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Hot take: I used to think hydraulic elevator oil was all the same stuff
For the first 5 years in the trade I just grabbed whatever 32 weight was cheapest and called it a day. Then last March I had a 6 month old Smartrise controller throwing random leveling faults on a Schindler 330A. Switched from generic to a name brand ISO VG 32 with anti-foam additives and the faults stopped completely. Oil temp was running 15 degrees cooler too. Guess I was wrong thinking the spec was all that mattered. Any of you guys seen weird issues clear up just from changing oil brands?
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adam_nguyen75mo ago
You ever notice how different oils smell when they get hot?
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riley_price4mo ago
Well, not exactly. The smell difference is usually from the anti-wear additives breaking down under heat, not from the base oil itself. The cheap stuff often skimps on those additives, so it breaks down faster and that burnt smell is basically the oil failing. You were on the right track noticing the temp drop, that's the real sign of quality.
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tyler4925mo ago
Smelled a few different brands over the years and yeah, that's a solid point. The cheap stuff has this weird burnt plastic smell when it gets hot, while the better stuff just smells like... oil. Probably should have paid more attention to that than the price tag.
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