Some questions are complicated,
I use Synthetic on my Highlander because the recommended oil is 0W-20 which only comes as a synthetic. The other reason is that I do a lot of towing in the summer for camping trips and drive to the White Mountains in the winter for ski trips where morning temps can easily reach -30.
But my wife’s cars use regular Dyno oil. Her 87 and 96 Accords all reached well over 300k miles without any engine issues. Her current 07 Lexus has over 260k miles. My 1990 Pathfinder used regular dyno oil all it’s life. We sold it at over 300k miles.
Have you seen Project Farm’s oil testing videos on YouTube? He tested a bunch and found Amsoil to be the best. I like the channel, he tests lots of tools and products. Which one is better then Amsoil Signature Series? I thought it was the best of the best, I’m just wondering what is better than it, so I can learn something new.
Amsoil is expensive. The extra protection is probably not worth the extra cost by any means lol.
Did he run engines for 300,000 miles, tear them down, and compare wear levels? I doubt it. Any high quality oil that meets specs and is changed at the recommended frequency will provide the same real-life service as Amsoil.
Do not fall for random ‘testers’ that come up with tests that have little to do with real life.
Or take that extra money you would have spent on Amsoil and spend it on more frequent changes with a quality oil. I bet your engine will last LONGER than it would with Amsoil.
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I’d bet Jiffy Buub or other quickie lubes do not have the same ethics! I have never understood how anyone could buy a $50K car and refuse to put in the expensive oil recommened by the folks who designed the car!
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Fixed that for you 
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I have gone through this several times. Often I am at a customer’s location and hauling off junk computers, printers, etc. They often ask if I will take X unrelated junk they don’t want. At the very least, it gets recycled. At best, it is a simple fix.
This includes several mowers that just needed a little TLC. A couple were obviously neglected on the oil changes. I first put whatever cheap conventional I have on hand and run it a while. Sometimes they are so bad that with the fresh oil, the wear is so bad that they throw a rod. Othertimes they seem to hold together and I change the oil soon with Rotella 5W40 synthetic. I have experienced an increase in power so less bogging down in clouds of smoke at any resistance in tall grass, etc. I also got a rider this way. It had a Kohler Command with the hydraulic valve lifters. The thing literally had no power, drank oil, and smoked like mad when I first got it. The lifters were also clattering quite loudly. After changing to synthetic, I noticed performance was noticeably better and there was less smoke after the first mowing. I ran it a couple more times and then changed the oil. It was black and nasty like it had never been changed. I changed it again at the end of the season and you couldn’t tell the mower had many hours of use on it since that last change as it still looked pretty clean.
I am definitely a believer in synthetic, especially for hot running small engines. It seems to work well in car engines as well so buy it on sale for the same price or less than conventional like I do.
The last thing I was given was a $500 or so Window AC unit that hummed like it was locked up. The thing was brand new so figured I would take it apart and look inside which would be the first step to recycle it for scrap anyway. A mud dauber wasp had built a nest between the fan and the housing, preventing the fan motor from turning. I broke the nest up with a screwdriver and sucked it out with a small shop vac attachment. Now I have a backup AC if one of my main ones goes down.
Those big bulk trash days are a bonanza for finding small engine lawn equipment. People just drive around town when they do this once or twice a year and collect all the goodies set out at the curb. I am sure some is truly junk but others probably just need a little TLC.
Now that I think about it, I switched to all synthetic in my small engines several years ago. It simplified only needing one weight oil year around.
I have two weights for outdoor equipment. The stuff that is overhead valve all calls for 5W30 (synthetic only), 10W30, or 10W40 depending on the outside temps. For those I have standardized on the Rotella T6 5W40 synthetic to cover all bases. Most of this stuff, with the exception of the generator, will never be run in extreme cold anyway. The generator usually runs for a while once started if the power is out so not a big deal. I have no issues starting it in the cold.
Equipment that is not OHV calls for SAE 30 oil and sometimes 10W30 in colder weather. I run the same Rotella T6 but in 15W40 for that equipment. The bottles look the same so I have to read the actual contents and not just assume a blue bottle is good. None of that equipment ever gets run in the cold.
Unfortunately the cars are different story with drastically different weights specified so have several weights on hand for those. One takes 0W20 and is under warranty so gets that. Another has a new engine with a warranty and it calls for 5W20 so gets that. I am sure running 0W20 or 0W30 would probably be fine in that but I am sticking to the exact specs. Also, these engines are likely pretty in tolerance so won’t have the slop that might make a thicker grade a better option.
Oil seems to be in a shortage right now. Be aware of this if you DIY and keep at least one future change on hand unless you drive a lot, then you might want several on hand. It might be several months before I need it again but I am on the hunt for both 0W20 and 5W20 at a decent price right now. It isn’t a hurry but will pick it up next time I see a deal. This not being able to find stuff is getting really old. First it was toilet paper and then the list just expanded to everything else.
I will pull over and pick things off the curb if they look promising.
In my basement is a medium size dehumidifier that just needed its condensate drain hose cleaned, 10 years ago.
Also numerous fans, vintage and modern, that needed fresh oil on the bearings, occasionally a cord.
Electronic keyboards.
Even a violin bow. Gotta take that one day to the string shop to see if it’s valuable.
Briggs changed their recommendations to 5-30 syn summer or winter, so that’s what I use. Mobil 1
I’ve given this some thought and still trying to imagine what rotor bearings would be doing on a horn? The horn in question is a musical instrument, right? Like a trumpet?
French horns (and some trombones) have rotary valves:
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I see they have that suggested as well as several other types including a 15W50 synthetic for items that are run for long duration such as commercial mowers, generators, or pressure washers as well.
The problem is that for auto use, the engines are designed for fuel economy these days. People complain about thin oil but the engines seems to be the most solid part of cars these days.
The problem is that you end up with too much crap if you pickup everything that looks interesting. I like finding old car batteries or propane tanks. The car batteries are worth $10 at most parts stores and then you can use them as a core as well. If the propane tank is outdated or damaged, you can just exchange them at one of those places and start fresh. They only come 75-80% full from those exchanges due to transport regs at best so it is always a good idea to refill if you can. I have found FULL and perfectly usable tanks sitting out at the trash though. Something that makes good scrap is good as well if you know it has lots of brass, copper, aluminum, or non-magnetic stainless steel (stainless attracting a magnet is graded as regular junk steel). Other car parts like alternators or starters are sometimes set out and make good scrap as well. My business generates a lot of junk so it is nice to throw a few things in to make it more worthwhile to take in.
I wonder if a rotary valve like this could be used in automotive/engine applications. Perhaps it could be keyed into the camshaft or something. It might make for less rotating mass, less frictional resistance, and fewer moving parts. The principle of this kinda reminds me of a ball valve.
I am guessing the power or efficiency of this might not work out the best or maybe there would be durability issues. If it was a good idea it probably would have been done by now. Maybe it would work but only at speeds for which it is optimized such as a fixed speed operation like a pump or generator.
Look up “sleeve valve engine” and see how long ago it was done.
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Not if you give away or sell most of the stuff.
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Interesting. I found this. Sleeve valve - Wikipedia
I had it imagined differently such as ports on a perfectly round shaft in place of the camshaft that rotated in the head. I was thinking the shaft might have to turn at 1/4 speed instead of 1/2 speed on a camshaft since there would effectively be holes on both sides of the shaft.
Again, my imagined design would probably use a pretty good amount of oil to maintain lubrication which seems to be one of the main drawbacks of these designs.
I’m thinking the biggest problem with your rotary valve idea is weight. Engine speeds require rapid operation (unlike a french horn), and the momentum of a rotary valve would be high.
As for sleeve valves, the Bristol company used them in thousands of radial engines in WWII, here’s one, note how simple it looks from the outside:
Simple it wasn’t when it came to the gears needed to move the sleeve valves:
