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I have 280K miles on my Tacoma. For the last 50K or so it had a rumble strip noise in 5th gear. I had it in to a shop and they said it was likely a bearing going out. I pulled an oil sample, and sure enough it had very high metals. I took it to a shop that rebuilds them. After I picked it up, I...

My 2002 4x4 Tacoma needs new calipers as they are currently starting to stick and drag on the rotors (front wheels don't spin freely). I know there are kits to rebuild them, but with 235K miles and rust from Minnesota winters, I'm afraid that might not be worth it. The Toyota OEM calipers are...

My dad has a '57 Chevy with a rebuilt Chevy 350 he installed about 10 years ago. Lately it's been hard starting after it sits a couple weeks or longer due to not getting fuel (we have to pour gas in the carb to get it running). The engine was built with what I believe is a standard fuel pump...

Pulled a sample just to check. Lead is a little concerning. Car isn't tracked. I did put a bottle of Techron in it for a tank...can't imagine that would cause lead to increase.

I had a 5 gallon pail of 15W-40 left over from a truck I sold, so did a summer run of it in my Tacoma. I'm surprised at how well this did for a cheap conventional. I realize 5K miles is conservative. Oils in the report are: Delvac 1300, , Mobil 1 TDT, Mobil 1 TDT, Pennz Ultra, Pennz Ultra...

Pulled a sample just to check after over 3.6 years on the oil. The previous oil change was 11/1/2013 and this oil change was done 7/1/2017 with 53,350 on the clock. The truck obviously sits a lot and is not driven in the winter. When I do get it out, it's for longer drives (Generally more than...

It's been a while since I took a sample, so I took one just to check things out. Previous oils were: Mobil 1 TDT, Pennz Ultra, Pennz Ultra, Pennz Ultra, Mobil 1 EP

Blackstone comments: Most of the metals either stayed steady or dropped a small amount, but chrome is on the rise. It's from the rings and it sometimes doesn't take a lot of chrome to show a problem like maybe a stuck or cracked ring. You didn't add any oil this time. Any changes on oil use...

Blackstone comments: This the best report we'v seen so far for your Toyota. It's a bit unclear what caused the high iron last time, but that's in the past. High copper is in the past as well, and this engine matches up just fine with universal averages. As a reminder, universal averages show...

I know there are more dedicated websites for this question, but there are a lot of smart folks here. I have the '96 Dodge with the 6BT. I found this fall that when I blocked off part of the radiator, the truck ran warmer and my MPG jumped. My guess is around 2 MPG (I haven't checked it real...

I did this UOA for the heck of it after being in for 2 years. Wish I wouldn't have dumped it. Blackstone Comments: Your F350 didn't see a ton of miles over the past couple of years, but that's okay. Oil doesn't generally go bad just from sitting and this oil could have stayed in use. As a...

Blackstone comments: This is an unusual sample because chrome is fairly high, though everything else looks good. Chrome can show ring wear, though with a ring problem we'd expect to see signs of poor combustion like excessive soot and a thick viscosity. The lab did not note any soot in the oil...

Blackstone comments: This is the first report we've seen where copper is at average, so that's good. It's also the first time iron's been out of line, though. Iron comes from steel parts in the engine enduring excess wear. We're not sure what could be causing that, but hopefully it's a temporary...

OK, I recently moved out of a rental house and the landlord kept portions of the security deposit which I think were not legal to withold for. Here's what the receipt said: Repair - Bathroom Tub Re-caulk, Kitchen Floor Tile...

Quick question - I bought a vehicle back in May that I now want to sell. I transferred the title when I bought it in May. I won't have the updated title for another 4-6 weeks from the state (I can't believe it takes them about 5 months to get it out). I have someone who is interested in...

Blackstone comments: No new problems to report in this latest sample from Schnooky. Copper is still on the high side, but it stayed steady, so it's hard to lose much sleep over it. The other wear metals look great, even though this is the longest oil run yet for the 3.4L in your Tacoma. The...

My wife and I are talking about getting a new laptop. Primary use will be for internet, word processing, music, watching DVDs, and my wife would like to use it for Skype (an integrated camera and mic would be required). I'm more concerned about quality, and thus lean toward Sony. I had one Sony...

Blackstone comments: Sorry for the confusion on your last report. We've updated your file. Copper is still the only metal reading in excess in this new-to-you engine, and it has come down nicely. Although we don't know why it was high in the first sample, the fact that it's improving is a good...

Yesterday I checked the rear differential fluid in my Tacoma. When I pulled the plug, the oil seemed pretty foamy/frothy/aerated. I had just drive the truck about 5 miles on the highway prior to pulling the plug, so it wasn't sitting very long. I checked it this morning without having driven in...

Blackstone comments: This report revealed quite a bit of copper, which shows wear at brass or bronze parts like bushings or maybe bearings. Because copper is so much higher than last time, we suggest cutting back your next oil change to monitor the situation. Try going only 5,000 miles and...