UOA - Mobil 1 0W-40, 2000 C230 kompressor Benz, 4950 miles on oil

[JetForeman]

I've been lurking around this very informative site for a while now and thought I would post my UOA results on my wifes 2000 C230 Mercedes, from Blackstone Labs. This is a sample of Mobil 1 0W-40 with about 5k miles on it. This is my first post so hopefully I do this right. Any comments are very appreciated. Also a little about her car, it has 60k miles on it, 2.3L supercharged engine using a K&N air filter since new. She drives about 40 miles a day to and from work and it gets a lot of abuse from me when I get a chance to drive it.

Aluminum 2
Chromium 0
Iron 5
Copper 4
Lead 1
Tin 0
Moly 66
Nickel 0
Manganese 0
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Potassium 0
Boron 134
Silicon 3
Sodium 5
Calcium 2537
Magnesium 20
Phos 743
Zinc 876
Barium 0

TBN 5.8
SUS VIS @ 210'F 65.9
Flashpoint 360
Fuel .8
Insolubles .3

Here are Blackstones comments on this oil:

DALE: The universal averages column shows typical wear from this type of engine after about 4000
miles on the oil. Your oil was run 4950 miles, and wear levels read well below those averages. We
did find a little bit of fuel dilution, which is common in engines that see a lot of city driving and/or
idling. We don't consider it a problem until it reads above 2.0%. The TBN read 5.8, so this oil had
plenty of active additive remaining when you changed it out. The oil could have gone longer, and your
engine can take it, too! Try 5500 miles next time.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

Good report. Very low silicon for a KN air filter.

As usual, it thinned down to a 30 weight.

[ December 17, 2003, 11:23 PM: Message edited by: sbc350gearhead ]

 

[JetForeman]

After all of the reports I've read lately trying to educate myself I didn't think it looked too bad at all either. I was concerned about the K&N filter but it appears the engine likes it as well as the 0W-40...

 

[Ken4]

Wow, I didnt realise MB still makes such great engines. Is it an all aluminium engine or the lower end is still CI? Is this a 4 cyl? Is this MB made in germany?

 

[JetForeman]

2.3L 4 cyl. Iron block, aluminum head. Supercharged around 6psi I believe. We bought it new almost 4 years ago and it's been a hell of a car. Very good mileage and lots of power!!

 

[Bror Jace]

JetForeman, everything looks great. I wouldn't touch a thing.

What's the sump capacity for this engine?

--- Bror Jace

 

[JetForeman]

It holds 6 quarts of oil and uses an element type filter. I use a STP oil filter in it.

 

[Sin City]

The wear numbers are very nice. 65.9 SUS= 11.85 cSt. As sbc350gearhead said it thinned down to a 30 weight.

 

[Eiron]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sin City:
The wear numbers are very nice. 65.9 SUS= 11.85 cSt. As sbc350gearhead said it thinned down to a 30 weight.

---

You're both looking at the data wrong.

"Grades" don't matter 'cuz they're arbitrary points along a wide-ranging scale. Percentage of original viscosity, relative to the aspiration configuration of the engine, is what you want to know.

When you have that number, you can then make relevant comparisons to other oils run under comparable conditions in the same engine.

Saying, "it thinned down to a 30 wt," means as much as saying, "it's not as tasty as maple syrup."

 

[Chris B.]

Look at the high iron, it is the highest wear metal, darn M1!!!!

Just kidding these numbers are excellent and can't get much better!!!! I'd stick with this oil. Congrats!

 

[Patman]

Sure it did thin out, which obviously is something that I don't typically like, but man those wear numbers are incredible! This is the best UOA we've seen on 0w40 M1 so far! I wouldn't change a thing here.

Why would Blackstone say to go to 5500 though? I would think it would easily go 8-10k here based on this info. We know that 0w40 doesn't keep thinning, from this point it typically thickens back up.

 

[Motorbike]

Yeah the Mobil 0/40 is a great oil

It stays in grade well through the interval where the Amsoil 10/40 just gets thick from oxidation from the gitgo " I like that word "

If one was to search , they will see the Mobil 0/40 has deluxe TBN retention and wear protection even AFTER 1 year of service and 12k miles . Others here at 7500 - 8500 miles as well .

There's a Chevy Van with the 4.3 motor that ran the 10/40 Amsoil and at 5500 miles the stuff was like a 16 centistroke value . The oil starts out at 14.3 advertised and I saw a post where the new sample was 14.0 . A 50 wt motor oil at 5k miles

I'll take the 4.00 Mobil 0/40 anyday based on analysis here at BITOG .

BTW . thank you for the post on your oil analysis and your MB ... Nice car there

[ December 18, 2003, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: Motorbike ]

 

[TooSlick]

I'm not sure how the topic of Amsoil came up in a Mobil 1 thread?, but I feel the Amsoil 10w-40 is at least as good as the M1, 0w-40. In particular the Amsoil 10w-40 uses an SL/CI-4 additive chemistry and the TBN retention will tend to be better than this Mobil 1 formulation. The Mobil 1, 0w-40 is going to provide marginally better cold temp behavior and better fuel efficiency, since it's HT/HS viscosity is about 20% lower than the Amsoil 10w-40, ie 3.6 Cp vs 4.2 Cp for Amsoil.

If Motorbike has some hidden agenda he'd like to share with us, or some bone to pick with Amsoil, I'm all ears? If in fact he works for a competitive oil company, I don't think that slandering your competitiors comes off as very professional. Actually, I honestly don't think he works in this business, since the legit lube engineers I've met like Georgeseq @ AVLube don't use methods as juvenile as this.

Any and all comments I've ever made regarding Mobil 1 have been directly tied to the trends I see in the oil analysis data. They have not been selectively chosen to prove a particular point or advance some hidden agenda. Indeed, I recommend the excellent Mobil Delvac 1, 5w-40 oil all the time, as well as other competitive lubes. I am not the first one to note that this 0w-40 shears, or that Mobil 1 analyses show higher iron levels than other top tier synthetics like Amsoil, Redline, RP and Synergyn ....

If someone responsible from ExxonMobil wants to come on here and explain the behavior of Mobil 1, 0w-40 in these high performance applications, I think it would be welcomed by everyone. If they simply want to hide behind some forum name, I don't think that comes off very well at all.

Ted K.
www.lubedealer.com/Dixie_Synthetics

[ December 18, 2003, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: TooSlick ]

 

[JetForeman]

Thanks for all of your comments gents. Although the oil did really well here there is one thing that I noticed that concerned me a little. It's what I consider to be a low flashpoint of 360'F, or what I would consider low. Does that number look low to anyone else or is this typical for the 0W-40??

Also Patman I agree with you on Blackstones comments of only going another 500 miles on the oil. I believe that recommendation to be way too conservative even though I never run it more than 5k miles to begin with.

I also sent in a sample of the ATF from this same car as well, should I post the results here too?

 

[TooSlick]

If the FP is that low, it's from that 0.8% fuel dilution ...it doesn't take much gas to lower the FP of any oil. The wear numbers look fine by the way, the Germans make some excellent engines.

I'd go to a 7500 mile oil/filter change interval in this one ...

Tooslick
Dixie Synthetics

 

[JetForeman]

Tooslick, I believe the .8 fuel dilution is from my wife refusing to get into a cold car in the morning. Actually we're both guilty of that so it does see a fair amount of warm-up time and the traffic here in Atlanta has been terrible lately so the car also sees a lot of stop and go use.

 

[Drew99GT]

How did you get such low silicon numbers from the K&N? Have you serviced it at all in the 60K it's been in the car? If not, I guess it proves that overcleaning those suckers really is not the way to go.

 

[JetForeman]

I have no idea why my silicon numbers were so low with my K&N air filter, I clean it about every 15k miles or once a year.

 

[Motorbike]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Motorbike:
Tooslick,

Do you even read these threads ?
If you did you probably saw Patman post this:
==========
Why would Blackstone say to go to 5500 though? I would think it would easily go 8-10k here based on this info. We know that 0w40 doesn't keep thinning, from this point it typically thickens back up.
===========

Thats when I posted I would rather use the 0/40 oil than a oil that would thicken permanently out of grade like the UOA of the 10/40 I saw here at BITOG . Now cry about it if you want but these analysis's are here to refer to as members want or need is my opinion whether YOU like it or not .

You are not hearding the Cow here

It's not slanderous for me to pull a comparitive oil analysis out and post my opinion on it and why I would rather use another oil over it .If it is , you have done so many, many times .I will post the threads if need be and about your statement , nothing but apology is needed at this point.

I do not work for an oil company nor do I have a hidden agenda but I'll tell you this , just because I bring Group III oils up to the top and applaud them for 7k miles of service, group II's for 9400 miles ect does not mean I'll stop just because you these oils cost less than the ones you sell.

When members are not allowed to post their own observations and opinions based on other analysis here because it offends someone like you it will be time to shut the analysis section down unless you are moderated .It actually surprises me no-one has mentioned after you posted ;
=======
I'm not sure how the topic of Amsoil came up in a Mobil 1 thread?,
===============

Please take time to look at the Jeep 5/40 thread and read the musings there about Mobils slogans and how great Amsoils formulations are . You are saying YOU can post about Amsoil when ever and where ever you want but an Amsoil product cannot be brought into another topic as a simple reference .

Last thing . You accuse me of being with an oil co . I guess if I DID work for one I'd get fired posting positives about ;
Mobil
Torco
Synergyn
Shell
Schaeffers
Conoco
Pennzoil
Redline

---

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

Motorbike just want to say your comments show you have not learned much about analysis from here. And using one UOA from an engine that always thickens oil to make sweeping generalizations that a certain oil always thickens out of grade, therefore it's no good, is not wise either.
Not only does that engine always thicken oil, but there are many other variables that will.
BTW I thought you said that grade does not matter, only actual cst.
Well 0w40 thinned by more cSt than the Amsoil 10w40 thickened.
And do you really think the thickening back into grade of the 0w40 returns it to equal condition as when new? Try a HTHS test after it's sheared and re-thickened and we'll talk.
And why would you prefer an oil that looses it's film thickness to one that doesn't (or at least less so)?