rocketmangb

Well i didnt really find a thread for this so i will start new

Ran my Amsoil 5W30 down to 5 % and right at 10,000 miles

Well it flunked the TBN test and the oxidation was critical high as well as nitration and i felt the nitrate level was a little high which will cause high viscosity.

Did i wear out the additive package ?
Should i step back to 5,000 mile oil changes ?
Change oil brands ?

Old Lar

Amsoil is supposedly one of the best and I use in in a non HHR car. ai've not had any testing done on the oil, so I don't know its condition, but the car doesn't get driven that much, so for me it is a once a year oil change.

My HHR I use Mobil 1 an I have a little over 5K miles on the last oil change and 47% DIC oil life. It will be changed in a month or so as I'm planning a 2-3000 mile road trip in March.

As far as your test results, in my working life, I was an analytical chemist and any testing results can be in error. Was that your first Amsoil change? How many miles were on the car when the oil was put in? All I can suggest is to change the oil and have it tested at the 5000 mile interval to see if the initial test was a fluke and it would show the condition of the oil. Amsoil should be good for lots of miles.

mo650chopper

First off I'm defintely not an oil expert of any kind But aren't oxidation and nitration a byproduct of combustion?

Another clue I'm no expert, what is a TBN test?

Amsoil is a quality oil so I don't think that should be a factor.

I'm a big fan of changing my oil in the 3000 to 4000 mile range. Although I have no scientific data to prove anything I the extra cost over the life of the vehicle is worth it in the long run.

oneton

I use amsoil 5w30 also and have had it tested after 0% on DIC and at about 7K miles. always says about 35% life left. I send to Blackstone Laboratories for testing

rocketmangb

I did think about sending the next sample to Blackstone
I also understand there are many firms that sell testing in the USA but only 2 labs that actually do the work ?

MO 650 the TBN test is total base number that is how the additive package is measured,on a good 5W30 oil that is new i would expect a TBN of very near 10.00 but mine came back at 2.84 which means the additives were going away.
Oxidation was critical which will also raise the viscosity as well as the nitrates being high all points to the oil braking down.
The last sample was Mobil 1 but was slightly better but only 7 k miles on it
If anyone would like to see the report i believe i can email it to you,i could certainly fax it.
I think i will change to 5 k intervals and switch brands to RED LINE and then sample that at 5 K,othwise the engine wear metals appear fine at 35 k miles

rocketmangb

Old Lar
Think i will scrape up a suction gun and pull a sample at 5 K and send it to blackstone

hhrcrafty

I wouldn't sweat it. The oil life system was designed to run oil down to the point where it actually needs to be changed. The idea is to avoid putting more waste oil into the environment by fully utilzing the full cycle of the oil. To me if your wear metals are in check, who cares if the oil is worn out? Change it when the computer tells you to change it.

Snoopy

Rocketman.....

You're worrying about SOME readings that you shouldn't.

First.....a TBN of 2.84 still provides a good number of miles, WITH PROTECTION. Usually, a recommended earlier change is given when the TBN reads 2. Anything less than that....change now. Additives DO DEPLETE AS THE MILEAGE GOES UP (basically.....other factors are also involved). The TBN is very much influenced by the way you use your vehicle. For example, my last analysis on the HHR provided a TBN of 4.8 with approximately 6000 miles on the oil and a OLI of 63%. But almost all that mileage was highway speeds.

Your report of oxidation (was the engine REALLY warmed up)and nitrates COULD raise a concern. But you provided no numbers of comparison. Generally, reputable labs like Blackstone provide a comparison guide listing what other engines, of the same type, average. They also provide comparison's of previous analysees numbers for reference. You provided none of this to the members for comments. ......SO, are your comments and concerns about the TBN, nitrates and oxidation....yours or did the lab you utilized express concern???

Oh, one other thing......depending on which of the Amsoil products you used, the oil could have STARTED WITH A TBN OF 12 (I believe it is also illustrated on their web site). That is ONE of the reasons why they indicate longer change intervals. Most other synthetics do have a new oil TBN of 10.

I've been getting personal oil analysis for about 15 years (currently on all 4 of my vehicles, at every change). I have used several different labs throughout the country. I have even sent 3 samples of the same oil to 3 different labs. Two reports were returned and almost paralleled each other. The third was much different from the other 2 (by my requirements), and made me "uneasy" about their reporting abilities. So, I now use Blackstone exclusively. However, if you want the real "scoop" about your concerns, you can get a Dyson report. It is moderately expensive.....about $100.

masterchief1112

where does one get an oil analysis done

Snoopy

As I mentioned above, I use Blackstone Labs....

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

A Google search may provide other sources.


You do the draining and collection to prescribed standards and send the sample in for analysis. The lab provides the collection and shipping containers.