Changed her oil this weekend
7/10/13, 09:34 PM
#21
Legacy TMS Member
Oil "wear" and breakdown will vary some with car use/driving style, so I am mostly interested in running analysis to make sure my oil is holding up and to get some data on a couple types of oil. The ford recommended oil change cycle is what, every 7500 miles? I don't ever plan to go that long since I plan on keeping this car a long time (well past the end of the warranty) so I want to minimize wear while I am under warranty. Probably a bit overkill but for peace of mind I will pay a bit extra for an analysis and lower mile intervals for oil changes
7/12/13, 04:44 AM
#23
I Have No Life
Thread Starter
It truly is!!!! But alas, I cannot take credit for the idea. Someone else (on this forum I believe) recommended the technique. But yes, it really works, and quite well. I do it for all my vehicles now.
7/12/13, 10:55 AM
#24
Bullitt Member
Join Date: July 9, 2011
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Wow that's a bit excessive!! Especially if your using Amsoil which is a "true synthetic"... I'm a neurotic squirrel with my car as well and don't use it much, its a 2011 with 10500 on the clock now and I'm using Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 filter and it says they're both good for 15k but I maybe put about 5k yearly on the car so as a rule of thumb I just change it once a year and that's still excessive
7/12/13, 12:32 PM
#25
I Have No Life
Thread Starter
Wow that's a bit excessive!! Especially if your using Amsoil which is a "true synthetic"... I'm a neurotic squirrel with my car as well and don't use it much, its a 2011 with 10500 on the clock now and I'm using Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 filter and it says they're both good for 15k but I maybe put about 5k yearly on the car so as a rule of thumb I just change it once a year and that's still excessive
7/14/13, 06:41 AM
#26
Shelby GT500 Member
I have had only one oil change since new and I'm due for another one soon as I've been using my car to it's full potential since it's been warm here in Germany. The crappy thing is it's a pain because I have to order the filters unless a dealership here can get them for me. I can pretty much only find RP 5W30 here in small quantities.
7/14/13, 07:28 AM
#27
I Have No Life
Thread Starter
I have had only one oil change since new and I'm due for another one soon as I've been using my car to it's full potential since it's been warm here in Germany. The crappy thing is it's a pain because I have to order the filters unless a dealership here can get them for me. I can pretty much only find RP 5W30 here in small quantities.
7/14/13, 07:37 AM
#28
GTR Member
I have had only one oil change since new and I'm due for another one soon as I've been using my car to it's full potential since it's been warm here in Germany. The crappy thing is it's a pain because I have to order the filters unless a dealership here can get them for me. I can pretty much only find RP 5W30 here in small quantities.
7/14/13, 07:46 AM
#29
Bullitt Member
The main thing to be watching for is trends over time rather than actual levels. I like the piece of mind it gives me.
7/14/13, 11:34 AM
#31
I Have No Life
Thread Starter
7/14/13, 04:47 PM
#33
Shelby GT350 Member
Do you have results posted online anywhere? I'd be interested to see
7/16/13, 03:00 PM
#34
Legacy TMS Member
I've done one on my car and will probably do it annually. FromZto5's point is good though...I'm honestly not sure what I'd do if they alerted me to a problem. I suppose I'd go see the dealer, ask their opinion and see what could be done?
I may have a chance to test that soon, with my wife's car. We bought it with 35K on it a couple months ago, but the guy that had it before us had it as a second car and rarely drove it and did zero maintenance in the three years he owned it. As soon as we got it home from Des Moines, I changed the oil and sent it to Blackstone for analysis. Here's what they said:
KYLE: This first sample from your new-to-you Mazda 2.3L was high in aluminum and iron when compared to universal averages, which show typical wear after about 5,500 miles on the oil. We suspect this oil was in use longer than that, based on the high iron. That's the only metal that tracks with time on oil - more miles on the oil means more iron. With aluminum and iron reading high, we might be seeing some piston scuffing too. The viscosity was on target for a 5W/20 and insolubles show good oil filtration. Try running around 5,000 miles next and check back.
So, I did another oil change at 1,000 miles and got this back:
KYLE: Metals look a lot better in this sample than they did last time. To be sure, for just 933 miles on the oil, aluminum and iron are still a little elevated when you consider they're already average (or a little higher) and averages are based on about 5,500 miles on the oil. But, remember that not all the old oil leaves the engine in one oil change. Some oil stays in the engine and that residual oil could explain some of the metal here. If you use another ~1,000-mile interval, aluminum and iron should improve. Stay within 3,000 miles at most.
So I changed it again just short of 3,000 and am waiting for that analysis to come in. What I'll do if they tell me the aluminum and iron are still way high, I'm not sure. I'm not going to tear down the motor and replace the pistons, and the car's out of warranty, so it might just be something for me to worry about
I may have a chance to test that soon, with my wife's car. We bought it with 35K on it a couple months ago, but the guy that had it before us had it as a second car and rarely drove it and did zero maintenance in the three years he owned it. As soon as we got it home from Des Moines, I changed the oil and sent it to Blackstone for analysis. Here's what they said:
KYLE: This first sample from your new-to-you Mazda 2.3L was high in aluminum and iron when compared to universal averages, which show typical wear after about 5,500 miles on the oil. We suspect this oil was in use longer than that, based on the high iron. That's the only metal that tracks with time on oil - more miles on the oil means more iron. With aluminum and iron reading high, we might be seeing some piston scuffing too. The viscosity was on target for a 5W/20 and insolubles show good oil filtration. Try running around 5,000 miles next and check back.
So, I did another oil change at 1,000 miles and got this back:
KYLE: Metals look a lot better in this sample than they did last time. To be sure, for just 933 miles on the oil, aluminum and iron are still a little elevated when you consider they're already average (or a little higher) and averages are based on about 5,500 miles on the oil. But, remember that not all the old oil leaves the engine in one oil change. Some oil stays in the engine and that residual oil could explain some of the metal here. If you use another ~1,000-mile interval, aluminum and iron should improve. Stay within 3,000 miles at most.
So I changed it again just short of 3,000 and am waiting for that analysis to come in. What I'll do if they tell me the aluminum and iron are still way high, I'm not sure. I'm not going to tear down the motor and replace the pistons, and the car's out of warranty, so it might just be something for me to worry about
KYLE: Your hopes have come true! Iron and aluminum are indeed back to normal levels, even as you've started lengthening your oil run a bit this time. As we've pointed out in the past, averages are based on ~5,500 miles of oil use for this type of engine, so it remains to be seen if metals will hold steady on a longer oil run, but if you're comfortable with ~3,000 miles or so on an oil change, that'll help keep the metals in check. You could probably run longer if things stay steady from here. The slightly low viscosity isn't an issue, so just check back to monitor. Getting better!
If anybody wants to see the full report plus all the analysis data from all three reports, here's a link: https://docs.google.com/file/d/1CDPP...it?usp=sharing
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