RLI 5W-30, 13,235 miles, 2001 Saturn SL2

[lewdwig]

Time for my annual oil change, putting in fresh Renewable Lubricants 5W-30.

Added one quart of Mobil 1 5W-30 (didn't take a quart of RLI on my trip).

Vehicle mileage, 109,400

Aluminum------5PPM
Chromium------1
Iron----------42
Copper--------5
Lead----------1
Tin-----------0
Moly----------23
Nickel--------1
Manganese-----1
Silver--------0
Titanium------0
Potassium-----11
Boron---------19
Silicon-------13
Sodium--------13
Calcium-------2900
Magnesium-----13
Phosphorus----1036
Zinc----------1246
Barium--------0
SUS Viscosity @ 210f--- 59.8
cst @ 100c ------10.16
Flashpoint----360
Fuel%------TR
Water------0
Antifreeze--0
Insolubles-----.4
TBN----------2.8

Summary of comments: Wear looked good in general, iron well above average though. Trace of fuel not a problem. TBN shows could have run to 15,000 miles.

Two other UOAs posted on this fill (at least one was erroneously posted as 5W-40).

 

[lewdwig]

Six and a quarter quarts of make-up oil added during the 13,235 miles.

 

[addyguy]

6.25 quarts of oil added, and TBN was still only 2.8???

That's an EXPENSIVE oil change! I'd find a good 5W-30 dino on sale, and keep it topped up, and you could probably still do 10k OCI's....

But, it's neat to see a UOA of RLI 5W-30!

 

[Johnny]

Where do you guys see he added 6.25 quart of oil? Looks like he just added one quart on his trip.

 

[INDYMAC]

His 2nd post updated the make-up oil.

 

[buster]

????

 

[lewdwig]

Between the last UOA and this UOA I added 3 quarts, one of which was Mobil 1 5W-30 and the other 2 were RLI 5W-30. Total of 6.25 quarts during the 13,235 miles.

 

[BTLew81]

I really WANT to like this oil, and would like to try it, but I'm not just convinced in the UOA's I've seen.

 

[benjamming]

Trip - lots of highway? High speed?
What oil filter? Was it changed during the interval?

 

[lewdwig]

Originally Posted By: benjamming
Trip - lots of highway? High speed?
What oil filter? Was it changed during the interval?


Mostly back and forth to work, about 4 miles of expressway, the rest country roads, ten stop signs each way, total of 30 miles a day. Oil filter Mobil M1-209, same one throughout OCI (I thought for sure I had a Motorcraft FL-400S in there).

 

[FZ1]

It ain't just the tbn. You need to get the contaminated oil and wear metals out. Change it 2x per year. The M1 filter skewed the wear metals down.

 

[OVERKILL]

Have you considered a heavier (and less expensive) HDEO like M1 TDT to perhaps help with that consumption? You basically changed your oil twice during this OCI........

 

[benjamming]

lewdig,

You mention in your original post that you didn't take a qt of RLI with you on your trip. I assume that it wasn't a very long trip then. Fair enough.

I'll ask the obvious question. Do you notice any oil staining anywhere indicative of a slow leak - valve cover gaskets, spark plug tube seals, etc.?

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: lewdwig
Originally Posted By: benjamming
Trip - lots of highway? High speed?
What oil filter? Was it changed during the interval?


Mostly back and forth to work, about 4 miles of expressway, the rest country roads, ten stop signs each way, total of 30 miles a day. Oil filter Mobil M1-209, same one throughout OCI (I thought for sure I had a Motorcraft FL-400S in there).


is the consumption linear ..or progressive?

 

[rprx]

I thought Saturn fixed their [censored] oil rings by 2000, so maybe you do have an oil leak someplace. The twin cam motors like yours do tend to leak around the spark plug holes and the oil pans don't seem to stay sealed forever. I have owned and seen a bunch of S cars and currently have an 02 SL1 in the fleet that has negligible oil consumption, my daughters 95 SL1 will push a quart pass the rings in 1200 miles and always has, and my 96 SL1 every 1500 or so. On the oil burners, I just run the what's-on-sale, 5W30 dino oil and keep pouring it in, (and clean the spark plugs every 10k or so.) I have seen these cars go 300K with this level of consumption, just don't let them run too low.

 

[ADFD1]

Originally Posted By: BTLew81
I really WANT to like this oil, and would like to try it, but I'm not just convinced in the UOA's I've seen.


Exactly how I feel!

AD

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: ADFD1
Originally Posted By: BTLew81
I really WANT to like this oil, and would like to try it, but I'm not just convinced in the UOA's I've seen.


Exactly how I feel!

AD


Add me to that list.

 

[HondaMan]

So how much did this OCI cost?

Am I understanding that there two UOAs without an oil change and now this final UOA with an oil change?

So SIX QUARTS of oil and three UOAs?

And to top it all off one of the full quarts was M1!!!!

I've spend money on several UOAs back to back to back, but I always try to keep the parameters consistant. Never any makeup oil, never any adds.

UOA after make up oil I feel is useless.

Take the oil as far as you can before you feel you need to add oil, take sample and peform your UOA. You'll have a good feel for where the oil is and how it is doing and if you should continue. To add full quarts after this and then attempt to analize a subsequent UOA I again feel is pointless.

If the response argument is 'Well I'm a qt. down but oil in there is still REAL GOOD' .... maybe I would listen if we are speaking of ONE qt.

Six, I would use Shell dino and simply change the oil when it was time to add the 2nd full qt.

 

[hate2work]

Isn't this the oil Terry Dyson was touting on his website recently?

No reference about it now

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

Isn't this the oil Terry Dyson was touting on his website recently?

No reference about it now

RLI is in the "links" section on his site.