Mobil 1 & Fe levels

[buster]

I'm curious to what people think of this:

Quote:
Mobil 1 and many oils start off with a certain level of Fe compound in their formulations.

The anti-wear compounds react with the iron and steel to form ferrous-phospates, ferrous-borates, etc. Some of the ferrous (iron) compounds are liberated into oil when separated from the surfacial film

 

[JAG]

If there was an iron compound used as an additive, it would show up in VOAs.

 

[buster]

JAG, even as a compound? I personally think it's wear, but wanted to revisit the issue.

 

[RI_RS4]

Yep, even as a compound, iron would show up in the spectral analysis.

 

[buster]

That is what I figured. Never quite understood that explanation for it. Fe has to be wear. IMO.

 

[NissanFan]

If you look at some of the VOA's of M1...albeit very very low...i.e. 1ppm or so...which possibly falls into the "noise" levels, no? I'd have to look at some more of the VOA's

But regardless if it was used in higher levels or not, it would show up in spectral analysis as the previous poster noted.

 

[buster]

Quote:
In oil analysis, trending the concentration of iron by means of spectrometric elemental analysis, is helpful and an important assessment of machine condition. However, this is not an alternative to ferrous density measurements. It is widely understood that elemental spectroscopy has limited sensitivity to particles larger than five microns. It is also widely understood that these larger particles are often the most reliable indication of an impending failure condition. Many studies have shown that the more advanced the state of failure the larger and more concentrated the wear particles become. It is even possible for elemental iron to trend downward during the crucial period just prior to machine failure (the calm before the storm). As such, when it comes to wear debris, the concentration of small particles alone is not always a reliable indication of the presence large particles.