Mobil 1 SuperSyn 10w30 92' Volvo

[Bill J.]

This is a Blackstone Analysis

Volvo 92' 2.3L 4 cyl, non-turbo
Oil Use interval : 2,524 miles
Make-up oil 0 qts.
Miles on car : 132,700

(Blackstone) We don't think you could ask for better wear after 2,524 miles oil use. Universal averages show typical wear metals for an oil from this type engine after a routine oil run. Your oil run was shorter than average, and we found all wear from the engine at around average levels and in the correct balance to show normal mechanical parts inside. The silicon may show the need for an air filtration check. Oil filtration looks okay. This was 5w30 diesel-use engine oil with no moisture or anti-freeze in it. 2.3% of the sample was gas so check back for another look.

The 1st number is the sample, the (2nd) universal averages

Aluminum 4 (3)
Chromium 1 (1)
Iron 11 (14)
Copper 10 (10)
Lead 7 (6)
Tin 1 (1)
Molybdenum 61 (6)
Nickel 0 (0)
Manganese 0 (0)
Silver 0 (0)
Titanium 0 (0)
Potassium 0 (0)
Boron 105 (46)
Silicon 19 (5)
Sodium 7 (7)
Calcium 2496 (787)
Magnesium 172 (1014)
Phosphorus 708 (798)
Zinc 819 (950)
Barium 0 (0)

SUS Viscosity @210F was 57.4, should be 59-68
Flashpoint was 320F, should be above 365F
Fuel 2.3%, should be under 2%
Antifreeze 0, Water 0, Insolubles 0.5%

All family vehicle (4) air filters have been replaced with heavy duty original equipment replacements and the K & N's are impounded in the garage.

The oil filter was a Volvo/Mann original equipment.

Two prior oil test results on other vehicles running K & N were bad for silicon so that decision was recently made. (Should have taken "**** in Falls Church's" advise previously). So much for that experiment.
The report states "this was 5w30 diesel-use engine oil" I have no idea about that I poured it out of sealed Mobil 1 10w30 SuperSyn gray quarts purchased at Costco.

It seemed like something was amiss which is why the oil was sampled with this low a mileage. It was very dark, and it was the second fill of Mobil 1. The car uses more gas lately and now I wonder why. The plugs were changed out about 1,500 miles ago, as were the distributor cap and wires, and nothing looked unusual. A this point could it be a leaky injector(s)? Oxygen sensor in need of replacement? Engine management system?

Any comments would be appreciated. I'm gonna use Mobil 1 or Amsoil oil filters from now on.

 

[mormit]

The wear numbers look OK but could be better with better air filter and sort out the rich running condition.

You say that fuel consumption seems higher lately. Did it start before or after the plugs were changed?

A common cause for fuel consumption and fuel dilution in a 200/700 non-turbo is a leaking fuel pressure regulator. Often the dilution and poor gas mileage may be accompanied with no noticable drivability problem. It's a cheap and easy item to change as a corrective/preventive measure. I changed one on my 85 245 about two years ago. The part was about $20. The fuel pressure regulator is at the end of the fuel rail toward the front of the car. I believe there are two bolts attaching it to the fuel rail and one vacuum hose to it.

For more troubleshooting try www.brickboard.com

 

[Bill J.]

Thanks for the reply...(I did also post on the Brickboard)

The fuel consumption improved, some, after the plugs, etc. were changed. The plugs, etc. were changed based on a borderline "pass" on the State smog check. Previous tests with this vehicle were so good, there was virtually no CO, very clean burning... The fuel pressure regulator was changed out at about 105K.

 

[Al]

Fuel consumption. Anytime something changes on a car, its always a good Idea to look at what was done last on the vehicle. Not saying you did anything wrong but its always possible to crack a plug, or defective plug from new. Sometimes changing the cap can change the timing a little. Possibly you damaged a plug wire. I have already purchased a defective distributor cap. At the very least you might want to do a resistance check on the wires/make sure the wires are fully engaged in the cap/on the plug.

 

[Bill J.]

It' definitely worth checking out those parts. Gas mileage and a borderline smog check (previous results AAA+) got me to change out plugs, cap and wires to begin with. The mileage improved somewhat, but it is still not up to par.

Could the tested oil have been diluted with gas and stay that way even after new plugs, etc., or would the fuel disappear, I know once the oil is sheared, that it, but what about the percentage of gas still in the oil?

 

[mormit]

Bill J: I would venture to guess that it would depend on the driving conditions following the parts change and the severity of fuel dilution. A long distance 1000mi drive would probably cook off a lot of fuel dilution. Daily 10mi drives for 1000mi total might not.

What mileage are you getting now. Under what conditions?

Typical for this car is 22-23 for mostly city driving. I have heard of 33mpg from some with all highway driving. I get 25mpg on highway trips but I tend to drive it like I stole it.

 

[sprintman]

Bill J
have you considerd an Auto-Rx clean for this engine? It usually works wonders!

 

[Bill J.]

Mormit, I have never gotten more than 25 mpg hwy, and the typical would 18 mpg city, consistently for years; a little more highway maybe 21 or 22 tops.

Lately my daughter has been using the car, short trip operation, to school less than 10 miles and back, 3 blocks to friends and back. In the summer with A/C blasting mileage was about 15, up a little after plugs, wires, etc.

I previously had a "leaky" FPR, which was evident by a fine spray and you could smell it right away. This time there are no driveability symptom.

Is short trip operation the problem?

 

[TooSlick]

Bill J,

The solids level is very high for the number of miles on the oil. I would stick to frequent filter changes on this one for the next 10k-15k miles. You should be seeing solids levels in the 0.1-0.2 range after 3000 miles ....

Everything else is very good ....

TS

 

[Bill J.]

Thanks TS, In retrospect maybe I should have RX'd this car or used a flush before going to synthetic, but I'm learnin quick on this board.

The synthetic is cleaning the internals, but I wonder about blow-by? We don't have to add any oil between changes. Should I consider a 10W40 or a 15W40 to help?.

 

[TooSlick]

Bill J,

You could try the Mobil 1, 0w-40 ...it might give you a better ring seal in a high mileage motor.

Actually, I overlooked the fuel dilution of 2.3% ...that alone will cause the solids level to rise, as you have partially burned particles of fuel in the oil. I would be somewhat concerned about this, as it was a warm weather run on the oil. This problem will only get worse with colder weather. The short trip driving certainly doesn't help.

This is a short, 2500 mile run on the oil, so the absolute wear metals look good. However if you were to "normalize" this to a 10,000 change interval, you'd have 44 ppm of iron and 40 ppm of copper, along with 28 ppm of lead. So those are fairly high wear rates ....

TooSlick

 

[Bill J.]

Thanks TooSlick. What do you think about Amsoil 10W-40, or 15w40 diesel?

 

[TooSlick]

Bill J,

I might try the Amsoil 10w-40 in this engine, given the amount of fuel dilution you have - it's intended for high performance gas/diesel engine passenger cars, with the ACEA "A3/B3" and VW 505 ratings. The 15w40 HD diesel and marine oil is primarily a diesel oil ...aside from a couple of Mercruiser inboards I don't have anyone using it in gas engines.

I do think you need to try to reduce the fuel dilution a bit more first - that will get you the better wear performance you are looking for I believe.

TooSlick

 

[Bill J.]

Thank You to all my advisors...

Oil Analysis provided clues and professional advice and diagnosis resulted in a cure...

I turned the car over "Helmut" my 35+years of experience Volvo/Mercedes expert technician.

Diagnosis: "Bad Oxygen Sensor" Not bad enough to set a code, but bad enough that it could not keep up with engine management properly.

This car is a 92'and will not set a code until things really get way out of range. Helmut advised that the newer cars will set a code if the oxygen sensor is as little as 2.5% out of normal range.

Cure: New oxygen sensor, new Amsoil 0W30, new Amsoil filter - runs great and preliminary gas mileage increase looks like it will be better than ever.

Helmut's further recommendation: "don't use 10W40 oil, your car doesn't use oil, it is good on 30 wt. and that is what I recommend."

 

[Bio-T]

Bill J.
I have had the 0W30 Amsoil in my 2000 Mazda 626 for 12 months now and it has been an excellent oil, good mileage, engine response and quietness. I changed the FF at 6 months. I am going to change it next month and will get it tested.

 

[Spector]

One comment on the wear numbers and the Blackstone averages. I do not believe they calculate their averages or modify them based upon the mileage of the sample. I believe they always report the ave at 5000 miles. Your sample was half of that and as such your wear numbers, alhtough good, may not be as great as they appear due to Blackstone not adjusting theirs down to the 2500 mile sample range.

this is my opinion and you may wish to discuss with them. For example, iron at 11 ppm at 2500 miles would be 22 ppm (in theory but not absolute) at 5000 miles which would be higher then Blackstones ave which is pegged at the 5000 mile marker.

 

[Kristin Huff]

This is the first time I've visited this site, and I was hoping to clarify what we at Blackstone do to calculate the Universal Averages.

We keep a file of each engine type, and that file is continually modified with the average wear metals, silicon, etc., as well as the number of miles on each sample. It's continually changing, and the average number of miles in that file is based on the miles people use when they send in a sample.

So, for example, if we had 2 samples in the file and one used 5000 miles on the oil and the other used 10,000, then those wear metals would be based on 7500 miles on the oil.

It's an automatic average that changes with each new sample given, just like the wear levels change with each new sample given. It's not something we automatically assign 5000 miles to. We do take into account the average miles in that file and compare them to the miles you put on your oil.

I'm happy to see all the discussion about oil analysis on this site! Please feel free to call or email Blackstone if you have other questions about how our reports work.

Kristin

 

[mph]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kristin Huff:
It's an automatic average that changes with each new sample given, just like the wear levels change with each new sample given. It's not something we automatically assign 5000 miles to. We do take into account the average miles in that file and compare them to the miles you put on your oil.

---

Welcome, and thanks for the explanation!

Would you consider adding a place on the report for the number of miles on the average? It would be great to know, for example, that the average values come from oil with an average of 3,875 miles when comparing them to my oil with 6,213 miles on it.

(I understand that you take this into account when writing the interpretation; I'd just like to see the number myself as well.)

 

[dragboat]

Kristin,

Thanks for taking time to register and post and to clarify how Blackstone computes the Universal averages.

Welcome to the site and hope to see you post again.

dragboat

 

[MolaKule]

Thanks Kristin for visiting the site:

A couple of questions, a.) Why report in absolute viscosity when everyone else
reports in kinematic viscosities, b.) why not tbn and oxidation values? The last two variables
are very important to determining service life and condition of oil.

I think your moving averages values gives people a global look how their oil and
engine compare to the rest of the world.