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Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:05 pm
by N4KVE
For no particular reason, I want to have the oil analyzed I just saved from the oil change I did today. There are many on line labs that do this. Has anybody had experience with one in particular? GARY

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:16 pm
by fish
I see this one in most of the car & truck forums I follow
https://www.blackstone-labs.com/tests/s ... -analysis/

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:52 pm
by MiamiOffshore
2nd on Blackstone, I have personally used them more than once and expect to do so in the future as-needed.

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:02 am
by N4KVE
Blackstone was one of the companies I saw on the internet. I’ll contact them Monday. Thanks. GARY.

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:07 pm
by N4KVE
I called Blackstone, & they’re sending a kit. I’ll send them the oil, & fill out a form telling them mileage on oil, time since previous oil change, oil weight, oil brand, etc. They will e-mail back results. It’d be interesting to see the results. 3,800 miles on dino oil, but 10 months since previous oil change. Mostly highway miles driving to gun shows. Crown Vic, 4.6 engine with 93K miles. GARY

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:43 pm
by neonnight34609
I work in a fleet of 200+ vehicles. the bosses thought it would be a great money saving idea so we tried Blackstone and did oil analysis honestly it was a huge waste of time. for $30 you can change the oil, filter and be done with it. I mean lets face it if you have metals in the oil and not problems per say are you gonna tare the motor down and do a rebuild? they also try to sell you additive packages to prolong your oil and the "engine problems".

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 12:19 am
by N4KVE
neonnight34609 wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:43 pm I work in a fleet of 200+ vehicles. the bosses thought it would be a great money saving idea so we tried Blackstone and did oil analysis honestly it was a huge waste of time. for $30 you can change the oil, filter and be done with it. I mean lets face it if you have metals in the oil and not problems per say are you gonna tare the motor down and do a rebuild? they also try to sell you additive packages to prolong your oil and the "engine problems".
I worked at GM dealers for most of my working career. But retirement got boring until Ira, & Khaled asked me to help them at gun shows. I do my own oil changes, & don’t plan to do anything should the report not be favorable. But the gear head in me is interested in seeing what they say. Besides, any $ earned from doing gun shows is supposed to be used to buy more toys, but with prices being as freaking stupid as they are, I haven’t spent any of it in 2 years, [except the fairly priced early Glock 26 I got from a member here] so the $30 I’ll spend is nothing. GARY.

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:27 am
by BerettaRacer
neonnight34609 wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:43 pm I work in a fleet of 200+ vehicles. the bosses thought it would be a great money saving idea so we tried Blackstone and did oil analysis honestly it was a huge waste of time. for $30 you can change the oil, filter and be done with it. I mean lets face it if you have metals in the oil and not problems per say are you gonna tare the motor down and do a rebuild? they also try to sell you additive packages to prolong your oil and the "engine problems".
My experience is just opposite.
I run large boats for a living. I regularly did oil sampling on all my major equipment, main engines, transmissions, generator engines, hydraulic steering, hyd thrusters etc etc. And, co-incidentally did use Blackstone.
One sample doesn't mean much, but doing regularly you can see trends. Can help find issues developing, leaking seals allowing salt intrusion, or a leaky fuel injector getting fuel into the oil etc.
For you and oil change is $30. For me one engine, just one engine is 3 1/2 drums of oil, that's DRUMS of high grade turbo diesel oil. Yes, 165 gals/engine, plus five extremely expensive filters. Then there's 20 gals/transmission. So just a basic oil change is seven drums of oil pumped into the boat, seven drums pumped out for disposal, plus 10 oil filters. And 20 high dollar fuel filters changed at the same time. Not to mention having boat idle, in a shipyard for over a week, with two and sometimes three guys working. And ALL of it, including proper disposal, has to be documented to meet Coast Guard requirements.
Secondly, when it comes re-sale time for the boat, when I can show the inspectors/surveyors the last 5, 7 maybe even 10 years of sample reports, and the maintenance that was done to support those samples, can increase the re-sale value of the boat. And possibly even save a possible tear down of the engines for a visual inspection.
For us regular sampling is a no-brainer.

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 2:59 pm
by photohause
"Secondly, when it comes re-sale time for the boat, when I can show the inspectors/surveyors the last 5, 7 maybe even 10 years of sample reports, and the maintenance that was done to support those samples, can increase the re-sale value of the boat. And possibly even save a possible tear down of the engines for a visual inspection.
For us regular sampling is a no-brainer."

Theres iron in your words.

Re: Analyzing used engine oil.

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:07 pm
by neonnight34609
you guys are comparing apples to oranges. Crown Vic 3k-ish dollars vers 3million-ish dollar boat. 5-1/2 quarts of oil and a filter, 300 gallons of oil and 10 filters. The poster asked about oil Analyses in a Crown Vic 4.6, not some diesel boat 300 gallon oil 5,7,10 year old engine with 10 filters and a partridge in a pear tree. in that case then yes a 30 dollar oil analyses is a no brainer. i get its his vehicle and wants to know but one analysis simply isn't worth it. if the gear head in him wants to see what the engine oil has in it then so be it, but as you said one Analyses really isn't gonna say much its only a starting point, UNLESS the engine is having major issues. I personally have found it to be a huge waste of time in our fleet.