PowerBoost UOA Kirkland 5W-30 @ 9,900 mi -- Blackstone Oil Analysis Report

[RcFlyer330]

Don't expect the oil analysis businesses to tell you but for the new motor oils introduced in 2017 the oil analysis it completely worthless. Millions of man hours went into the design and testing of engines designed to use lower viscosiity motor oil and the same is true for the multi-billion dollar oil companies.

Fleet operators have oil analysis done for their trucks with diesel engines where their operating environment is quite different and where raw diesel can get past the rings and inside the crankcase but their focus is in large part in maximizing oil change intervals was when an oil change is being done that vehicle is out of service for a day and that is the cost they want to minimize.

Unless you want to change the oil at greater intervals the oil testing is a waste of money.

Okay i have seen you post this a few times and now i am curious. could you please provide where i could find research material for the new 2017 oils?

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[Gros Ventre]

There are only a few things about the oil you care about: remaining Base Number, fuel dilution, & viscosity. Then you care about remaining additives, but these are normally so high as to be not a big deal. The real deal you're interested in is the wear products & silicon (eg Air cleaner/filter problem). So doing analysis on your Gasoline engine is important, even if you do change the oil every sample.

 

[imnuts]

I would agree that paying for an oil analysis at every change is likely useless unless you're trying to get every last mile out of the oil. However, watching wear metals periodically (every other or every third change) is good for watching engine health.

I'm also unsure what you're referencing that changed industry wide in 2017. Maybe there was a new API spec finalized (not sure on this myself), but even if there was, new specifications take several months and go through multiple revisions with industry feedback, so it's not something that would have come out of the blue.

 

[Gros Ventre]

There is a new spec: GF-6A. Don't know how long ago it came out. It is specified for the PowerBoost. Not all oil on the shelf will have this (relatively new I gather), so read the labels...

 

[HammaMan]

I would agree that paying for an oil analysis at every change is likely useless unless you're trying to get every last mile out of the oil. However, watching wear metals periodically (every other or every third change) is good for watching engine health.

I'm also unsure what you're referencing that changed industry wide in 2017. Maybe there was a new API spec finalized (not sure on this myself), but even if there was, new specifications take several months and go through multiple revisions with industry feedback, so it's not something that would have come out of the blue.

To a point -- Let's say you detect unusual metal content, what precisely are you going to do? Start saving for a major overhaul? Let's say you find higher lead, or aluminum. Are you going to go on a goose chase or just keep running the motor until a problem starts presenting itself? All you're going to do is worry yourself without having a plan. A borescope is pretty cheap these days, just inspect the cylinders upon plug replacement. It's quite rare to have a problem out of the blue. They typically start to reveal themselves over time via vibrations, noises, missing power, misfire, etc...

Just run quality oil, with a quality filter, and proper intervals and let the cards land where they may. Get you one of these guys and listen to the engine at different spots and take notes at each oil change https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-stethoscope-63691.html

 

[UGADawg96]

There is a new spec: GF-6A. Don't know how long ago it came out. It is specified for the PowerBoost. Not all oil on the shelf will have this (relatively new I gather), so read the labels...

Great thing that Costco/Kirkland/Walmart/Supertech/HighlineWarren meets the GF-6A spec and is also the most economical synthetic oil.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Read the labels, I've seen older bottles intermixed on shelves.

 

[UGADawg96]

Read the labels, I've seen older bottles intermixed on shelves.

After the great oil shortage of early 2023, everything I've seen in the last two months has been fresher than any of the beer on the shelves.

 

[Gros Ventre]

I have read the labels, not everything on the shelf is GF-6A. Come on guys...

 

[Gros Ventre]

My recent analysis, 10,790 miles on the oil (Gray column is averages):

 

[Gros Ventre]

I would agree that paying for an oil analysis at every change is likely useless unless you're trying to get every last mile out of the oil. However, watching wear metals periodically (every other or every third change) is good for watching engine health.

I'm also unsure what you're referencing that changed industry wide in 2017. Maybe there was a new API spec finalized (not sure on this myself), but even if there was, new specifications take several months and go through multiple revisions with industry feedback, so it's not something that would have come out of the blue.

Well, I disagree. I get your point, but then analysis at every change could at least flag you if something is going wrong. As an example I recently did analysis on a Polaris Ranger. Silicon was way high... so inferred a problem in the intake system. Sure enough when I last changed the airfilter I missed a couple of hinge links. Another perspective is to do samples every 3,000 or every 4,000 miles and let the results tell you when to change the oil. Most recently I got out to nearly 11,000 miles on oil with samples at 3,500 & 7,300. The oil was performing just fine. I might have gone longer. Given a recent speed run of some 4,000 miles, I decided to change the oil...

 

[amschind]

If the oil analysis is $30 and an oil change costs $60, why not just reduce your oil change interval by 1/3 if you're really that paranoid and then do the oil analysis every 20-30k miles?

 

[Gros Ventre]

If the oil analysis is $30 and an oil change costs $60, why not just reduce your oil change interval by 1/3 if you're really that paranoid and then do the oil analysis every 20-30k miles?

Paranoid?? Hardly, this comes under the label of "Good Engineering Practice." My oil changes run nearly a hundred dollars... I look at the oil like any other component. It has a life that can be measured. When you get to a replacement point you change it out. I figure I save about $65 each time I do a sample instead of an oil change. Another example is a fuel pump. I found on my 30 year old Suburban that the in-tank fuel pump had a life of a bit over 100,000 miles. You know out here in Wyoming in February at -30ºF a dead fuel pump means alot. So later in the life of the Suburban I'd just change the fuel pump at 100,000 miles plus and in the Fall. Again, the point is oil has a life that can be measured. So when it needs changing: change it.

 

[imnuts]

My recent analysis, 10,790 miles on the oil (Gray column is averages):

What oil are you using? Compared to mine, your molybdenum and magnesium are higher, all other metals are comparable. Your viscosity looks better though.

 

[Gros Ventre]

What oil are you using? Compared to mine, your molybdenum and magnesium are higher, all other metals are comparable. Your viscosity looks better though.

I'm partial to AmsOil. I use 0W-30.

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