Oil Analysis from Blackstone Labs

[wolds]

Thought I'd post the results of oil analysis of my 83 SC. Was pleased with Blackstones service and that the results were good and will shoot for 6K on the oil this year. Warren

[jager911]

Nice results with Brad Penn, what was the cost? Did you sample hot or cold? I did a couple of tests years ago and used Titan Labs.

[tdw28210]

BP's Zinc looks to be well within claimed levels.

[wolds]

The cost was $25.00 plus the shipping to Fort Wayne which was another couple of bucks. I took a hot sample from the car. Pulled the plug on the tank and let it run for a few seconds. Just long enough to put the plug down and pick the sample container up. Warren

[oliver88]

run it out to 10K and sample again.

[wolds]

I could do that, but I don't think I'll drive it 10K this year although I'd like to. I'm in the camp that changes oil at the end of the season so whatever I drive for the year that's it, so last year I put 4452 on the car, I was shooting for 5K. Any thoughts on Blackstones comment regarding the silicon content? Warren

[bkreigsr]

I use B-P in all 3 P-cars and the silicon has never come back higher than 11 (on my 3.2L.) It usually runs 6-9. (also from Blackstone).
Something else is going on in you motor. Have you used any gas or oil additives? (btw 10,000 miles on an change for your motor should not be an option - stick with once a year, or 3,000 - just for peace of mind.
If you are interested in a longer change interval, spend the $10 for a TBN analysis.
Bill K

[wolds]

I had used seafoam in it starting in August of 2012 through Spring of last year because the PO hadn't driven the car much, but hadn't used it since. Blackstone didn't think much of it as you can see from the comments they made. Warren

[aston@ultrasw.c]

thanks for posting

i had no idea the data was so comprehensive

i might just try it

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by wolds

Blackstone didn't think much of it as you can see from the comments they made. Warren

The rosy comments are fine, but aren't the cylinders on your motor Nikasil?
..."Nikasil is short for NIckel Silicon Carbide. Silicon carbide is a very hard ceramic (much harder than steel) that can be dissolved in nickel. The nickel solution can then be electroplated onto the aluminum cylinder bore. The piston rings will then rub off the exposed nickel, leaving a very hard layer of silicone carbide to protect the aluminum piston from direct contact with the aluminum cylinder. With this setup, the engine tolerances can be much tighter for better performance. The cylinder must be re-plated after it is re-bored, but Nikasil is extremely durable, so the cylinder does not need to be reworked as often as an iron or chrome cylinder.[3]..."

[Uwon]

Warren,
Here is my Blackstone report on my 3.4 Turbo which I unfortunately crashed in 2009. Engine had over 250,000 miles with a top end refurbishing at about 205,000 miles. The samples were always taken after a DE weekend. As you can see I drove the car quite a bit given that it was in hibernation for almost four months a year. I have always used Valvoline VR-1 20W50. I always try to stay at or below 5,000 miles between oil changes despite recommendations to the contrary.



Your sample pretty well matches my four samples except for the silicon, molybdenum and boron. I have no idea what your high molybdenum and boron samples mean. A Google search may answer this. Your silicon reading appears high and bkreigsr makes a good point about the nicasil possibilities. Was any work done recently on the motor, such as fixing an oil leak or adjusting the valves? I have been told new gaskets, assembly lubricants and sealers often result on higher silicon readings. The reading could be affected by something as simple as using some silicon based lubricant on the rubber gasket when installing a new oil filter (yes, I have seen this!).
Our Audi showed up with a high silicon reading at 40K at 21ppm and the went back down again to single digit. Don't know why.
If I were you, I would keep on driving, change the oil at 5k or annually and sample your oil immediately after a long run. Please, do keep us posted.
Cheers,
Johan

[wolds]

I set the valves last winter along with replacing the oil return tubes. Used silicone paste on the o-rings, but set the valve covers dry. I'm guessing if I had cylinder issues my fuel contamination would look higher. Car runs as it should with very good gas mileage numbers. Warren

[tig]

Just got the report back from Blackstone. '88 coupe with 37K miles. Drove 960 miles over 11 months on this oil (Brad Penn 20W/50).

CHARLIE: This first sample from your late 80's Porsche looks pretty good next to universal averages. They
show typical wear for this type of Porsche engine after about 3,300 miles on the oil. You didn't keep this fill
in use that long, which is why wear metals read much lower than average. Still, they were in good
proportion, so we doubt any serious issues are in the works. The viscosity was on the mark for a 20W/50
grade oil and no measurable fuel or water contamination was found. Insolubles read low at 0.2%, so the oil
filter did a good job. Check back for trends.

It's pretty clear that the oil, even after only going 960 (almost all 'hot') miles for a year, is still near perfect. "Everyone" says for cars not driven a lot you should change the oil every 6 months. This is what I've done in the past. Now I'm going to feel fine only doing it about once a year.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by x038F

"Everyone" says for cars not driven a lot you should change the oil every 6 months. This is what I've done in the past. Now I'm going to feel fine only doing it about once a year.

Not quite everyone - I've always considered most oil change interval suggestions, given on this forum and elsewhere, to be pure BS based on fantasy (such as the nonsense, 3K mileage standard).

[porterdog]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Not quite everyone - I've always considered most oil change interval suggestions, given on this forum and elsewhere, to be pure BS based on fantasy (such as the nonsense, 3K mileage standard).

My data agree with you.

[dshepp806]

During my shakedown (in the early days),....I learned one thing: be sure to get TWO (2) bottles of the extracted oil. I'd suggest you send the sample to Stavely's Lab for comparison within the "apples-to-apples" approach (if you will).

Best,

Doyle

[LEAKYSEALS951]

The geek in me couldn't resist! Since my car was new to me I just wanted to see what it looked like. I had a good feeling about the engine and skipped a PPI/leakdown test, so I was happy with this and thought I'd share.

[Uwon]

Look at post #11. Magnesium is consistently 8 or under whereas the samples from all other postings read 499 or over. Any idea of its significance?

[drtyler]

Post 11 used a different brand of oil. Magnesium is an additive.

Look at post #11. Magnesium is consistently 8 or under whereas the samples from all other postings read 499 or over. Any idea of its significance?