Fairly similar I'd say... The previous oil change was about 12 weeks and was 5,239 miles and about 135 hours. This one was about 16 weeks, only 4,696 miles and about 148 hours. And I was down to 13% when I changed it today. I wish I could remember what the previous "IOLM" readings were, but since I never really pay attention to them I can't say for sure. But, IIRC, it was still at least 30%. What really drew my attention this time was that I got a notice in my FP app that said I need to schedule and oil change because I was below 20%... Which by the way, I do my own oil changes, and I reset the "IOLM" the moment I change it. I have also started resetting my Trip 2 at each oil change.


Trip 2 information from the oil I just changed out today (12/29/23).

Screenshot of oil change intervals since the truck was new.

 

The only reason I can think of to explain at least some of the % difference would be the extra month, that would equal around -8%, and maybe the additional hours have a bigger impact than miles do.

I'm down to 10% oil life (11 months, 3100 miles, ? engine hrs) and still haven't recieved any FP notice.

 

A bit off topic, but how did you change the IOLM to severe duty? I can't find this option in the dash menu of my '19. Is this done through Forscan?

 

I don't know... three oil changes ago now I had almost 7 months and more engine hours on the oil with almost the same amount of miles, and the "IOLM" still didn't read anywhere near as low as it did this time.

I dunno... just wondering out loud here... but my daily driving habits and the now cooler temps may be playing into this... My drives are longer but the cooler temps are only allowing the oil to get to operating temp (185F), but I don't hold it there long enough. Doing this over and over each day must be wearing the oil down faster...? Doing the same trips in warmer weather didn't seem to drop the "IOLM" down so fast... It will be interesting to see what my OA says that I just sent off yesterday (although, it may be quite a while before I hear back on that...) and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues until it warms back up, and then will it go back to normal when the temps do warm back up...? This just surprised me though since before I moved my daily drives were much, much shorter, with a lot fo stop and go, but it didn't seem to affect my oil as bad as my now longer daily drives.

Also, I never got any kind of a notification other than when I opened the FP app there was a notification on the bottom of the home screen that said I needed to service my oil soon as I was less than 20% oil life. Now I use my FP app daily to unlock my truck so I noticed it.

 

Just got the alert/notification/message to plan for my next oil change now that I'm at 8%. They are estimating that my truck will need an oil change in approximately 30 days.

Now I'm wondering if the Blackstone sample kit will get to me in time. How long does it usually take to recieve the kit?

 

about a week

but..you can hold 4 oz’s of oil in a clean container if you need to get the oil change done.

 

The last ones I had sent to me were to me in under a week I'd say.

And I sent my sample in last week. It was delivered to Blackstone on January 2nd. When looking on the site it still doesn't show received, however, the last one I sent didn't show received until about 3 weeks after the PO actually delivered it too...

 

I mailed my 11/22/23 and just got the email 01/02/2024... it was a good report...



The TBN was the highest I have ever seen it... I used the Planet Safe Lubricants OT Oil and Gear additive on that oil... but I never considered the oil that remains in the block when you drain for an oil change. This oil run, T4 10w30, has the correct dosage for 17 to 17.5 quarts. We shall see what that upcoming analysis will bring...

The low oil incident referenced in the report is when I forgot to place my oil fill cap back on, where the return is for the FS2500 bypass system, when I drained my oil catch can. That's why I have yellow masking tape under the hood on the plastic trim there that says "HEY @$$ WHOLE DON'T FORGET THE OIL FILL CAP..." probably doesn't matter now as I extended the catch can hoses and the can is now on top of the driver's side fuse box because my S&S DPK filter sits where the can was but I decided to keep the tape there...

 

Hmm, pretty sure it's been over 2 weeks since I ordered the kit. Not sure if I was supposed to get an email confirmation but I got nothing. Maybe I should call.

 

Nice consistent and boring UOA, just want you want to see. Your tape reminder is the same reason I had painters tape with my fifth wheels height on my visor, moving a mile a minute towards a low bridge is no time for mental math.

If they are behind, Wix, Schaeffers, Cat, Polaris and even Napa all offer oil analysis. Most of them don't give you the nice little fuzzy narrative but there are enough resources here to help decipher it. Cat lab we use at work is pretty snappy IIRC.

 

the warm fuzzy narratives is part of the fun…the oil sample cost is half of what an oil change would be..so it’s questionable if other than the warm fuzzy…if you save any money. Especially if you decide to get all the checks avail..it would be pretty close to a back yard drain and fill.

 

You loose the narrative, but you get the same wear metal, contaminates summary and detergent information as blackstone to go along with viscosity as well. Most of them include TBN and some include TAN as well. Some locations highlight if something is out of spec but they do push more analysis on to the end user. Which makes sense given their fleet focus.

 

Yeah I thought it was a good UOA report as well.... Mental math... Yeah I need reminders for sure...

 

Im running a long term OCI, so my first report at 6400 miles came back looking really good. Fuel dilution <0.5 with a 430 FP. Everything else was inline with the previous change which was dealer supplied oil, whatever they used. From the looks of the report, guessing 10w30 Motorcraft diesel. The previous had 8200 miles on it, with TR for fuel dilution. It also had 3000 miles of RV towing down to Texas and back.

First report feedback
Good first report for this Power Stroke engine. Wear metals are nicely balanced and close to what
the universal averages show as normal for the 6.7L Power Stroke after ~7,000 miles. That's an excellent
sign parts are wearing well in this diesel. The low flashpoint shows a harmless trace of fuel present; lots of
idling and/or cold sampling can cause it to show up. We don't begin viewing fuel dilution as a potential issue
unless it’s present at 2.0%. Traces are the smallest amounts we can detect; they're <0.5%. Feel free to go
10,000 miles on the next oil fill

Second report feedback
This Rotella T6 doesn't need changed. The viscosity is reading a hair below the 5W/40 range, but
we believe that's due to lingering 10W/30 from the previous oil run. Engine wear is in nice shape for roughly
6,400 miles of oil use. Metals are steady or lower after a shorter run; that's what we like to see. We
detected no measurable fuel dilution, coolant, or dirt contamination, and oil filtration isn't struggling to keep
insolubles (solids) from reaching the 0.6% limit. Feel free to keep this oil in place for another 4,000 miles
before changing it or checking back for an update

This is why I use an OA. After a few samples I get a feel for how long I can go before the oil must be changed. Get the most out of it since it is so expensive. If you just change it every 3k without a sample done, thats like buying an expensive beer, taking 3 sips and pouring out the rest. In my case that would be a really expensive waste of money.

 

Those first three sips are nice and cold. The last three sips are warm. bleh.