14,750 miles Can Tire Synth 5W30 GM 2.2 Ecotec

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WobblyElvis

WobblyElvis

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Over the last couple of years I have been switching gradually to synthetic oil and running longer OCIs. The engine is certainly using more oil and the filter was loaded with what appeared to be carbon when I removed it. The filter was a fram ultra that was in use for 20,000miles and it seems to have held up well. It can be seen here...http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3985221/Re:_20,000_miles_Fram_Ultra_pi#Post3985221
I suspect worn or stuck rings allowing carbon/soot to enter the oil and oil consumption to increase. Wear metals look good to me. I just switched back to conventional oil and hope to see a decrease in oil loss.
 
Yes the Sodium, I forgot to mention there was 1.3 quarts of Valvoline syn in the original oil fill. It's known for sodium. My mistake. I am keeping an eye on the coolant level.
 
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Good engine and good synthetic oil too.

Wear metals are very low for 15k miles OCI, TBN is still good for that long OCI and with fairly high fuel dilution of 1.5%.

I think 15k miles OCI is the limit for this engine with fairly high fuel dilution.

Blackstone is recommending "Try conventional oil and check back in 17,000 miles". I wouldn't use conventional oil with more than 10k miles OCI.
 
Wow, nice report. That burn rate is still not too bad, unless you were low 1 additional quart by the time you changed it. Keep in mind some engines burn more when a new oil is introduced.
 
Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
It says miles, it is miles.


Yep. Anyone still not sure, just add up the gap on the previous OCI.
 
Looks reasonable, I've MM 5W20 syn in the Focus right now since spring 2015. I've got maybe 10k miles on it, so I probably should change it out sooner than later. I mostly just hum along at 2500rpm in 5th for most of the time so I think I should be able to go quite far on an OCI.
 
The engine is a 2006 and does not leak any oil.
Oil consumption bothers me, it appears to be accelerating for no good reason. It currently uses 1 qt/4,500 miles. When I changed the filter I found quite a bit of carbon build up at the ends of the media where it is glued to the end plates. I expected this oil analysis to show large insoluble but it does not.

The fuel in the oil is probably nothing as it was short tripped in the cold for a few days before the oil was changed. Interesting that the fuel dilution is within acceptable limits but the flash point is not.

The comment from Blackstone about trying 17,000 miles must be the result of some confusion. They can't possibly suggest 17,000 miles on conventional oil.

This engine just seems to be wearing fast but I don't see metals in the oil sample. Stuck rings? I'm hoping the oil consumption drops with conventional oil and I have to shorten the OCI after finding carbon/sludge in the oil filter.

Is this oil consumption normal? Carbon in the filter indicates blow-by correct? Perhaps the long oil change intervals is killing the engine and the UOA is useless in showing this.
 
The carbon or sludge in the filter could just be from the synthetic oil cleaning existing deposits from the engine, especially since you say the filter was on for 20k.

1 quart in 4500 miles isn't out of line, especially for a higher mileage engine.
What have you been running for oil in the past?
You could try a different brand synthetic or a high mileage blend.
 
Here’s a couple of pics of the debris in the oil filter. The filter appears to have done a very good job of keep the oil clean but I don’t think all this carbon [if that’s what it is] is a good sign. The filter appears black and I can’t see sunlight through it. It must have gone into bypass a few times. I’m surprised the UOA is as good as it is. I don’t think this amount of carbon in the filter is normal.


 
Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
Here’s a couple of pics of the debris in the oil filter. The filter appears to have done a very good job of keep the oil clean but I don’t think all this carbon [if that’s what it is] is a good sign. The filter appears black and I can’t see sunlight through it. It must have gone into bypass a few times. I’m surprised the UOA is as good as it is. I don’t think this amount of carbon in the filter is normal.


What were you expecting to see in the UOA? A UOA is pretty worthless except for showing coolant in the oil, or maybe TBN.
 
Your iron wear numbers are really low!
All that fuel dilution and other discussions/facts are OK, but the engine is at least wearing nicely.

Ring deposits would be a problem guessing. I'd change at 10,000m miles just to keep that under control.
 
Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
High carbon/soot in the oil would show in the insolubles, so I have been told.


Unless the filter is in perpetual bypass and the engine is generating a large number of insolubles, you won't see it on an UOA. On a multi-pass filter (as is on a car), even a low efficiency filter is going to trap particles eventually. This is part of the fallacy of high-efficiency filters, people think that a low efficiency filter isn't going to trap the same particles. Not true. It will, and it gets numerous opportunities to do so as the oil circulates in the engine. Efficiency ratings in the real world are a probability not an absolute.

And a filter is going to become more efficient as it loads up, so unless the filter is basically stuck in bypass (or torn open) and the engine is generating so may particles that here at the end of the OCI so you would see it, then the UOA is going to come out OK. The stuff trapped in the filter is just that - trapped in the filter and not in the oil.

That filter was likely not in constant bypass and as a result was capturing particles just fine.
 
It may just be that the synthetic is actually cleaning your engine, and in the process reveals small "leaks". Though you are not having some kind of huge oil consumption.

I would say stick to the synthetic motor oil. If I was you I would make a couple of oil changes in short interval to see if the engine cleans up and then resume 15k miles oil changes.
 
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