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Personally I'm just the opposite; I want a full synthetic in a high heat environment and will be OK with a non-synthetic in non-high heat environments. My understanding is that the flash point is just one area of measurement that may indicate the quality of the base stock - higher is better. The M1 20/50 V-Twin I use has a flash point of 518 degrees, but I'd be more concerned with the Viscosity Index, Volatility, Oxidation Stability, Zinc & Phosphorous levels. I run MI VT in my engine, BelRay in my primary and Spectro in my trans, so you can see I'm not an Amsoil groupie, but I'll stand by my belief that a good quality 100% synthetic is the best way to go in a high heat environment such as and air cooled v-twin...
I run Brad Penn here in AZ. The next time it shows signs of not being able to handle the heat will be the first time. I'm not trying to convince you to change oils. I honestly don't care what you run. The idea, though, that conventional oil can't handle heat is pure marketing propaganda from the syn oil makers. They've gotten everyone convinced that conventional oil turns to ash and smoke at 250F.
I run Brad Penn in my engine, Rotella T in my primary, and Rotalla gear oil in my tranny so you can see I'm not a factory oil groupie, but I stand by my belief that a good quality oil (dino or syn) is the best way to go in any environment.
I ran a refinery unit that produced motor oil. There are no bad batches in refining. If the oil is off test for cold test, flash, or contaminents it is rerun through the process. That is the dyno stuff. The synthetic is another question. I don't know the answer to that one. Also several major oil companies used our refined product and put in their own additives. Some of your major names are only oil sales companies. They don't refine their own oil. There is no oil that is so pure that it don't have to be refined. There are different grades of crude and Pennsylvania crude was some of the best. There ain't much if any of that left. The oil we run in our equipment is only a part of crude which has many properties.
I ran a refinery unit that produced motor oil. There are no bad batches in refining. If the oil is off test for cold test, flash, or contaminents it is rerun through the process. That is the dyno stuff. The synthetic is another question. I don't know the answer to that one. Also several major oil companies used our refined product and put in their own additives. Some of your major names are only oil sales companies. They don't refine their own oil. There is no oil that is so pure that it don't have to be refined. There are different grades of crude and Pennsylvania crude was some of the best. There ain't much if any of that left. The oil we run in our equipment is only a part of crude which has many properties.
Check out the Brad Penn line. Give them a call. There is no mystery oil in it. Just good old fashioned PA crude. Seems this PA crude is how Pennzoil got so big, Wolfs Head, Quakerstate, the whole bunch. All in all good oil is clean oil. I grew up in Oil City PA with hundreds of pumping jacks all over the woods. The PA crude is loaded with wax, this has deemed it as being more expensive to refine in the long run. This is why the refinery in that town that belonged to Pennzoil is now closed and they are refining TX crude. I just refuse to put a synthetic in an air cooled motor. Just to thin and noisy for my liking. To each their own, I am not here to sell the stuff. I am just giving my opinion. Clean oil is the best, I don't care who makes it. I just find it funny that the Moco pushed the HD oil when first of all it is a Citgo product. Its all about the lowest bidder, that is who always wins. Just remember its always the lowest bidder for everything. Explains a lot.
Something just don't add up here, but who am I to say? The oil being thin as water in 90+ weather wouldn't bother me in the least. Oil does not have to be "thick" to lubricate as many think, at that temp I would expect it to run right off the dipstick only leaving a film, as it should. The fact that it was "black as tar" would concern me, especially on fresh Amsoil after 1400 miles. When I drain the Amsoil out of my '08, it is still clear after 5000 miles, the color is a bit darker, more to a dark brown instead of the "like new" golden color, but not black. My shovel is always black but we know that is just blow by because of tolerance, shouldn't be nothing like that on your '08. Let us know how it goes with your new oil .....
I agree with Frog on this. Sounds like the oil got waaay too hot and cooked possibly due to an engine overheat condition.
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