How to perform/read a blotter test?

[Russell]

I have read the archives and searched the web. It appears the blotter test is somewhat difficult to perform by a consumer. Apparenty it is an art to read the results. I may be the problem as i am not at all sure what to expect.

I have been placing a single drop of oil (from dipstick) on a white piece of paper every 500 miles, let it spread for at least 24 hours.

The results are interesting. After 2,000 miles the oil has slightly darkened. Looks dark when first placed on the paper.

The most intersting aspect is the two different shades of "color". There is an inside dark area and an outer "ring" of lighter shade. It appears that the inside dark area is getting slightly darker and may be getting slightly smaller. Hard to tell at 2,000 miles

Even so, I have no clue what this could mean. Could someone give me a simple/easy lesson in how to read blotters. I may also need better instructions on how to performa a basic blotter test.

BTW, this is Mobil 1 0w40 on a 1995 BMW 532i with 106,000 miles. TIA

 

[dustyjoe1]

I may be doing it wrong, but I understand that as you put on more miles the inner ring will get closer to the outer one. when they get kind of close its time to dump the oil. Its very subjective when this is. Just take note of the patterns of your engine and change out oil at a "safe" interval. I use the blotter simply as a get to know your engine method to establish a trend. This way if something changes a red flag goes up and you don't ignore a potential problem...hope this helps

 

[rugerman1]

Locking this thread.Please reply in this one:Topic: Blotter Test