Oil Analysis

Author
Discussion

MattYorke

Original Poster:

3,886 posts

260 months

Thursday 3rd March 2005
quotequote all
Can anyone recommend a company to do analysis on couple of engine oil samples for me? Roughly how much should I expect to pay?
Many Thanks
Matt

love machine

7,609 posts

242 months

Thursday 3rd March 2005
quotequote all
What are you looking for? I'm a chemist.

dewi

34 posts

247 months

Thursday 3rd March 2005
quotequote all
You could drop STS a line - not sure what their minimum contract size would be, but they are highly regarded in the industry.

www.trib.co.uk/html/Info/home.htm

Drop me an email if you have any trouble getting in touch with them.

opieoilman

4,408 posts

243 months

Friday 4th March 2005
quotequote all
I could have it done for you.

Tell me more.

Cheers

Guy.

MattYorke

Original Poster:

3,886 posts

260 months

Friday 4th March 2005
quotequote all
Many Thanks for the replies. I have a pair of big block V8's running in my powerboat. I'm interested in assessing their condition internally, but without having to strip them down too much to do so. One of them is older, and I believe has 500+ hours on it, the other is supposedly remanufactured with about 40 hours on it. They both have about 30 hours on them since the last oil change, the older engine's oil is coming out slightly darker than the new one, which I guess is not surprising.

I've read a fair bit about how much information can be gleaned by looking at the by-products in the used oil, and thought it might be an interesting/informative thing to try.

And when the analysis tells me they're fecked, I can start saving up for some new'n's

love machine

7,609 posts

242 months

Friday 4th March 2005
quotequote all
I would have a good think about whether they are doing what they are meant to rather than looking at the oil, what about the cylinder compressions, running temperatures (might cause insufficient blow off of the cooler engine), oil pressures, etc, etc. Or am I stating the obvious?

MattYorke

Original Poster:

3,886 posts

260 months

Friday 4th March 2005
quotequote all
Yeh, of course, it's largely for my interest sake to be honest, plus a bit of insurance policy.

PetrolTed

34,443 posts

310 months

Friday 4th March 2005
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PetrolTed

34,443 posts

310 months

Friday 4th March 2005
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seems they haven't set up the site. try 0870 780 0826

MGBV8

160 posts

263 months

Friday 4th March 2005
quotequote all
Matt
If you have an interest in oil try this site and forum
www.bobistheoilguy.com/

opieoilman

4,408 posts

243 months

Thursday 10th March 2005
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Having the oil tested will tell you more about whats happening to your oil rather then the condition of the engine, however this can be handy as in if the oil analasys states the oil has sheard down for exsample then you know you will be looking at excessive wear in the engine, you can then look in to different oil choices to help combat the problem.

Cheers

Guy.

M100

84 posts

268 months

Tuesday 15th March 2005
quotequote all
opieoilman said:
Having the oil tested will tell you more about whats happening to your oil rather then the condition of the engine


Bull5hit

Analysing the oil (especially against a known base sample) will, if the person carrying out the analysis report knows what they are doing, usually show exactly where wear is occurring - shell bearings, rings, valve guides, valve stems and pistons - by checking for copper, tin, lead, antimony, aluminium, bronze, chromium and iron for instance; and also as a side effect the state of the oil - moisture, acid, additive depletion, viscosity change etc - which in the overall scheme of things is immaterial unless you have a huge oil system capacity of very expensive oil and use your oil for very, very extended periods. In a car engine its cheaper to replace the oil, but routine analysis can show you what is wearing and if it is at a static or increasing rate - which you can use to prevent catastrophic failure.

Oil analysis is done routinely on aircraft - despite the huge oil cost (and tankage size) - have an oil sample go out of spec due to moisture and you change the oil at a cost of a few thousand pounds, have an oil sample show excessive metallic contamination and you will drop the engine and replace it.

>> Edited by M100 on Tuesday 15th March 22:29

>> Edited by M100 on Tuesday 15th March 22:30

agent006

12,058 posts

271 months

Tuesday 15th March 2005
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M100 said:

Bull5hit


Charming, quick and easy guide to trashing your credibility in as little time as possible.

opieoilman

4,408 posts

243 months

Wednesday 16th March 2005
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M100 said:
Bull5hit



MMmmm. I admire your hospitality.

I agree with what you are saying, buy defining the bi-products in the oil, you can locate where they come from, but this does not really tell you why the wear is occuring.

Often a lot of wear on the internals is caused by the oil, may it be sheared down oil or just the wrong choice, by looking at the condition of the oil you can make a more educated choice on oil to help reduce the wear, ultimately giving helping the engine have a longer and more fruitfull life.

Cheers

Guy.

>> Edited by opieoilman on Wednesday 16th March 11:46