Originally Posted By: Astro_Guy
Originally Posted By: HKPolice
What % was left on the OLM? How long was the oil in the car for? What was the typical driving pattern, city/hwy?
All crucial info. If it was frequently short tripped over a year of service with 5% left on the OLM then this viscosity makes perfect sense. If it was mostly hwy miles over a short time frame with 50% left on OLM, then this viscosity is abnormal.
I believe that the OLM was reading 40%. Normally it reaches 30% at about 5000 miles. This vehicle had seen a mix of driving conditions with very little short tripping. It took 27 weeks to accumulate those 4900 miles, but that was more a function of car pooling than short tripping.
As stated earlier, this was the first time either 0W20 or Mobil1 EP had been used in this vehicle. The goal was to stick to the "normal" 5000 mile OCI, get a baseline UOA, and then extend the next OCI. That low viscosity reading seems way out of line with other UOAs posted here on BITOG, and thus far the only plausible explanation has been a bad test result from Blackstone. Can anyone offer an alternative explanation?
Well since it was the first fill of M1 0w20 then the only explanation IMO is due to residual oil from the last change.
I've read many reports of people switching to M1 and complaining about oil consumption or above normal engine noise. The second interval always seems to cure those problems. It could be due to M1's Magnesium additive package which is rare as 90% of other brands stick with a mainly Calcium additive pack.
Also, the Honda R18 engine shears oil more than most people expect. Not all Honda/toyota engines are "easy on oil", not since they switched to timing chains which chew up oil in most engine designs.