M1 0w20 AFE, 9500 miles, 2006 Civic

[Patman]

Here are the latest results from my 2006 Civic, analysis done by Wearcheck Canada: 9,500 miles on oil June 23, 2016 to April 22, 2017 (10 months) 137,400 miles on engine Mobil 1 0w20 AFE Mobil 1 oil filter 4.0L oil capacity 1.1L make up oil Iron 7.3 Lead 0 Aluminum 2.8 Copper 0.4 Chromium 0.5 Nickel 0 Titanium 0 Tin 0 Silver 0 Silicon 19 Potassium 1.2 Sodium 3.8 Moly 72 Boron 33 Barium 0 Calcium 1031 Magnesium 731 Phosphorus 578 Zinc 656 Oxidation 64% Nitration 71% Sulfation 65% Soot 0 Glycol 0 Water 0 Fuel 5% Viscosity at 100c 6.5 Viscosity at 40c 31.4 Viscosity Index 167 A few days before I did this oil change the engine overheated to 276 degrees, so I was worried I might have hurt the engine but seeing no glycol in the oil is a good sign. It still runs perfectly. The high fuel is something I've run into before, most likely a leaky injector and I solved it the last time by running some Gumout Regane products through the tank, so I will do the same and I expect the next sample to show no fuel. I put in more M1 0w20 and a Fram Ultra Synthetic filter this time

 

[FZ1]

Great no wear run. Oil is done.... thin viscosity.

 

[Patman]

The high fuel content in the oil is the culprit for the thin viscosity. It's amazing how low the wear numbers are with that much fuel in there. This engine will never die, that I'm convinced of

 

[zaffo757]

1.1L of makeup oil? Is that leaking or being consumed?

 

[Patman]

I did have an oil pressure sending unit replaced as it was leaking slightly but most of it is probably normal consumption. That isn't really an alarming amount considering I went almost 10,000 miles.

 

[ChevyMan2015]

Is the Mobil 0w20 EP or AFE?

 

[tig1]

[quote=Patman]I did have an oil pressure sending unit replaced as it was leaking slightly but most of it is probably normal consumption. That isn't really an alarming amount considering I went almost 10,000 miles. [/quote How did the engine overheat?

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: ChevyMan2015

Is the Mobil 0w20 EP or AFE?

AFE

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: tig1

How did the engine overheat?

I was stuck in traffic for a long time and didn't pay enough attention to the climbing temperature. It looks like the first radiator fan isn't coming on, with the exception of when I run the AC.

 

[bigt61]

Excellent for a long winter run in the GWN. 276 water isn't good, but the engine would have already talked to you if it did any damage. In cases like that, M1 may have kept the motor alive.

 

[Patman]

I was thinking that the high temperature properties of M1 might have helped prevent any damage to this engine, although I think the durability of Honda is probably the biggest factor. Just to be safe, in addition to changing the oil I also drained and refilled the rad with fresh coolant and since it was overdue I also changed the transmission fluid. From now on when I'm stuck in traffic for long periods of time I will turn on the AC as soon as the coolant temp gets above 210 in order to be sure the fan comes on! I also plan on doing a shorter interval this time around. I normally change the oil about once a year but this time I will do the next oil change in October or November. This way I can get another analysis done to check on the fuel percentage, and to make sure no glycol gets into the oil. I also want to see if consumption goes up (or maybe even down thanks to the recent oil pressure sending unit change)

 

[KL31]

135C is a lot but the coolant was still in the car which is different to having no coolant and overheating. Was the oil consumption linear or did it spike at all? Pretty good result considering the mileage!

 

[Patman]

I don't know how consumption tracked throughout the interval, because I only figure out how much oil to add based on previous intervals. In other words, when I drain the oil I measure how much comes out and compare it to how much I put in at the beginning, which then lets me know how often I need to top it up on the next interval. I do not trust the dipstick to measure the level, on any car I own. So from previous oil changes I know that I need to add roughly 100 ml of oil for every 1000km. This time around I actually ended up with slightly more oil than I started with, so my consumption is not quite 1L per 10,000km but maybe more like 1L per 11 or 12,000. But it's still close enough, and I don't mind being slightly overfilled anyhow, so I will continue to add oil at the same rate this time around and measure it at the end of the interval once again for double checking. I feel this is a way more accurate way of topping up the oil than going by the hard to read dipstick. That's why I love the electronic dipstick in my wife's BMW, as soon as it shows on the digital display that it has moved down from the top of the scale, I add 200ml of oil to bring it to the top again. I wish every car had this feature!