Here is the comment from Blackstone on my oil from 9/29/2014.
"Thanks for the note about the Archoil. You might not have used it this time, but we're still seeing the
lingering effects in the elevated potassium and boron readings. That stuff has so much potassium and
sodium in it that those elements linger for several oil changes. That's harmless as far as we're concerned,
but potassium can also come from coolant, so it's hard for us to gauge coolant problems when that additive
is in use. The low viscosity is typical for this engine, and the trace of fuel is harmless. Wear metals look
great. A real good report overall."

And this one from 4/9/2015
"That Archoil stuff lingers for a while in the engine, so we're not too surprised to see potassium and boron still reading high in this sample, even though you didn't use the additive on this change. As long as this stuff is from the additive, it's harmless. Wear metals do look good, so we have no reason to believe there are any serious problems in the works here. There was a little fuel present, but 1.0% is still within the acceptable range, so operational factors are probably to blame for that, and the low viscosity is just normal for this engine. Still looks good overall!"

 

Rev x does the same thing with the increased levels of potassium. I'm just still curious about what Blackstone said about the op sample

 

Blackstone's "assessments" are pretty standardized. They always connect the elevated potassium with the coolant possibility, but fortunately they also have a specific analysis for the coolant. With all the UOA done on engines using these additives, it has been shown that the elevated potassium (in itself and at the levels resulting from the additives) is not an issue. Same w/ Boron.

The reason the elements "linger" is because we only change about 78% of the oil in the system (full oil volume is around 18-19 quarts, and we only change 14 or so). So roughly 20% old oil still remains in the engine when we change the oil. So if/when a person has the sludge experience, it takes MULTIPLE cleaning cycles and oil changes to get it all out.

 

Yeah I've been thinking about doing double oil changes once or twice a year just to flush out as much dirty oil as possible, but haven't justified it to myself yet lol.

Basically fresh oil and filter then a 50-100km drive then do another oil change with new filter. I'm guessing it would mostly just be throwing money down the drain and a secondary Amsoil or equivalent type bypass filter system would be more beneficial in the long run.

 

for all of you who asked, this is my oil analyst that came back from Caterpillar, it is NOT Coolant, water nor lack of maintenance. They attribute it to the ADDITIVE as the only possible cause. As a side note, per the lab and my own personal observation from seeing it and sending out samples....the oil is getting thicker as it sits

 

So no analytical result numbers except the glycol? Another possibility (IMO) is getting a fake/bad dose of an additive is very possible depending on where you buy it (eg some Amazon sellers). An important note from Caterpillar is that glycol CAN contribute to it. And as an fyi, glycols can react away quickly, so a water analysis is typically done also.

Anyway, the Caterpillar assessment didn't come across as conclusive to me, just a possibility (ie - "Oil thickening can also result from incompatibility between the base stocks of synthetic lube oils and aftermarket additives). CAN, not DID.

Clearly it is technically possible for some additive to do this, but this simply goes against many, many experiences (many thousands) with Archoil. Extreme heat can do it also. In fact Ford had a training video in the early days that shows oil like this in an engine they disassembled (heat and lack of proper change interval). Lack of oil filtration can play a part as stated previously (ie using aftermarket inserts in the standpipe).

The oil I added the Archoil residual to, after 2 weeks it is just fine, and absolutely no material falling out of suspension, or any thickening for that matter.




I guess I won't be using Rotella T5 15W40.

 

sample sent to Caterpillar,Blackstone and to Archoil ,so far only Caterpillar has come back with results and has noticed just like I have that the longer in sits in a container, the thicker it's getting.

 

that is correct, if you read the findings the technician stated that the oil was too thick to conduct further testing. His words as a oil analyst for many many yesrs. I'll wait for Blackstones results

 

Samples can be thinned (just like it was done for glycol), I suppose it just gets cost prohibitive.

 

I guess so, time will tell with the Blackstone sample

 

I've used the Hot Shots friction modifier and stiction eliminator before with no negative results and going forward I'll be using the Hot Shots friction modifier on every other oil change instead of the Archoil.

 

Hopefully we hear from Archoil on the sample. I sent them a link to this thread, and Tech Support replied stating that they haven't received a sample yet.

EDIT - they did say that their recommended shelf life is 3 years.

 

because of this post I did NOT shake a cold can of Archoil AR9100 before opening it. I always buy it in bulk, which of course means the cans sit for a long time and the additives/solids can settle, so I always shake the cans before I fill them.
Normally I always do that, interesting how sluggish the Archoil becomes when cold.
Of course, I still think that Archoil cannot cause the problems described above, but I am surprised how tough it becomes when not shaken.
Once it's in the engine, it shouldn't cause any problems due to dilution with the engine oil.

 

Yup, my pics in post #141 above are of the dissolved "clumps" ......................... once dissolved in oil, they stay in solution. I have put it (dissolved sample) in the freezer as the next test.

 

Not sure what the Archoil instructions are, but at least one product I've used says to add the oil additive to the engine while running, at operating temp. Wish I could find the bottle that has that phrasing on it so I could remember which brand it was.

But that's what I've always done with any oil additive in any engine - Archoil, HSS, Lucas, etc - add it to a warm, running engine. Figure it drains down into the pan and mixes somewhat, then gets sucked into the sump and really blended in.

FWIW I've used Archoil off an on for over ten years, haven't ever seen this.