SilverMax_04

I just got my first oil analyis from Blackstone Labs after driving 9,720 miles on it. I waited until my powertrain warranty had expired (over 60 K miles) before I was willing to increase my OCI (Oil Change Interval) to more than the Nissan recommended 7.5 K miles. When that expired, I was willing to push the motor oil and then test to be certain that I was not going too far between oil changes. I use both Mobil 1 and the Mobil 1 oil filter.

To qoute from the analysis:
"Wear looks pretty good in the first sample from your Maxima. Universal averages for the 3.5 L engine are based on an oil run of 4,400 miles. You ran this oil a whopping 9,720 miles, and most wear still read close to the averages. You could easily run the next sample 10,000+ miles, if you wanted. The oil was in good shape physically, containing no moisture, fuel or coolant. The TBN read 4.6, still showing plenty of active additive left. 1.0 is considered low. The oil filter is doing a good job for you (see insolubles). Check back to establish averages {this means run a test after each oil change}. Looks like a great engine."

I will now show the readings that are more than a few ppm (Parts per Million) different from the reported "Universal Averages:"

Reading _____ My Sample ____ Universal Average
Lead ___________ 9 _____________ 5
Molybdenum ____ 37 ____________ 74
Boron _________ 61 ____________ 56
Calcium ______1662 __________ 2295
Magnesium ____ 895 ___________ 112

Finally, the tested properties of my sample of motor oil:

Test _________________ My Oil _______ Should Be
SUS Viscosity @ 210 F ___ 61.6 _________ 55-62
Flashpoint Deg F ________ 395 _________ > 365
% Fuel ______________ < 0.5 _________ < 2.0
% Antifreeze ___________ 0.0 ___________ 0.0
% Water ______________ 0.0 ___________ 0.0
% Insolubles ___________ 0.4 _________ < 0.6

This test validates my decision to increase my OCI to 10 K miles. But I must admit that versus the normal car, I probably have many more long highway trip miles. If you do mainly city driving, you may want to consider not going to such a long interval -- and certainly get a lab test when you do increase your OCI.

Blackstone Labs
416 E Pettit Ave
Ft Wayne, IN 46806

My friend, who is an Automotive Engineer, recommends that I continue to use the 7.5 K OCI -- unless I have most of my mileage as long-distance highway miles. He is concerned about water in the motor oil -- which happens when you have many short trips and the engine never gets a chance to warm up and evaporate this mositure -- it collects in the engine and ends up in the motor oil when there are many short trips.

sky jumper

hey silvermax, please post your entire report. I'm interested in seeing the other data.

I like to post my reports in this format to allow easy comparison between oils:
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...2&postcount=26

just curious -- what vintage/grade Mobil 1 is this?? I've never seen an M1 report with so much magnesium in it, and less calcium (this is not a problem, just an unexpected additive package). are you sure the 895 isn't Zinc or Phosphorous? also, it appears to have thickened to a near 40wt (which is not a problem, just an observation). regular M1 5W30 starts out as a relatively thin 30wt.

TBN suggests you can run another 2-3k easily.

SilverMax_04

I don't have a clue as to how to get the pdf file that Blackstone sent me in an e-mail posted on this site. That is why I quoted what appeared to be the key items from that report.

The Mobil 1 is about 2 to 3 years old and is a blend of different weights in this approximate range:

0W30 = 1/2 Qt
10W30 = 3 Qts
5W30 = 3 Qts.

Magnesium = 895
Phosphorus = 684
Zinc _____ = 811

Finally, I should point out that I added about 1/2 quart of make-up oil at about 6 K miles and it was 5W30 weight Mobil 1.