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Engine Oil Analysis
I have been having the engine oil analysis done at Speedco since I bought the bus. I take a sample in and for $20 it is done and compared to past samples.
I have been finding more and more of them with the analysis machines out of order. A worker at one Saturday told me that the maintenance on the machines is very expensive and he thinks that since Loves purchased Speedco, the engine oil analysis will be phased out through the attrition of the testing units.
He said that the engine oil analysis is no longer one of the “upsells” they want them to push. He thought phasing it out is a mistake because most truckers ask for it. All of this is his opinion, not official company stated policy.
Do you have your engine oil analyzed? If so, where and how?
I do not understand all of the numbers, but I love to see “Analysis indicates proper performance of the lubricant and the unit. Physical properties of the oil are within specifications. Extended oil drain interval may be considered.”
Davy
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10 Replies
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Usually the shops just take a sample of the oil and send it in to a lab for analysis. Oil sampling is great if done regularly to establish trends. I don’t do it for the bus but when I had my plane, I did oil sampling and always cut open the oil filter to check for metal. The rule is you do not want any pieces of metal large enough to show part numbers .
Gerald
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I did oil analysis on my plane faithfully. I don’t remember how many hours I flew the plane but it was quite a few and I did oil changes every 35 to 40 hours. I never got a bad report with all metals within range.
When I was trading the plane for another the dealer taking the trade did an inspection, including pulling several push rods because the engine had a tendency to get severe wear on the cam. Despite the good oil analysis reports I was amazed to see the severe wear and galling on the cam lobes. Fortunately the engine was high time and the dealer had reflected its value as zero when we worked the deal. But I never did an oil analysis since.
If you intend to do oil analysis do them routinely and with the same company so all trends can be tracked. Blackstone comes to mind but I cannot be sure if that was who I used.
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Hi,
I use Blackstone Labs. Google them, they will send kits for free pay as you use them
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Thank you, Mikee. That is helpful. They send the kit for free, as you said, and charge $28 for the analysis.
Here is the link to Blackstone Laboratories.
Davy
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Davy
I’ve been doing used oil, atf, and coolant analysis on many vehicle for many yrs. I have used Blackstone but prefer Oil Analyzers Inc-OAI, also know as Polaris Laboratories.
I’ve sent the same sample in to both labs. The results were near identical but OAI recommendations are more conservative, which I prefer. The standard OAI kit cost a little more but gives more data, which I prefer. With OAI you can purchase kits with USPS or UPS postage pre-paid.
If you go with Blackstone, spend the extra$ to get TBN results. This will give you an idea of how used up your oil is. Detroit recommends changing the oil when the TBN reaches 1/3rd of what it started out at new, or 3 mg, see p.15 of the following Detroit document.
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It’s cheap and good insurance. I found a EGR cooler going bad on the coach I have now. I get my sample checked at speedco. They will also sample it even if you don’t change oil with them.
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Thank you, Don, for the additional options. the OAI kits link sent me to Amsoil. Is this the company you were talking about at this link, Oil Analyazers Inc.?
Darrell, that is what brought me to this subject. I have us
Davy
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Nevermind, Don. I followed the links through and they both end up at Amsoil. Thanks again,
Davy
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There are other sources besides Amsoil for the Polaris Lab UOA kits. One of the previous links above will take you to the Polaris Lab page of various retailers.
I am a “preferred” Amsoil customer($20/yr) which earns me a 20-30% discount on anything I purchase. I order online, and it comes to my door 2 days later. If its a large enough order, shipping is free.
Or from JG Lubricant Services, if you order a 3 pack or more, put in “IRV2” in the discount code box at checkout and get 10% off.
I’m gonna start using JG Lubricant Services for my “atf” analysis because one of its owners is Tom Johnson. He was the engineer that developed the TES-295 spec. He is a contributor in the Allison section of the IRV2 forum too.
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I found something interesting on this subject today. I am in between Meridian and Jackson, Mississippi and a little north of I-20 this week. I was in Flowood near Jackson and stopped in Puckett Machinery which is a CAT dealer and service center. I was talking to David Barron the Oil Lab Manager and learned a bunch from him. He is knowledgeable and a really nice guy.
They send about 100 samples each day overnight to a company that gets very detailed and reliable results. The customer goes to the parts counter and buys a kit for $16 plus tax. You take your sample and drop it in the mail postage pre-paid and it arrives in Flowood. He sends it in and emails results in a day or two.
Any CAT dealer can get access to the sample history for you if you need it and he said he would email past results where ever the customer wants them to go in case a repair shop needs to see them.
I already ordered and received a kit from Amsoil, but I will use these in the future when I can. I went ahead and purchased a couple for the future and gave him one sample yesterday so I could look at the information in a report first hand.
Davy
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