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

Used oil analysis results fyi

72k miles on car, 8700 mile oil change interval. Normal boxster driving, no track use, moderate climate. Used mobile 1 0W40 since new. My next oil analysis will be on redline 5W40.

Saw very few Porsche results on "Bob is the Oil Guy" and most showed iron in 20-29 range (but several were in break in period). I was worried about highish iron levels but looking at the other very limited data it doesn't look unusual.

Does anyone have links to other boxster used oil analysis results? Thanks!

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...ljpeg4copy.jpg

Site to interpret report here fyi http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gasoline_diesel_report_expl.html

Doesn't it want to make you run that oil for 20K like Porsche recommends in the newer Boxes?

Just kidding. Thanks and I will be very interested in seeing the Red Line data. My hunch is that the values will be better.

:)

I'd be very interested to see the results of Redline as well. Also would be great to see results of Royal Purple too

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

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. :rolleyes:

long, only read if you are really, really, bored, ha ha
 

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...

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.

Here is what I got:

Ed

:cheers:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks for posting the oil results, y'all. I am absolutely DYING to see the results of a 20k interval, though, can't one of you cowboy up and do it?

Why would anyone use a 20,000 mile oil change interval?

Maybe if the car was used only for extended freeway driving, yes, but otherwise it seems like a pretty bad idea.

Thanks for all the pics and stuff.

I ordered a sample kit from Blackstone and will send my oil in. I'm very interested in seeing the results.

How long was the turn around for results after you sent the oil in?

Tell that to Porsche. They're now advertising that all new 08 Pcars only need the oil changed every 20,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes first.

I think they justify this marketing hype on the miles because it would be very difficult to put 20k on a Porsche in a 12 month time period, even as a daily driver.

No one else can justify it though!

They ran the sample and sent an email report the same day they got it. But sending that little cylinder through the mail is very slow for some reason. Through the el cheapo standard mail, it took 1.5 weeks for the kit to get here and 2 weeks when I mailed it back (Thanksgiving delay included).

Next time I am going to put it in a little box (it seems the post office likes rectangles better than cylinders?) and spend a few more dollars and send it priority mail which should only take a couple days I think.

Blackstone also has an interesting little pump on their site where you can take a sample through the dipstick hole and the oil never actually goes into the pump. So you can just change hoses and reuse the pump. This would be good for interim oil tests on a longer oil run or checking without having to change the oil (Note that auto parts stores have $5-$6 pumps that do the same thing but the oil goes into the pump making it pretty much one-use only unless you can find a way to clean it well).

You said it, Marketing Hype, what are they thinking? Ah heck, why don't they just say, "no maintenance required, ever."



http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...ber1/maint.jpg

Porsches do hold a lot of oil, some of which is used for cooling and I don't think Porsche would make a recommendation that would harm their vehicles, However, in a world where their engines have been known to just quit working, I'd err on the frequent change side my own self.

You can bet that whatever Porsche is doing is in their best interests, not yours.

:D

Which American company breaks ranks in that same regard? you don't really think there is a Restless Leg Syndrome do you? Robert Kline invented that syndrome as a comedy act, I can't stop my leg! All companies screw their customers, in America we call that capitalism.



If what you are saying is they make this statement figuring the car will need replacement sooner, I don't think I can agree with that.

What I am saying is that I trust Porsche NA alot less than Lexus US.

:D

I can't argue with that, Saab has been unbelievable to my dad , the Porsche dealer in my hood is greedy and indifferent. My dad's car is in the shop they toss him the keys to a brand new drop top turbo with about 4k on the clock. It's smart business, he has repurchased there because of it, Porsche doesn't seem to care.

I am sure the 12,000 mile interval for 986 cars works great for the typical Boxster owner who never exceeds 4,000 RPM and spends most of the time cruising up and down the interstate.

For those of us that, use our cars it's a different story.

Oil threads usually never reach agreement.

I would say that I have never seen a used oil analysis that would support an interval near 20K on any Porsche.

Just my experience and who would want to risk this on a car that you are going to keep?

These engines are expensive.

:)

I just find the possibility that Porsche would recommend an interval which results in the engine running on trashed oil fascinating. If the 20k oil is inadequate, by virtue of failing objective, widely accepted test levels, it blows my mind that the factory would recommend it. Awaiting a 20k test eagerly. There's bound to be many here following the factory recs, or?

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.

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.

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.

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.

I think the distinction that has not been made so far is wear vs. engine melt down.

I would never suggest that the Boxster IMS issue is related to dirty lubrication. We know that is a design issue.

Now, if someone wants to reduce nornal wear on an engines internals (for whatever reason) they should care about the quality of the oil, as that is a major factor involved in wear, along with the intrinsic engine design.

Again, used oil analysis does not lie. If even the best synthetics are shot north of 10K miles, these oils cannot be doing their job and extra wear will result.

The only issue is whether anyone cares. Porsche would not be concerned because this wear would not generate any issues during the warranty period.

However, the flip of the coin is, if you Porsche engine blows up under warranty, you can BET they will be checking your maint. history to see if you changed the oil according to their rec.

:)

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.

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.

I changed my 0w-40 Mobil 1 and factory filter yesterday at 17.5 months and 11,232 since the last change.

I'm sending in a sample for analysis including a TBN study.

I will post the results when available.

Paul, did you need to add any oil during the 17.5 months?

None, it never left the "full" mark. Not bad for a 7 year old car with 67,700 miles that's driven harder than most.

Heres what I got on my last:

The results are in. As I've said before driving a Porsche harder than most doesn't seem to hurt it. I've been flooring and shifting near redline every Porsche I've owned since 1974 without an engine failure. I take my cars on 5000 mile 3 week vacations.

So much for Porsche not knowing anything, the recommendation below is to change my oil even later!

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d6...sisApr2008.jpg

Your Porshe is wearing better than most.

notice that line.

And, 11K is not 20K/

:)