mobile 1 0W40 analysis results 8700 mile OCI, 00 boxster s

[brp987]

It's interesting that an engine with silicon liners instead of iron, that the iron would be high and the silicon low.

[John V]

Similar to my oil analysis after a 7.700 mile interval and mostly street driving. Except my iron was only 11ppm. Silicon was 19ppm. My next oil change was at 8k and had elevated levels of wear metals due to a lot of autocrossing, but not to extreme levels.

My new interval is 5,000 miles during autocross season and 8,000 miles otherwise. This is using 0W40 Mobil 1.

15,000 mile oil changes? Yeah right... if you want the motor to wear out in 100,000 miles.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by John V

Similar to my oil analysis after a 7.700 mile interval and mostly street driving. Except my iron was only 11ppm. Silicon was 19ppm. My next oil change was at 8k and had elevated levels of wear metals due to a lot of autocrossing, but not to extreme levels.

My new interval is 5,000 miles during autocross season and 8,000 miles otherwise. This is using 0W40 Mobil 1.

15,000 mile oil changes? Yeah right... if you want the motor to wear out in 100,000 miles.

I've reported this before so I'll give the short version. When Porsche tested the 996 turbo in the US, they drove it 100,000 miles in the LA area on 87 Octane gas and did not change the oil at all, just added it as needed. When the motor was torn down, it was still within new tolerances. This was presented as a tech session at a Porsche Parade.

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by Paul

I've reported this before so I'll give the short version. When Porsche tested the 996 turbo in the US, they drove it 100,000 miles in the LA area on 87 Octane gas and did not change the oil at all, just added it as needed. When the motor was torn down, it was still within new tolerances. This was presented as a tech session at a Porsche Parade.

I would love to see the data on that. I can tell you that ANY oil is shot at 20K miles and the 100K is a joke in my experience. Now, if the car was using a qt of oil per say 1000 miles, then, well you get the picture.

If you can provide details on this story, I would appreciate it.

[986chris]

Here's what I know. 03 Sliverado 8.1 lt gas 105,000 miles I use 5w30 mobile 1. haven't changed oil in 3 years add 1-2 qts. between computer recommened changes, new filter every other time. feels just as fresh as new. Truck gets used for every thing short drives, trailering, highway. it's my own little experiment.

[AUDIOGUY]

When I owned BMWs, I always wondered if they tauted longer than average oil change intervals because so many of their cars had BMW paid maintenance packages. You would figure one oil change per year per car is much less costly than two.

Just a thought.

I change my oil once a year in the summer at about 7k mile interval.

[John V]

Obviously owners are free to do as they please with regard to oil changes. My oil reports don't support the notion of running the oil longer than 10k with my driving.

The factory only cares about you getting through the warranty period. Once you're out of that period they couldn't care less how long your engine lasts because they're not paying the bill for replacement - you are.

[saaber]

Originally Posted by 986chris

Here's what I know. 03 Sliverado 8.1 lt gas 105,000 miles I use 5w30 mobile 1. haven't changed oil in 3 years add 1-2 qts. between computer recommened changes, new filter every other time. feels just as fresh as new. Truck gets used for every thing short drives, trailering, highway. it's my own little experiment.

Quick story... once I bought a dodge van with 96k miles. Drove fine, oil looked fine on dipstick. Drove for a couple months, got sick of top-heavy feeling and sold it. New owner drove for a couple months then it threw a rod! Mechanic found 1" of sludge in the oil pan and said the oil had probably never been changed! Everything seemed fine but that was a disaster waiting to happen!

I trust the wear shown on used oil analyses and even more so those folks that have torn into engines and seen the wear and sludge buildup. There is a tremendous amount of data out there and most everyone says that earlier is better. I hope the experiment doesn't hold any surprises down the road. You are a brave man.

[John V]

A UOI on that Silverado would undoubtedly show lots of moisture in the oil as well as insolubules (i.e. sludge). I would never do that to one of my vehicles, even my beater 190,000 mile Nissan. To each their own.

[saaber]

Originally Posted by brp987

It's interesting that an engine with silicon liners instead of iron, that the iron would be high and the silicon low.

Maybe indicator of valve train wear vs. little wear at bottom end? So far I have heard some comments on other sites that the iron levels are actually low but I would like to hear more on that.

O.k., so how is this for a wild-assed theory (I need a physicist to chime in on this one...)
(1) From what I have heard, silicon levels in the oil basically come down to dirt that is getting in there. There are lots of discussions on the Bob the Oil guy site about the effect of different air cleaners on the amounts of silicon in the sample. For example k and N filters do better as they age resulting in less silicon, etc. etc.
(2) Dirt travels in suspension (air) when there is sufficient velocity to keep it from settling out.
(3) The snorkel on this boxster, if it were in place, provides a small "tunnel" through which lots of air travels at a high velocity
(4) The inlet of the snorkel is very near the outside "grilles" of the car
(5) I have run this car de-snorkeled for a long time

So, is it possible that the lower silicon levels seen in this sample are due to de-snorkling? That is, does desnorkling make it harder for dirt to get to the engine due to lower velocities and/or the fact that the new inlet is around 12" or so farther from the outside air?

Talk about a wild-assed theory...

[Paul]

It is interesting that, if I'm reading the comment correctly, the additive package is still 5 times as high as it needs to be.

[edevlin]

Here is what I got:

Ed

[saaber]

Originally Posted by edevlin

Here is what I got:

Ed

Thanks a lot for positng that Ed! Yours looks similar to mine in terms of iron plus the ones I found on bob is the oil guy (BITOG) are in the 20-29 range for iron. Several folks on BITOG have said this iron level is normal (btw lots of folks are critical of Blackstone's comments but generally o.k. with their tests). So it looks to me that using mobil 1 produces about this iron level in Porsches (a generalization I know). I would love to have John V's 11ppm for iron though!

I am planning to run the redline for 7500 miles and take an oil sample at 4000 miles. They say lead and copper will go up with the first 2 oil changes and it will be interesting to see what the iron levels do.

I would love to see Royal Purple results also as others have said here but I need to let the redline "settle in" to get an accurate evaluation of it. Ran redline in a saab 900 turbo for 318k miles and that car ran like brand new with no repairs other than wear items (clutch, water pump, mufflers). Ran mobil 1 (an older formulation I am sure) in a saab 9000 non turbo and it started running hotter and hotter after 200k miles. Not scientific I know but that has been my experience.

[John V]

My iron jumped to 21 on the last analysis that I did. But again, this oil had a very hard life, two SCCA ProSolos in extreme heat, a national tour plus several local autocrosses. So given all that, I'm extremely happy with the wear behavior.

Attached is my oil report showing my last two oil changes.

[CJ_Boxster]

Heres some information i copied from the blackstone website to show you usually what metals are representative of which parts of the engine.

-----------------------------------

Elements are quantified in the oil at part per million levels (PPM). This list shows the most common sources of the elements in a gasoline or diesel engine oil.

Aluminum: Pistons, bearings, cases (heads & blocks).
Chromium: Rings, a trace element in steel.
Iron: Cylinders, rotating shafts, the valve train, and any steel part sharing the oil.
Copper : Brass or bronze parts, copper bushings, bearings, oil coolers, also an additive in some gasoline engine oils.
Lead: Bearings.
Tin : Bearings, bronze parts, piston coatings.
Molybdenum: Anti-wear additive, coating on some new rings
(washes off as break-in occurs).
Nickel : Trace element in steel.
Manganese: Trace element, additive in gasoline.
Silver: Trace element.
Titanium: Trace element.
Potassium: Antifreeze inhibitor, additive in some oil types.
Boron: Detergent/dispersant additive, antifreeze inhibitors.
Silicon : Airborne dirt, sealers, gaskets, antifreeze inhibitors.
Sodium: Antifreeze inhibitors, additive in some gasoline engine oils.
Calcium : Detergent/dispersant additive.
Magnesium: Detergent/dispersant additive.
Phosphorus: Anti-wear additive.
Zinc : Anti-wear additive.
Barium: Detergent/dispersant additive.


Physical properties: Viscosity, flashpoint, % fuel and antifreeze, % water and insolubles are all measured in gasoline and diesel engine oils. If fuel is present in the oil, the viscosity and flashpoint will often be lower than what was stated in the "Should be" line. Insolubles are solid material that is centrifuged out of the oil. They are typically free carbon from the oxidation of the oil itself, along with blow-by past the rings.

[saaber]

Originally Posted by John V

My iron jumped to 21 on the last analysis that I did. But again, this oil had a very hard life, two SCCA ProSolos in extreme heat, a national tour plus several local autocrosses. So given all that, I'm extremely happy with the wear behavior.

Attached is my oil report showing my last two oil changes.

That looks great especially considering the harder driving and the fact that the "universal averages" are for a 4000 mile interval! Viscosity is low which is consitent with the other M1 tests I have seen. It is this thinning effect that makes me want to try a 5W40.

Buster at BITOG revived this interesting redline 5w40 post on a VW 1.8 tubo that was driven hard.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=221789&fpart

p.s. I am no redline fanboy but I am very interested in finding the best oil, whatever that may be.