should UOA labs report results differently?

[edwardh1]

Maybe everyone who sends in a lab report knows what all the numbers are and if a higher number is good or bad. I don't.
seems some type labeling like low medium sufficient high and excessive might help.
soil samples are done like that by Clemson.
and some of your blood work results are coded low or high. here again is low good or bad?

I guess the lab is trying to rate amount
-of engine wear products (high is bad)
-remaining chemicals in the oil (high is good)
and
-residuals for combustion products (high is bad?
why doesn't a lab make the results more readable?
just a quick opinion

 

[d00df00d]

In blood work, the normal range for most numbers is roughly the same for everyone (based on age, sex, etc.).

In a UOA, the safe ranges for wear metals and remaining chemistry will be different for different engines and oils.

That's one of the reasons why it's harder to draw good conclusions from a UOA.

 

[Donald]

Well Polaris does color code the report as a whole and individual fields when they are above normal. But you still need to interpret the information. For example, fuel dilution probably happens more in the winter than the summer. And of course there is history and trending. If things go fine for several UOAs and then your copper & lead increase, something is up with a bearing.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Maybe everyone who sends in a lab report knows what all the numbers are and if a higher number is good or bad. I don't.

You've been here since 2003 and you still don't?

Read through the "Oil Analysis" articles on BITOG's home page. That should give you a pretty good idea.

In case of Blackstone Lab specifically, they flag everything that they deem to be out of the norm, they note it in their comments, and they provide you the "universal averages" column for reference purposes. They also have sample reports and explanations on their website to educate their customers.

As the other poster noted, used oil analysis is not an exact science due to so many variables. And the most important aspect of used oil analysis is trending over time, and not dwelling on any one individual report or value in particular.