Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: Loobed
Get four used oil analysis and find out which is better. Get 2 used oil analysis with 5w-20 oil; one in the summer and one in the winter. Then get 2 used oil analysis with 5w30; one in the summer and one in the winter. See which oil works better.
used oil analysis dont evidence catastrophic wear, rather normal and chemical wear. Many oils with enhanced ZdP may report higher wear as they show the Fe, Ni, Cr and Al sloghed off in "readable particle size" instead of the hard fretting and scoring flotsam that dont read on a used oil analysis and usually end up in the filter. used oil analysis without filter washdown and particle count is worthless as a wear indicator esp in competition vehicles.
I agree. The problem as I see it is a lot of people put a lot of faith in a used oil analysis report, and that's wrong. A used oil analysis is a tool to determine if oil is capable of staying in the sump longer, if there is a spike in some wear metal. It can also indicate if excess fuel or coolant is in the oil. Outside of that there isn't much more they can do. Lets not forget how many mistakes they make with them, rendering many of them useless.
I disagree a used oil analysis can revel more than just the proper OCI and coolant and fuel intrusion. But to do so it takes a trained eye and often knowledge of the engine history.
I won't argue with you, people make a living off of doing used oil analysis reports and reading them. They can be useful too. A used oil analysis isn't going to determine engine wear or condition. It might help alert someone to a problem, and they have. OTOH we've had members post over the years having good used oil analysis reports and spun bearings, wrecking engines. My biggest concern is their accuracy, tons of them are wrong, which doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling.