Blackstone - used oil analysis

Burla said:

yes read each report, there is a summary. Not a dumb question at all. Add tbn for extra 10 bucks if you want to extend interval or see how your interval is treating you.

see report of the month at blackstone for real good information. see their newsletters.

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Thank you. I am going to do that for the RAM and my HR !

Rado said:

Just got a Blackstone kit the other day ! SO next oil change I'll send a sample in
So a dumb question,
Besides showing contaminants and metal in ppm do they explain what they find and what may cause it ?

Thanks

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Here is the Blackstone July report, great read. Really showed specifically what was wrong with someone's motor that most likely preveted catastrophic failure in the near future. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/July-22-Eng-newsletter.pdf

Does it make a difference if oil is hot, warm or cold ?

Highway said:

Does it make a difference if oil is hot, warm or cold ?

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In the end does not matter however is best to run engine maybe a minute or two to ensure best consistency. As far as if it is operating temp or cold it really does not matter.

Burn2k12Ram said:

Here is the Blackstone July report, great read. Really showed specifically what was wrong with someone's motor that most likely preveted catastrophic failure in the near future. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/July-22-Eng-newsletter.pdf

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Thank You

Here is the latest on my wife's durango.

KKBB said:

View attachment 502836

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just young engine stuff, but that iron us very low for a young hemi with that oci, looks good. Is lubegard plus pup? 5w30? It is very thin for a 5w30.

I have used PUP 5w-20 at all changes so far. This last sample had lubeguard in it. When I changed it this last time I used redline 5w-20

KKBB said:

I have used PUP 5w-20 at all changes so far. This last sample had lubeguard in it. When I changed it this last time I used redline 5w-20

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I wouldnt worry about the copper, it could just be the high moly and/or the esters that elevates it a "tad" over last time. Just keep an eye on it, you might want to adjust the strategy as needed, with iron that low on a newer engine, it is a perfect running hemi. Adjusting for the copper level might something you do over time, at some point maybe even do one flush as in use a cheap oil and filter for a very short interval and then next oci you will have a true copper level. We have seen this before for sure, but you will want to get another uoa or two for sure. In those hemi's we have seen this before, the copper numbers will drop as well.

you see lubegard thinned it out 3/10's over non lubegard, if you compare both samples. Amounts to nothing, but you see the different visc. phos up a bit too, all lubegard itmes.

VOA on the same batch of SS 0w40 I ran. Looks like it did shear down a bit but not bad at all. Looks great IMO

Hemi395 said:

VOA on the same batch of SS 0w40 I ran. Looks like it did shear down a bit but not bad at all. Looks great IMO
View attachment 503077

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thanks for doing this brother

looks like a good hemi oil, maybe yes a little shear, but also some goodies that justify it as a top choice. Boron and moly great and I love the MAG level, I want to see all oils go this way.

@Hemi395 - ditto, thanks for spending the extra time and loot for a VOA.

I see that Amsoil SS 0W-40 is a high quality oil, and fortified with 232 ppm Moly, which is sufficient for Hemi lifter wear protection (recall Burla's data showing 200 ppm break point for wear protection). I dug out your UOA to compare.

I expected VII shearing, and it's there. I guess that's why I restrict my oils to 5W-30 summer and 0W-30 winter. I posted last year with app. 4,600 miles on Red Line 5W-30 and there was zero change in 100 deg C viscosity between my UOA & VOA. None.

So, who cares, right? Well, sheared-down VII additive oxidizes and varnishes, leaving deposits, and of course is no longer a lubricant. So I prefer to minimize that when I can.

Your engine also plated out some Moly additive (good!) and consumed some detergent / dispersant additive (also good)

VOA -> UOA
Viscosity (cSt @ 100 deg C): 14.7 -> 12.55 = -14.6%
Moly (ppm): 232 -> 207 = -10.8%
Ca (ppm): 1374 -> 1302 = -5.2%
Mg (ppm): 1105 -> 807 = -27.0%

Depletion of Mg being much greater than Ca is interesting, but not sure I want to crawl too far down that wormhole in my advancing years. Recall that oil blenders have increased Mg and reduced Ca to meet the latest API Category SP = reduce LSPI in little turbo motors.

so i've been reading many of these pages. and i've also never sent in a sample. i have a 21 1500 with 5.7 hemi. it's got 10k miles on it and ready for a change. was going to do it myself this time. going to use PUP and perhaps a napa gold filter (i'm a fan of them anyways). wasn't sure when/if i need to add some lubegard. or do i need to have a sample analyzed before i'd know one way or the other? or just dump it in and assume it can't hurt (aside from perhaps waste of money)?

10k miles is just too young to determine anything in a uoa especially with a high wear hemi, uoa's are used mostly if there is an issue with the engine, then it is helpful. The main purpose of ram forum's exploration in additives and landing on lubegard was to find less costly alternatives to redline for killing hemi tick. Yes it is fairly harmless insurance if you want to look at it that way, plus in theory boosting moly level long term will protect that cam as it does what it says it does if you believe every white paper produced. As in there is an additional benefit of a moly level at 200ppm over the average moly level we see with most oils like non 0w40 PUP. Not to mention the other protective aspects of lubegard extra phos, esters, CA and other stuff. If you get hemi tick cold or warm or other engines issues or noises, then consider a uoa, if not do whatever you want maybe start a uoa at 30k miles. I'd say most people who get a uoa on a hemi at 10k miles simply are not happy with the results, usually very high copper and double the iron and it is not a result of a bad engine, just a normal number of a young hemi.

Amsoil Signature Series 5W-20

I have been using this oil since I bought the truck. Around 9,000 miles between oil changes “whenever the change oil indicator turns on.”

I tow a camp trailer and use my truck to haul dirt bikes around on the weekends.

RamMan381 said:

Amsoil Signature Series 5W-20

I have been using this oil since I bought the truck. Around 9,000 miles between oil changes “whenever the change oil indicator turns on.”

I tow a camp trailer and use my truck to haul dirt bikes around on the weekends.View attachment 503320

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That oil is serving that hemi well, pretty low numbers considering the interval. A perfect uoa to show how an engine ages, thanks for posting.

RamMan381 said:

Amsoil Signature Series 5W-20

I have been using this oil since I bought the truck. Around 9,000 miles between oil changes “whenever the change oil indicator turns on.”

I tow a camp trailer and use my truck to haul dirt bikes around on the weekends.View attachment 503320

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This report also contains enough history to show how the blender changed the ratio of Calcium to Magnesium over the short timespan going to API SN to API SN+ / SP ........reducing Ca and increasing Mg to reduce occurence of LSPI in small, GDI turbocharged engines.

That brief spike in Iron at 46,000 miles is a head scratcher. Mine has gone up at roughly the same mileage. Coincidence? Hoping it drops down again like this one when I get my new report in a few days.