Next UOA for my classic Saab 900 turbo 16. (B202L, 16 Valve DOHC with hydraulic tappets, Garrett T3 turbocharger, Bosch LH-Jet multi-port injection, oil change volume ~3.8 to 4 litres, total volume including oil cooler 4.5 litres.)
I had done an UOA on the Shell before, but I was starting to get a bit worried about the hydraulic lifters making some noise when not hot. (Drive 600km Autobahn at or in excess of 120-130km/h, leave the Autobahn and idle at the end of the off-ramp and everything is fine. Then drive 15 minutes through town and the ticking starts. Cruise smoothly over B-roads, it will tick at idle. Very spirited drive on a winding mountain road, silence. Coast downhill, ticking...)
OIL Shell Helix Ultra 0w-40
MILES IN USE 6524 (10497km), 5.5 months
MILES 373837 (601503km)
SAMPLE TAKEN 17/03/26
FILTER: Mann w712/80
wear metals (mg/kg)
IRON 12
CHROME 1
TIN 1
ALUMINUM 1
NICKEL 0
COPPER 6
LEAD 2
MANGANESE 0
pollution (mg/kg)
SILICON 11
POTASSIUM 2
SODIUM 4
WATER (%) <0.1
IR-GLYKOL negative
FUEL (%) 0.86
Additives (mg/kg)
CALCIUM 2207
MAGNESIUM 11
BORON 48
ZINC 949
PHOSPHORUS 779
BARIUM 0
MOLYBDENUM 52
SULPHUR 1797
state of oil:
visc. @40°C (mm2/s) 72.61
visc. @100°C (mm2/s) 13.01
VI 182
OXYDATION (A/cm) 5
NITRATION (A/cm) 4
SULFATION (A/cm) 6
dispergency* (%) 89
SOOT INDEX** <0.1
BN N/A
* the german word was "Schmutztragevermögen", hope I translated that right.
** the lab has introduced the "Rußindex", an in-house tool to check for soot in
gasoline oil, as soot from direct-injection engines will not show correctly in the
standard test for diesel oils
Here is the original. On the left: Shell Helix Ultra, Shell Helix Ultra again, then Aral Super Tronic, to the right Mobil1 "New Life".
More on my blog: https://turboseize.wordpress.com/2017/04...saab-900-turbo/
previous analysis discussed here:
Shell, 591k: blog, bitog
Aral, 572k: blog, bitog bitog
Mobil1, 551: blog, bitog bitog
Usage pattern was unchanged. Two to three short trips a week to the boat house (2x8km), then long-distances (2x580km) cruises over the weekend.
Silicone has gone up from the last uoa. Might be due to th echeap filter, might also be the big construction side on the neighbouring lot, where they tore down a high-rise complex. Demolition work started roughly with the beginning of the OCI...
The hydraulic lifter noise I was concerned about does not seem to cause any wear.
I did not order a BN test this time, as the last ones showed that BN is of no concern with my usage pattern, and a BN test cost an extra ~20€...
Current oil is Shell Helix Ultra 0w-30 AV-L. Some slight hydro noise upon startup, but once warm, the engine is silent. Will definitely do an UOA with that oil to see if viscosity is high enough for the bearings and cylinders/piston rings. But with the AV-L being ACEA C3, it must have HTHS >3.5, so the bottom end should do ok...
More on my blog: https://turboseize.wordpress.com/2017/04...saab-900-turbo/
previous analysis discussed here:
Shell, 591k: blog, bitog
Aral, 572k: blog, bitog bitog
Mobil1, 551: blog, bitog bitog
Usage pattern was unchanged. Two to three short trips a week to the boat house (2x8km), then long-distances (2x580km) cruises over the weekend.
Silicone has gone up from the last uoa. Might be due to th echeap filter, might also be the big construction side on the neighbouring lot, where they tore down a high-rise complex. Demolition work started roughly with the beginning of the OCI...
The hydraulic lifter noise I was concerned about does not seem to cause any wear.
I did not order a BN test this time, as the last ones showed that BN is of no concern with my usage pattern, and a BN test cost an extra ~20€...
Current oil is Shell Helix Ultra 0w-30 AV-L. Some slight hydro noise upon startup, but once warm, the engine is silent. Will definitely do an UOA with that oil to see if viscosity is high enough for the bearings and cylinders/piston rings. But with the AV-L being ACEA C3, it must have HTHS >3.5, so the bottom end should do ok...
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You'd have to dismount engine and gearbox, and then separate gearbox and engine outside of the car. The gearbox is under the engine, and the gearbox housing is cast in such a a way that there is room for the oil sump.
Also, the screen on the pick-up tube of b202 and b204/b234 has a much coarser net then the later b205/b235 engines.
But I had the gearbox rebuilt some 65000km ago. That is, my mechanic rebuilt a second gearbox, due to (lack of) parts availability as a Frankenstein's monster consisting of three gearboxes, including some gears and the synchromesh of original one. But the housing was taken from a different one. So it might be possible that the sump of the donor gearbox might have had some gunk baked onto the surfaces that came loose in my engine... but else, I do not see any chance for crud in my engine, given the meticulous maintenance history.
Also, the ticking started about half an OCI after the gearbox rebuilt. But that might also have been coincidence. Or maybe my hydros are just worn out after ~600.000km.
btw, this is how my original oil sump looked like at km 534000:
With those early turbos, it really depends on your driving profile. My first Saab had the very same engine - B202 turbo with Garret T3 turbocharger - but also had oil temp and oil pressure gauges. Entirely possible to get oil temperatures way in excess of 130°C, even with an oil cooler! I could kill a semi-synthetic 10w-40 in a single weekend. Two high-speed runs of 600km in four hours each and the oil will be pitch black, and you might get oil pressure problems at idle when hot. A synthetic (PAO or GTL) does take this abuse better.
But driven gently, even a semi-synthetic will stay reasonably clear for 7500km...
With my driving profile - mostly gentle cruises at 120-130km/h, very few short trips and only one or two weekends of very spirited driving during an OCI - and with modern synthetic (PAO or GTL) oils, longer intervals should very well be doable. My mechanic (the guy who rebuilt my engine) thinks that unless I change my driving profile a fully synthetic should be safe for 20.000km...
Keep this oil change period and your maintenance plan - your classic car will serve you forever!
I created some list 
The socket wrench is pointing on the bolt was removed for screwing in the oil pressure and temperature sending units.
In the next picture, the heat shield is removed and you can see the turbo:
