PP 5W-30, 3350 miles, Mazdaspeed3 NEED COMMENTS

[Indydriver]

I changed this early because I could tell the oil was getting diluted just from looking at, feeling, smelling the dipstick. I'm a little surprise that the TBN has held up so well. The viscosity numbers are very interesting considering Mazda just published an extended warranty on this turbo ONLY IF proper maintenance intervals are observed AND oil viscosities NO LESS THAN 5w30 are used. Well, it ain't 30 weight no more....

So, I'm curious as to Blackstone's instruction to go to a longer interval based only on the TBN (ignoring the dilution). It seems to me that this engine may actually be a better candidate for conventional oils and a NOT TO EXCEED 3000 mile OCI as I was doing before this first load of syn. I'm interested in the board's recommendations.

 

[dparm]

It's very difficult to read that report. Would you mind transposing it to text? (per the suggestion at the top of this forum)

Does the warranty allow for more "fuel dilution tolerant" oils to be run? Your motor is really beating down that oil though the wear numbers don't look out of line.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Time to run a real synthetic not a pathetic fake synthetic

That Fuel # looks nasty. Maybe go the WRX/STI route with RTS5w40. No use killing a $$$ RL530 or Ams ATM or M1R4T with that fuel. I can read the report when I hit + in a normal browser.

 

[dparm]

I can read it, but it's very small text.

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
It's very difficult to read that report. Would you mind transposing it to text? (per the suggestion at the top of this forum)

Does the warranty allow for more "fuel dilution tolerant" oils to be run? Your motor is really beating down that oil though the wear numbers don't look out of line.

You know, I hate trying to post images on this board. I don't use the "code" method because I can't read any of those. Oh well, the important part of this report is the bottom section which shows:

SUS Viz@210F = 50.1. Should be: 56-63 (what Viz is that?)
cSt Viz@100C = 7.31. Should be: 9.1-11.3
Flashpoint in F = 310. Should be >365
Fuel% = 2.8. Should be: >365
TBN = 5.9

 

[dparm]

What does the warranty require in terms of certs and specifications?

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Time to run a real synthetic not a pathetic fake synthetic

That Fuel # looks nasty. Maybe go the WRX/STI route with RTS5w40. No use killing a $$$ RL530 or Ams ATM or M1R4T with that fuel. I can read the report when I hit + in a normal browser.

The fuel is what it is. My commute is 4 miles each way and this engine is famous for it. So, the question is, what oil and OCI should I follow? Should I go to a xx-40? Conventional with short intervals?

BTW, the SSP86 (Special Service Program) says:

"The warranty extension does not apply if the problem is caused by poor vehicle maintenance (insufficient oil changes or using engine oil of viscosity lower than 5w30)."

 

[rjacket]

"We'll keep an eye on fuel dilution for you".

Really? How?

 

[Turk]

I have a friend who has one of these and he had similar situations.

He went to all Motul & Amsoil Euto 0w-40.

You really need to run top quality oil in those!

 

[dparm]

Do you have any opportunities to get the car out on the highway once a week or so? That would certainly help burn things off.

 

[rjacket]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Do you have any opportunities to get the car out on the highway once a week or so? That would certainly help burn things off.


+1

And it's not just oil that suffers but also your fuel system and air intake. I short tripped a car and used good oil and frequent oci's but it was only until I used a PEA cleaner and cleaned up the TB that it's peformance returned. It had been a slow deterioration before that.

 

[oggb]

Rotella T6 5w-40 oughta work fine. Cheaper than throwing Motul/Amsoil at it.

 

[Indydriver]

What does the fuel dilution really hurt if you get the oil outta there before it's totally trashed? I'm thinking 5W-40 PYB for 4000 miles would be the ticket! My driving habits aren't going to change.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
5W-40 PYB


Huh?

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
5W-40 PYB


Huh?

Well, prior to this first load of synthetic, I was using PYB 5w30 in 3000-3500 OCIs, basically the same as this interval with PP and it seemed to do just fine. It's going to fuel up, that's just the way it's going to be with this engine and my four mile commute. So, there aren't going to be extended OCIs. So, why not go a little heavier than spec Dino and keep changing at 3-4000 miles? I've got a shelf full of 5w30 PP and M1 I was hoping to use in this engine but, maybe there's a better way to go?

 

[Eddie]

I run PP 5w30 in my CX7 and do 6,000 mile oil changes which is very good based on several UOAs. The reason it was suggested to increase the OCI is because the wear values and TBN are quite good. Sometimes we "experts" forget that the most important information given by a UOA is the wear metals and amount of life remaining in the oil i.e. TBN. The viscosity value is of secondary importance in this case because of the above. Going against the factory recomendations of viscosity might be considered foolish by many. Just my observations. Ed

 

[Indydriver]

Mazda obviously doesn't want sub 30 wt oil in this engine, but that's what it is producing with dilution. So, why not give it a little extra cushion, starting with 40 which will dilute to 30 over the run? Since wear and TBN aren't an issue, the reversion to a heavier conventional with the same OCI makes sense to me. Tell me why this isn't logical?

 

[Gokhan]

You can use the zoom feature of the browser to enlarge the image.

Did you drive the car for at least 15 miles before you sampled the oil in order to evaporate the cold-mixture excess fuel?

The 7.3 cSt viscosity is not awfully low -- in the xW-20 range -- probably mostly due to fuel dilution; although, PP 5w30 shears to below 9 cSt anyway even without fuel dilution.

UOA seems normal otherwise, not particularly impressive though.

 

[Indydriver]

Right before the change, the car was driven 10-12 miles of stop and go errands. I figure why not look at the oil as it's normally used instead of creating some artificial condition? There's no question the engine was hot for several minutes before it was driven onto the ramps.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Right before the change, the car was driven 10-12 miles of stop and go errands. I figure why not look at the oil as it's normally used instead of creating some artificial condition? There's no question the engine was hot for several minutes before it was driven onto the ramps.

How many times was it cranked during that period? Cranking could introduce excess fuel. It's not just how hot the engine was for how long but also how long it was driven after it was cranked last time.