Re: Post your Blackstone oil analysis! *56k beware*
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Originally posted by G_Loc I got mine e-mailed to me today... looking good... i hope everything really is ok
Thank you for doing this.
I really appreciate it when people submit their oil samples, because it builds data on the engine and potential problems that may be common, but hard to see until it's too late.
I notice that this is for an H23 block. I am no expert on any of this stuff, but it looks like your readings came out well. Also notice that your oil is probably good to 4.5k miles, which is what all the experts say all along and popular culture tends to ignore.
I got the black bottle in the mail. waiting a bit to do it
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I'm concerned about the air filtration issue. I have an AEM CAI. Maybe it's time to clean it. I'm not sure now many miles I put on it but it's prob close to 25k.
I am also concerned about the gas contamination. I end up making short trips where the oil does not warm up enough, but I am on the highway everyday to and from work. Usually doing 3500-4000 RPMs for the 7 min trek down 202. That should get the oil warmed up shouldn't it?
Oh, and BTW, the oil used was Castrol Syntec Blend 5W30, not full Syntec 5W50 as they put on the report. I'm going to bite the bullet and switch to Mobil 1 next oil change.
__________________ Paul
1990 Mazda Miata - #181 STS2
1999 Crystal Blue Base - Retired to Daily Driver
paulyg - I also had fuel in my sample, but a little more than you (2%). I was wondering about it as well, as I don't think I do much that qualifies as "city" driving. My commute to work is the shortest trip I take, and it's about 8 miles, 15 minutes, and 4 stoplights. I think it's probably indicative of worn rings or valve seals (which would explain some of my oil consumption). Next up is a compression test for me. Although there's not much I'd be able to do about it right now.
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somebody give me a rundown on how this really does benefit us ?? we send them the oil, they give us a diagnoisis of it and they can predict or tell us what engine problems are from it?
dont know if I can really do much since I burn 1qt per 1000 miles .. i do my changes at 2-3000 miles..
my oil is black soon as it goes in .. i did an engine treatment last change but will do another one this time as well.
Originally posted by yohan420 somebody give me a rundown on how this really does benefit us ?? we send them the oil, they give us a diagnoisis of it and they can predict or tell us what engine problems are from it?
That's the essence of it. For example, if they found coolant in your oil, it might mean your head gasket is blown. Or large amounts of silicon might mean that your air filter sucks. Also, for an extra $10, they will analyze how much life is left in your current oil (the TBN number) - which will let you run longer drain intervals & save money on oil changes. Their website gives a pretty good rundown of the possible things they can detect.
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dont know if I can really do much since I burn 1qt per 1000 miles .. i do my changes at 2-3000 miles..
Heh - take a look at the make-up oil I need. And color isn't a good indication of how much life is left in the oil or the condition of the engine - only way to tell for sure is by sending it off to a lab . . . . that way you can find out if those engine treatments are necessary or helping you at all.
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Once you don't have something you've never needed before, it turns out you don't not need it.
They e-mail you the results the same day they run the tests. So depending on how fast you ship the same, it could take 2 or 3 days. They mail you two more containers and a paper copy of your results.
That high iron content combined with low compression in two cylinders doesnt feel good to me. The only thing I can think of is the car was about 1.5 quarts low at the 4000 mile mark which I discovered after a very hard night of driving.
I'm crossing my fingers I can do a valve adjustment in the morning and the compression test and next oil sample look better.
EDIT: Damn imagestation linked pics come up a little small... 32 ppm is the iron content. One other thing I'm not sure about is how good the new style Honda filters are, according to this they're fine but the current one I'm using is a K&N.
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Last edited by ThatPreludeGuy : 05-06-2005 at 07:35 PM.
Does anyone know if the high iron content can be from crappy oil filters? I wish I could crank out 5k miles in the next month so I could get another sample in asap but patience is a virtue I suppose. Also with a 4.8 TBN after 6k but high iron would you change out at 6k again or hold off to say 7500 miles?
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"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why would high iron be from a crappy oil filter? Unless you think the steel plates inside the oil filter are oxidizing or something and putting the iron residue into the oil mix. I'd highly doubt that from ANY reputable oil filter company.
The TBN is really needs to be based upon what the oil starts with. I know Mobil 1 (Tri-Syn and the previous gen ... Syn.. something) were around a 12.8 TBN to begin with. You really don't want your TBN to go into the 2's generally (1 and below is the uh oh level) as the TAN (acid instead of base) generally ends up being around 1.2-1.8 for most oils. So I think you should be fine w/ another 1500 miles.
It'll be another ~3.5k miles on my current oil (it's about 6k old) before I send mine in.
Paulg: Is there any specific reason why you chose Castrol Syntec in general? There's a ton of oils that are better than that one which are quite a bit cheaper. I'd be a little worried about the iron too... The silicon isn't from a "clogged" air filter either, cleaning it will actually only increase the silicone content in the oil. As dirty filters actually clean air better (think of a beaver dam) unless you have deposits of sand directly on or under the filter. Do you live in a rural area that you need to go off pavement?
Daemione: I'd be worried about that flash point along with the fact that the oil is already exhibiting the Amsoil's weird attribute of thickening up with use. I'd consider highly changing oils esp with your 5 quarts make up in less than 6000 miles. That iron isn't pretty either and from what I've read Amsoil isn't known to have any iron in their oil (GC does occasionally along with Redline). I wouldn't trust that TBN at all considering the amount of make up oil that was needed.
Gloc: What oil filter are you using? Seems like which ever one you're using is a) has really bad filtration properties or b) is starting to bypass. Either way it's probably a good idea to possibly consider going with another brand/type. As that border line insoluble level is a tad high. Did you change oils or did your oil change formulation between your two samples? If it didn't, I'd be worried about those moly levels. While moly is usually good in an oil, you don't want moly to be coming from your engine. Usually that means piston rings.
Why would high iron be from a crappy oil filter? Unless you think the steel plates inside the oil filter are oxidizing or something and putting the iron residue into the oil mix. I'd highly doubt that from ANY reputable oil filter company.
The TBN is really needs to be based upon what the oil starts with. I know Mobil 1 (Tri-Syn and the previous gen ... Syn.. something) were around a 12.8 TBN to begin with. You really don't want your TBN to go into the 2's generally (1 and below is the uh oh level) as the TAN (acid instead of base) generally ends up being around 1.2-1.8 for most oils. So I think you should be fine w/ another 1500 miles.
No clue thats why I was asking, my thoughts were perhaps it was allowing iron to pass through more then normal and stay in the oil rather then filtering it out. To be honest I'm a total newbie at reading these reports and wanted to get a feel for my baseline test so I have an idea of what to watch and or change for my next one. I'm going to switch at 6k again and watch the replacement oil so I can compare apples to apples.
__________________
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
No clue thats why I was asking, my thoughts were perhaps it was allowing iron to pass through more then normal and stay in the oil rather then filtering it out. To be honest I'm a total newbie at reading these reports and wanted to get a feel for my baseline test so I have an idea of what to watch and or change for my next one. I'm going to switch at 6k again and watch the replacement oil so I can compare apples to apples.
The oil filter would not filter these things out, they are disolved in the oil. The filter is for removing large particles.
Paulg: Is there any specific reason why you chose Castrol Syntec in general? There's a ton of oils that are better than that one which are quite a bit cheaper. I'd be a little worried about the iron too... The silicon isn't from a "clogged" air filter either, cleaning it will actually only increase the silicone content in the oil. As dirty filters actually clean air better (think of a beaver dam) unless you have deposits of sand directly on or under the filter. Do you live in a rural area that you need to go off pavement?
The motor oil was Syntec Blend, not the full Syntec. I was using a blend since I was worried about switching to full synthetic b/c of my milage. I had used Castrol GTX in my cars since was 17. My last car was running strong w/ 190k on the original engine. After reading a lot of the oil threads here on PO I decided to switch to Mobil 1. That was about a year ago. I have been having severe oil consumption since August or September. I did over-rev at BeaverRun last June. That could be why. I need to get a leakdown tester.
I know where the high silicon contect came from. Prior to this test sample (can't remember where it was on that oil change or the one before it) I had just installed my AEM CAI. It was missing the one of the clamps, the one that would clamp the air filter to the tube. My Dad, who was helping me swore that the filter would just stay on. I called AEM and got a new clamp but when I went to put it on I found that the flter had fallen off the tube. So I was running w/o a filter for about two weeks. I'm sure that's where the high silicone came from.
__________________ Paul
1990 Mazda Miata - #181 STS2
1999 Crystal Blue Base - Retired to Daily Driver
Just as an FYI.. oil takes around 10 minutes or a little more to warm up to temp. Though if you make trips that are longer than that regularly you oil won't show gasoline as it'll evaporate at the higher temps. If the last trip that you made before changing the oil was a really short one then that's probably the issue. Make sure that when you change your oil you change it hot, so drive around for 10-15 minutes to ensure that the oil is at the proper operating temp.
Chad Sullivan // 04 S2000 // 97 DX Hatch
