MrShim78

i am sending in my sample to them, was just wondering if anyone has tried this before.

costs $25 and they say they will give you details of whats happening in your engine. given my 1mz-fe is over 200k km might not be a bad $25 spent.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

was wondering if anyone else has done it, i will either way be happy to share my experience and results on the forum when i get my results back

mitmaks

Let us know, should be interesting. Which oil/filter do you use, what is your oil change interval?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I've used them once for an automatic transmission check. They're very informative, so I think I'll do it when I hit 200k miles, which is only a few months away.

MrShim78

wow 200k miles is alot..321k KM. my car just hit 201,000 km....my automatic transmission sounds ok, it shifts hard when cold but i dont think thats unusual... if i find it useful on the oil i can also try it on the transmission...

my oil change interval has been between 6k and 7,000 km. i use castrol high mileage semi-synthetic 5w30 and this time a quaker state filter. i would use toyota but this time i didnt drive to the dealership to buy the filter (too far, no time and i didnt want to wait another 1k)

i did my last oil change 5-6 days ago and thats when i took a sample to send them. that interval was at 6,137 km exactly and it was black/grayish totally compared to the nice golden color the new oil is.
you can really tell how dirty your engine gets when u take out oil thats been in there for 6k km +

i think with the 1mz fe engine its better to change sooner, have more frequent oil changes, esp with known sludging issues. i change out the pcv as a 12 month interval too, as the sludging issue was known to be caused due to pcv/ventilation.

BDSL

I am also in Ontario...where we have salt on the road in the winter.

My 97 Lexus ES300 has 450,000km (280,000miles). Engine, transmission, starter, alternator, and many other things are still original.

I use synthetic oil and Toyota oil filter. I changed the oil every 12,000km (7,500miles). I change the oil filter every 6,000km (3,750miles). Engine is burning oil at a rate of 0.5L / 10,000km...which is better than some of the new cars.

I have never got my oil sent to an oil lab....
If you are a little paranoid about engine sludge, you should run some Seafoam (or other engine flush) every now and then...

MrShim78

Hi BDSL

very impressed that you car is at 450k km on original setup... i hope mine gets there too...
any other tips on how to keep the engine and transmission healthy ? the head gaskets are still good?? at 450k?
i am a bit fearful of running seaform..dont know what junk i may dislodge and mess up..if its running well (it is) shall i mess with it...?

i am in TO/mississauga we should meet up sometime for coffee and chat about cars !

BDSL

Any tips? Just change your fluids (i.e. coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, PS fluid, etc) as per service schedule. Head gaskets are still good.....to be exact, I am 443,000km.

I have ran seafoam in many vehicles. As long as you follow the instructions, you will be fine.

Sorry, can't meet up. I am a busy guy. Chat here.