Red Line/Isuzu/3.5L/ partial UOA

[AcuraSLX]

This is my first UOA and I made several errors. I had the UOA done by AAA Diagnostic under the Oil Scan program. They take the sample and ship it to Herguth Labs for $25. H Labs will give only a limited UOA under this program. There is no TBN or Viscosity.
Engine - 3.5L Isuzu
Vehicle - 99 Acura SLX
RL in at 65,180 Miles
changed at 73,200 Miles
Vehicle use includes four wheeling in Moab,Ut. Much desert running in Nevada and Arizona. High speed long distance runs on highway. Some around town use in CA. Oil was used for April, May, June, July and August in the SW USA and central CA.
Crankcase Oil was 4 qts RL 10-30 and 1 qt RL 20-50. One makeup qt of RL 5-40? was added as needed.
Metals
Iron ppm - 7
Aluminum ppm - 2
Chromium ppm - 2
Copper ppm - 10
Lead ppm - 2
Tin ppm - 2
Nickel ppm - Silver ppm - Silicon ppm - 9
Sodium ppm - 18
Boron ppm - Zinc ppm - 1397
Phosphorus ppm - 1311
Calcium ppm - 2842
Magnesium ppm - 13
Barium ppm - Molybdenum ppm - 605
Potassium ppm - 16

FTIR
Oxidation Abs/cm - ** >100
Water FTIR % Vol - Nitration Abs/cm - **31
Fuel % Vol - Glycol % Vol
I called the lab at no charge and was given an interpretation. The interpretation was confusing to me. It turns out that the Oxidation and Nitration numbers were invalid because of the synthetic base stock. I asked about TBN and viscosity but was told that I can't have results under the oil scan program. The lab guy said the oil could have been used for many more thousands of miles.
I should have taken the sample myself and used the site supporters/interpreters. Herguth is probably OK for a more experienced person. Service was fast.

 

[buster]

Awesome report! The wear numbers are excellent. I believe this engine usually shows high numbers too. I'm starting to get real interested in Redline anymore.

 

[JohnBrowning]

THose are good numbers!! First half of the wear metal is what was still stuck to the inside of the engine from previous oils used! econd the type of recreational useage you did would be considered extreme! Third 8000 miles under the above conditions would qualify as extended drain in my book. Four this ungine is known for bearing wear and so the lead, tin and copper are usualy higher then this with even shorter intervals. The fuel diloution has me a bit concerned though.

Most places miss interpet the ox and nitr. numbers for Redline all the time.

 

[Al]

The last few oil analysis we have seen for Redline were outstanding. Like Buster-I'm beginning to be a believer. Great report.

 

[buster]

quote:

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I'm beginning to be a believer. Great report.

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I think I'm going to try Redline. It should be a good match for my engine. I like what I'm seeing.

 

[AcuraSLX]

I was concerned about fuel dilution as well, but the lab said they only report it as I did have a very dirty air filter. I checked it after Moab and it was OK but then continued down to AZ. for a trip to the dusty Gila River Indian Reservation. When I returned to CA the fuel economy was down a bit to 14.3 or 14.7 mpg. I changed the filter and put in a new Isuzu filter. I used a K&N oil Filter. I have now refilled the crankcase with RL 10-40. There is also a site sponsor to buy RL at a good price.

 

[pinoy99]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
I believe this engine usually shows high numbers too

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Huh?

were did you get this idea?
Some of this motors(98+) consume oil but wear is normal.

 

[pinoy99]

quote:

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Originally posted by JohnBrowning:
Four this ungine is known for bearing wear and so the lead, tin and copper are usualy higher then this with even shorter intervals. The fuel diloution has me a bit concerned though.

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Were are these beliefs coming from?

Truck was used off-road in MOAB, lost of crawling, engine braking etc, so <2% dilution IMO is not bad at all.

 

[pinoy99]

Excellent report, AcuraSLX, I might give Redline a try too.

 

[AcuraSLX]

Pinoy;
Good to hear from you. I was puzzled by the remark about bearings. These things 3.2 & 3.5L Isuzu V6 have bulletproof bottom ends. The Ausies run these trucks 2500 racing miles in the Round Australia Rally with no bottom end problems. The racing engines produce 275 bhp and have stock bearings.
DO you think the low volatility of the RL is responsible for the lower oil usage? I used one Qt in 8,000 miles. I add when it gets about one third of a Qt low.
I wish my tranny UOA on M1 was as good as the engine UOA on RL.

 

[pinoy99]

I can only guess that the high(er) flashpoint of the RL is a factor in less consumption. IIRC, this truck is run mostly on RL so maybe the rings(which some folks posted to have design issues) are kept cleaner than most oils.

 

[Bror Jace]

Yes AcuraSLX, this report is very encouraging!

8,000 miles and, except for the copper at "10," all values are single digit.

Yes, I might credit the lower volatility of the Red Line Oil with decreased consumption. But, it all depends on the reason for the consumption in the first place. It could be the ester's effects on seals if that's the reason. Or perhaps it's piston ring sticking and the Red Line has freed them up allowing them to seal better? It depends, depends, depends ...

"I wish my tranny UOA on M1 was as good as the engine UOA on RL."

Hmmm ... maybe time to try a different ATF, eh?

Nice to see some of the doubters finally coming around.

--- Bror Jace

[ September 08, 2003, 04:21 PM: Message edited by: Bror Jace ]

 

[AcuraSLX]

Bror Jace;
I had a complete T Tech flush and filter change for the tranny. I refilled with Red Line D4 Synthetic ATF. I was disappointed that Mobil One Synthetic ATF didn't give better protection. It was only in there for 17K miles. I have no other UOAs to look at for a 4L30E but I know I don't want that much copper wear. At least it was still suspended in the fluid. Live and learn.

 

[Robbie Alexander]

quote:

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Originally posted by AcuraSLX:
I was concerned about fuel dilution as well, but the lab said they only report it as

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snip

The Fuel is okay, they just use 2% as like an alarm, something to them to watch out for. Youre cool, and with numbers like these, I wouldn't be concerned about TBN or Visc, they had to still be safe with a report like this.

One question though, I'd like a little history on how you have taken care of your engine in general and when and how often if you have flushed the engine, the question mainly with did you flush before and how often if so?

 

[AcuraSLX]

Sorry for the delay in answering:
I haven't flushed the engine. The truck was maintained by the dealer until 50K. They offer a 4 yr 50K bumper to bumper on Acura badged trucks.
I used dealer dino until 30K then I switched to RL. I occasionaly used Pennzoil Synthetic when I couldn't find enough RL to change. I usually ran the Pennzoil Synthetic 3k to 5K before an oil change. The dealer claims that 7500 is OK for dino. The dealer may have used Honda/Acura oil. I believe that's all they stock. They say to change the filter every other oil change. I change the filter every time.

 

[AcuraSLX]

BTW- they are adamant about the viscosity, 10w30 only. They recommend RL to those who want synthetic.
4yr 50K refers to the Acura warranty. I bought the truck with 4118 miles on the odo. The prior owner was Honda America.