06 GM 2.2 12,600 mi Mixed Syn Shell/Conv PYB 5w30

[WobblyElvis]

Finally signed up after browsing this site for quite a while. I’ve been tinkering with cars for about 40 years and I eventually came to the conclusion I’d change oil twice a year, mostly because I’m lazy and secondly because it seems to be cost effective. The oils used for these three runs were whatever was cheaply available at the time and I do not hesitate to mix oils. The first test did not contain any synthetics and produced low TBN readings so I included some Group III synthetics in the next two runs. Driving 50/50 Highway City.

The first test [7,500 mi] oil was Canadian Tire [shell] Supreme conventional 5W30 with a bosch filter.

The second test [8,500 mi] oil was %80 Canadian Tire synthetic [shell] and %20 conventional 5W30. I’m not really sure what brand the conventional oil was, perhaps PYB or Castrol GTX. Mobil 1 ext performance filter. During the run .5 quarts PYB was added.

The third test [12,600mi. 3,000 of which was a highway trip] oil was %50 Canadian Tire synthetic [shell] and %50 PYB 5W30. Basic Fram Filter. During the run .8 quarts Valvoline Synthetic 5W30 was added.

Most people here don’t seem to want to exceed 5 or 6,000 miles even though the UOAs they are posting don’t show excessive engine wear and the oil is still good. I don’t think it’s harmful to go further. Too each his own.

 

[gregk24]

Looks great! If I did more highway driving I would be able to extend my OCI. But my short trips keep my OCI fairy short.

 

[6starprez]

Why do you mix synthetic and conventional? You should have swapped filters for the second and third run. You went 12,600 miles on a orange Fram filter? Yikes!!!! Sodium was high too back almost a year ago.

 

[Apollo14]

The sodium may have come from the Valvoline synthetic 0.8 quarts that was added.

I'm guessing too much time has passed for the Fram filter to be cut open at 12.5k miles.

 

[sicko]

Excellent reports.

I agree the increase in sodium probably came from the Valvoline make up oil that was added. Sodium is a known additive in Valvoline.

Everything looks good, and since you're out of warranty you shouldn't have any concerns extending your OCI as long as you stay within the limits of your oil.

Only thing I would do different is use a different oil filter, or change filters between oil changes. Nothing wrong with the Fram orange can, but Fram says they're good for 5k miles. I feel they can safely go beyond that, but taking it up to 12.6k miles is a pretty large increase and goes beyond my comfort range. If it were my vehicle I'd prefer to use a Fram Ultra, or Purolator PureOne (after they address the tearing issue), or change the Fram orange can half way between oil changes. But that's just me and what I'm comfortable with, there doesn't appear to be a filtration issues in your UOA, so go with what you're comfortable with.

 

[bigt61]

Nice reports - impressive wear #'s on that 12k run. I'm guessing an 06 GM 2.2 is maybe a Chevy Cobalt? So the above OCOD reference may not apply as it's a cartridge filter.

 

[timeau]

Just curious: did anybody pay attention that oil consumption grows as pastry with yeast? I would forget about all these miserable numbers and start thinking about the real problem.

 

[WobblyElvis]

The car is a Malibu but you are correct the same engine could be in a Cobalt. I think it's worth noting, the engine takes 5 quarts of oil and therefore has relatively large amount of oil considering the displacement.

The filter is the cartridge type and I did cut the paper off of a couple of them. Holding the paper in the bright sunshine and examining it with a magnifying glass, I could not see a difference from one side of the filter media to the other. Found no debris at all, but then my eyes are old. I'm old school and cars with V8s used to go two oil changes with the same filter. I believe filter manufacturers just want to sell more filters. Some filter makers claim their filter can hold up to 10 grams of material and I doubt an engine produces anywhere near that amount during one of these oil change intervals.

Why do I mix oils? I maintain 4 cars, two of which belong to my sons that come and go whenever they need something and we all buy whatever is on sale that day. Usually there is a bit of this or that oil left over and the next car gets it. I started mixing in some synthetic oil because the first lab results showed depleted additives [TBN].

The Sodium probably came from the Valvoline. I haven't changed the air filter in a couple of years so I'll change it just before I do an oil change this fall. This way if any dirt gets into the engine oil during the filter change, hopefully it will be removed by the following oil change.

A question, and perhaps this is the wrong thread for this, but what do people think is going to happen if you slightly exceed the life of the engine oil? Suppose I went 6 months on one oil fill and the oil was pretty well spent after just 4 months. If the wear during the last 2 months was %50 higher than usually it would only cause 1 month's extra wear. No big deal to me. Am I thinking of this wrong? All opinions and info are welcome.

I like this forum!

 

[MrQuackers]

Originally Posted By: timeau
Just curious: did anybody pay attention that oil consumption grows as pastry with yeast? I would forget about all these miserable numbers and start thinking about the real problem.


Are you high? 0.8 quart in 12k miles is nothing to worry about.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
Originally Posted By: timeau
Just curious: did anybody pay attention that oil consumption grows as pastry with yeast? I would forget about all these miserable numbers and start thinking about the real problem.


Are you high? 0.8 quart in 12k miles is nothing to worry about.


Besides that, consumption doesn't even appear to have increased? Top off oil increased proportionally to mileage. All cars consume oil, most people just never notice it because their OCI's are so short. Some people just like making really silly comments...

And, I agree with the OP, most people change their oil too frequently--and doing UOA's on 6K synthetic runs seems like an even bigger waste.

One thing I thought was interesting was the TBN retention. Hard to really make any big claims based on 3 reports, but I'm guessing that the more stringent requirements of SN probably factors in a bit to the higher TBN of the most recent run.

 

[cp3]

Welcome Elvis!

I agree with you and have been trying to extend my OCIs. I have done some UOAs to prove this to myself but it's still a challenge sometimes. I like the 6 month ideas as well, debating with myself on changing the 6 month old M1 in the G6 to PYB. Not that I'm worried the M1 can't go a year but fresh oil for the winter on a short tripper still seems like a good idea.



Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
Originally Posted By: timeau
Just curious: did anybody pay attention that oil consumption grows as pastry with yeast? I would forget about all these miserable numbers and start thinking about the real problem.


Are you high? 0.8 quart in 12k miles is nothing to worry about.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Consuming .8 quarts of oil in a run of 12,600 miles with a 125,000 miles used engine is not of any concern to me. In fact, I think it's better than usual. The engine probably could have been topped up during the first run but I didn't bother to add any

Someone mentioned the TBN of the first run might be low because the oil did not meet SN specs. This is not the case as the CT Supreme [shell] oil used does meet SAE SN specs. I think it's just a cheaper oil and the use of some higher grade synthetic oil proved to be a better choice for longer OCIs.

 

[cp3]

I would agree. Motomaster Formula 1 oils are roumored to be Formula Shell. I would guess if Supreme is made by them as well maybe it uses a standard SN additive package from Infineum.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Motomaster Supreme oil is indeed a Shell product. You find the MSDS here
http://www.safetycanus.com/MSDS/OpenRepositoryFileaa66.pdf

 

[cp3]

Oh, I didn't doubt you. I've looked at the Formula 1 sheets just didn't bother to look up the Supreme. I'm not surprised at all.

I was just agreeing with your point about it being a cheaper oil. The additive companies have a standard add pack (mix this with this base oil and you get SN), I would suspect that is what Supreme is. Formula 1 is rumored here to be the same as Formula Shell, so that all makes sense.