how to take sample for UAO kit?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
1,018
Location
Missouri
so my malibu is coming up on its next oil change and i was wanting to do it's first UAO on her. i dont know how to take the sample or even send it back?
 
Call up Blackstone and they will send you a kit with instructions. Why do you want to do a UOA?
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Call up Blackstone and they will send you a kit with instructions. Why do you want to do a UOA?
just to see how the engine is wearing. i haven't seen a UAO on A 2.5L DI ecotec motor.
 
I would save the UOA money. The engine wear evidence is in the filter pleats NOT the UOA.
I only see uselfullness here if someone is driving a LOT of hours** and they wish to extend OCI to near MAX.

**over 20K per year.

Then there is the fun and learning factor.
I cant argue THAT aspect.
 
Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
so my malibu is coming up on its next oil change and i was wanting to do it's first UAO on her. i dont know how to take the sample or even send it back?


Forget Blackstone, expensive and no TBN. Get an oil analysis kit from NAPA. $16.00. They may need to order it, but it's quick.

UOA provides trends. One UOA by itself is not that much help.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
so my malibu is coming up on its next oil change and i was wanting to do it's first UAO on her. i dont know how to take the sample or even send it back?


Forget Blackstone, expensive and no TBN. Get an oil analysis kit from NAPA. $16.00. They may need to order it, but it's quick.

UOA provides trends. One UOA by itself is not that much help.
does napa include a TBN? Which one is is more useful? Ive seen samples of both blackstone and napa. blackstone just seems more descriptive.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
... The engine wear evidence is in the filter pleats NOT the UOA.
I only see uselfullness here if someone is driving a LOT of hours** and they wish to extend OCI to near MAX.

**over 20K per year.

Then there is the fun and learning factor.
I cant argue THAT aspect.



I agree that often UOAs are a bit of overkill in that they are typically unnecessary for the average application. Most folks here get them, don't understand how to use the information (or outright ignore it), and then espouse some invalid conclusion. There are a bazillion vehicles and equipment that run successfully for a long time and never get one UOA.

I would disagree that the evidence of wear is in the filter pleats. Or more specifically, if there is evidence in the pleats, I'd say it's only part of the story. The typical FF filter is only reasonably efficient at 20um and above, whereas there's a whole lot of info one can glean from a UOA because the ICP spectrometry is sensitive to particles at and below 5um. Most normal wear is small particle, not huge chunks. If you've got a lot of large particle debris in your filter pleats, you've got problems a LOT larger than worrying about the UOA costs ...

Further, there are some decent SAE studies that acknowledge a reasonable correlation between UOAs and wear trending, when compared to other methodologies of wear assessment such as component weight loss, or particle bombardment.

UOAs are a tool, and one has to know both the benefits and limitations to get the usefulness out of them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top