is not something GM has the exclusive interplanetary manufacturing and distributing rights; it is Nye Synthetic Oil 605 with a sticker on it.
  • You too can go to https://www.nyelubricants.com/synthetic-oil-605, buy it by the gallon, and sell it at a profit.
  • But for everyday personal use, go to https://www.gmpartsdirect.com/oem-parts/gm-oil-12345982 and buy a bottle for under $8 and be done. Or go to Summit or Jegs and pay more.
• Now, for the IHI-sourced Lysholm supercharger they slap in their AMGs, they use Mobil Jet Oil II. It is the same oil used in jet engines. Some may think "oooh, that sounds super high performance unleashed!" Er, remember that an average jet engine rarely see more than 3000 hours between oil changes (or sometimes rebuilds). In other words, it handles high temperature really well but it was not designed to be used for a really long time. With that said, keeping it cooler than it is in a helicopter's rotor reduction gear probably will "make you happy long time."
  • https://www.exxonmobil.com/aviation...-and-services/mobil-jet-oil-ii_fact-sheet.pdf
  • Pretty pictures in an ad comparing with "the competition" https://shop.boeing.com/aviation-supply/p/M0BILJETIIQT=3Z

I have not compared both, but I would honestly not be surprised if they are interchangeable for supercharger applications

 

Sure thing

Now, if it helps someone, do not come blaming me!

 

One thing I find interesting about supercharger oils is how extreme the differences are for centrifugal and PD blowers. All the centris we gotta change oil every 6k or every other oil change. That is the recommended service interval from Procharger and Vortech says 7500 miles.

Magnuson says every 85,000 miles the power adder needs to be serviced and have its oil changed.

I mean that is more than 10x difference. Surely that can't be just because of the type of oil used. Can it?

 

I did not know that, and think this raises a few questions. Let me get to them by starting with some info

• The supercharger used in some Seadoos have oil change intervals of 50h. If that sounds excessively short, remember that while you will be pressed to find someone who drives a forced induction car at 6-15psi all the time, that is how people run jetskis. So, I would guess the oil change interval in that (4 tec?) superchager is about the same as the Procharger/Vortech. According to a thread I found, it uses "10w40 weight oil. It must be mineral and confirm the the API designation of one of the following. SG, SH or SJ." That could explain the oil change interval.
  
• I have not been able to find info on the McCulloch VS57 oil change interval.

Now, if we go to the turbocharger aisle, there was (I have not found info on whether the company still exists) Aerocharger whose claim to fame was making turbochargers which were not lubricated from the engine oil system, but had their own reservoir... you know just like most superchargers.
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That meant they could be installed in ways normal turbos could not (specially if there was not an oil sump pump to take the oil away from said turbo). As we all know, the exhaust side of a turbo sees enough heat to glow red at night after some spirited driving. Some of that heat does get transferred to the compressor side; Aerocharger solved that by moving the bearings away from the turbine. Clever. This is what their brochure said about oil:

Question 1: That sounds a bit too ambitious, so let's assume what they really meant was the oil needs to be changed ever 30,000 miles. That is a longer interval than the centrifugal superchargers. Why?

The only way I can see to answer this question is to save the used oil from a centrifugal supercharger oil change and then send out to a lab for analysis like people sometimes do with other oils in a car. I have a 4 tec supercharger in a box in my closet; I can drain the bastard -- I need to rebuild it anyway -- but the first and only time I saw a car centrifugal supercharger was helping a friend slap a kit in his Mustang, in 2012. In other words, I have no access to those guys to get some used oil.

Question 2: the oils I found are listed to be used with positive displacement superchargers. What oil is used with the non-4 Tec centrifugal superchargers besides "Soupa Seekret Xclusiv Procharger and Vortech magic oil"?