oil analysis

[bfast54]

Greetings all, I am somewhat a stickler to maintenance on my vehicle since I do a lot of driving and I want to be sure that my vehicle will last as long as it possibly can

I have a F350 dually long bed crew with a diesel motor and I've always change my oil around 5,000 miles-- I use Rotella T6 synthetic --and I was kind of wondering if I was changing it too often ,if I can get more life out of oil ---things like that.

Since I am doing it myself I run about $130 each oil change.

I've been thinking about oil analysis for quite some time ,and so I finally did .

I took a sample of my oil after the vehicle had been runing quite a while ,things like that ....send it in and I was very pleased with the results.

I have just over 5,000 miles on the oil everything came back absolutely spectacular --basically its... no antifreeze, almost zero zero fuel dilution into the oil Basically zero soot,,,all that good stuff ..so the Analysis company that does a lot of oil analysis on heavy Vehicles commercial vehicles things like that..... said go ahead and run it to 10,000 and see what it looks like by then.

So if you run very very good oil and you run mostly highway miles on your vehicle .....it might well be worth while seeing how your engine is doing ---it came back almost no metals, no materials in it or anything.

They included a very detailed report which I'm not going to go into here but it's very concise.. I'm very pleased ....My truck has over 300,000 miles on it.

So this is kind of an informational post or whatever ....you may want to think about it.
I thought about it a long time and I'm glad I did it finally.
By the way it was $29 for the analysis that I got in Michigan and it saved me over $130 in oil and all that stuff like that oil filter ...etc....

When I get back from this next trip I may consider just changing the oil filter and topping it off because I'll be probably around 7000 or so miles Maybe a little more.

[rhagfo]

dodge guy wrote:
Hmm lest see, 5k oil changes at $130 or trusting a company to say you can go 10k oil changes and the potential to ruin a motor? Ill take preventative maint. any day! $130 twice a year is cheaper than a motor repair/replacement!

Well I have my oil checked at every change, Blackstone will let you know what is going on inside your engine. Fuel dilution, antifreeze, high metals. I think the $29 is worth the knowledge.

[Grit_dog]

Some paranoia about believing Backstone analyses. No fear needed. It's how all the big dollar high mile expensive diesels run.
I don't, because an oil change doesn't cost me much more than an oil analysis in my truck, but I would if it made $ sense.
Agree though, diesels with hpop injection pumps like older Powerstrokes, I'd be extra careful and change regularly.

[rhagfo]

TakingThe5th wrote:
I've $11,000 invested in my 6.0 when you consider the cost of the new truck engine option and the mods needed to make it reliable and strong. I often change oil after each trip which usually equates to 3,000 to 6,000 mile intervals. This gives me a chance to poke around and make sure everything is in order. The comfort that gives me is worth more then $130 knowing that my chances of traveling trouble-free are much greater. Admittedly that is a personal preference of mine and if your methods are satisfying to you then you are also doing the right thing.

I also have other vehicles, some lawn equipment and a tractor that get regular maintenance. One of the reasons the guys at the truck inspection station know me by name is that I bring them 55 gallon drums of used oil that they use to heat their shop.

Well I am at 10,000 mile change intervals with my Cummins 5.9, the difference being that Cummins uses fuel pressure to pop the injectors, unlike the cornbinder engines that use high pressure engine oil, not something it was really designed to do.

[TakingThe5th]

I've $11,000 invested in my 6.0 when you consider the cost of the new truck engine option and the mods needed to make it reliable and strong. I often change oil after each trip which usually equates to 3,000 to 6,000 mile intervals. This gives me a chance to poke around and make sure everything is in order. The comfort that gives me is worth more then $130 knowing that my chances of traveling trouble-free are much greater. Admittedly that is a personal preference of mine and if your methods are satisfying to you then you are also doing the right thing.

I also have other vehicles, some lawn equipment and a tractor that get regular maintenance. One of the reasons the guys at the truck inspection station know me by name is that I bring them 55 gallon drums of used oil that they use to heat their shop.

[Cummins12V98]

OP what was your TBN?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Thank you for the post.

[fj12ryder]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
I run Delvac 1300, @ about $10/gallon, and change it at the recommended intervals for severe use: around 5,000 miles. I could run synthetic at about twice the cost and change it at 10,000 miles. Either way it costs me about the same. This is for a 2001 Dodge Cummins, with 105,000 miles. It is used almost exclusively to pull our 15,000 lb. 5th wheel.

All analyses from Blackstone Labs show excellent results. This was part of the last one:

"While it's impossible for there to be absolutely no bearing wear in 4,599 miles, it is possible for it to be so low that we can't measure it, and that's what we've got here."

I think I'll probably stick to what I've been doing so far.

You're leaving a part out. Blackstone always recommends that next time you can go to X amount of miles. (at least in the reports I have seen.) What was the recommendation?

They will state that, usually if you opted for the TBN, which I don't. They only put: "Longer oil changes are certainly possible, but no pressure to run longer if you don't want to. The current maintenance schedule is clearly working well!"

[DiskDoctr]

dodge guy wrote:
$130 twice a year is cheaper than a motor repair/replacement!

Pretty sure the motor won't care too much, but the injectors don't like dirty oil.

I'm considering extended oil changes, but using a bypass oil filter to keep the oil clean.

I've seen a lot of evidence saying the 7.3L doesn't shear the oil (like the 6.0L) and as long as it is kept clean, extending the changes isn't a big deal.

But like all choices, the decision is up to the individual to take the risk. Good luck 😉

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

fj12ryder wrote:
I run Delvac 1300, @ about $10/gallon, and change it at the recommended intervals for severe use: around 5,000 miles. I could run synthetic at about twice the cost and change it at 10,000 miles. Either way it costs me about the same. This is for a 2001 Dodge Cummins, with 105,000 miles. It is used almost exclusively to pull our 15,000 lb. 5th wheel.

All analyses from Blackstone Labs show excellent results. This was part of the last one:

"While it's impossible for there to be absolutely no bearing wear in 4,599 miles, it is possible for it to be so low that we can't measure it, and that's what we've got here."

I think I'll probably stick to what I've been doing so far.

You're leaving a part out. Blackstone always recommends that next time you can go to X amount of miles. (at least in the reports I have seen.) What was the recommendation?

[dodge_guy]

Hmm lest see, 5k oil changes at $130 or trusting a company to say you can go 10k oil changes and the potential to ruin a motor? Ill take preventative maint. any day! $130 twice a year is cheaper than a motor repair/replacement!

[fj12ryder]

I run Delvac 1300, @ about $10/gallon, and change it at the recommended intervals for severe use: around 5,000 miles. I could run synthetic at about twice the cost and change it at 10,000 miles. Either way it costs me about the same. This is for a 2001 Dodge Cummins, with 105,000 miles. It is used almost exclusively to pull our 15,000 lb. 5th wheel.

All analyses from Blackstone Labs show excellent results. This was part of the last one:

"While it's impossible for there to be absolutely no bearing wear in 4,599 miles, it is possible for it to be so low that we can't measure it, and that's what we've got here."

I think I'll probably stick to what I've been doing so far.

[FishOnOne]

You can go an easy 10k miles on the oil and filter.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

bfast54 wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

bfast54 wrote:
When I get back from this next trip I may consider just changing the oil filter and topping it off because I'll be probably around 7000 or so miles Maybe a little more.

Why? :h

Why not go with the recommended 10K your oil analysis company is recommending? They are the experts and you should follow their recommendations. If you don't trust them, then why use them? If you do trust them then why not follow their recommendations?

Okay Apparently you didn't read it well...

the 10,000 miles that they recommended is that I check it again at ten thousand and see how it is ---now I know darn well that oil filters catch things ----that's their purpose so if I can catch any particles and get rid of them and put a new filter on that --I know I'm money ahead and it's only one quart.

:h

it came back almost no metals, no materials in it

Just wondered why you're worried about the filter after you said it cam back "almost no metals, no materials in it" after you had it analyzed? Do you really think the filter is going to be plugged up?

[Durb]

If you test it again at 10k and they suggest you change it then your $130 oil change will now cost you $188 and you will have run 5,000 miles with dirty oil. If cost savings/clean oil is your goal then change it at 5k with less expensive oil. I doubt you will have oil breakdown in 5,000 miles with non synthetic oil. Dirt, which is the engine killer doesn't care if it circulates in synthetic or dino oil.

[time2roll]

What is the normal recommended interval?