My Most Recent Blackstone

[DeuceFifty]

Ok- 2008 6.4L F250 CC 4x4
24,714 miles
Oil changed 5 times now.
Intervals:
500mi MotorCraft 15w40
5,500 mi MC 15w40
10,500mi MC 15w40
15,000mi MC 15w40
20,000mi Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w40
24,714 Shell Rotella T6 (same thing as above, just changed name)
Those are approximate. I run about 5k on my intervals with the first one being a dealer change that I demanded during negotiation because I knew that the oil in there had been in there at least a year as the truck spent quite a bit of time on the lot.

I got a blacktone done at about 15k with MC15w40 in it that showed normal wear numbers, only thing out of whack was 3.5% fuel probably because i took my sample cold. I forgot to do a blackstone at 20k, so i made sure to do one this weekend at 24k. I got my report today and my aluminum numbers are up at 55!!! The sample done 8 months prior was only 20ppm! So in 8 months my aluminum numbers have gone off of the chart and i'm admittedly kinda nervous.

I spoke with Billy at Blackstone (excellent customer service) about it today. He said that some engines just dont like synthetics. I have a job 1 (i think it is at least. build date was 04/07). He thinks that might be it. I baby this truck, always make sure to change the oil with quality product, and buy fuel from a shell station with high turnover. The rest of my report was good with no out of whack numbers. All were normal for this engine at this point in its life, including the 3.5% fuel dilution due to regens on 6.4's.

Does anyone have any idea what else it could be?

The truck is not tuned and has on performance add-ons done (yet- but i may be rethinking my "yet") asides from a lift, wheels, tires, and the soon to be installed lightforce blitz 240's).

Im sending in another sample at 2500mi to see where we are at that time. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated.

[Zaairman]

Can you post up a copy of your most recent Blackstone? Or email it to me and I will... my user name at gmail dot com. Don't worry, I'll black out your info.

[DeuceFifty]

yea- i'll do it right now. I appreciate the help!

[DeuceFifty]

analysis sent

[Zaairman]

You already removed your info... so here it is.

[dgeesaman]

No need to get worried yet.

- Is there any way that a fleck of aluminum could have ended up in your oil sample that might not have come from the oil pan?

- You said this sample was from 24k. Does this mean then that this sample is toward then end of your interval using Rotella T 5w-40?

- You said your previous sample was taken at 15k. Was this at the beginning or end of the oil change interval with Motorcraft 15w-40?

There are two major ways to use oil analysis: 1) determine when the oil is no longer suitable and 2) determine if excessive machine wear is taking place.

For the first, your sampling / testing practices are reasonable. Oil viscosity, TBN, fuel %, and other oil parameters can be accurately determined from a single sample. Unless you spill gasoline in your sample it's going to be pretty reliable.

Machine wear, on the other hand, is more sensitive and requires IMHO 3 or more oil samples in the same oil change interval. Since the amounts of metal present should go essentially to zero at each oil change, machine wear is noted by increasing metal amounts on consecutive samples. It takes only the tiniest fleck of metal in your sample to create a higher reading, which is why you will get a few "flier" readings and multiple samples weeds that out.

If you want to compare more than one oil against each other, you will want to take a few samples over the oil change interval for both oils, and compare the trends of wear metals. Both oils should show increasing metal content and the better of the two will show less. If the oil with "worse" performance is the later oil change, you'll want to repeat the first one again with sampling to show that it's really the oil making the difference and not just a plain old mechanical failure in the works.

Dave

[DeuceFifty]

Originally Posted by dgeesaman

No need to get worried yet.

- Is there any way that a fleck of aluminum could have ended up in your oil sample that might not have come from the oil pan?

- You said this sample was from 24k. Does this mean then that this sample is toward then end of your interval using Rotella T 5w-40?

- You said your previous sample was taken at 15k. Was this at the beginning or end of the oil change interval with Motorcraft 15w-40?

There are two major ways to use oil analysis: 1) determine when the oil is no longer suitable and 2) determine if excessive machine wear is taking place.

For the first, your sampling / testing practices are reasonable. Oil viscosity, TBN, fuel %, and other oil parameters can be accurately determined from a single sample. Unless you spill gasoline in your sample it's going to be pretty reliable.

Machine wear, on the other hand, is more sensitive and requires IMHO 3 or more oil samples in the same oil change interval. Since the amounts of metal present should go essentially to zero at each oil change, machine wear is noted by increasing metal amounts on consecutive samples. It takes only the tiniest fleck of metal in your sample to create a higher reading, which is why you will get a few "flier" readings and multiple samples weeds that out.

If you want to compare more than one oil against each other, you will want to take a few samples over the oil change interval for both oils, and compare the trends of wear metals. Both oils should show increasing metal content and the better of the two will show less. If the oil with "worse" performance is the later oil change, you'll want to repeat the first one again with sampling to show that it's really the oil making the difference and not just a plain old mechanical failure in the works.

Dave

Dave, I cant think of anything unless the fuomoto valve is made of aluminum and i scraped it while taking my sample.
-Yes the 24k sample was a change of rotella T 5w40 synthetic at the end of its 5k interval and the MC 15w40 sample was taken at the end of its interval as well.

So i should just do a few more samples and see where im at?

[Evil Eye]

Originally Posted by DeuceFifty

Dave, I cant think of anything unless the fuomoto valve is made of aluminum and i scraped it while taking my sample.
-Yes the 24k sample was a change of rotella T 5w40 synthetic at the end of its 5k interval and the MC 15w40 sample was taken at the end of its interval as well.

So i should just do a few more samples and see where im at?

That is exactly what I was thinking...

[Zaairman]

But how would you scrape it using a soft plastic container...

[DeuceFifty]

Originally Posted by Zaairman

But how would you scrape it using a soft plastic container...

my thoughts exactly, but thats the only thing that i could have touched with my plastic container.i crawled under there after i had drained about 6qts, did the superman pose, opened the valve and filled up the container, closed valve, closed lid, and placed in the plastic shipping kit.