Oil Analysis - 14,800 miles on Asmoil 0W30

[Amsoil_Dealer]

Here is my oil analysis data. This list has 5 different oil analysis reports with the far right hand column being the latest sample.


Member Name: Don Stevens
Vehicle: 1999 Ford Crown Victoria LX HPP
Lab Used: Oil Analyzers
Sample Date: 3/4/2003, 4/25/2003, 6/28/2003, 9/7/2003, 11/08/2003
Location: Clearwater, FL

Miles on oil: 4594 , 5109 , 12,423, 7722, 14,800
Oil Brand and Grade:
Mtrcrft 5W20, Amsoil 5W30, Amsoil 5W30, Amsoil 0W30
Filter: Motorcraft(dlr),Mighty,Amsoil SDF-11,SDF-11,SDF-11
Make-up Oil Added: 3 qts , 2 qts , 2 qts, 1 qt, 1 qt
Wear metals, Parts Per Million (PPM)

Aluminum 4 , 5, 4, 3, 5
Chromium 2 , 1, 2, 1, 2
Iron 28 , 36, 12, 10, 21
Copper 14 , 10, 16, 17, 36
Lead 51 , 21, 16, 13, 24
Tin 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0
Molybdenum 3 , 2, 3, 3, 5
Nickel 5 , 0, 0, 0, 0
Manganese N/A N/A N/A, N/A, N/A
Silver 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0
Titanium 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0

Additives:

Potassium 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0
Boron 2 , 37, 19, 29, 25
Silicon 20 , 16, 11, 10, 2
Sodium 37 , 18, 0, 3, 6
Calcium 2632 , 2654, 2490, 2380, 2212
Magnesium 46 , 827, 956, 984, 909
Phosphorus 988 , 933, 989, 1021, 1050
Zinc 1163 , 1144, 1158, 1215, 1310
Barium 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0

Properties / Contaminants:

Viscosity (@100C) 9.79, 12.71, 15.78, 14.47, 18.15
Flashpoint (° F) N/A N/A N/A, N/A, N/A
Fuel (%) < 1 < 1 < 1 < 1 <1
Antifreeze (%) Neg Neg Neg Neg Neg
Water (%) 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0
Insolubles (%) N/A N/A N/A N/A, N/A
Oxidation (%) 13, 16, 13, 16, 15
Nitration (%) 10, 13, 10, 13, 12
TBN,Total Base Number 5.11 , 7.28 , 7.44, 7.57, 6.12


So what does this mean? It indicates that while the oil has degraded over time it still protected this now 80,000 mile engine fairly well. The wear metals (with the exception of copper) and TBN after nearly 14,800 miles are on par with Motorcraft 5W20 after only 4600 miles. The viscosity increase trend is disturbing and after consulting with the lab who performed the analysis, Oil Analyzers Inc., I have learned that this is not uncommon in Ford and Chevy V-8 engines. My driving conditions (Florida heat, A/C on all the time, frequent idling) exacerbate this problem and it appears heat is what is causing the viscosity breakdown.

What this boils down to is that this oil is good for about 12,500 miles in our cars when equipped with standard filtration. So for One Bad Merc I suggest that you sample your oil about 7500 miles to see where you are. Your bypass filter and the fact that your car is newer plus the cooler weather should net better results.


I have since changed back to Amsoil ASL 5W30 and will attempt a 15,000 mile test on that oil as well.

I welcome questions and/or comments and solicit a volunteer who lives in a cool climate and who drives a fair bit to help me collect some data on Marauders. I'll offer Amsoil products at dead cost to the right candidate in exchange for sharing the data on this site.

Don

[tta197]

Don, do know of any web sites that show bearing scar tests between Mobile 1 and Amsoil? I looking for tests not performed by Amsoil or Mobil themselves, but by an indepedent non bias party.

I use Amsoil (10w30) in my 89 Turbo Trans Am, by the way. But I use Mobile 1 in my other vehicles because it's easier to buy.

P.S. I don't want to start a war between opinions on the two oils. I just would like some more info on the two oils. Thanks, Nicholas.

[1 BAD 03 MM]

Nice results. Curious about the viscosity. It seems to be thickening alot. TBN is still good. I wonder if the V8 thing is because of fuel contamination. All the other numbers are very impressive.

Were you using the stock filter location, Amsoil_Dealer?

Hey folks take a look at those numbers. Blackstone Labs has free sampling kits they'll send you. It would be interesting to see how results with different oil change intervals, filters, oils and such, would compare in our engines. Since they are all - all aluminum 4.6L DOHC.

I will post my results when I sample. I just got my free sampling kit from Blackstone Labs in the mail (you still pay $20 for the analysis). See if the By-pass filter makes any difference.

[Amsoil_Dealer]

One Bad Merc,

Yes, my filter is in the stock location. Part of the exercise is to see how far the oil will go with a standard filter, Your results (alebit in a differenct car) will give us a general idea how far you can go with the bypass filter.

Free kit but you still pay $20.00 for the test? What is up with that? I'll match that offer for MM.net readers. That is I'll offer the first Oil Analyzer's kit completely free including the test. Subsequent kits are $19.95 which includes the Lab fee a free TBN test.

Don

[Amsoil_Dealer]

[
Don, do know of any web sites that show bearing scar tests between Mobile 1 and Amsoil? I looking for tests not performed by Amsoil or Mobil themselves, but by an indepedent non bias party.

P.S. I don't want to start a war between opinions on the two oils. I just would like some more info on the two oils. Thanks, Nicholas.


Nicholas,

No I do not know of any place where you can see independently tested wear scars or unbiased reporting. Companies post that sort of stuff to make their product look better than the competition. No one is going fund that kind of testing unless they have a point to prove and you can bet that you are going to hear their side of the story. Frankly though, it does not matter. Wear scars are just one measure of oil performance and it a questionable tets because it is performed in a lab under controlled conditions that are not the same as oil experiences in your car anyway. Amsoil is the only company that uses this as a marketing tool because they formulate their oil specifically for such a test and they know that their oils shine in such tetsts. That does not necessarily mean however, that their oil will perorm any better than Mobil-1 in your car.

How does one compare oils then? There is no better way to test two different oils than through used oil analysis (UOA) in your own car. Why? Because every car and every application are unique. So no matter what one person or one company says about how well one brand performs vs. another, it doesn't mean sqaut unless it is tested in the same car in as similar conditions as possible. UOA provides real world results with no BS.

"I use Amsoil (10w30) in my 89 Turbo Trans Am, by the way. But I use Mobile 1 in my other vehicles because it's easier to buy. "

What? If you are already buying Amsoil for one car, why not buy a little more and use it in both cars? did you know that Asmoil is $0.30 per quart cheaper if you buy it in 12 qt cases vs. individual quarts?

For the rest of the readers........I am trying to take the "it's easier to buy" statement out of the mouths and out of the minds of CVN.net and MM.Net readers. I know people like the idea of driving over to their local parts store or discount house to pick up your oil and because of big company marketing politics there is little I can do about that. However, I have a website, www.lubedealer.com/dstevens, where you can click one button and you are right in Asmoil's online store. Click a few more buttons and your products show up at your doorstep in a few days. What can be easier than that? I'll even give you a few tips so that you can buy Amsoil at my dealer cost, even on your first visit to my site. It is easy.

I am here to help my fellow Panther enthusiasts. All you have to do is send me a PM, e-mail me, or call me at 727-560-8367 and I'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about oil and give you the tips to buy Amsoil online at very competitive prices....I never want to hear that M-1 is " easier to buy" again. Just kidding.

Don

[MENINBLK]

I did a motor oil analysis at Blackstone Labs and they also saw
that I had high Copper readings in my oil.
Even after 18,000 miles !!!

Where is this copper coming from ???

[sailsmen]

Impressive!

I also use the same Lab, I think the Motorcraft Oil for my car is ok up to 5K to 6K.

[Mike Poore]

:bagpiper:

Thanks for publishing your results, and taking the time to do the study. We've been using Amsoil and their filters in the entire fleet. I find the 10,000 mile safety data most interesting, and useful for normal duty situations. We've been changing at 5,000. (three DOHC 4.6's and a 4.6 truck engine) :high5:

[sailsmen]

I did a motor oil analysis at Blackstone Labs and they also saw
that I had high Copper readings in my oil.
Even after 18,000 miles !!!

Where is this copper coming from ???

Several Marauder owners, inlcuding me have reported the same high copper. One member suggested testing new oil to establish a copper base.

[RF Overlord]

Where is this copper coming from ???

What was the actual copper reading, and how many miles were on the oil?

I had Blackstone do an analysis at 20,000 miles (4,000 miles on the oil) and again at 25,150 miles (5,150 on the oil). My copper readings were 34 and 32 respectively. Since I had approx 28% more miles on the oil in the second sample, the copper has actually dropped more than the reading would suggest. I didn't do an analysis at 30,000 miles (not sure why) but I intend to do one at 35,000.

Check out the Paradise Garage synthetic oil life study (http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html)...their car reported high copper throughout, and from what I understand, this is normal for that engine.

BTW, I'm using Mobil 1 5W-30 with the Motorcraft filter.

[MENINBLK]

The oil anaylsis also suggested the high copper came from the cams not breaking in very quickly.

Could it be that since we have 4 CAMS and not 2 cams,
this could be the contributing factor here ???