Blackstone Oil report questions

[Newsa]

I was more focused on the "Lube Changed" being a "No" leading me to believe the oil was not changed when the sample was taken and, if so, how was the oil sample taken? Just curious.

For some reason on the website, I don't remember seeing that as an option or even a box/field to fill in. Now I understand what you meant. I filled out the info on the computer website this time instead of completing the paper form. And there were not fields for everything. There were also not fields for oil viscosity and brand and it seemed a few other things.

I have had trouble with these people being so busy I'm the past that even when I filled out a change Iin brand of oil and a few other things they didn't notice that for example I changed from Kendall super D XA-15w 40 to amsoil 15w40, and they don't make that change in their records. That was when I was physically filling the form in pen and sending it with the bottle. Sometimes they would not take the time to actually update some info from the form that I specifically remember writing on the form.

But I noticed the website doesn't seem to have as many fields as the paper that accompanies the sample.

It also is entirely possible that there was a field for that an I clicked the wrong option on that lube changed, by thinking we'll, I didn't change the oil during that 8027 miles, because I already told them the lube had exactly that many miles on it. But I did change it 8027 miles ago. And maybe the redundancy of that confused me. I will be more careful if I do any more submissions.

 

[Newsa]

This generation truck does an active regen at least every 24 engine run hours, more in certain uses. Fuel dilution is not an issue on this generation of trucks. I had around 19 regens on my last oil change and the oil level never changed. You have something else going on for all the fuel dilution. Do you cold idle a lot?

The dominator has sheared down almost to a 30wt, that’s not good. It’s lost nearly 6 cSt from new, Cummins states the max you should see before changing to oil is 5.

It’s been mentioned before, but I would try a different oil. Use a 15w-40 designed for all the emissions stuff and see how it does.

John, thanks for your insight.

No cold idles that I remember in the last 10 months. A few warm idles for an hour or more while the wifey and dogs are staying warm (warm with heat on) or cool (cool with the AC on) while I run in to the store for 45- 75 minutes after driving on a long trip.

Our trip is in the second half of June and through July, so I will be changing to Redline 15w 40 before then.

Again, thanks to those who took the time to respond.

 

[Cummins12V98]

IMHO you should go back to AMZ/OIL Signature series 15-40 with either AMZ/OIL or Donaldson filter. My friend 13 went 22k and Blackstone suggested 24k next time. I think you are doing a lot of hopping around for no reason. He does not have a bi-pass filter.

IMHO this is an EASY report to look at.

 

[Newsa]

IMHO you should go back to AMZ/OIL Signature series 15-40 with either AMZ/OIL or Donaldson filter. My friend 13 went 22k and Blackstone suggested 24k next time. I think you are doing a lot of hopping around for no reason. He does not have a bi-pass filter.

IMHO this is an EASY report to look at.

View attachment 133791

Actually, I don't think I could justify the few dollars extra for the signature series which is a longer run oil designed for extended drain intervals. Since I had never planned on extending drain intervals, I had been using the amsoil 15w 40 OE which I don't know if they still sell. It was a CK4 oil that was a few dollars cheaper than the signature series.

Changed the oil this morning and it has a sump full (not full actually, just in the safe zone) of CK4 Redline and 2 new filters (both bypass and full flow).

Peace of mind for our upcoming trip in about 3 weeks.

 

[AH64ID]

Actually, I don't think I could justify the few dollars extra for the signature series which is a longer run oil designed for extended drain intervals. Since I had never planned on extending drain intervals, I had been using the amsoil 15w 40 OE which I don't know if they still sell. It was a CK4 oil that was a few dollars cheaper than the signature series.

Changed the oil this morning and it has a sump full (not full actually, just in the safe zone) of CK4 Redline and 2 new filters (both bypass and full flow).

Peace of mind for our upcoming trip in about 3 weeks.

If you're going past 6 months you are technically extending the OCI.

I use the signature series in my '18 so I can run it 12 months. I will not be using it in my '22 since 12mo/15K is the OEM interval and all I plan to run.

 

[Newsa]

If you're going past 6 months you are technically extending the OCI.

I use the signature series in my '18 so I can run it 12 months. I will not be using it in my '22 since 12mo/15K is the OEM interval and all I plan to run.

I agree. I have only gone past 6 months once. And that was on the oil I did my recent UOA on. I had a 7 year extended Max care warranty so I was religiously sticking to a 4-5 month OIl Change interval. I thought the Dominator 20w 50 would allow me to go to a year OCI, and instead, it got me to 10 months. Pretty sure the signature series will be done for in 4-5 months just like the Amsoil OE was. Whether the oil viscosity change was due to shear or fuel dilution, I will never know because I don't have any confidence in any diesel mechanic shops down here and the dealer service depts don't know anything either and do some poor quality work.
I looked on the amsoil website and they don't call it OE any more. Now it appears to be called heavy duty full synthetic which is about $3-$4 per qt cheaper than the signature series. Pretty sure it is CJ4 or CK4 as well. But I'll check before buying any. My truck only requires CJ4, but I realize CK4 is better.

 

[AH64ID]

I would be completely surprised if the Signature series didn’t last as long as the Dominator, especially since Dominator is
not considered an extended drain interval oil. I can’t figure out why you think it would last longer.

 

[Newsa]

I would be completely surprised if the Signature series didn’t last as long as the Dominator, especially since Dominator is
not considered an extended drain interval oil. I can’t figure out why you think it would last longer.

It is listed as having more additives to control pH, resist chemical breakdown and maintain antiwear qualities similar to signature series. But since the most consistent problem I have is the oil becoming (degrading down to a 30 wt) a 30 wt oil (when hot) earlier than it should (whether this is because of fuel dilution or shearing, nobody knows), I was using the heavier weight (20w 50) oil for that. I had the same problem with all the 15w 40 wt oils (including amsoil OE), except instead of losing viscosity in 10 months, they would lose viscosity and become a 30 wt oil in 4-5 months. My take on the Dominator was that it was a full synthetic with extra additives that was made for extreme use and it was a bit more viscous.

There was one other time I got 8000+ miles out of an oil change, but that occurred over 3 months when I took a trip from Miami to Oregon and back. That wasn't a 4-5 month OCI. That was a 3 or so month OCI that was almost all highway miles, but that can't be compared to a 10 month OCI because those are quite different time periods.

I do have a preferred customer account with Amsoil that expires on Dec 31st this year. They are my source of bypass filters, and I like their full flow filters made by Donaldson, but I can get cheaper oil that is just as good for 4-5 month OCI's.
If I were to buy their oil, I wouldn't go for their most expensive option, because it doesn't go any farther (in my experience) than cheaper oils because just like all the other ones, it will become a 30 wt oil before even half of the pH neutralization or wear-reducing additives are used up.
Thus, I'm basically just paying $3.50 more per quart for additives that I end up throwing away. One reason I do like full synthetics (group 4 and 5 oils) is because they can engineer them so that some of the actual oil particles that lubricate actually can help clean, thicken, resist wear and protect moving parts. Makes sense to me that it is beneficial to have more oil/less additive, because the additive only helps the oil do its job, the additive doesn't actually do any lubricating.

I must make one correction to my previous post, though. I did try the signature series once, but after I saw that it would not take me to 6 months, I started opting for the cheaper OE version of the oil. (And I did try a few other oils as well.) I do remember having that box with the signature series (cursive writing that looks like a signature) in my shed a while back. Only bought it once and then decided it wasn't worth the cost.

 

[AH64ID]

@Newsa what oil was the baseline reference in line #6?

Which test was the signature series?

Sample 7 and 8 likely don't have fuel/soot data because they thought it was a baseline.

6 and 7 appear to be the same oil, but 8 is different.

In order to update the lubricant used you need to edit the equipment first. I would also put that you changed lube brand/viscosity in the notes, as many of the UOA test results are relative to virgin oil of the same brand/viscosity.

It appears you've read more into the design of the dominator oil than intended. It is not a similar oil to the signature series. It's intended for high protection short term for heavily modified engines, not long term use in stock engines. It doesn't really matter how thick it starts, if it shears/dilutes down 5cSt or 1 grade it's done. You shouldn't run a 50wt that's down past a 30wt, once it's a weak 40wt it's done.

 

[BigPapa]

Just for reference, this is the Lubricating Oil Spec page from the Owner and Maintenance Manual for a 2013 ISB6.7L in one of our buses. 15W40 is the heaviest oil listed.

 

[Newsa]

@Newsa what oil was the baseline reference in line #6?

Which test was the signature series?

Sample 7 and 8 likely don't have fuel/soot data because they thought it was a baseline.

6 and 7 appear to be the same oil, but 8 is different.

In order to update the lubricant used you need to edit the equipment first. I would also put that you changed lube brand/viscosity in the notes, as many of the UOA test results are relative to virgin oil of the same brand/viscosity.

It appears you've read more into the design of the dominator oil than intended. It is not a similar oil to the signature series. It's intended for high protection short term for heavily modified engines, not long term use in stock engines. It doesn't really matter how thick it starts, if it shears/dilutes down 5cSt or 1 grade it's done. You shouldn't run a 50wt that's down past a 30wt, once it's a weak 40wt it's done.

The #6 was a baseline on redline 15w 40 diesel oil. I discovered in some research online that Redline often gives false positives for oxidation. So, I wanted to see what an unused baseline sample would give as a result after getting an unsettling report after a 8000+ mile trip.

I am posting my results for #2 and #3 here which says Kendall super D, but they didn't change it to amsoil.when I filled it out on the paper. Since I didn't take time to edit the equipment, I guess they didn't change it to amsoil. Pretty sure this is signature series, but can't be 100% sure if it is signature series. I know it is amsoil.

You will notice that #2 and #3 are on the same sump of oil with #2 being less than 1000 miles on the oil, and #3 with another 700 miles.

Interesting enough, I took it to the dealer and they said that as long as the truck is running, they couldn't do a warranty repair. I paid them to check the fuel system (their hourly minimum to do a diagnostic, I think) and they said it appeared to be fine.

I have never had any repairs on any part of the fuel system. Just asked them to check it. See #2 and #3 here.

Before #1, I had mostly used Kendall super D XA 15w 40. But I also used Valvoline 5w 40 (the ultimate one) once during that time until I decided that 15w 40 would serve my purpose better.

See if you can see this.

 

[Cummins12V98]

From BigPapa's post above. "Use of 15-40 is recommended for normal engine operation and provides the best wear protection". Shows from 0 degrees F on up. But using Full Synthetic gives you protection down much lower. So why in the world use anything else???

 

[BigPapa]

My father changed the oil in our new-to-us New Holland 3415. I've told him not to worry about doing anything to it, just tell me if it needs something and I'd take care of it. After having to drag it out of him, he finally told me he put 30W in it, that that's what the owner manual said. I went and scrounged around the shop and found he'd put 30W non-detergent in it. I told him that wasn't what it needs and he told me that evidently Ford didn't know what they were talking about when they wrote the manual. I explained to him about the weight and that it needs to be API CD rated. He called me the next day and apologized, and said he'd looked a little better at the manual.

 

[Newsa]

From BigPapa's post above. "Use of 15-40 is recommended for normal engine operation and provides the best wear protection". Shows from 0 degrees F on up. But using Full Synthetic gives you protection down much lower. So why in the world use anything else???

You appear to ask 2 questions...

1) why not use 15w 40?

2) why not use full synthetic?

Different people have different answers. Some believe that paying more for synthetic doesn't provide a cost-benefit advantage.

I think everyone should use a 15w 40 synthetic, but I refuse to badger them to do so. It would be nice if when a truck owner put a 15w 40 in their truck, that it would remain a 15w 40 for more than 2 or 3 months. But that is why we have oil testing because we know that things change over time.

I was told in late 2018 that the 15w 40 that I put in quickly (quicker than I expected) became a very thin 15w 40 and almost became a 5w 30 or a 10w 30.

And then again in 2022, I am told that the 20w 50 that I put in became a 15w 40 and was on the verge of becoming a 10w 30.

I currently have redline diesel ck4 15w 40 in the truck and I will keep an eye on it.

Edit: I wanted to clarify my use of the word "badger." I wasn't feeling badgered about suggestions that I use a 15w 40 diesel oil. 15w 40 is the manufacturer recommended oil, so I expect to see that mentioned repeatedly.

I was surprised at how many mentions Amsoil "Signature Series" got and thought that the repeated mentions of "signature series" was a bit excessive. No document produced by either Ram or Cummins says that I should use Amsoil signature series.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Nope wasn't asking two questions. Just making a comment based on what was posted and added if concerned about cold protection simply go to full synthetic.

 

[Roger Nolter]

One trick for fuel is to put a drop of the oil from the dipstick on a paper towel. As it spreads the fuel will travel further and leave a brown ring outside the oil stain.

1/2" isn't horrible, if its from the same attitude and temperature.

Love the oil and paper towel tip! Thank you