Mobil 1 5w30 EP; 7,500; Volvo s40 T5 2011

[FutureBlake]

Hi folks - First time poster, long time lurker. I got my first oil analysis the other day and I'm a bit concerned about the sodium levels. Does anyone know if Mobil 1 EP uses sodium as an additive? Blackstone mentioned regular Mobile 1, but I didn't know if EP would be different.

Should I be concerned with the sodium levels? The potential for coolant in my engine brought about a panic-moment for me.

Any other thoughts? Thanks for all of your help.

 

[volk06]

Mobil 1 does not use sodium in the oil but its probably residual from a previous oil. I wouldn't worry. Valvoline and Castrol among others use sodium in their add pack.Potassium is almost zero, it is often used with sodium to tell if there was a coolant leak or not. With the potassium level that low I would not be concerned at all. You'll have to sample next OCI to see what the sodium level is then to really tell if there is a coolant leak or not.

 

[FutureBlake]

Ah, good info. I know the factory fill was Castrol conventional, but this was my second change with Mobil 1 (I didn't send the first change out to Blackstone), so I'm not sure how much Castrol would still be around.

Would it be possible to see that sodium even though it's already been through 2 changes since it had oil with that additive? One thing to mention - I changed the oil cold (both times), so perhaps that accounts for more Castrol left hanging around.

I usually change cold, even though I know that it would be more comprehensive at higher temperatures. I feel like the increased comfort to my hands is worth the residual oil.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted By: FutureBlake
Ah, good info. I know the factory fill was Castrol conventional, but this was my second change with Mobil 1 (I didn't send the first change out to Blackstone), so I'm not sure how much Castrol would still be around.

Would it be possible to see that sodium even though it's already been through 2 changes since it had oil with that additive? One thing to mention - I changed the oil cold, so perhaps that accounts for more Castrol left hanging around...


http://www.pqiamerica.com/CastrolGTX.htm

There is a VOA of castrol GTX, Castrol's conventional oil. It uses almost 450ppm of sodium. Not all of the oil drains out of an engine during an oil change. Some engines still have up to 1qt or more in the engine, even though you dumped out 5 or 6 qts. It usually takes 2, maybe 3 OCI to get it completely flushed out.

No worries here!

 

[abycat]

good call volk !!

 

[FutureBlake]

Originally Posted By: abycat
good call volk !!


No kidding! Volk had the response and PQIA link posted quicker than I could pull a dipstick!

Thanks, my friend.

 

[FutureBlake]

Quick follow up - I sent a note to the folks at Mobil 1 to ask if sodium was an additive in M1 5w30 EP. They wrote me back and asked me to call their tech support team. After 20 minutes of research, they still weren't able to tell me if Na was included in the EP version.

I'm sure it's fine, but the next UOA will tell. Glad that Mobil 1 asked me to give them a call, but too bad they couldn't find the info when I did. I may give them a ring back later and see if another staff member can help.

 

[volk06]

It doesn't contain sodium.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2258202