Post your UOA here!!! This way we can compare analyses and determine the optimum OCI. For the benefit of all, please post the following:

• Your full UOA... DUH.
• Your oil change interval (OCI)
• Your oil used (brand & weight)

Of course, please post any relevant notes and/or detail. I'll lead off:

OCI: 10,000 miles oil, 5,000 filter change & top off
Oil used: Mobil1 5W-20

I decided a while back that I would use an oil change interval of 10,000 miles, only changing the filter and topping off the oil every 5,000. I changed my oil last month at 20,000 miles, and sent a sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis. Bottom line: my oil was in fantastic shape and I am definitely staying at a 10,000 mile OCI...



Javier

 

Wow! Anyone else doing this??? Sure would be nice to not give Lexus 50 bucks every 5k!

 

Very nice! What kind of oil are you using? I've been using Mobil1 5w30, but I'm switching over to Amsoil 5w20 next oil change

 

OCI: 10,022 miles oil, 5,000 filter change & top off
Oil used: Mobil1 5W-20
(identical to yours Javy!)

Interesting. Your iron at 40 seems very high. Mine was 24 on a 10k mile change, and 16 at my 5k filter change. I'm hoping to see a trend with the next few oil changes. I just (literally) changed my oil tonight at 30,641 miles (I was on a road trip from Atlanta to NYC last weekend, and I had no plan to change my oil midway through the trip.) I took another sample this time, it will be my third for analysis, and I expect to have numbers similar (but hopefully better) to yours.



We really should start a dedicated thread to oil analysis results and OCI based on testing. FWIW, I've been running 10k miles oil changes for a very long time in just about everything I own based on mass spectrometry results I got from my Supra running Red Line oil.

 

I'm at 10,000 mile changes for oil and filter. Mobil 1, 5w30. One the next change I think I'll get an oil analysis to at least set a baseline.

Nice post, Jav

 

That's an excellent idea, Lance - I've edited the title as well as my initial post so we can create an "OCI tracking & analysis" thread.

Javier

 

OCI: 10,000 miles
Oil Used: Mobil 1 5w-20

Second results from the filter change at 25,022 miles:



More to come, sample going to Blackstone tomorrow with 10,641 miles on it since last full change. It should help me develop a trend line for iron wear.

 

So Lance, this last UOA that you posted - did you change your oil at 5,000 or 10,000 miles? I noticed the Blackstone report read 5,030, but you posted 10,000.

Javier

 

I changed the filter only and sampled the oil from the filter change.

 

For all you guys who still insist on changing your oil FAR too frequently -

 

Wow that is excellent! Just curious, but what kind of driving do you do? How much highway and how much stop and go? Also how heavy are you on the ole throttle? 12,000 miles is awesome. I'm assuming you are just changing the filter every 5k and topping off the oil levels like Javy?

 

This was under absolutely ideal conditions for most of the driving. One trip from Sacramento to Atlanta with only one stop longer than 15 minutes (2560 miles). One round trip from Atlanta to New York City (1800 miles). Many trips from Sacramento to the East Bay (106 miles each way). So, a great deal of highway cruising miles, and very little stop and go. I do floor the throttle fairly often (I never see the black smoke cloud out of the exhaust when I do this), but for the most part I'm in a highway cruise mode. My all time average fuel economy on the display is currently 25.6 mpg. I'd say that's pretty rare for a 350.

I'll be starting a new job that requires I commute ~40 miles a day very soon (I hate commuting, but they're making it worth my while) so these numbers could change significantly. When you get in the car and drive from full tank to reserve light on in a continuous mode, lots of things work really well, especially OCI.

 

Good info! I will be starting UOAs with 7/8K miles on my next change of 0w-20 Amsoil. I want to see how long I can go without a mid filter change.

Koz

 

I just got my sample kit in the mail. Question for you guys. I'm going to go in for my 5K soon. How do I collect this sample? Should I give it to the service advisor and tell him I want an oil sample?

In the kit, it says it prefer the sample right after running the engine for an extended amount of time. Clearly that's not going to happen at the dealer oil change... I guess I'll note that the oil was taken cold, but will that throw off my results quite a bit?

Thanks for any advice.

 

UOA's really aren't for the people that go to oil change shops. If you are **** enough to do a UOA, then you would also be **** enough to change the oil yourself. On top of that, if you ask the oil change place to take a sample for you, there won't be any way to know if the sample he gives back is really even your oil.