Valvoline Conventional 5W-30, 4388 mi, 3.9L Impala

[rbarrios]

Now that weve had the Impala for a while- I had the opportunity to change the oil.... I normally wait until its down to the 0-5% oil life left... this time- it was at 13%.
previous changes- 0% yields up to 5500 miles I believe.
But the oil is Valvoline Premium Conventional- 5W-30.
Same oil I run in my
2003 Trailblazer- up to 11,500 miles- (UOA posted)
2010 Traverse 3.6 DI- up to 5503 miles (UOA posted)

Changed the oil- simply because I had the time to do it... or else I would have waited to 0%.
I do add make up oil to this engine- always about 3/4 of a quart over 5000 miles.

By the way- this is the 2007 Impala with 3.9L engine- comes with 'dual' exhaust and the Active fuel management (displacement on demand)-- not the typical 3.5L also offered in the impala.

 

[buster]

Nice result except for the signature lackluster Tbn from Valvoline products.

 

[Scienceman]

Looks good!

 

[rbarrios]

Originally Posted By: buster
Nice result except for the signature lackluster Tbn from Valvoline products.


can you elaborate on this?

btw- this engine takes 4 quarts- with filter change.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: rbarrios
Originally Posted By: buster
Nice result except for the signature lackluster Tbn from Valvoline products.


can you elaborate on this?

btw- this engine takes 4 quarts- with filter change.


At any mileage, Valvoline oils show lower TBN remaining compared to competitive brands. Of course, the 4 qt sump doesn't help.

I wonder if it's a characteristic of the Lubrizol additive package. If you look in the Lubrizol HyperZDP presentation, the TBN chart shows the oil to have a TBN of <1.5 after 5k in the Crown Vic test car.

 

[genynnc]

Very nice, well done.

 

[rbarrios]

If im going to follow the OLM- and change it when it reaches 0% (and so far the OLM appears to be accurate on the Impala and Trailblazer- in regards that when it says 0%- the TBN is near 1)-- then the oil is in need of change-- and I put in new oil..
what is the concern of the TBN being lower- as to other oils being higher in TBN-- if im still going to change the oil...

does my question make sense?

what advantage would another oil have with a higher TBN-- if im going to change the oil anyway- based on the OLM?
just curious what TBN plays at the point where im about to change the oil...

 

[spasm3]

The report says you used .75 quarts of makeup oil? Is the car using oil at only 35k?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: rbarrios
If im going to follow the OLM- and change it when it reaches 0% (and so far the OLM appears to be accurate on the Impala and Trailblazer- in regards that when it says 0%- the TBN is near 1)-- then the oil is in need of change-- and I put in new oil..
what is the concern of the TBN being lower- as to other oils being higher in TBN-- if im still going to change the oil...

does my question make sense?

For you, it probably doesn't matter.

But here's something to keep in mind:

Quote:
I'd strongly recommend a lower cutoff of 2.0 on the TBN from blackstone in order to minimize oil deposits inside the engine. You can & will generate significant deposits if you continually allow the detergency of the oil to be depleted before changing it.


http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post1240718

I can't vouch for the validity of Ted's comments, but he was an engineer and one of the more knowledgeable members around here.

Also, on page 16 of this presentation:

http://www.gf-5.com/uploads/File/Hyper_ZDP_System_Powerpoint.pdf

You'll notice that the TBN is nearly exhausted after 5,500 miles of service on a reference oil containing a Lubrizol HyperZDP additive package. Valvoline and Lubrizol are exclusive partners in promoting the HyperZDP product, so it is probably safe to assume that Valvoline is using a Lubrizol additive package and possibly the HyperZDP technology in their oils. So, I wonder if the weaker TBN retention is characteristic of Lubrizol additive packs.

 

[rbarrios]

yeah- I always check oil- when I wash (every 2 weeks). and over the usual 5000 miles-- I end up adding oil- to keep the oil at the same level..
This 3.9 does it, my sisters 3.8 in her Lucerne does it, as did my sisters 3.8 in her Impala...
always about 3/4 quart...
(my trailblazer uses no oil- and my Traverse use no oil).
but thats how the 3.9 and the 2 3.8's weve had have been...
Though- I think that GM considers that normal oil consumption...
(Anyone know for sure?)...

 

[jorton]

Originally Posted By: Troy_Built
Looks good!


+1. Doing the o/c because you had time worked out well, you didn't contaminate the sample, and the Valvoline looked great.