LESSONS LEARNED WITH ROTELLA EXPRESS....

[D-Roc]

I decided to give Rotella Express a try a short while ago, as it was 20 dollars for a tbn and everything else that I usually get. It's at a Kenworth dealer and I figured, what the heck. This is going to be a longer run (if everything is ok).

Amsoil AME 15W40
5000 miles
2006 Dodge Cummins



Here are the findings:
Al Cr Cu Fe Pb Sn Si K Na 57
Mo Water Ox 20.6
Vis 100 14.3
Glycol Neg
Fuel 2.2
TBN 11.1
Nit Soot 0.2

I started to have reservations when the woman behind the counter took my sample and turned her back to a small machine and started plugging numbers in....the above is what came out. I should have sent it to CAT SOS which is my usual...lessons learned. Always send to a reputable lab.



Here is the results from CAT that I got back today. Suffice to say, I am getting my money back from the Kenworth dealer.

Cu 1
Fe 10
Cr 0
Al 3
Pb 2
Sn 0
Si 5
Na 4
K 6
B 9
Mo 3
Ni 0
Ag 0
Ti 0
V 0
Ca 3741
Mg 14
Zn 1357
P 1197
Ba 0
St 35
Ox 783 (WHAT IS THAT?)

Nit 15
Sul 286
W N
A N
F N
V100 14




I probably won't be sampling for a while, but I'm curious as to the oxidation...never had a number that high before. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Johnny]

Except for the fact the first test did not show the calcium, zinc, phos, and sul, all the rest of the numbers are pretty close. Why no TBN on the Cat test?

 

[c3po]

I cannot understand this, then again I am used too reading UOA's from Blackstone.

 

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Except for the fact the first test did not show the calcium, zinc, phos, and sul, all the rest of the numbers are pretty close. Why no TBN on the Cat test?



It was the sodium and the fuel on that Rotella Express test that I questioned. Where would sodium come from? And I took the sample hot right off the highway after a good run like I always do. As for the TBN, I usually don't get one from CAT (I have SOS containers that don't include that, I got those for one heckuva deal), and I really didn't think I needed one for 7500 kilometers. I'll probably have one done by just adding that to my CAT SOS next time I send one in. I have the samples already back at home, I'll just have to check the box and have them charge my credit card.

Even though it's different oil, it follows my earlier history with CAT pretty closely except for the Oxidation. Just curious what that could be from.

 

[White_Buffalo]

Wow, the oxidation # (783) in the second report is much higher than the 20.6 in the first report. Not sure about the cause but oxidation is direct reflect on an oil's serviceablity. According to Schaeffer's Lab, excessive oxidation levels can be due to overextended drain intervals or overheating. But normally you would see a viscosity increase with high oxidation levels and yours is right were it should be. So, I am also quite puzzled. As far as the oxidation level is concerned:

0-50 = normal
51-74 = abnormal
75-99 = severe
100+ = excessive

 

[D-Roc]

I'm not puzzled anymore, I figured it out.