Opinions on my Lubro Moly oil report

[shawnlarkowski]

Hello my name is Shawn and I am new here.I have a 2002 MR2 Spyder with 50,000 miles.I used Lubro Moly Synthoil 5W-40 and got the oil analasis done by Blackstone.Wear metals were on the high side and the TBN was 1.4.It seems like it is not a good report and would like opinions on the quality of this oil.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Hello Shawn! Welcome to BITOG!

It's a well regarded oil as far as I know, although I've never used it personally.

It looks like the source of your problems may be that silicon/dirt getting past the air filter. Definitely look into it. I doubt it's the oil's fault.

How is this car driven? How long (months) was the oil in service? Do you do a lot of short trips? I ask because the fuel content is a bit on the high side, but it may be normal for this engine... I'm not sure.




Also, this should be moved to the UOA section - that's where we post all the analysis reports, regardless if they're for a Euro oil or not.

 

[chubbs1]

I personally believe that Lubromoly Oil is NO better than the Major "syns" ie. M1 0w40, Syntec 5w40, even Rotella 5w40. I love how Lubromoly has basically NO MOLY! It is that old "if it is made in Germany, it must be great" thing going on.

That is my opinion, as you asked for opinions.

One other thing: 1 UOA is not that telling, a trend is much more helpful in determining the wear on your engine.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Wrong grade oil for that engine? - its that the 1.8L non turbo? Try SM Formula Shell 5w-30. Lots of Moly in there

 

[shawnlarkowski]

Thank you for the replies.This oil came highly recommended and that is why I went with it.The 5w-40 was the closest I could get in this type of oil.The MR2 engine is prone to bad rings and oval cylinder bore and that was my thinking with going with the best oil I could get.I expected better results but was disappointed.My car is a daily driver with limited spirited driving on occasion.I am not sure how to move this post to the UOA section.If there is a moderator who could move this post to the right section that would be appreciated.

 

[SubLGT]

I agree with BStone. Check your intake system for leaks. Your engine may be sucking in dirt that is creating excess wear on the rings, pistons, cylinder, and bearings.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: shawnlarkowski
This oil came highly recommended and that is why I went with it.The 5w-40 was the closest I could get in this type of oil.


I think M1 0w-40 would have offered comparable performance and is also easier to find and cheaper if on sale. Heck, maybe even Rotella T6 would have been fine, that is, if you even need a 40-grade in this application.

Regardless, I don't think any oil will do better in this situation. You need to address your silicon issue first.

 

[dparm]

Frankly it's nothing special (the oil). It's on-par with M1 0w40 and other off-the-shelf synthetics. If you can get it for $5/qt, no reason NOT to use it.

 

[shawnlarkowski]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
I agree with BStone. Check your intake system for leaks. Your engine may be sucking in dirt that is creating excess wear on the rings, pistons, cylinder, and bearings.
I checked and it all seemed fine.I have a Weapon R dragon CIA with a new filter.I removed it today inspected it and cleaned the filter.I live on a dusty dirt/stoned road but I do maintain my filter regularly.I may have to ditch the CAI set up and go another route.I can't think of any other way the dirt could get in my oil.

 

[zyxelenator]

it might be that cai fiters air worse than stock. You can get 5w30 lubro moly through Napa, and some of their additives.

 

[shawnlarkowski]

I am currently using Lubro Moly 5W-30 Longtime High Tech in the blue bottle.I would hate to go back to the stock air box because I run a Gredy Emanage Blue that is tuned for my header,CAI and cat back.Then again eating dirt is not good.The Weapon R filter is supposed to be good but it appears to not be.Can anyone recommend a better filter choice?

 

[Galo]

I had an '03 Spyder for 3+ years and had the WR Dragon a/f. It isn't that great a filter. There are foam filters(NON oiled type) that do a better job.

Are you on Spyderchat or Spyderweb? If not, at least get on Spyderchat and look-up Kevin Beane. He is smart and has good info. I'm trying to log onto [censored]'s site to check my OA's #'s.

What header do you have, Che, TRD or?

Also, did you have compression and leak down tests run(reason for using 5W-40)?

 

[shawnlarkowski]

Hey Galo,Yes I am on spyderchat and spyderweb by the screen name sh4branze.I have a ebay header that I have had for 4 years now.Dev recommended this oil to me and the Synthoil in the purple bottle was not available in 5w30.Would you recommend I have a compression and leak down tests?I have a 2zz in mind but the money is a ways off and I am trying to maintain my engine until then.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: shawnlarkowski
..............I checked and it all seemed fine.I have a Weapon R dragon CIA with a new filter.I removed it today inspected it and cleaned the filter..........


You may need to check more than the CAI. There are lots of places in the intake system where dirt can get sucked in, such as vacuum hose connections, sensors connected to the intake, gaskets, etc.

If you wipe the inside of your CAI pipe with a white cloth, does it pick up debris and grit?

Also keep in mind that there may be an appreciable amount of silicon in your new oil, this older VOA shows 16 ppm silicon.

And some of the silicon in your UOA may be coming from the pistons.

 

[Galo]

Ok, I remember your site name! I traded my Spyder in on an '06 SLK350, so I spend all my time on SLKWorld. I was just wondering why you used the 5W-40, that's all. I actually bought my WR from Dev. I'm wasn't that plussed with the filter media, that's all.
Yah, my 1ZZ was using a qt. per 300 miles, and I just didn't feel like making it "better", besides, that SLK just really "caught my eye"!
Check-out KB's post of the a/f he's using(I guess he's still using it!).

Take care!

p.s. Whomever "censored" my post B_lack S-tone was just an abbreviation, NOT vulgar language.

 

[Falcon_LS]

If this is Synthoil High Tech 5W-40, that oil has an excellent additive package with a starting TBN of 9.6 and excellent TBN retention abilities. Its base oil is also PAO based. If it's Synthoil Premium 5W-40, which is a North America only Group III, it's properties are different. What is the mileage on the oil?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
I personally believe that Lubromoly Oil is NO better than the Major "syns" ie. M1 0w40, Syntec 5w40, even Rotella 5w40. I love how Lubromoly has basically NO MOLY!


The Liqui-Moly (or Lubro Moly) brand name is not there to suggest or imply that all their engine lubricants are enriched with Moly. It simply refers to their very first product (MoS2), which made a debut over 40 years ago.

 

[shawnlarkowski]

The mileage on the oil was 6000 miles.I started this post mainly to figure out if my car is the problem or the oil is failing me.I was also surprised the TBN was so low.I am not a racer and don't really abuse my car.I got the oil from Napa.

 

[Falcon_LS]

If you were using high sulfur fuel, I can see how the TBN drops that fast, but I think the sulfur content is 25-30 PPM in the States, which is relatively low.

 

[J_Sap]

Originally Posted By: shawnlarkowski
The mileage on the oil was 6000 miles.I started this post mainly to figure out if my car is the problem or the oil is failing me.I was also surprised the TBN was so low.I am not a racer and don't really abuse my car.I got the oil from Napa.


The only way you are going to know if the oil is failing you or if it is something else to run several UOA to get a trend. If you keep getting the same high particle counts it is not the oils fault but something else. I agree with Blackstone that it is most likely dust getting past the intake; especially since you are using a CIA.

I have an 02 MR2 as well so i know the car and how you want to protect it. Below is my UOA thread to give you a look at two different UOA from two different MR2's. Mine had a TRD filter in the stock box back then but now has a paper filter for better filtration.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1956257


Also you said the car was your daily driver and you did occasional spirited driving but didn't say what type of daily driving you did (highway or stop & go) or how long. If your doing a lot of short trips that could explain the high fuel dilution.

Oh and I almost forgot, welcome to BITOG. My first post here was my UOA as well.