Valvoline Synpower 5W-40 Analysis, tell me what you think...

[20VGTi]

First off, I have an 02 GTi 1.8T with a total (at the time of sample) of 13,240 miles. I ran this fill from mid Fall through the winter until 4/14/03. The winter here in MA was harsh...so take that for what it's worth. I filled up with about .25 of a qt 3000 miles into the interval. Please tell me what you think...I honestly don't know how to decipher all these values to determine an oils performance. Thanks for any and all help. Analysis done by Blackstone Laboratories.

Total miles on oil: 4,886

DAVID: Although we expect an engine’s break-in period to be past by about 10,000 miles, we suspect that the 5 ppm lead we found in this sample is from lingering wear-in. Upper-end wear (see aluminum, chrome, and iron) looks great. Lead should decrease in the next sample, as should silicon, which is leftover sealers used at the factory. Insolubles were good at 0.4%, showing your oil filtration system is getting the job done. Check back next sample to monitor lead. If it drops (and we see no reason it won't), you should be able to go longer on the oil next time.

Elemtns ppm Values Avg. Values
ALUMINUM 3 3
CHROMIUM 1 1
IRON 11 13
COPPER 7 8
LEAD 5 2
TIN 1 0
MOLYBDENUM 13 36
NICKEL 2 1
MANGANESE 0 1
SILVER 0 0
TITANIUM 0 0
POTASSIUM 2 1
BORON 17 81
SILICON 11 11
SODIUM 4 6
CALCIUM 2627 2188
MAGNESIUM 9 200
PHOSPHORUS 742 760
ZINC 870 922
BARIUM 0 1

Properties Test

Values should be Values were

SUS Viscosity
@100 C 65-75 64.0

Flashpoint
in F >370 380

Fuel %
Antifreeze % 0 0

Water %
Insolubles %

EDIT: Sorry, the values didn't line up correctly... For each element category the first value is mine, the second is the universal average. In the Properties test the first value is what they should be and the 2nd is mine. Thanks again.

 

[Steve_RI]

Yup, there's a 5W-40 Devlac. Although I haven't run it in my 1.8T, it's been recommended. Fyi, I'm the guy from Vortex running Lubro Moly.

 

[vvk]

This is where the Group III nature of SynPower really "shines" through. Not a big deal, IMHO, but you can do better. LM is an excellent choise, you should see much better numbers with it. Delvac 1 5W-40 should also be very appropriate for this engine. As should Mobil 1 0W-40.

 

[20VGTi]

Ah, Steve..., thanks for your help before, I don't know a whole lot about this subject and it helps having people like yourself to bounce stuff off of. It's funny, there are only a few of us on vortex that are using Lubro Moly, everyone seems to dismiss it for some reason, they go for what's most popular at that given time. This is a great site as well, there are probably a lot of people from vortex on here... Thanks again...

Yeah, 0W-40 seems pretty good as well, I used it for my first synthetic fill and I seemed to use up a little bit, mabye 1/2 qt. This could be the engine still "breaking in" or whatever. I may try it after this fill and see how it compares to the Valvoline and Lubro Moly. I'm determined to find the best oil for my engine, without paying a ton of $$$ for it that is...

 

[Steve_RI]

I think part of the reason Lubro Moly gets overlooked a lot in the 5W-40 arena is that it's not readily available off the shelf and it's not cheap. I have enough LM for a couple more changes, so I have no plans to try another oil any time soon. I've had no consumption issues, and the UOA's have come back favorable for the intervals I've run.

However, for 5,000 mile intervals, it seems any of the good synthetic 5W-30 (Mobil1, Amsoil, Schaeffer (blend), etc.) will work fine for this motor as well.

 

[20VGTi]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve_RI:
I think part of the reason Lubro Moly gets overlooked a lot in the 5W-40 arena is that it's not readily available off the shelf and it's not cheap. I have enough LM for a couple more changes, so I have no plans to try another oil any time soon. I've had no consumption issues, and the UOA's have come back favorable for the intervals I've run.

However, for 5,000 mile intervals, it seems any of the good synthetic 5W-30 (Mobil1, Amsoil, Schaeffer (blend), etc.) will work fine for this motor as well.

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hmmm, how many miles did you have on past samples you had tested? I'm asking because I wonder how far you can safely go with Lubro Moly...

 

[Al]

Looks like a very good report considering its over the winter. I would point out that if the Viscosity is "64" it thinned down to a 30 weight. It also would be interesting to see the TBN (total Base Number)- Judging by the viscosity decreass-the oil is about shot though. Thanks for posting.

 

[20VGTi]

Thanks Al, it's only my first post...but I've been perusing this site for a while now, just sitting by the sidelines taking in some knowledge. I'm currently running Lubro Moly Voll-Synthese 5W-40, I will post an analysis on this as well once I've got about 5k on it. I'm interested to see how well it will do. Also, one question, I've seen that people recommend using Delvac oil for gas engines, is this correct or am I wrong? If so do they sell it in 5W-40, sounds like a great oil. Thanks again...

 

[Steve_RI]

4,100 on the first, 6,500 on the second. I'm going to stick with 6,000-7,000 mile drains for now, at least while the warranty is an issue.

 

[20VGTi]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve_RI:
4,100 on the first, 6,500 on the second. I'm going to stick with 6,000-7,000 mile drains for now, at least while the warranty is an issue.

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Good, that sounds promising...

thanks...