UOA M1 0W-40 2001 ML430 7918 mi oil, 131846 truck

[ValleA]

Hi All! I'm new, just registered and thought I'd see what people think about my UOA. This is also my very first UOA so I'm having trouble figuring out the details. I'm interested in both the big picture of how healthy my engine is at 132k miles, and also I'm very interested (and why I did the analysis now) in understanding how to read the UOA so I can decide when the oil needs changing. My ML takes 8 quarts of Mobil 1, so it's plenty expensive and I don't want to change it if it's still good at 8k miles. I split my time between 2 vehicles so this oil has 2 years on it, May 2013, I don't know if that matters. I'm kind of surprised I can't just attach my UOA printout, I guess I have to just type it in manually. The testing was done by WIX. Other info: I've used a half dozen doses of Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant in the past 2 years because I heard it was good for old engines. It just has a Fram filter, but I put in an oil filter magnet to catch particles and keep them out of circulation.

Does my oil need changing? What do I look at to know when it needs changing? Should I change to a fleece filter mid-oil use? Thanks!!!

Iron 14
Chromium 1
Lead 21
Copper 26
Tin 1
Aluminum 12
Nickle 6
all other metals Si 13
Na 12
K 6
Mg 231
Ca 2633
Ba P 845
Zn 1013
Mo 75
B 84
Water % < 0.05
Coolant No
Viscosity 12.1
Base Number 2.7

 

[Rand]

Lead and copper (bearings) seem abit high but can also be elevated from some additive use.

Base number is low, I'd change soon.

Its best to type in your UOA using the code feature.
Code:


iron 5

copper 7

whatever 8

That's the # button above the post window then select code

you can also attach it by uploading it as a high resolution jpeg to a photo hosting site.. but these have a way of disappearing after a few years while typing it in will be permanent if someone wants to look at it in 5 years.

Summary: I'd change now and do another oil analysis in 5000miles or so to establish a baseline.

 

[ExMachina]

1st off, great choice in selecting m1 0w-40. Castrol 0w-40, also available at walmart or amazon for cheap in 5-quart jugs like M1 0w-40, both meet the tough MB 229.5 spec & are considered racing-ready great oils meeting the highest requirements in the industry.

As you asked, I don't think you have to put on a new oil filter mid oil change interval.

2 years is a little long to run an oil regardless of mileage. Usually 1 year is the max. That said, your TBN (total base number) is at 2.7, and I'd consider anything below 2 to be a sure sign of oil replacement time, so you're allright there. If you read about TBN, you'll see that new oil starts out around 10 TBN (the better oils do!) and TBN is a measure of acid-fighting ability remaining in the oil.

Your iron number looks very good. If there was too much of that wear metal in your oil thats typically a bad sign of course. Silicon Si looks low enough, but double check your air filter seal around it's edges to check for no leaks just in case sand particles are getting in slightly.

 

[Benito]

Looks like you could go a bit longer, but 2 years is I believe the max oci in Western Europe using that oil as well as the higher quality gas which I believe CA meets.

I would stop using the Lucas. Use Techron once in a while if you don't use Top Tier gas.

I presume the filter is a cartridge type in which case stop using the FRAM filter and go to the real OEM style. Mann, Mahle, Hengst, Bosch Workshop, Purolator are virtually identical.

 

[ValleA]

Thank you ALL!!! I'm learning quite a bit and I think it's a good thing to understand. It looks like it's about time to change my oil. I'm very glad to know there is a quantitative way to know this! I already have the new M1 0W-40 and a Mann filter to use.

What oil do you think is best for my other car, a 1997 BMW Z3 2.6 with 70k miles? It has Valvoline 5W-30 full synthetic in it now and I don't quite understand when to use different weights. I live in CA so the temperature is not really a factor.
Thanks!

 

[ExMachina]

Originally Posted By: ValleA
Thank you ALL!!! I'm learning quite a bit and I think it's a good thing to understand. It looks like it's about time to change my oil. I'm very glad to know there is a quantitative way to know this! I already have the new M1 0W-40 and a Mann filter to use.

What oil do you think is best for my other car, a 1997 BMW Z3 2.6 with 70k miles? It has Valvoline 5W-30 full synthetic in it now and I don't quite understand when to use different weights. I live in CA so the temperature is not really a factor.
Thanks!


Aw, the James Bond car! BMWs love M1 0w-40, the BMW LL-01 spec does it, usually oils that have the MB229.5 spec also carry the LL-01 spec too. M1 0w-40 is tough enough for Indy500 racing duty, and 24 hour Endurance races at Nurburgring, so it is tough. Valv 5w-30 isn't bad, but I think you could upgrade slightly to M1 0w-40 (or Castrol 0w-40 black jug too, flip a coin).

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ValleA
Thank you ALL!!! I'm learning quite a bit and I think it's a good thing to understand. It looks like it's about time to change my oil. I'm very glad to know there is a quantitative way to know this! I already have the new M1 0W-40 and a Mann filter to use.

What oil do you think is best for my other car, a 1997 BMW Z3 2.6 with 70k miles? It has Valvoline 5W-30 full synthetic in it now and I don't quite understand when to use different weights. I live in CA so the temperature is not really a factor.
Thanks!


M1 0w-40 would be perfect for that car as already mentioned, it is what I run in my M5.