M1 5w-40 TDT, VW 2.8 v6

[glxpassat]

Miles on oil - 3002
Miles on car - 41,887

Everything 0 except -
Aluminum - 2
Iron - 6
Copper - 3
Lead - 4
Moly - 3
Manganese- 1
Potassium- 1
Boron - 26
Silicon - 9
Sodium - 1
Calcium - 2208
Magnesium- 412
Phosphor - 917
Zinc - 1070

Vis. - 12.44
Flash - 395
Fuel < .5%
Insolubes- .3%

Still having higher than normal lead. Silicon seems high as well. With the viscosity drop to a 30w on a heavy duty oil in a non turbo motor, I'm suspecting fuel dilution. Blackstone doesn't think so, but I'm not sure, somethings not right. I appreciate any comments!

 

[Bobert]

Is this a VR6?

 

[glxpassat]

No, this is the 30v V6 in my 2003 Passat.

 

[Gary Allan]

Although 395F isn't a bad FP, it's only been in service for 3k. You don't have the typically higher Fe (as in "standing out there" all by itself) that you'll see from some fuel problems (probably a combo of injector imbalance and other stuff).

This oil should be bullet proof. I've surely seen funky numbers with its use (although it's rare) ..the oil itself is very hard to beat up. I think you're the 2nd out all the UOA that I've seen with this oil (or it's earlier evolutions in name) where it hasn't shrugged off whatever the engine threw at it ..with distinction.

It's still nothing to get too cranked about. More of an annoying puzzle than anything (yes, it would bug me too).

 

[glxpassat]

Thanks Gary! The average mileage/lead from Blackstone for this motor is 6k/3ppm. I've been reading a little here and it seems like Blackstone uses an "open cup" test for flash/fuel that is not accurate and that "closed cup" is the way to go...whatever that means. Anyone know which labs do it right with the "closed cup"? Thanks!

 

[Lonnie]

Try Dyson Analysis and do a search on RLI for info from RI_RS4 on the subject of fuel dilution and test procedures.

 

[Auto-Union]

Doesn't ester oil scour out some lead on initial use?

 

[glxpassat]

That's what I hear, but lead is actually down this time from the GC that I was using. I've made a few changes and see how it comes out next time. I just can't believe that TDT lost this much viscosity in 3k miles in my motor!

 

[Gary Allan]

How long was this oil in service?? Is it still in service (didn't know if you used a pump)?

 

[glxpassat]

Gary, the oil was in for 3-4 months and I changed it to Maxlife 10w-40. I also changed the air filter, spark plugs, and brand of gas at the same time to see if that makes a difference.

 

[Gary Allan]

So, you're doing 1k/month. Gosh you should be easily good for 6k/6m without breaking a sweat with this stuff.

Just one suggestion. I'm surely just a novice here, but when someone switch hits there can be disruptions that cloud the readings. It doesn't happen with every oil or engine ..but surely something like RedLine can manage to wreak havoc at times.

Just a note on D1/TDT: When I stopped buying it due to Katrina drying up the M1 T&SUV supply ($19.95 5 quart jug), I switched to RTS 5w-40 for less than half the cost of D1. This is after, IIRC, 23k of D1. I started seeing consumption that was rather high at first. Where I had no consumption over 12.5k, I lost a quart in 3k. I freaked and changed the oil (still RTS) ..and the consumption occurred @ 6k ...changed it again and it consumed one quart in 9k ..which is what I settled on for the 6 month OCI. The next OCI it didn't consume any over the 9k+.

The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes you can have disruptions from switch hitting. I try not to do just one UOA on one oil. Basically just reducing the variables for my benefit. I'm not educated enough to read through stuff like Terry.

Not every engine/oil is going to react this way, but it's something to think about if you're seeing less than stellar results with the first use of a given oil.

I'd recommend that you consult Terry if you don't achieve the desired results on the next OCI.

 

[glxpassat]

Gary, The reason I changed so soon is because I decided to consult with Terry about a couple of previous GC oci's where I was having about 2ppm of lead/1k miles which was just not right for my motor. He made some recommendations and so I decided to start with a clean slate. I went ahead and tested the M1 with Blackstone since I already had a bottle laying around. The lead did come down, but it's still higher than what I would like. The huge viscosity drop surprised me since I thought this was a bullet proof oil though.

Next time I'm sending a sample to Terry for his closed-cup analysis to hopefully figure out what's up. I think I will run the 10w-40 for 3-4k and then change to Maxlife again and then send that to Terry when it's time. That should give my motor a chance to adjust to the Maxlife chemistry. Thanks for your input Gary!

 

[Camu Mahubah]

...I can't wait to see the Maxlife 10w40 UOA...