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I recently had some scary symptoms with "Stinky" - my science experiment on wheels. I'm looking at the possibility of needing a rebuilt block, and the forum suggested I get an oil analysis to learn what I can from that. Me being who I am, anything worth doing is worth overdoing - so I sent in my oil bypass filter for analysis, along with the oil sample.
The lab said the filter would tell me far more than the oil sample can, so it was decided to just hold the oil sample for now. I received my report today, and I haven't yet taken the time to offer it up as screen shots on the forum - too much information to copy and paste in a couple of minutes. I have attached the full report (even though they got the year wrong) on my Amsoil EABP100 filter dissection, which had 5200 miles on Mobile 1 5W-40 synthetic.
Stinky has 310K on the clock, 400 PSI compression, but a very slow pressure build on #7 with valve slap and a new deep knock and engine shake (good PERDELs). My next tests are flex plate and harmonic balancer inspection.
I still have to call these guys with some questions, so if anybody has any ideas on what we want to know - fire away. I was curious when they typo'd the year of the truck, but I got over it... barely.
The numbers seem way out of range from what I'm used to seeing. Perhaps it's just a different test or something.
They did comment that the oil filter appeared to be plugged. As you know, bad oil can cause all sorts of issues. If you were no longer filtering oil, that could be a problem. Have you tried and oil and filter change to see if there's any difference?
A plugged filter may not show what is going on currently. An oil sample may be in order. As previously mentioned, I've seen a decent Blackstone report on an engine that had extraordinary piston gouging. It should be viewed as another data point in the evaluation. You may well be able to drive it to the engine swap though.
A plugged filter may not show what is going on currently. An oil sample may be in order. As previously mentioned, I've seen a decent Blackstone report on an engine that had extraordinary piston gouging. It should be viewed as another data point in the evaluation. You may well be able to drive it to the engine swap though.
Based on how Blackstone tests their oil, it's not surprising they would have missed the engine damage. Unless Blackstone has changed their methods.....they do not determine the PQ Index and that is really the only practical way to detect large particles. The spectrum analyzer can only burn down particles around 5 microns or less. Perfectly clear hydraulic fluid has a PQ Index in the 10-30 range. A transmission that is eating itself would measure in the 600 plus range. Looks like Rich's readings were all less than 50 so no smoking guns were found...not that I could see from that report. However, I haven't seen one like that before so I could have missed something.
That looks like a lot of iron and zinc there. Where would that zinc be coming from? It would be best if you could get someone elses report to compare it to.
They have my oil from the filter, and I saved a couple of samples from the filter here - as well as a whole truck full of the stuff. My Blackstone sample bottle arrived the other day.
The numbers are going to be bigger because they didn't pull them from solution - they extracted them from the filter media. The measurements are in parts per million, but I don't know what makes up the rest of the million - the oil, the filter media, or a suspension solution.
I'm still trying to figure out what those chunks are in the photograph - they look like wood. If so, how would an absorbent material not look black?
If the filter was plugged, what did it? The oil from the HPOP and the rails, or is my truck just running too dirty for a bypass filter to work? If the oil gets too dirty for a filter to handle, I can only imagine the carnage going on with the contact points in the engine. I'll say this - I was disappoint how dark the oil was at 5000 miles after going through the trouble of adding a bypass filter.
I too am curious where the zinc comes from - and how much iron is too much. I also have no idea what a normal filter analysis will show for copper content.
I don't know what to say about the black oil, mine gets pretty dark within 500 miles. I did look at the results from my Cessna oil analysis to compare, but that oil only has 25 hours on it so it's not a fair comparison.
Anyhow...my iron is like 50 ppm and no zinc at all. WTH has zinc in it in these engines? Maybe in the pistons?
I had to fix an error in my FE there, it's more like 50, still a far cry from what, 15,000? That zinc has me puzzled. Oil additive? I doubt it, in the fuel? aaaaa maybe but can't see what it would do, the filter? it could be. The only things that I know that zinc is used for are galvanize and it's used in the lead alloy in batteries (at least it used to be). Maybe it could come off of the filter if it's galvanized in there, or the oil pan, maybe the VC's?
That looks like a lot of iron and zinc there. Where would that zinc be coming from? It would be best if you could get someone elses report to compare it to.
Here is a link to a post I made a few years ago with my first Oil analysis from Schaeffers when I had just switched to their synthetic. I had a contaminated sample if I recall correctly so the numbers were out of whack. When I get to my office later, i believe I have some others from Blackstone that I can post for comparison.
Here's a blackstone from mid 2015. The sodium comment aligns with the fact I had changed the oil cooler O rings, gotten some coolant into the pan and then changed to this batch of oil.
02-22-2016, 08:03 PM
Oil Analysis: Taking it to the next level.
