THE PREMISE
The car: 2002 Chevrolet Prizm (1.8L 1ZZ-FE) @ 165,864mi. 4qt oil sump, dipstick range is 3 (low) - 4 (high).
Usage: About 6000mi/year. Car sits unused in an underground garage during the week. Weekends are mostly short trips on local roads (
The setup: Like many 8th gen Corollas, this car burns oil (inadequate piston oil return holes). The current rate in mine is around 1qt every 2000 miles, depending on highway driving and temperature. I've run many, many kinds of oil in it but never paid enough attention to notice which worked better than others. The owner's manual calls for 3000/7500 mile OCIs, but Toyota may have back spec'ed the engines to 5000mi OCIs.
The plan: I'd like to use UOA to see what effect top-off oil has on overall oil condition. I'll add top-off oil, 1/2 qt at a time, every 1000 miles to stay in the upper half of the dipstick range, then change oil when the level hits the 3qt low mark. At ideal loss rates, this means roughly the following OCIs:
THIS RUN
This is my first UOA. Oil+filter were installed 8/2013. The oil filter was the (1/2" oversize) Purolator Classic L14477. Future changes will all use the ACDelco PF1233 ("the azure thimble") to cut down on variables. Air filter is unknown, but I suspect it is a Purolator Classic. Top-off oil was added at 1600 and 2100 miles, and a few oz were sent for VOA.
This run was shorter than planned, maybe because of cold weather + short trips? The oil sheared to a 20-weight, but that's
I guess. Silicon at 15, but the VOA had 5.7 to begin with. VOA here.
WearCheck UOA
Code:
Vehicle Year: 2002
Make/Model: Chevrolet Prizm
Engine: 1.8L 1ZZ-FE
Sample Date: 03/01/14
Oil Brand/Type: Ace Hardware
Oil Viscosity: 10W-30
API Service: SN
Oil Filter: L14477
Air Filter: A24722?
Car Mileage: 165864
Oil Mileage: 2864
Oil Time: 7mos
Make-up Oil (qts): 0.9
CONTAMINATION Abn
Silicon: 15 30
Potassium: 0.1 20
Fuel (%):
Water (%):
Sulfation (%): 16 100
Nitration (%): 12 100
OIL CONDITION VOA
Boron: 79 250
Barium: 0.0 0.0
Calcium: 1848 2256
Magnesium: 11 13
Molybdenum: 65 80
Sodium: 69 2.1
Phosphorus: 686 792
Sulfur: 2589 3242
Zinc: 728 883
Visc @ 40C (cSt): -- 61.22
Visc @ 100C (cSt): 8.82 9.88
VI: -- 146
Oxidation (%): 18 --
TAN (D664): 3.41 1.47
TBN (D4739): 4.83 7.31
WEAR Abn
Iron: 4.1 150
Nickel: 0.2 5
Chromium: 0.4 20
Titanium: 0.2 --
Copper: 0.7 155
Aluminum: 2.1 40
Tin: 0.0 10
Lead: 0.0 50
WearCheck comments:
There is no indication of any contamination in the component.
The BN result indicates that there is suitable alkalinity remaining in the oil. The AN level is acceptable for this fluid. The condition of the oil is suitable for further service.
All component wear rates are normal.
The car: 2002 Chevrolet Prizm (1.8L 1ZZ-FE) @ 165,864mi. 4qt oil sump, dipstick range is 3 (low) - 4 (high).
Usage: About 6000mi/year. Car sits unused in an underground garage during the week. Weekends are mostly short trips on local roads (
The setup: Like many 8th gen Corollas, this car burns oil (inadequate piston oil return holes). The current rate in mine is around 1qt every 2000 miles, depending on highway driving and temperature. I've run many, many kinds of oil in it but never paid enough attention to notice which worked better than others. The owner's manual calls for 3000/7500 mile OCIs, but Toyota may have back spec'ed the engines to 5000mi OCIs.
The plan: I'd like to use UOA to see what effect top-off oil has on overall oil condition. I'll add top-off oil, 1/2 qt at a time, every 1000 miles to stay in the upper half of the dipstick range, then change oil when the level hits the 3qt low mark. At ideal loss rates, this means roughly the following OCIs:
- 4qts = 2000mi
- 5qts = 4000mi
- 6qts = 6000mi (etc)
THIS RUN
This is my first UOA. Oil+filter were installed 8/2013. The oil filter was the (1/2" oversize) Purolator Classic L14477. Future changes will all use the ACDelco PF1233 ("the azure thimble") to cut down on variables. Air filter is unknown, but I suspect it is a Purolator Classic. Top-off oil was added at 1600 and 2100 miles, and a few oz were sent for VOA.
This run was shorter than planned, maybe because of cold weather + short trips? The oil sheared to a 20-weight, but that's
WearCheck UOA
Code:
Vehicle Year: 2002
Make/Model: Chevrolet Prizm
Engine: 1.8L 1ZZ-FE
Sample Date: 03/01/14
Oil Brand/Type: Ace Hardware
Oil Viscosity: 10W-30
API Service: SN
Oil Filter: L14477
Air Filter: A24722?
Car Mileage: 165864
Oil Mileage: 2864
Oil Time: 7mos
Make-up Oil (qts): 0.9
CONTAMINATION Abn
Silicon: 15 30
Potassium: 0.1 20
Fuel (%):
Water (%):
Sulfation (%): 16 100
Nitration (%): 12 100
OIL CONDITION VOA
Boron: 79 250
Barium: 0.0 0.0
Calcium: 1848 2256
Magnesium: 11 13
Molybdenum: 65 80
Sodium: 69 2.1
Phosphorus: 686 792
Sulfur: 2589 3242
Zinc: 728 883
Visc @ 40C (cSt): -- 61.22
Visc @ 100C (cSt): 8.82 9.88
VI: -- 146
Oxidation (%): 18 --
TAN (D664): 3.41 1.47
TBN (D4739): 4.83 7.31
WEAR Abn
Iron: 4.1 150
Nickel: 0.2 5
Chromium: 0.4 20
Titanium: 0.2 --
Copper: 0.7 155
Aluminum: 2.1 40
Tin: 0.0 10
Lead: 0.0 50
WearCheck comments:
There is no indication of any contamination in the component.
The BN result indicates that there is suitable alkalinity remaining in the oil. The AN level is acceptable for this fluid. The condition of the oil is suitable for further service.
All component wear rates are normal.
