bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

After the continued successful brainwashing by the media that if a car goes one mile over 3k on the same oil it is going to die, Shing, myself, and Jeff92se decided to start getting our oil analyzed at the end of each oil interval to see if "3k is a waste of money".

First, a good link to technical info about the various properties of name brand oils:

http://www.bmcno.org/techtip_motor_oil.htm

In the spreadsheet at the bottom of my sig ( linked through Clubmaxima.com in ZIP format....thanks Peel!). Just right click and save to your disk and extract for your viewing pleasure.

http://forums.clubmaxima.com/files/1...-%20071001.zip

The motor oil of 7 cars are analyzed:

Shing's 98 Maxima (twice so far)
Both were around 8k intervals with Mobile 1 oil and Nissan filter

Jeff92se's Maxima
One analysis after 6k with Amsoil and Toyota filter; Jeff has been having coolant loss and oil consumption problems.

Tick Tock's 94 Maxima
One analysis after 3k on Mobile 1 with some rather surprising results. He drives about 10-12K per year. Mostly city stop/go, but some highway and some light towing in the summer months (utility trailer, small boat, etc. all <=1,000 lbs).

My 99 Maxima
One analysis after 10.4k with ULX-110 (dino oil with a LOT of additives) and Mobil 1 filter

Another analysis after only 1,288 miles on Amsoil with an Amsoil filter just to see the types of additives used compared to ULX-110.

My 94 Maxima
One analysis after 8.5k with ULX-110 and Mobil 1 filter

My dad's 99 Acura TL
One analysis after 12k with Amsoil and Amsoil oil filter

My mom's 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
One analysis after 176 miles on the "new" 5W-20 viscosity grade oil now recommended by Ford and Honda on most of their new vehicles. After some research, I have currently concluded that 5W-20 is more politically oriented (environmentalists)

5W-20 benefits:

- Fuel economy increases by 0.5% to 1.5%
- Emissions are marginally lowered

5W-20 issues:

- At operating temp., you have a much thinner oil.
- Lack of real long term testing ("Let's let the consumer try it....")
All engines that use it were not designed for the thinner viscosity (less of a problem in precise machined Japanese engines than "Tolerance, what tolerance?" Ford V-8 engines)
- NO extended drain intervals. Ford recommends 5k replacement regardless of operating conditions. Amsoil makes 5W-20, but only guarantees it for 7,500 mile use, not 25,000 mile use.

All other cars besides Jeff's and Tick Tock's go high mileage (15k plus per year) and do not have oil consumption problems.

The results speak for themselves. Except for Jeff's Max, all other cars went extended drain intervals with normal wear levels. As for Tick Tock's recommended replacement at 3K, it's hard to speculate. It looks as though the oil filter needs to be changed or switched to another brand.

Other interesting things that an oil analysis can bring to light:

-- Wife 2.0's 99 Maxima has some sort of air filter problem. Whether it's a leak somewhere or was just a dirty filter is/was unknown. That second sample at 1,288 miles had a high silicon content already, which means dirt is getting by the air filter somehow. No solution yet, but good to know there was an issue with it.

-- Dad's 99 TL had a lot of bearing wear, which is apparently typical of Honda motors (which I didn't know). Also, the K&N air filter hadn't been cleaned in 11k, so it was good to know that a K&N drop-in filter does its job.

-- Shing puts WAY too many miles on his car. He already has another Mobile 1 sample he is sending in with 11k on it. This spreadsheet will be updated when those results are available.

*****
As for the ATF results, it is still a work in progress as well:

-- Nissan D4 ATF lasts NO MORE than 30k. My 99 was tested with 32k on it and it needs replacement.

As for my 94, I had my ATF examined after 30k (when I had a flush done by a machine) and it needed replacing as well. I then did 4 drain 'n fills, refilling with Amsoil synthetic instead of plain dino ATF. After 4.2k, Blackstone recommended re-sampling at 25k, but were impressed with the current lab results on the Amsoil ATF.

If you would like to participate in this spreadsheet, you are welcome to do so, or if you are curious as to how your oil holds up after any interval, here's how to have your oil analyzed:

E-mail Blackstone Labs for a free sample kit at the following link:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

Blackstone will analyze any of the following fluids:

Motor Oil
ATF (same as Power Steering Fluid)
Gear Oil (for 5-speeds)
Differential Fluid

Cost: $18.50 plus postage (ususally $1.50 or so via regular mail)

My recommendations:

- Taking a sample

This is not straightforward. The only way I know to reliably take a sample is to get the oil/ATF warm by driving the car around a little bit (this allows all "particles" in the engine to be evenly suspended in the oil). Once the engine temperature cools down and is warm (not blazing hot), then take the oil plug or ATF plug off and allow it to drain for at least 5 seconds before taking a sample with the container. Is it messy? Yes. Also, it is best to sample when you are actually changing the oil, so you don't have to get yet another container to catch the oil while you're taking a sample and trying to get the oil drain plug back on without draining all the oil out.

Please note the ATF drain plug requires a 1/2" square ratchet to take off. See the 3rd and 4th generation maintenance sticky posts for information on Transmission Coolers, with specific information on the ATF drain plug and why it may need replacement.

- After taking a sample, wait for the results from Blackstone. Based on the results/their recommendations, adjust your drain interval accordingly. The next time you change your oil, send it in again to make sure everything is OK. Then follow their guidelines for a drain interval again, and only take future samples for your own peace of mind. Using their recommendations will account for your specific driving habits (towing, really low mileage, high mileage, S/C installed, etc.)

In conclusion,

3K is USUALLY a waste of money. But, as with everything, there are exceptions.