I've been really busy, but I finally got the chance to post my latest oil analysis - and it'll probably be the last one for a while (trying to save money). I'll probably do another one this winter, assuming I don't quit my job and sell the truck...

Truck: 2002 F150 7700 4x4, 5.4L V8
Miles on truck: 40,700
Miles on this oil sample: 5,700
Makeup oil added: None
Oil used: 2 quarts Mobil 1 5w-30, 2 quarts M1 10w-30, 2 quarts M1 15w-50 (cleaning the garage)

Element - PPM
------------------
Aluminum - 4
Chromium - 1
Iron - 16
Copper - 6
Lead - 0
Tin - 0
Molybdenum - 79
Nickel - 0
Manganese - 0
Silver - 0
Titanium - 0
Potassium - 0
Boron - 115
Silicon - 16
Sodium - 9
Calcium - 3131
Magnesium - 22
Phosphorus - 887
Zinc - 923
Barium - 0

SUS Viscosity @ 210F: 74.1
Flashpoint: 415
Fuel %: <0.5
Antifreeze %: 0.0
Water %: 0.0
Insolubles %: 0.6

Comments: "The elevated viscosity reflects the two quarts of 15w/50 you added to this fill. The result of 5w/30 + 15w/50 is apparently in the 15w/40 range. It's certainly not hurting anything, as wear levels remained perfectly steady in this sample, which was run 5,700 miles. Maybe this cocktail of mixed viscosities is just what your Ford needs to be able to run long intervals! Actually, this is such a nice engine that no matter what you put in there, we bet wear will look great. No problems found in this sample. You could go to 6,000 or 6,500 miles next sample if you wanted."

I don't really have any time to add comments of my own, other than to say that this should provide more evidence that thicker oil does not hurt the modular engines. I don't have time right now to dig up my chart and convert the SUS viscosity over and compare it to see exactly what weight the mixture ended up...I'll get back to it when I get the chance, unless someone else wants to do the conversion.

Oh, and BTW: the truck was used harder than normal during this oil change interval (if that's possible) - I've been taking my work-related frustrations out on the truck. Plus, I've been putting up hay for the winter...which means pulling a 10,000 pound trailer, w/2,000 pounds of hay piled on the truck.

LK

 

Thanks for sharing your analysis . The VI @ 100C is 14.02 but proves the Mobil SS can be mixed successfully .

The 0/40 might be the ticket for this motor although it's tough to beat a result like this considering how you drove " beat " the truck !

On another note I am anxious to try one or more of the new group III/PAO's in the 5/40 wt that are available to see how they fair against the Mobil 0/40 .

 

Looks pretty good. Sus @ 210F of 69-82 is the range for SAE 40, so 74 puts you exactly there. Iron seems a tad high for that mileage, but may be perfectly normal since you said something about winter. I would still take syntetic to at least 7500mi to make it worth the extra cost. With your cold winters I agree that the new 0W-40 M1 (not 0W-30) may be just the ticket.

Jim

 

Don't tell Ford, they are really pushing that 5W-20 gunk for all their gasser engines.

 

LK, I can't believe you actually spent the money for analysis on this "cocktail" of yours. Things must be boring in Michigan. I see 3 things on the analysis that could be improved. The first is the "elevated" iron. For PAO synthetic, iron levels are always higher than for dino oils. You might want to look at the thread on "Super Tech" oil. This is for Wallyworlds very own dino synthetic. Iron on his Ranger engine is 4 as I remember compared to your 16, and I believe his had more miles on the oil. Second, the copper is higher than I would have expected for this oil. The motor is not shreading itself apart or anything like that but it does reflect that the oil has sheared which is also typical of M1. Third, the silicon level at 16 is too high. You need to look at the air filter. It either needs replacement, there is a leak in the system, or you have a K&N filter that you need to throw away. Dirt is the number one cause of engine lube failure, this needs your attention- while you are resting, of course.

I really would suggest that you give a good dino oil a run in your engine. I think you will see your wear metals come down. I have a sample of Chevron Supreme at the CAT dealer in 10w-30 that I run in my 4.6. When I get it back, I'll post the numbers for ya. Hope everything is great at your house.

 

LK,
That was not a bad analysis that you got. The silicon is high and that my have been the elevated oil cause, leak around filter, cheap air filter, etc. Remember don't take all info you recieve on the internet as gospel. Chevron Supreme is indeed a quality dino oil. If you deal is extended drain intervals then Synthetic is the way to go. M1 is indeed good oil. It is shear stable and is the top of the line over the counter synthetics. The new SuperSyn, as opposed to the older TriSyn, is posting some really good numbers. Most of the used oil analysis that are posted show it to be good. Remember, all you hear is not fact!
GregHarrison

 

Well, I finally got another short break at work - so I'll try to respond to a couple of the comments.

As far as the silicon, it does seem high to me - and has been high every time I've had the oil analyzed. So far I've changed the air filter (both were paper element), and checked & tightened all the connections...but the silicon level hasn't changed one bit. I checked the air filter (again) to make sure it's sealing properly, and it seems like it is...though it's tough to tell with this new style of air filter. I do a fair amount of high-speed (80-100+ mph) driving on dirt/gravel roads, so that could be part of it...but I'm not following anyone, and the air intake is located in such a way that I wouldn't think that I'd suck in that much of my own dust. Plus, two of the high-silicon UOAs were done in the winter when there was snow on the ground.

I'd love to see iron levels that were lower, but considering the way I drive my truck and the odd noises the engine makes I'm pretty happy with an iron of 16. I didn't add any make-up oil this time, even though I was between 1 and 1.5 quarts low when I changed the oil - I wanted a worst-case-scenario oil analysis, and was curious how much the original oil mixture would thicken up. If I'd added enough make-up oil to bring it back to full, my iron level would probably have been 12 ppm or so and it would have dropped all the other levels accordingly. Also, if I added either 5w-30 or 10w-30 as make-up oil, the viscosity would have also been a bit lower (probably a low 40 weight).

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my results - they could be better, but they aren't that bad considering the start-up knock/rattle and the fact that this engine generally hits redline at least once a day (if not a few times). Right now I'm running a similar mixture in the truck (4 quarts 5w-30 M1, 2 quarts 15w-50 M1), which I'll probably run into late fall/early winter and see if it holds up. However, I'm definitely thinking seriously about checking out the M1 0w-40, especially when the temps get down below zero.

LK