High lead count, change viscosity?

twolegpolka · Jul 20, 2005

Hello,

I have had three UOA and each has shown a higher than average lead count. The universal average for my '03 Ranger, 3.0L V6 should be 5ppm and I have averaged 15 ppm. My last UOA had a lead count of 21 ppm. I would like to get the lead count as close to the universal average as possible. All oils have been 5W-20, starting with MC, Pennzoil Synthetic, and finally Mobil 1 0W-20 being the exception which also reflected the highest lead count of 21 ppm. OCI have been around 3500 miles. Engine now has 34K and will be out of warranty soon. Question is:

Should I try a higher viscosity?? Any other ideas?

Possibly I may not be able to drop the lead count and should expect a gradual lead count increase.

Thanks in advance of any replies.

Gary Allan · Jul 20, 2005

I don't see a UOA posted under your user name. Why not post the numbers (all) and see what's up??

Steve S · Jul 20, 2005

Automatic or manual? Do you lug your engine? Are any other numbers too high?

Audi Junkie · Jul 20, 2005

My understanding is the high lead can be addressed with heavier viscosity. Lugging is a possibility also. Too bad you did not try a thicker oil already. Hate to say it, but a thick 30 like GC or ST Synth is worth a shot. Of course, there are other unknowns that an expert could fully comprehend. Anyway, I would not use the 20 weight again.

oilyriser · Jul 20, 2005

"Posts: 4 | From: Atlanta,Georgia | Registered: Mar 2004"

It might be from buying leaded gas without knowing it. Two other people have reported unusual lead readings, from around Atlanta. Try to track down where you bought gas during the last while, and contact someone at the EPA with that information.

http://www.epa.gov/region4/home/contact_report.html

427Z06 · Jul 20, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by twolegpolka:
All oils have been 5W-20, starting with MC, Pennzoil Synthetic, and finally Mobil 1 0W-20 being the exception which also reflected the highest lead count of 21 ppm.

Have you tried any one formulation over 2-3 OCIs before doing a UOA?

twolegpolka · Jul 21, 2005

Thank-You for all the replies!!

Ok, I just posted my UOA for three different oils. Mobil 1, Pennzoil Syn, Motorcraft look for "Mobil 1 0W-20 Ranger 3.0L 4500 miles" in the UOA section. Hope you can read it, make sense of it.

Ranger is a manual transmission and never lug the engine or exceed 2200 Rpms. I drive it 30 miles a day, 5 or more days a week.

Gas is purchased at the local "QT" which advertises "top tier" gas.

OCI, yes, I do change the oil flavor each oil change. Just trying to get the lead values down using different oils. Did run a steady diet of Motorcraft 5W-20 for many oil changes before I discovered the high lead counts. Motorcraft filters.

Maybe the lead count isn't to alarming.

Engine built on a Monday by chance??

JohnBrowning · Jul 21, 2005

If lead is higher then iron with a light weight oil then it is generaly accepted that a higher viscosity is in order. I would not make any rash chance. I would step up in viscosity gradualy. I would try a 10W30 and see what we see.

427Z06 · Jul 21, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by twolegpolka:
Maybe the lead count isn't to alarming.

Engine built on a Monday by chance??

It happens, probably more regularly then BITOG members realize. If it's the case, $10/qt oil and $25 oil filters isn't going to fix it and neither will M1 T&SUV.

mechtech · Jul 21, 2005

If you never exceed 2200 RPMs, you're lugging it.

JohnBrowning · Jul 21, 2005

mechtech my wife never exceeds 2200 RPM's and she has an automatic how is she lugging it? I can take my Camry down to about 1100RPM in 5th and as long as I do not try to accelerate in 5th I am not lugging it at all. Do not get me wrong he might well be lugging it at times but just because he stays below 2200RPM's does not buy itself indicate lugging! A Corvette or Camaro can be turning 1800ROM orr less going 70MPH.

haley10 · Jul 21, 2005

Thanks for posting in the UOA section, twoleg. If there is an air filtration or intake leak issue, maybe you can get this fixed under warranty. Can't say which oil is best, but like TooSlick said, you may be ingesting dirt.

drm7 · Jul 21, 2005

I'm with mechtech. The Ranger 3.0 is not an overly powerfull (read torquey) engine and I don't see how you can keep it below 2200 and not lug it. I don't see any reason not to hit 3000-3500 fairly regulary to keep it "blown" out. It's better to rev up than to lug it. JMO.

Mitch Alsup · Jul 22, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by drm7:
The Ranger 3.0 is not an overly powerfull (read torquey) engine and I don't see how you can keep it below 2200 and not lug it.

If you never use more than 20% throttle, you can use this end of the RPM range and not be considered lugging the engine. However, I suspect it is not the case that you use so little throttle, but only that the engine runs smoothly at these low RPM operations.

TooSlick · Jul 22, 2005

It's very hard to lug an automatic transmission, but very easy to lug a manual. Paradoxically, if you upshift early and drive around in a high gear at low speeds, you need to use a thicker lubricant and vice versa....

Oil pressure and oil film thickness are both reduced at low engine rpms.... An easy way for the laymen to understand the second effect is to think about squeeging water off a glass surface. If you pull the squeege slowly, the water can flow off either end. However, if you pull faster, a wave of water builds up in front of the blade.

Now... think of the small amount of oil that is trapped in front of the "nose" of a cam lobe as it wipes across a lifter face at a high velocity. The high pressures can cause the viscosity of this incompressible fluid to increase by several orders of magnitude. In fact, the oil in this small zone behaves like a solid and the metal substrate actually deforms elastically. This is called Elastodynamic Lubrication or EDL....

All the parts are rotating so fast at high rpms that the oil doesn't have time to bleed off to either side - but it does at low engine rpms. Hence a thicker oil is needed in this second case.

1sttruck · Jul 22, 2005

"It's very hard to lug an automatic transmission, but very easy to lug a manual."

Yes, but driving around with an auto in overdrive all of the time, for better mileage per EPA/OEM recommendations, soesn't seem like good practice for long term durability. It's a tradeoff of transmission and lower end vs upper end wear, and I think that the upper end can tolerate more wear than the lower end and transmission.

twolegpolka · Jul 22, 2005

Thanks again for all the replies!! The 2200 Rpm range I reported earlier,is at highway speed of about 55 to 60 MPH. I'm sorry for that oversight. As I drove around today my girlfriend monitored the RPM ranges as I shifted. She reported that I (engine) consistantly would hit 3000 RPM's before shifting in all the gears. My reference to 2200 RPM is that I rarely drive at 70 MPH or faster. This OCI I will make an attempt to bring the engine up to over 3000 RPM (3500 range). Using Mobil 1 5W-20 this time. This Ranger has been into Ford many times for a very rough idle, Ford tells me that this is a charactoristic of this 3.0L engine and that everything checks out fine. Rought idle almost seems like a dirty intake, induction problem.

Russell · Jul 23, 2005

My observation

I have had fairly high lead counts with Mobil 1 0w40 with a 95 BMW 525i currently with 112,000 miles. I have posted two UOA.

I have now switched to Mobil 1 5w40 truck and suv. I will do an UOA on it when I change it and filter at about 5,000 mile. Hope it will help with the lead.

High lead count, change viscosity?

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