High Metal Wear, Help!

[modularv8]

I have an '06 F150 5.4l 3v engine, 43k total miles. All oil analysis were done at HoltCAT labs in San Antonio. Here's the history: I did a uoa on bulk Ford dealer oil (Motorcraft 5w20)after 3000 miles and got the follwing strange results.


Cu 2
Fe 16
Cr 0
Al 3
Pb 0
Sn 0
Si 21
Na 10
K 0
B 596
Mo 55
Ca 3459
Mg 69
Zn 1511
P 1084
V100 9.0cst


The results from this analysis lead me to believe that either the dealer put diesel oil in the truck or the lab is way off (maybe cross-contamination with heavy equipment diesel samples?).

So I did a VOA on Motorcraft oil bought at Walmart and got the following result.

VOA (Motorcraft 5w20)
Sn 2
Pb 2
Na 1
K 2
B 743
Mo 32
Ca 1665
Mg 8
Zn 666
P 593
V100 8.8

The VOA seems about right except for the boron. Motorcraft usually has about 150 ppm boron.


So, 3000 miles later I have a uoa done on the oil I had the voa done (Motorcraft 5w20, walmart) and get the following,

Cu 3
Fe 65
Cr 0
Al 110
Pb 0
Sn 1
Si 27
Na 5
K 2
B 370
Mo 42
Ca 2570
Mg 6
Zn 864
P 765
V100 9.8cst

The first things that jump out on this uoa is sudden high change in Fe and Al. Also Ca, Zn, and P are higher than the VOA.

Seeing that Fe and Al were high, the lab was kind to re-run the sample and got the same elevated results.

This is the first time I have started to do the oil changes myself since I've stopped trusting the dealer to do it. So this is the first time I know for a fact Motorcraft 5w20 was put in the engine. Could this oil have dislodged or removed old particles/metal that were left behind by whatever oil the dealer was putting in the engine leading to an abnormal UOA?

I have QSHP in the truck now and plan to send the next uoa samples to 2 or 3 labs.

Any ideas what could cause the high metal wear levels? Do you think the lab may be off? I believe Dyson used to use this lab in the past. Their site claims to recycle solvents, so I think it is possible there could be contamination (they mostly deal with CAT equipment)if not done properly.

Thanks...

 

[simple_gifts]

I would guess dirt is being ingested and sandblasting piston tops and combustion chamber. Just my guess. Did you change the air filter, or has anyone checked it? It might be installed incorrectly. Si seems high. A new brand of oil isn't going to fix this. How about running the new fill to 1K and sampling, then you can see if there was a mix up or contamination. Viscosity is 20 weight (I think) so it isn't someone's truck oil.

 

[shrooms]

Well, the consensus here is that MC 5W20 is a great oil. So, it may have done a great job at cleaning.

 

[JAG]

No way is that from cleaning in my opinion. Dirt ingestion entering through the intake usually makes chromium spike but your chromium is zero. Not all rings are chromium plated so finding out what your rings are made of would help.

 

[Pablo]

Pffft bad lab.

 

[modularv8]

I'm thinking it's the lab. This looks more like the uoa profile of heavy equipment. I change the air filter every 10k, so the air filter only has about 4k miles on it. The truck is quiet and smooth. It's so hard to wait to the next oil change to see what's going on. I will send samples to other labs to confirm.

By the way, will Al and Fe at these levels indicate an impending engine failure? The Aluminum seems well beyond what is acceptable. The UOA comments asked if there were chunks of metal in the filter or oil drained.

 

[tig1]

Often times UOAs are not very reliable.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Often times UOAs are not very reliable.


+1 try another lab.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted By: modularv8
I'm thinking it's the lab. This looks more like the uoa profile of heavy equipment. I change the air filter every 10k, so the air filter only has about 4k miles on it. The truck is quiet and smooth. It's so hard to wait to the next oil change to see what's going on. I will send samples to other labs to confirm.

By the way, will Al and Fe at these levels indicate an impending engine failure? The Aluminum seems well beyond what is acceptable. The UOA comments asked if there were chunks of metal in the filter or oil drained.


I will be the first to admit that I am not a ford fan but the 4.6 and 5.4 are known to be low wearing high mileage engines that shed very little wear metals. I am thinking something is wrong with those lab results. As long as the engine has good oil pressure and is running well and not making any strange noises I would let her ride till the next change then send a sample to blackstone. If they also show those high numbers then it would be time to start investigating because something is seriously wrong.

 

[brsmith]

I think they mixed up somebody else's sample with yours.

 

[Bigsyke]

Blown headgasket?