2006 duramax UOA

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Jan 8, 2008
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Burford, Ontario, Canada
Oil is Delvac 5w40, oil before was Kendal (forget the weight)

COMPONENT ENGINE MADE BY GMC
MODEL 2500HD SERIAL#
OIL BRAND DELVAC SAE GRADE 5W40 NORMAL = N, ABNORMAL = A, DIAGNOSIS: NORMAL WEAR RATES, ENGINE AND OIL CONDITION APPEAR OK. NO EVIDENCE OF ABNORMAL LEVELS OF CONTAMINATES PRESENT AS WATER, GLYCOL, FUEL OR SIGNIFICANT DIRT. RESAMPLE AT NORMAL INTERVAL.

Trendline
DATE 15/05/09 |
Mi/Hr UNIT 144588 |
Mi/Hr OIL 12000 |
OIL CHANGED N |
ALUMINIUM 5 N |
CHROMIUM 1 N |
COPPER 3 N |
IRON 23 N |
LEAD 1 N |
NICKEL 1 N |
TIN 2 N |
SILICON 7 N |
SODIUM 4 N |
BORON 55 |
ZINC 972 |
PHOSPHORUS 849 |
MAGNESIUM 441 |
CALCIUM 1084 |
BARIUM 0 |
MOLYBDENUM 1 |
VIS 40 C. 99 |
WATER 0.0 N |
GLYCOL 0 |
FUEL 0.5 |
SOLIDS 0.5 |
 
OK - that's about 7500 miles.

To be honest, it all seems ok to me, however the Fe is a bit higher than I've seen for such short exposure in a Dmax.

There are some other UOAs here on Dmax's that show far less iron wear per mile. You averaged almost 3ppm/1k miles. For comparison, there are some other UOAs that show iron wear down around 1.5ppm/1k miles. In no way does this mean you're engine is in trouble, but it seems odd. Your oil analysis service might call it "normal", but it seems higher to me than most other Dmax's for that exposure period.

There has been some discussion (both pro and con) that synthetics actually will show slightly higher wear with shorter durations. This would be one example where that might be the case.

Check out cowhorse01's UOAfor comparison. Bill Plock has some UOAs posted up recently as well. I'm not being alarmist; just calling out what stands out as "different". You can also see some UOAs over at dieselplace, although I would warn you that many over there don't really comprehend UOAs; it's more of a social thing, over there. Here's one recent Delvac 15w-40 dino UOA that was outstanding. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272289&highlight=used+oil

So, did you change the oil, or just have the UOA and continue use? I presume you changed it? I didn't notice any TBN on the report either.
 
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I should mention that on the previous oil change with the Kendal oil (conventional) I was using the OLM but as it turns out I went about 20,000km/12500mi on it (to much!). I switched it to Delvac when I personally did the last two oil changes, so this test was the 3rd change (second Delvac) since i've owned it. I'll do another UOA at 10,000 and see what turns up. Yes i changed the oil.
 
I agree with Dnewton....Perhaps try a Donaldson Endurance filter with your next change (98.7% efficient at 15um and 50% at 7um) and see if your wear drops a little....even consider dino oil with the change. Most Duramax trucks have lower wear per same mileage. But then again, we don't know the history of your truck or how it is used...small, cheaper things first, right?
Any intention of running a bypass?
And don't take us wrong by thinking your UOA is not good...it's fine. Just a hair higher wear than some of the other Duramax owners who have posted UOA's on the board. We're fussy....
cheers3.gif

Delvac 1300 is a great choice for dino...keeps you with the same brand that you're already using.
 
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One other thing that I was going to ask that I forgot before my last post was if you are using fuel additives?
 
i have used a fuel additive, but not during with that oil that i remember.

Haven't really thought of modifying the truck in any way really, I did have a tune done on it though. I bought the truck with 100K km on it so i dont know the previous history. Where do you get Donaldson filters? What do you recommmend for fuel filters, i have to do mine again
 
You will have to find a dealer for Donaldson on their site...its pretty user friendly. their Endurance line oil filters are an excellent choice, or the Amsoil filter if you have access to that.
Fuel filter you'll have to hear from the Duramax guys, I own a Cummins.
 
Donaldson/Amsoil are one of the few filters that get as close to bypass as you can without actually having one installed...
 
D-Roc has got it right on...if there is a Donaldson ELF for your application go for it. They are great. Amsoil's EAO filters are the same quality, but tend to cost more than if you were to buy the Donaldson Elf equivalent from the local diesel stop.
 
I've not used Donaldson, but I certainly hear and read good things of them.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Dmax full-flow filter design is WAY better than the "typical" fitler. Of course, the ratings are nominal, but the relationship of one to another is still valid, comparitively speaking. I always perfer to get Beta ratings if possible, but for now, we'll just compare nominal ratings, because that's all we have. According to Wix website, a nominal full flow PSD or ISB filter is around 18-20um. But the Dmax OEM design, (which all the aftermarket makers probably meet for warranty purposes) is 8um! (not 18um; 8um!). That a pretty darn good OEM design full flow filter.

Dmax engines often turn in some of the better UOAs for light duty trucks, when comparing OEM stock confiturations. I'm not slamming Dodge/Cummins or Ford/Powerstroke guys; I respect all the rigs for their individual strengths. But if you look at UOA analysis over the big picture, you start to see that Dmax engines are just really easy on the oil. I believe that much of this has to do with the OEM filter design criteria. Again, it's not that a PSD or a ISB does not perform well; they certainly do! It's just that you rarely ever see a bad UOA from a properly running Dmax; I believe some of that is due to the extremely tight OEM full-flow filtration specs.

When you realize that most engine wear happens from particles in the 5-15um range, and the Dmax is nominal at 8um (understandably not absolute, but nominal), then you begin to understand how little damage is probably being done, and why the Dmax has such good overall UOAs.
 
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