[BlueMerleBC]

We know you have posted your results elsewhere in the Forum. Now there is one place to look for oil analysis and related commentary. Encourage you repost results if you want, all new test results here please. Thanks.

 

[Top]

First UOA at 5,528 miles.

 

[Top]

2nd UOA at 14,818. 8,978 miles on the oil.

 

[2443]

1st Oil Change

 

[howie12]

My first oil test at 9982 miles total fuel used 371 gallons

View attachment trucktest (2).PDF

Second oil change yesterday and sample in mail today.

 

[howie12]

We know you have posted your results elsewhere in the Forum. Now there is one place to look for oil analysis and related commentary. Encourage you repost results if you want, all new test results here please. Thanks.

thanks for setting this up. WIll save us all time and frustration.

 

[howie12]

OK, I have the analysis back from my second oil change done at nominally 20,000 miles with 10,000 miles on the oil. The report shows a critical rating due to the increased oxidation level of the oil. I talked to the technicla department of Oil Analyzers and was told the oil was in excellent condition for additional use. However the reading on the oxidation level was high, but it is not an absolute test and they need a base unused sample of the lubricant to compare against. Copied below is what their website says about this test-

Oxidation
Definition
Oxidation measures the breakdown of a lubricant due to age and operating conditions. It prevents additives from performing properly, promotes the formation of acids and increases viscosity.
Standard Test Method Used
FTIR - ASTM E2412
Reporting Measurement
abs/cm (absorbance units per centimeter)
Amount of Sample Needed
40 mL
Test Limitation
Significant contamination of water, glycol, soot or fuel may affect all FTIR results. Ester-based lubricants will show high oxidation values.

Infrared light is passed through the sample. Soot particles absorb and disperse the infrared energy. The amount of light reaching the detector will show a decrease in proportion to the percent of soot present in the sample.

Fuel dilution, water contamination, oxidation and nitration absorb infrared energy at characteristic wavelengths. For example, nitration absorbance occurs near 1630 cm-1 (wave number). Oxidation absorbance occurs near 1710 cm-1


I learned a few other things from the tech-he said soot is nothing to even begin worrying about until it reaches 2%. He also said the second sample is definitely a different oil than the first test. The first is the factory fill and the second is dealer change using Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5w30. SO it seems that the factory fill is different.

I compared the elements that are classified as additive metals with TOP's two results and they look very similar regarding the change in additive metals between the first and second sample.

I guess I will have to go buy a quart of PEnnzoil Ultra Euro L to get an unused sample to send in or wait until the next change and drain the dregs from the bottles used by the dealer or ask them to fill my sample bottle.

Finally, while I didn't add up the fuel consumed for the two changes I estimate the second one had about 20% more fuel consumed since it had more winter driving and my higher speed 4400 mile trip South and back on it. Minimal towing on both.

TOTAL FUEL BURNED FOR THIS 10,000 miles was 379 gallons

All very interesting

 

[lbengston]

Very interesting that the factory fill was not considered to be the same oil by the technician. Even though the Penzoil stuff has a Mopar part number, I had wondered if that was really any guarantee that the factory fill was the same.

 

[Top]

Interesting findings Howie. Thanks for sharing. I thought oxidation came from vehicles that sat without use. I guess I should read some more.

I would be willing to bet the factory fill is probably Shell Helix Ultra ECT 5W-30 or Shell Helix Ultra Professional AG 5W-30. That is, if it is filled and shipped full of oil at the factory in Cento, Italy.

Since Shell brands their oil as Pennzoil in the US, I'm sure the formula is similar.

 

[howie12]

Lance,

I am no expert on how engines are shipped but the last I knew(a long time ago), if you bought a crated engine from GM it didn't come full of oil. It seems to me that the engines would be assembled with an appropriate assembly lube that would protect the parts and provide some initial lube for the first production start, assuming the engines are not run at the factory, and then filled on the vehicle assembly line. I am sure someone here knows for relatively certain and will chime in.

Oxidation normally happens faster at high temps(fire is oxidation as is rusting) than low so I wouldn't have expected it to be a problem at ambient storage temps, but then not all apparent logic is correct.

 

[howie12]

View attachment 7317

IS this the factory fill and your first oil change?

 

[2443]

It would be great to get unused samples of each of those oils tested. I not doubting you Howie12. Did you change your own oil both times or did the dealer?If you didn't do the oil yourself, did the dealer put the wrong oil in previously? There is a trend of uninformed dealers/lube techs...just saying.

 

[BlueMerleBC]

IS this the factory fill and your first oil change?

Yes.

 

[howie12]

It would be great to get unused samples of each of those oils tested. I not doubting you Howie12. Did you change your own oil both times or did the dealer?If you didn't do the oil yourself, did the dealer put the wrong oil in previously? There is a trend of uninformed dealers/lube techs...just saying.

Hershey,

I did not change my own oil. The dealer I bought it from did.It is not a large dealership and is outside a town of 8000 or so and the owner is on the floor everyday. They used the correct Mopar PArt numbers and I went to the parts counter and watched them pull the oil and give it to service. I did not wartch them open the bottles and pour it in the engine. I am confident, but not 100% certain that I got the correct oil for my two changes. As to what the factory put in I cannot comment. But will say that the testing results on all the first change oils look similar when you only look at the additive metals and that would indicate they are all the same. I have no reason to doubt the Oil Analyzers technician that says it is clear from the additives metals that the factory fill is different from the Pennzoil Ultra Euro L.

 

[BlueMerleBC]

First Oil Change 9,413 Miles

View attachment PlanB#1.jpg

 

[Top]

I looked on BITOG for a VOA of the Penn Ultra Euro L 5W-30, but couldn't find one. I have a half quart left from the first oil change. I might send it off to Blackstone for a VOA if they haven't already ran a sample of it.

 

[DJ-Gregg]

When I worked at Ford, engines came preassembled on a subframe assembly ready to install with 6 bolts. They were shipped full of oil from the engine manufacturer. GM is the same way so I imagine Dodge would be as well.

 

[Top]

I just got off the phone with Alex at Blackstone labs. His opinion on the two samples that I've sent in was that the factory fill was not the same oil as the second sample that I KNOW was Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5W-30. They do have a VOA of Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5W-30 for reference.

 

[OiLBrnR]

View attachment 7332

Third time's a charm blue!

 

[2443]

I just got off the phone with Alex at Blackstone labs. His opinion on the two samples that I've sent in was that the factory fill was not the same oil as the second sample that I KNOW was Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5W-30. They do have a VOA of Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5W-30 for reference.

This is disturbing - what oil are they putting in these engines if it's NOT Pennzoil Ultra Euro L 5W-30? There was but one or two oils in the U.S. That were approved when the 2014 engines were installed in our trucks! Does the dealer add oil once the receive the vehicle from the factory?