quote:
Originally posted by TooSlick:
Bill99GXE,
Just a comment ....
If your Maxima buddies want to get an accurate reflection on how an oil is performing, they need to run the same formulation 2-3 times in a row. I would also recommend testing the 2nd or 3rd batch you run of a particular brand. If you keep changing types/brands of oil every time, you will never get the best results out of any formulation.
The premise of my endeavor is real world, so brute force often applies. Most samples/results aren't optimal, but can be used as a framework for what oil(s) work, initially targeted for Maxima V6s but it is beginning to stretch out to other makes and engines.
I can't control what others do, but I have tried to mitigate such concerns by including oil history, change intervals, etc.
quote:
All the oils sold today are compatable, but that doesn't mean you'll see optimal results if you mix them. The additive chemistries are all different and there are different types of ZDDP and Calcium/Magnesium "additive packages" being used.
That is my primary basis for analyzing the baseline oils of the brands used most by labs with similar approaches so that such additive package differences can be illustrated and used to "normalize" most of the results.
I don't know why, call it experience or overanalyzing, but the VQ engine in Maximas is pretty easy for me to break down for other people. Wear patterns are now easier for me to spot and comment on as to what is or is not needed. Oil history has been the single biggest clue to discerning what is going on.
An example:
srbarnes4ever's Maxima in the 2000+ Maximas worksheet. Initially he had rather awful levels of chrome, iron, copper, tin, and lead so I recommended him halfing the interval on the same oil. He did so, and the second analysis showed much lower levels, with lead and tin the only ones still being higher than average. However the viscosity increased over a halfed interval.
At this point, he went to Mobil 1, a much thinner viscosity oil initially than Amsoil. It was run the same interval as the second analysis, and the third analysis came back looking quite well. Viscosity dropped, "insolubles" dropped (a measure of nitration, oxidation, and soot lumped together by Blackstone).
He is scared, so he is continuing to go 4k intervals a couple of more times until everything is consistently normal.
There are good results in all the analyses, you just have to do a fair bit of digging.
The MAIN reason for his wear is the VQ series engine in Maximas takes FOREVER to break-in....on the level of 10k miles using a dino oil! Those who have switched to synthetics early on (less than a few thousand total miles) are the ones who are showing some elevated wear levels in the 20k and 30k mileage range.....srbarnes4ever switched to synthetic at 1800 miles AND then went a long interval at 16k to 25k: not a good combination on this particular engine.
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I do find it interesting that the 5w-20's seem to outperform the 5w30's in the Acura V-6 engines. That isn't a very impressive engine in terms of wear rates
That viscosity inference is a red herring. It's more indicative of the respective specific oil change interval histories rather than a 5W/30 being "better" per se. I don't have enough data to say one way or the other, but Amsoil 5W/20 is the only oil I've seen that at least stays somewhat respectable in the 20-weight viscosity range.
Most of the Acura people in my spreadsheet have gone WAY too long at an early mileage on a synthetic oil with only one filter. As you stated, the J-series Honda V6s exact A LOT of wear and stress on the oil and oil filter. I personally would recommend a similar break-in for the J-series Honda V6 as the VQ-series Maxima engines, although for a different reason: going to about 4k on the initial factory-fill oil (unless you change the filter) as Honda uses a lot of moly in their initial oil to facilitate proper break-in.
I personally see no way a Honda OEM filter (ESPECIALLY now that the US made ones are being phased out in favor of the fully Fram-derived Canadian ones) has any business going more than 4k
regardless of oil interval use.
Right now, member RussMaxManiac in the Honda V6 Vehicles worksheet is the only one who is using my break-in hypothesis for the J-series engine, using Pennzoil for 3k intervals up to 10 or 12k and then going synthetic. He has another sample going in soon, so it will be interesting to see what his results are.
Sorry for the novel.
