Fram Synthetic 5W20 USPS route very hard use Honda Element

[Keagan]

no oil consumption whatsoever? i expected at least a little but not enough to top up but thats great. i have slight burning to where i dont have to touch it but it still exists. bumped to a 40 but hey thats good and yeah the titanium and moly kept the metals low. Yeah its a 3k interval but a very severe one and id expect an oil without the two to have the same metals as if it had twice the distance.

I would say at most maybe 0.3 quarts after 5,000 miles as the dipstick was right a 3/4 full before I changed the oil but I would call this loss pretty normal due to normal operating conditions rather than the engine losing it through piston rings or valve seals

A good UOA such as yours is due to the specific engine and operating conditions, not the oil. Other than TBN a UOA would only show if the engine is not operating properly or has a mechanical issue.

The conditions you describe also aren’t all that severe.

I agree on the engine wearing how it was designed based on conditions regardless of oil brand as long as it passes API certification and used within normal operating conditions as well as being the proper viscosity. I thought it would be interesting to test Fram oil anyway due to it being new or at least the name itself and of course to see how healthy my engine is.

My 600,000 mile Ford E-350 was ran on whatever oil was on sale at the time it needed a oil change so under normal conditions I know that oil brand is not really important at all.

Under normal conditions any certified oil that your engine calls for will not cause any wear issues and if wear does show up its likely due to engine design and conditions rather then the oil itself being the culprit within regular maintenance intervals of course. EX: operating oil temperature ranges of 210F to 260F are normal and will not cause any certified oil to allow engine damage within those ranges as long as the engines clearances are tight and the proper viscosity is used. I would say max under USPS route conditions the oil temperature probably only goes up to 230F which is perfectly safe and will not exceed the oil/engine capabilities.

At the very least what this analysis shows is that Fram oil isnt bad as to be expected.

 

[Keagan]

I would say at most maybe 0.3 quarts after 5,000 miles as the dipstick was right a 3/4 full before I changed the oil but I would call this loss pretty normal due to normal operating conditions rather than the engine losing it through piston rings or valve seals

I agree on the engine wearing how it was designed based on conditions regardless of oil brand as long as it passes API certification and used within normal operating conditions as well as being the proper viscosity. I thought it would be interesting to test Fram oil anyway due to it being new or at least the name itself and of course to see how healthy my engine is.

My 600,000 mile Ford E-350 was ran on whatever oil was on sale at the time it needed a oil change so under normal conditions I know that oil brand is not really important at all.

Under normal conditions any certified oil that your engine calls for will not cause any wear issues and if wear does show up its likely due to engine design and conditions rather then the oil itself being the culprit within regular maintenance intervals of course. EX: operating oil temperature ranges of 210F to 260F are normal and will not cause any certified oil to allow engine damage within those ranges as long as the engines clearances are tight and the proper viscosity is used. I would say max under USPS route conditions the oil temperature probably only goes up to 230F which is perfectly safe and will not exceed the oil/engine capabilities.

At the very least what this analysis shows is that Fram oil isnt bad as to be expected.

An area of operating conditions where I could see one oil being better then another is at operating conditions outside of normal conditions.

Say for example a engine is running at oil temperatures of 300F and oil A has a HTHS rating of 3.0 and another has a HTHS rating of 3.5 this could be the difference of wear or no wear between moving parts at those conditions due to oil A losing to much of its viscosity at those temperatures to properly maintain oil pressure while oil B sits right at the bleeding edge of acceptable oil pressure at 300F due to maintaining a higher viscosity.

These are just hypotheticals but I don't believe one oil vs another makes no difference at all in stated hypothetical extreme conditions.

 

[addyguy]

That ‘looks’ just like Castrol Edge in the additive amounts.

 

[kschachn]

At the very least what this analysis shows is that Fram oil isnt bad as to be expected.

Why did you expect it to be bad?

 

[kschachn]

An area of operating conditions where I could see one oil being better then another is at operating conditions outside of normal conditions.

Say for example a engine is running at oil temperatures of 300F and oil A has a HTHS rating of 3.0 and another has a HTHS rating of 3.5 this could be the difference of wear or no wear between moving parts at those conditions due to oil A losing to much of its viscosity at those temperatures to properly maintain oil pressure while oil B sits right at the bleeding edge of acceptable oil pressure at 300F due to maintaining a higher viscosity.

These are just hypotheticals but I don't believe one oil vs another makes no difference at all in stated hypothetical extreme conditions.

The operating conditions you describe in your post are not challenging the HT/HS. It may be challenging the oil in other ways but not in that way.

 

[53' Stude]

Who makes this oil? Warren?

AMALIE

 

[Keagan]

The operating conditions you describe in your post are not challenging the HT/HS. It may be challenging the oil in other ways but not in that way.

Yes as I stated my max oil temps were probably only 230F during this OCI.

 

[DirectRejection]

A good UOA such as yours is due to the specific engine and operating conditions, not the oil. Other than TBN a UOA would only show if the engine is not operating properly or has a mechanical issue.

The conditions you describe also aren’t all that severe.

Respectfully disagree.

From the OP
"...idling for an excessive period of time."

This is the very definition of severe service.

 

[kschachn]

Respectfully disagree.

From the OP
"...idling for an excessive period of time."

This is the very definition of severe service.

Not in necessarily in relation to the grade (or more accurately the HT/HS) as noted in the title of the thread. He doesn’t have fuel dilution so if anything that idling would affect perhaps oxidation resistance?

Severe service in relation to the grade would be something like towing.

 

[gregk24]

Those are SOLID engines.

 

[shrooms]

This is not surprising. Elements are monsters. The K24 is practically bullet proof. Love mine.