Oil Analysis

When my 97 SHO had 1000 miles on it I changed the motor for the first time then every 5000 miles since then. In the summer I use Mobil 1 5W-30 and in winter I use Mobil 1 0W-30. Skipping the first oil change (meaningless since it is break-in oil) I have had the oil analyzed every oil change since.

The technique of oil sampling is simple but must be done with care. Wipe off the outside of the oil pan so you don't get road dirt in the sample, Open the drain plug as you normally do then wait a moment or two so the dregs come out first then just catch a sample in the small 2 oz bottle provided with the kit. Remember you don't want to sample the first or last oil, you want a clean sample from the middle. Then finish your oil change as usual.

The oil change kits come with directions, a data form, a small bottle and a small box to send the whole thing to the lab for analysis. In a week or two you get a report you information in several key areas.

 Physical Properties
The lab should test for glycol (antifreeze), water, fuel and solids as well as viscosity.
 

Analysis Information
Test	Measures	Cause	Effect
Viscosity	High Viscosity	Contamination Soot/Solids	Increased Operating Costs
(lubricant "thickness"		Oxidation Degradation	Engine Overheating
resistance to flow)		Coolant Leak	Restricted Oil Flow
		Over-Extended Oil Drain	Increased Energy Consumption
		High Operating	Accelerated Wear
		Temperatures	Harmful Deposits/Sludge
		Improper Oil Grade	Hard Starting
	Low Viscosity	Additive Shear	Engine Overheating
		Fuel Dilution	Poor Lubrication
		Improper Oil Grade	Metal to Metal Contact
		Coolant Leak	Accelerated Wear
Water/Coolant	Oil Contamination	Defective Seals	Engine Failure
Contamination		New Oil Contamination	Lubricant Thickening
(water or coolant		Coolant Leak	Poor Lubrication
present in lubricant)		Improper Storage	Corrosion
		Condensation	Sludge Formation
		Cracked Head or Block	Increased Engine Heat
		Weather/Moisture	Acid Formation
		Combustion By-Product	Accelerated Wear
		Oil Cooler Leak	Reduced Additive Effectiveness
Fuel Dilution	Oil Contamination	Incorrect Air to Fuel Ratio	Metal to Metal Contact
(fuel present in lubricant)		Extended Idling	Poor Lubrication - Oil Thinning
		Stop and Go Driving	Increased Overall Wear
		Incorrect Timing	Cylinder Ring Wear
		Defective Injectors	Reduced MPG
		Leaking Fuel Pump/Lines	Decreased Oil Pressure
		Incomplete Combustion	Reduced Engine Performance
		Carburetor Malfunction	High Operating Costs
			Shortened Engine Life
Fuel Soot	Oil Contamination	Improper Air/Fuel Ratio	Poor Engine Performance
(soot content of lubricant)		Improper Injector Adjustment	Poor Fuel Economy
		Defective Injector	Increased Operating Cost
		Poor Quality Fuel	Harmful Deposits/Sludge
		Incomplete Combustion	Increased Wear
		Clogged Air Induction	Lubricant Thickening
		Improper Equipment Operation	Shortened Oil Life
		Low Compression	Lacquer Formation
		Worn Engine Parts/Rings	Carbon Deposits
			Clogged Filters
			Shortened Engine Life
Oxidation	Oil Contamination	Overheating	Shortened Equipment Life
(evidence of lubricant	/ Condition	Over-Extended Oil Drain	Lacquer Deposits
breakdown)		Improper Oil Type	Oil Filter Plugging
		Combustion By-Products	Increased Oil Viscosity
		Blow-By	Corrosion of Metal Parts
		Coolant Leak	Increased Operating Expenses
			Increased Wear
			Shortened Equipment Life
Nitration	Oil Contamination	Abnormally High	Accelerated Oxidation
(evidence of lubricant	/ Condition	Combustion Temperature	Increased Exhaust Emissions
breakdown)		Lean Air to Fuel Ratio	Acidic By-Products Formed
		Abnormal Blow-By	Increased Cylinder and
		Injector or Carburetor	Valve Train Wear
		Malfunction	Oil Thickening
		EGR Valve Failure	Combustion Area Deposits
			Increased TAN
Total Acid Number (TAN)	Oil Contamination	High Sulfur Fuel	Corrosion of Metallic
(lubricant acid content)	/ Condition	Overheating	Components
		Excessive Blow-By	Increases Oxidation
		Over-Extended Oil Drains	Oil Degradation
		Improper Oil Type	Oil Thickening
			Additive Depletion
Total Base Number (TBN)	Lubricant Service Life	High Sulfur Fuel	Increased TAN
(lubricant alkalinity reserve)	(Low Readings)	Overheating	Oil Degradation
		Over-Extended Oil Drains	Increased Wear
		Improper Oil Type	Corrosion of Metal Parts
		Acid Build-up in Oil

 

This table above may give you an idea of some of the things you can learn from an oil analysis before we even get to wear metals. This past winter I pulled over in a rest stop to catch a few winks, and because the temperature out side was 10 degrees I let the engine run. The next oil analysis came back with 5.5% fuel dilution from the prolonged idling which can cause the cylinder walls to wear prematurely.

Wear Metals
In addition to checking for physical properties the lab does spectrographic analysis which detects the presence of wear medals in parts-per-million. Recently a SHO owner reported that the bearings and valve train were like new after 180K miles but his piston rings were worn out. Spectrographic analysis is the type of procedure that can point to exactly that type situation without a tear down. The chrome used in the rings would have showed up in the tests and I also wonder if fuel dilution would have showed up as well.
 

Indicator	Acceptable Levels	Engine Problem	What to Check
Silicon (Si) and	10 to 30 ppm	Dirt ingestion	Air intake system, oil filter plugging, oil filler cap and breather, valve covers, oil supply
Aluminum (Al)			Blower, camshaft intermediate bearings, turbo bearings, crankshaft thrust bearings.
Iron (Fe)	100 to 200 ppm	Wear of cylinder liner, valve and gear train, oil pump, rust in system	Excessive oil consumption, abnormal engine noise, performance problems, oil pressure, abnormal operating temperatures, stuck/broken piston rings
Chromium (CR)	10 to 30 ppm	Piston ring wear	Excessive oil blow-by and oil consumption, oil degradation
Copper (CU)	10 to 50 ppm	Bearings and bushings wear, oil cooler passivating, radiator corrosion	Coolant in engine oil, abnormal noise when operating at near stall speed
Lead (Pb)*	40 to 100 ppm	Bearing corrosion	Extended oil change intervals
Copper (CU) and	10 to 50 ppm	Bearing lining wear	Oil pressure, abnormal engine noise, dirt being ingested in air intake, fuel dilution, extended oil drain intervals
Lead (Pb)*	10 to 50 ppm	Bearing lining wear
Aluminum (Al)	10 to 30 ppm	Piston and piston thrust bearing wear	Blow-by gases, oil consumption, power loss, abnormal engine noise
Silver and	2 to 5 ppm	Wear of bearings	Excessive oil consumption, abnormal engine noise, loss in oil pressure
Tin	10 to 30 ppm	Wear of bearings

 
Another way to look at it.
 

WEAR METAL REFERENCE GUIDE - Gas Engine
When trace metals are detected, the following components could be responsible	Iron	Copper		Lead	Aluminum	Silicon	Chromium	Tin	Sodium	Potassium
	Fe	Cu		Pb	Al	Si	Cr	Sn	Na	K
Journal Bearings		X		X	X			X
Bushings		X		X	X			X
Cam Shaft	X
Coolant Additives						X	X		X	X
Crankshaft	X
Cylinder Walls	X						X
Exhaust Valve	X						X
Anti-Friction Bearing	X
Gasket Materials		X				X
Gasoline Additive				X					X
Housing/Castings	X				X	X
Ingested Dirt						X			X
Oil Additive		X				X			X
Oil Cooler		X
Oil Pump Bushing		X		X	X			X
Oil Pumps	X				X
Pistons	X				X			X
Rings	X						X
Thrust Washers			X	X	X			X
Timing Gears	X
Turbo-Charger/Super Charger	X				X
Valve Guides	X	X
Valve Train	X
Wrist Pin-Bushings		X		X	X			X
Wrist Pins	X

 

The notable wear metals my car has shown have been iron, chrome, aluminum, copper, and lead. The only iron in the engine in the engine is the cylinder liners and the chrome is from the piston rings. Just before the 10K oil change I ran the car on a chassis dyno without an air filter. Note that at 15 all the metals shot up, either I let a lot of dirt in the engine tat one half hour on the dyno or new air filter was letting more dirt in. It was also when I pulled the baffle (mouse catcher) out of the "saxophone." I did another air-filter-less dyno run between the 25k and 30k but seem to have done less damage that time. The amount of wear metals parallels the amount of silicon (dirt) in the oil which indicate that the wear is cause by dirt getting into the engine. Before we get into a panic notice that the quantity of wear metals is low, within the acceptable range, the engine is very healthy, but I have learned to NEVER run an engine with out an air filter and don't let an engine idle for long periods.

The purpose of having a history is so one can watch for trends and take corrective actions as I have.

Miles at Oil Change	5000	10000	15000	20000	25000	30000	35000	40000	45000	47,777	52000	58,000	62,000	65,905	75,000	79,938	85,000	90,005	95,000	99,507	106,390
Change date	Aug-97	Oct-97	Mar-98	Jul-98	Oct-98	Feb-99	May-99	Oct-99	Jan-00	Apr-00	Sep-00	Feb-01	Jun-01	Dec-01	Jun-02	Jan-03	Jul-03	Nov-03	Jul-04	Oct-04	May-05
Wear metals - ppm by wt.
Iron	49	6	67	52	36	42	22	17	20	21	21		28	75	52	53	20	26	43	18	33
Lead	16	1	6	10	7	4	1	3	1	1	3		1	2	3	1	2	2	2	0	2
Copper	21	3	10	9	7	7	6	13	7	8	19		9	8	9	14	9	6	9	5	7
Chromium	8	0	12	8	5	6	3	2	4	2	3		3	9	4	8	5	5	6	3	6
Tin	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
Aluminum	16	3	10	9	8	9	5	6	6	7	8		8	12	12	13	8	7	10	6	9
Silver	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Manganese	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nickel	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0		0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vanadium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Titanium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Contaminant Metals - ppm by wt.
Silicon	44*	8	20	27	24	19	15	13	6	7	8		11	11	28	18	8	14	18	12	15
Sodium	43	145	0	0	6	8	3	7	6	9	9		17	6	8	15	6	9	12	16	15
Potassium	10	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	0	0		0	N/A	N/A	0	0	0	0	0	0
Boron	52	26	73	67	66	61	73	69	69	95	91		89	91	36	59	5	37	50	72	40
Additive Metals - ppm by wt.
Magnesium	674	250	694	667	610	600	355	771	1427	2191	2156		2020	1557	428	1331	458	1224	1538	988	1388
Calcium	1418	2565	1447	1389	1248	1258	2977	1657	739	1058	980		1297	1285	1898	838	2186	826	857	1236	794
Barium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Phosphorus	1050	539	1076	1160	987	1040	839	980	841	1092	1206		1162	978	845	930	905	982	954	957	534
Zinc	1244	987	1258	1351	991	1076	1160	1191	1203	1233	1305		1260	1135	1113	1169	1213	1155	1092	1017	1160
Molybdenum	7	38	3	2	2	2	0	2	1	0	0		0	16	45	6	2	0	1	17	5
Non-metalic Contaminants
Fuel % vol	3.0%	<1%		2%	2%	5.5%	<1.0	<1.0%	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0		<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0	<1.0
Water % vol	<.1%	0		<.1%	<.1%	<.1%	<.05%	<0.05	<0.05	<0.05	<0.05		<0.05	0.1	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Glycol	na	neg					NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG		NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG	NEG
Viscosity 100 Deg C							9.5	9.6	9.5	8.5	9.3		8.9	9.1	9.8	9.31	9.24	8.95	9.17	9.78	10.5
% Solids							TR	TR	TR	TR	TR		TR	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
% Oxd							<1.0	11.1	<1.0	25.6	27.8		30	31.1	30	25	42	32	31	31	N/A
% NOX							21.4	24.3	30	28.6	31.4		34.3	32.9	34.3	28	43	29	28	27	27
TBN							7.0	4.8	7.5	10.0	9.8		9.8	7.3	6.9	6.51	5.56	6.91	5.85	6.95	5.59
Grade	SH	SH	SH	SH	SH	SH	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ	SJ
Brand Oil	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Amsoil	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1
Vis Grade	5W-30	0W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	0W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30	5W-30
Filter Changed- Brand	Ford	Ford	Ford	Ford	Ford	Ford	Ford	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	K&N	K&N	AC DG	AC DG	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	Mobil 1	AC DG

Additive Metals

Note that recently Mobil 1 has changed their formulation and it now meets SJ grade. For this reason I sent a 2 oz of the new stuff to my oil lab for a free baseline analysis. Unless I somehow got dirt involved new clean Mobil 1 10W-30 has 27 ppm silicon as an additive so I doubt I will ever get less than that again. Assuming the engine is in good shape you can track changes in the additive packages by tracking them in the additive metals section. See that SH grade 5W-30 that I put in at 5k and the great numbers I got at 10k Then they changed the additive package, naturally

One last note , you can also sample ATX fluid, MTX fluid or any other type of lubricant.

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