Recent content by meborder

This is my 4th OCI with the Castrol EDGE Extended Performance and my 3rd UOA. This is my first Schaffer's report, though, as I've always used the NAPA-branded kits before. I'm not as familiar with this report and how it compares to the others - but everything looks OK. Wear metals are all...

The engine seems to be doing well, but I'd say the rest of the vehicle must have been a Monday/Friday vehicle. So far I've had to replace two ignition coils, the front differential pinion seal, the rear evaporator core and the entire rear end. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty...

Maybe I should get one of those on order to make sure I never need it! :) This car has been very low maintenance. Did the plugs around 120k. Rear struts around 160k. Some wiring issues related to the parking brakes. Not much else.

It was the same Castrol EDGE Extended Performance used before the fist sample shown.

See comments below regarding normal use: The thermostat is working properly as best as I can tell. No indications of it giving a problem, anyway. I am sure that I did not severely overfill it and that the oil level was higher than the initial. I have occasionally gotten them too full, but...

By and large it's not a commuter. I have a car I use to get to work and back and run errands. If it doesn't have 5 people and all of their stuff, or if it isn't hauling a trailer somewhere it just sits. This OCI was highway trips loaded to the ceiling, and highway trips pulling the scout...

This is my first oil analysis on this vehicle. We've owned this one since 2018 and 95k miles. It was a high-mileage, well-maintained fleet vehicle before we got it. Never really had a reason to pull a sample on this one until now. For the last few OCI's I've just used the Castrol EDGE...

This is my 3rd oil change and second analysis. I forgot to pull a sample last time I changed the oil. I'm really happy with the Castrol EDGE Extended Performance. This vehicle gets used pretty hard with towing more than average. Mostly highway runs, but many of them with a trailer. Nothing...

I might try the evapo rust. Not something I had thought about but it’s really not a bad idea. As for using smokeless, I don’t think you’d find anyone advertising a safe equivalent load. They are just different and not comparable. Black powder is just a different segment of the hobby. It’s...

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’m thinking I’m going to try wrapping a 44 cal brush with a patch and try working the bore with some KG2, since I have that on hand. From there maybe I can work it with a 45 cal brush and patch and see how it goes. I think it would shoot the way I have it...

I just bought a 45 caliber muzzleloader from a coworker and unfortunately it was not cleaned after the last time it was shot. He bought it as a wall hanger and I knew what I was getting when I bought it (not my first black powder firearm by any stretch). I got it cheap enough to take the chance...

I get mine from Amazon on a subscription. Three 5qt bottles every three months for about $88 shipped. Can’t get it on the shelves here either anymore.

No added oil this OCI. Since fixing the cam covers and the oil cooler gasket it doesn’t leak enough to require any add oil mid cycle. There is a little bit of weeping out of the front timing cover gasket, but it’s not enough to leave a drip anywhere I can find when I park. I check it every...

It’s going to spend 3 hours at 3k rpm tomorrow morning. And then again the next day on the way back. I doubt I’ll do any more analysis on this vehicle. It will live as long as it lives and at this point I feel safe to say that I’m not neglecting it by doing a 10k OCI. The trans will go...

I see lots of talk about shorter OCIs on turbocharged engines, particularly the 3.5L Ecoboost. This is a 2020 expedition with a Gen 2 3.5 EcoBoost. The oil life meter was at 13% and this was the first fill of the Castrol Edge 5w30 in the gold bottle (20k mile formula). The vehicle gets lots...