2010 Mazda 3 2.0, 5w20 full syn, 14910 mi

[JamesMontana]

I did my first UOA with Blackstone. Interesting results!

1. It seems that 15K is a fine OCI for full-syn in my Mazda3. I used Castrol GTX Magnatec with a FRAM Ultra filter.

2. Too much aluminum wear, according to Blackstone. (See below for their full comments.) Any thoughts from other Mazda3 owners or UOA veterans? I have a broken motor mount (to be replaced this week, just found it) which may have caused some extra vibration. I do not see any leaks in the air filter or intake, and the air filter is changed regularly (every 15K).

Comments from Blackstone:

Aluminum and iron are above average in this first sample. Universal averages show typical wear levels for Mazda 2.0L engines on the oil. A longer run makes the iron level okay, but doesn't really excuse the extra aluminum. Silicon might be to blame if it's abrasive dirt. Check the air filter and intake for any cracks and leaks. This may just be a normal amount of piston / bearing wear for your engine, but only trends will make that clear. The TBN was okay at 1.2, showing some active additive left. Try ~15,000 again next.


OIL Castrol Magnatec Full Syn 5w-20.

MILES IN USE 14.9k
MILES 111K
SAMPLE TAKEN 09/20/2017

ALUMINUM 8 Universal average: 3
CHROMIUM 1
IRON 33 Universal average: 11
COPPER 14
LEAD 22
TIN 0
MOLYBDENUM 6
NICKEL 0
MANGANESE 0
SILVER 0
TITANIUM 0

 

[bioburner]

Would be interesting to see what pool they pull from for that little engine for the specs as that engine is used in 13 models of Mazda and Ford.
I have it in a Ford Transit and had the engine replaced when a valve lifter went bad and was cheaper($400) to get a low miles engine from salvage yard than try and rebuild the head and have the rest of the engine at 180k. Tranny was shot too.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

How long did it take for the 15K? If one year Id do 2x year OCI = late fall / early spring. What was the viscosity?
Was the engine getting noisy near the end of the OCI?

 

[JamesMontana]

About 1 year, yes. Thanks for the tip re 2x per year!

 

[Oregoonian]

Personally....I would reduce my OCI to 12,000 or so....just to be safe. After all, oil is cheap, especially many synthetics which have rebates going for them.

 

[PimTac]

Is Magnatec a good choice for a 15k oci? I would think Castrol Edge Gold would be the obvious pick here.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Is Magnatec a good choice for a 15k oci? I would think Castrol Edge Gold would be the obvious pick here.


Well it maybe but looking at the numbers I'd cut the cars OCI back to 10K and see what happened.

The TBN was barely good at 1.2.