My 3yr UOA Study- Amsoil: 0W-20 SS vs. 5W-30 OE

[GemStater]

Vehicle: 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport

Purchase date: 4/5/12

Miles at purchase: 106,900

Engine: 3.3L V6

Oil Filter: Donaldson P169071 Synteq

Air Filter: Amsoil EaA 170

Lab: Polaris

Sampling Method: Sampling pump with Hot oil

*Detailed notes below.

Motor Oil--------------------0E5W-30------------SS0W-20
Nominal Drain Interval----------6mo.3k------------ 12mo.5k

Wear Metals (ppm)
Iron---------------------------7-------------------19
Chromium----------------------0-------------------0
Nickel--------------------------0-------------------0
Aluminum-----------------------1-------------------5
Copper-------------------------1-------------------3
Lead---------------------------0-------------------0
Tin----------------------------0-------------------1
Cadmium-----------------------0-------------------0
Silver--------------------------0-------------------0
Vanadium-----------------------0-------------------0

Contaminant Metals (ppm)
Silicon------------------------15------------------29
Sodium------------------------4-------------------9
Potassium----------------------2-------------------3

Multi-Source Metals (ppm)
Titanium-----------------------0-------------------0
Molybdenum-------------------74------------------163
Antimony-----------------------0-------------------2
Manganese----------------------0-------------------0
Lithium-------------------------0-------------------0
Boron-------------------------134-----------------101

Additive Metals (ppm)
Magnesium----------------------7------------------21
Calcium----------------------1891----------------4060
Barium-------------------------0-------------------0
Phosphorous-------------------659-----------------775
Zinc--------------------------734-----------------917

Fuel Dilution
% Vol------------------------(
Soot
% Vol----------------------(
Water
% Vol--------------------- (
Viscosity
cSt 100 C--------------------10.1-----------------9.9

TBN-------------------------2.59-----------------3.37

Oxidation---------------------11-------------------55

Nitration---------------------10-------------------14

Particle Count (Pore Blockage)
ISO Code based 4/6/14-------17/17/14---------------N/A
>4 --------------------------1214-----------------N/A
>6---------------------------661------------------N/A
>10--------------------------246------------------N/A
>14--------------------------112------------------N/A
>21--------------------------38-------------------N/A
>38---------------------------5-------------------N/A
>70---------------------------0-------------------N/A
>100--------------------------0-------------------N/A

*Detailed notes:

4/11/2012 at 106,962 miles: Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter. Amsoil OE 5W-30 Motor Oil (Drain interval: 6 months/2,888 miles)

10/11/2012 at 109,850 miles: oil change only. Amsoil OE 5w-30 Motor Oil (Drain interval: 6 months/3,298 miles [oil] 12 months/6189 [filter])

3/12/2013 at 112,515 miles: Used Oil Analysis with ISO particle count. Lab: Polaris Labs (Sample interval: 5 months/2665 miles)

4/23/2013 at 113,148 miles: Oil and oil filter change. Amsoil SS 0W-20 Motor Oil. Note: At time of oil change, replaced oil pan gasket and sealed with Permatex Ultra Black in corners. (Drain interval: 12 months/4,809 miles)

11/27/2013 at 115,729 miles: Added 7oz. make-up oil (7 months/2,581 miles)

4/08/2014 at 117,957 miles: Oil and oil filter change. Amsoil SS 0W-20 Motor Oil. Note: 1 quart low at oil change. (Drain interval: 12 months/5,297 miles)

10/29/2014 at 121,258 miles: Add 15oz. make-up oil (6 months/3,301 miles)

2/11/2015 at 122,768 miles: Add 16 oz. make-up oil (10 months/4,811 miles)

3/17/2015 at 123,151 miles: Used Oil Analysis. Lab: Polaris Labs, (Sample interval: 11 months/5,194 miles)

3/24/2015 at 123,254 miles: Oil and Oil Filter change. Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 PurePlus.(Sample interval: pending)

 

[GemStater]

PQIA VOA values:

Motor Oil------------------0E5W-30--------------SS5W-30

Silicon-----------------------5----------------------7
Sodium---------------------( Potassium------------------(

 

[Clevy]

So exactly what is being said here.

Cliff notes please

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
So exactly what is being said here.

Cliff notes please


+1

I don't really see any issues other than SS being a waste with only 5K miles in 12 months. Could've used a much cheaper oil and still maintained a healthy oil. The wear metals for the 5w30 are lower but it also had 2K less miles on it so that's expected. If you adjusted for the difference in mileage on the oil they'd be close to the same.

I'm actually considering jumping the Amsoil ship. If BITOG has taught me anything it's that the oil on the shelves at stores all around me are excellent and can keep an engine going for hundreds of thousands of miles when changed at the right intervals.

The ONLY reason I might not jump ship is because I like the 100% Synthetic base stock Amsoil uses in SS. The closest thing you can get to that is M1 EP, which is pretty darn close to 100% PAO and much cheaper.

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
So exactly what is being said here.

Cliff notes please


A couple things.

One, for my own curiosity and wanting to provide a data point for the 0W-20 versus 5W-30 topic that some continue to debate over. Case in point, here we have a vehicle that was originally specified for 5W-30 and no real issues with running 0W-20. Plus, this engine has well over 100k miles. I'd imagine if the 0W-20 was ran at the same 6-month interval as the 5W-30 was, there would be very little difference at all.

Two, I just wanted to trend a one-year drain interval with Amsoil Signature Series at least once.

Really, I think the sweet spot for me is buy a Fram Ultra or Donaldson Synteq oil filter, run the filter for one-year, then change the oil Spring and Fall with a lower cost brand name synthetic.

Oil changes simplified and easier on the wallet.

 

[SLATRON]

I think should just do 5k oci with any brand name dino or syn if get on sale n run a ultra or TG for 2 oci.

 

[Leo99]

The test would be more meaningful if you put more than 16k miles on the car over the course of this 3 year analysis and the OCI are on the short end.

I'm not see what conclusions can be drawn from this.

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
The test would be more meaningful if you put more than 16k miles on the car over the course of this 3 year analysis and the OCI are on the short end.

I'm not see what conclusions can be drawn from this.


Again, just a data point. Might not be useful to anyone but myself. In a daily driver, hard to isolate many of the variables encountered year-to-year by a typical motorist.

Mainly, what I set out to do is use the recommended oil drain interval as set by either the OEM and or the oil formulator; the same recommendations followed by many motorists. This irregardless of oil grade used. The interval could be six-months for Amsoil OE or one-year for Amsoil SS.

A preliminary trend I might take away from this is that in my application, I could use a name brand synthetic oil, potentially dino oil, for six-month intervals and that oil could be a SAE 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, or 10W-30. Given that, I will encounter little to no difference with regard to the wear numbers on a UOA.

 

[daves87rs]

Lots of detail there....

 

[oliveoil]

Fram ultra and PYB 5-30 for one year. Easy and no brain damage. Will out last your interest in the car.

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: oliveoil
Fram ultra and PYB 5-30 for one year. Easy and no brain damage. Will out last your interest in the car.


Great products there, but given my application, I'd be concerned about TBN.

Looking at the VOAs over at PQIA:

Pennzoil SAE 5W-30 API SN ILSAC GF-5 has a starting TBN of 8.3

Amsoil Signature Series SAE 0W-20 has a starting TBN of around 12.6 to 12.8.

After 12 months/5,297 miles, my Dodge gobbled up approximately 9.43 TBN of the Amsoil Signature Series.

I'd be afraid of the PYB coming up a few months short. Again, given my specific application.

I have no doubt that PYB would safely support my mentioned six-month Spring/Fall oil change schedule.

 

[zpinch]

What are your driving conditions and habits?

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: zpinch
What are your driving conditions and habits?


I live in a smaller city. Can get to everywhere I need to go within a five mile radius or less.

Other than a couple out of town trips per year, very little highway miles.

Ambient temperature can range between 0 (F) to 105 (F).

Payload typically consists of a family of four.

No hitch, no towing ever.