Formula Shell 5-30,3005 mi. 92 Escort 1.9

[Ignatz]

I've been nursing a cracked head for three years now. I loose very little anti-freeze, but it goes into one cylinder and depending how bad it gets it will foul a plug. With Barrs leak and yearly anti-freeze changes I hav'nt changed a plug in two years. It started around 90,000 miles and I currently have 140,000 on the beast. I think 3,000 mile oil changes are keeping this engine alive. Oh, the anti-freeze is Prestone Dexcool. For some reason I have been using this in all my cars for years just thinking that it was better anti-freeze.
Aluminum 3
Chromium 2
Iron 11
Copper 2
Lead 1
Tin 1
Molybdenum 59
Nickel 0
Manganese 0
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Potassium 7
Boron 3
Silicon 22
Sodium 224
Calcium 1337
Magnesium 31
Phosphorus 581
Zinc 666
Barium 0
Water 0
AntiFreeze .45
Fuel .5
Insolubiles .4

 

[jorton]

What is your AF/water ratio? If you double the water the AF% in the oil will be less.

Decrease the OCI to 2 months.

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, he's got to maintain a certain mix % or he'll get corrosion in his cooling system. Then again, it might seal the leak

They (the numbers) are higher then you would like for the mileage ..but given the circumstances and the age of the engine/vehicle, I think that you're doing rather well. That is, sure, there's plenty to nitpick about ...but there's nothing major in effect that's apparent here. The bearings are allegedly the prime victims of coolant infiltration ..and there isn't a whole lot of Pb in the analysis.

What are your plans for this vehicle? I imagine that since it has a worth that's probably expressed in $0.xx/lb more than an outright $$ figure, you're just going to run it as is until the situation, if ever, becomes untendable ..or somthing else renders the car null and void.

I think that your current maintenance method won't effect that plan. I don't see bearing failure interferring with waiting for the ending event.


and congrats on keeping the Berks County tightwad image alive and well. The last Escort I saw was among a fleet of them in the Ford section of EZ-U-PULL-IT. I'm doing my part just over the line here ...but it cost us more to be cheap here in Montgomery County

 

[Ignatz]

Sometimes I wish it would grenade so I can get another car, but the car runs perfect. I paid $1800 for the car exactly 4 years ago this month, so I got my moneys worth. BTW, I do my shopping at EZ-U-Pull IT. Right now I'm changing the trans fluid.... I am truly an idiot.

 

[UncleS2]

Considering the problems with this car, I think that's a very good result! Sounds like you've found an economical way to keep it going.

And *Thanks* for posting a result with Formula Shell oil. In the past few days I've bought over 30 quarts total in both 5w30 & 10w30, & didn't realize it had any Moly in it.

I'm curious, do you know if that oil was rated SL or SM? If it was SL, was it rated GF-3 or GF-4?

 

[Ignatz]

API SL,GF-3.

 

[UncleS2]

Thanks, Ignatz. All the Formula Shell I found was SL; the 10w30 was all SL/GF-4, while some 5w30 was GF-3 & some was GF-4. This looks *too* good to use for just Auto-Rx clean & rinse cycles!

 

[JR]

Hello all. My grandma has a 1993 ford escort to with the 1.9. It to has a cracked head to. It may use a quart every thousand miles. I know this because it had a bad heater core and it over heated and after replacing it it has always used or lost coolant. It now has 180,000 miles on her. She wants it to die. She wants a new car and want to ride this one til it dies. I have been trying to kill it for 80,000 miles. I mean it. I have always used a good 15w40 HDEO in this engine. Well the last 80,000 miles it has been Pennzoil LL 15w40 at ten plus thousand mile oil changes. It won't die. This engine sound like a 300,000 mile SBC three quarts low with this oil in the crank on these 0-15 degree days we have been seeing. But won't die. It still doesn't use oil. Maybe a half quart every 4-5,000 miles. **** this.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Give it to me, I'll use it for the life it has.

She wants it gone that bad, take it out back and shoot it! Just kidding, the thought made me laugh though.

My own Grandma has a '91 Geo Metro that has upteen thousands of miles on it, looks like death warmed over, but the **** thing still runs - don't know what it's living for.

 

[Al]

Iwould consider not using the DexCool for cars other than a pressurized coolant reserfoir system like GM Vehicles.

There have been discussions that air reacting with DexCool causes it to go to "DexBrick" and clog /corode systems. There are arguments on both sides. But I tend to believe it is a problem
I changed my 01 Nissan Sentra to DexCool and within 2 years my heater core leaked and the thing was filled with corroded gunk. Please consider changing it out.

Congrats on keeping the car running. Interesting that you showed positive for antifreeze and the Potassium level was so low. DexCool supposedly has a lot of potassium. Yet you showed up large for sodium which DexCool doesn't have a lot of sodium. Also I didn't think Shell used sodium as an antiwear additive.

 

[Ignatz]

The first sentance from Blackstone sugests that I send in a virgin sample to check the Sodium additive level in the Shell Formula oil. I'm out of 5-30 Shell. It's slightly possible I added VSOT, but I don't have record of it. I usually write that stuff down on the last empty bottle with the milage, date and how many oz. of VSOT. Dexcool comes out of my MB after 2 years like the day I put it in. The MB has a sealed pressurized system. My Astro van and Escort are systems that the expansion tanks are exposed to the atmosphere and never stay fully orange for ever. I do currently run Barrs lear in both of these vehicles now, so they will get off-color. I hate to shock the systems now with another anti-freeze change.

 

[UncleS2]

Well, I have the oil & would happily donate a few ounces for a VOA, but can't really afford to pay for the analysis. In fact, I could donate virgin samples for Formula Shell 5w30 SL/GF-3, 5w30 SL/GF-4, & 10w30 SL/GF-4 - if I had some suitable bottles.

 

[Brons2]

The SL Shell does not have sodium in it as an additive. I got some of it on sale and ran it in my Titan. No sodium on UOA. Yours is from the antifreeze.

 

[BlazerLT]

If there was a coolant leak getting into the oil and it is dexcool, wouldn't the potassium levels be sky high?

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