After the ordeal with my girlfriends car seizing up due to sludge build up due to flood damage done by PO And Not told about it.. Let's not revisit that !!

I was very surprised to see that my last oil change was 1 year and 8K ago.

Im typically **** about changing the oil.. I thought for sure it wasn't that long ago and i was only around 4K or so..

I write the mileage, date and oil type on the oil filter it's self.

We were out and i saw some Rotella T6 at wally world.
So i picked some up with a motorcraft filter for a future change.

Got home and crawled under to take a look around and sure enough 8K had passed.

Changed the oil, oil filter and put in a new fuel filter.
Maybe it's just me, but she has a little more pep in her step...

 

Mine always seems to run smoother after an oil change.

 

i did 7,500 the last oil change and the blackstone report came back good. so i am trying a 10,000 mile change this time. i am currently at 5,000 miles and oil level is still good, and dipstick comes out clean.
i use valvoline all fleet 15-40 oil.

 

I can feel when I go over 5k on oil. The truck starts, almost unperceptively, to die.

I have my oil change schedule in sync with 5k increments on my odometer. My next oil changes are at 225,000 miles and 230,000 miles. Easy to remember and a constant reminder staring me in the face.

 

I do this. I've had a lot of soot in my oil at that mileage, so it's bad juju to go on without changing. My next goal is to prevent the soot from building, but I won't extend the oil changes. Does Blackstone test the shear strength of the oil?

 

My 7.3 AND 6.0 does that...

The 6.0 is wasn't too apparent, but the 7.3 "reminds" me from when the time is approaching to change the oil.

 

Been years since I've sent them a sample..... But I think yes.

Thinking about bypass filtration?

 

I am almost 100% sure hey do. I remember White buffalo (Rich) discussing some of my Balckstone reports with me and specifically talking about that particular aspect.

 

Blackstone reports do not address shear stability at all. I don't know if they will do that as an extra test or not, but there are other oil test labs across the country who can and will perform the full range of ASTM tests for you, but the individual testing is not cheap. The ASTM tests for shear stability in lubricating oils are ASTM D445 and ASTM D5275. Do a Google search for lubrcant oil shear and you can find lots more information.

Shearing of oil is related to viscosity, but that is not the only factor in the equation. Blackstone only report viscosity at two temperatures which are supposed to represent "startup" and "operating" temperatures. The differences between these two numbers are related to the lubricant's "Viscosity Index", but that is related solely to a lubricant's ability to resist viscosity loss due to temperature, and not shear.

Some oil companies report the ASTM shear stability numbers, but most do not. You have to find a Technical Data Sheet from the lubricant manufacturer to get those values... or send new and used oil samples to a lab who will do the ASTM tests for you.

One lab I've found who has a good list of capabilities and is not horribly expensive is Herguth Labs. I discovered them when I was looking for a few specialty test efforts while I was representing Schaeffer Manufacturing. When I spoke with them over the phone, they seemed very knowledgeable and they were on my list of "useful vendors", but I no longer need those specialty services.

https://www.herguth.com/?page_id=8

 

Not sure where that would show up, although I know it has been discussed here. My report from Dec '12, with 7400 miles, said "Even the viscosity is perfect for 5W-40". Three thousand or so of that towing a 12k lb 5th wheel through Colorado. Before then I always changed at 5K. Rotella T-6.

 

blackstone does check for viscosity shear stability ASTM D445.
this is what you get for $25:


Our tests are based on ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. The ASTM test methods for our standard oil tests are as follows:

 

Sorry, but even though Blackstone is using D445, that is only PART of the testing required to determine viscosity shear.

ASTM D445 is the ASTM test for viscosity which is reported in kinematic viscosity units.

ASTM D5275 is the ASTM test for viscosity shear which is reported as a "percent loss" of viscosity at 100°C.

Obviously, in order to determine viscosity shear, you have to also test for viscosity, and that is why both D445 and D5275 are mentioned in my earlier post. Without performing D5275, though, all you have is a single viscosity value and NOT the "percent loss" as a result of the shear forces when passing through a nozzle at high velocity.

Again... the Standard Blackstone Report does not address viscosity shear. They may offer that as an additional test for an additional charge, but it is not listed among the services offered on their website.

 

ok Pete, i read your post wrong.
D5275 is the viscosity @ 100ºF test, rite?? that is am additional $38

 

Well, not really, Tom. Blackstone does not offer the Shear Stability test at all. I just spoke with them and confirmed that. Even the lab they would contract to handle such a specialized test does not do this particular test either. The additional 100°F test you are referring to is simply just another viscosity test at a different (other than standard) temperature... it's a single point measurement.

D5275 is a method for testing shear stability, and is not just a viscosity test. Like I mentioned earlier, it tests the "percent loss" of viscosity after the lubricant has made many passes through a high shear fuel injector nozzle (anywhere from 30 to 90 passes, depending on the test method chosen). The test is actually titled as Fuel Injector Shear Stability Test (FISST) because they are imposing high shear forces on the lubricant by forcing it through the tiny fuel injector nozzles at high pressure/velocity.

I've just learned by some additional digging that there are actually four different ASTM tests for Shear Stability, and they are all very similar, but vary based on equipment calibration requirements, number pf passes through the instrument, different temperatures, etc., and therefore can each give slightly different results.

ASTM Link to Shear Stability Test Methods.
ASTM D6278 - 12e1 Standard Test Method for Shear Stability of Polymer Containing Fluids Using a European Diesel Injector Apparatus NULL

Southwest Research Institute has done tons of oil and fuel testing for many years, and has played a major role in some pretty big studies -- even a large study on diesel fuel lubricity additives. Anyway, below are two links to their web pages discussing the test method they use for evaluating Shear Stability.
http://www.swri.org/4org/d08/ShearTst/Fuelinject.pdf
SwRI: Shear Stability Evaluation, CEC*L-14-A-93 and ASTM D 6278, International Lubricant Testing, ACEA Lubricant Test

Below is a link to the Southwest Research Institute's brochures which cover a broad range of topics. You might find some pretty interesting reading there.
SwRI Fuels & Lubricants Research Brochures

 

good info. thanks.