Just got oil test back... not happy

[AABEN]

Cunnins says to use Valvoline that is all we use in all of are diesel tractors trucks-all farm equipment and cars

 

[betterthanstock]

Did you use 5w-30? My 03 manual says 5w-40. A thinner oil will always give more wear, synthetic or mineral makes no difference.



Consider your engine to have received some accelerated break-in, and it now needs thicker oil to keep the looser parts from rattling, so go back to an oil that ends in 40.

 

[JCockerill]

i just recived the results back from the virgin oil sample i sent in of the amsoil 3k series. they said it has allmost no potasium in it, and my engine sample had high levels indicating possible coolant contamination. this is what worries me, I'm not questioning amsoils rep as a good oil. I will use it again. I just want to get to the bottom of this potasium problem, and the abnormal wear on the engine (high iron, aluminum, and lead levels). I will run the rotella for 5K and test again. if all is good i'll go back to amsoil. I run amsoil in trans, t-case, and diffs. I feel it is an excellent product, in no way do i mean to bash the product. just don't want to keep having to have to dump expensive oil while searching for the problem. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[PRout]

After purchasing my 2000 truck I called Cummins and the tech told me they won't recommend a specific brand of oil, but he gave 2 requirements. 1 - it meets the specs noted in the owners manual. 2 - it is 15w40 (not 5w30).

But for the reasons mentioned above I also decided to try to use Amsoil synthetic and am hoping to be able to go with extended oil change intervals with the bypass filter set up. If it "appears" dirtier than (said) "conscience allows", then I'll be going back to the change it out every year plan, then it'll be Delo. Just another opinion.

 

[betterthanstock]

After purchasing my 2000 truck I called Cummins and the tech told me they won't recommend a specific brand of oil, but he gave 2 requirements. 1 - it meets the specs noted in the owners manual. 2 - it is 15w40 (not 5w30).

.

5W-40 is also approved, not 5w -30.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

JCockeril I think you have reason for concern. My last 3 oil samples using Amsoil 15w40 the potassium is ZERO parts per million. Coolant in oil will trash your bearings. . . had a Bronco that used a slight amount of coolant (maybe a cup or two every couple of months) but over time it gradually lost oil pressure. After a teardown there was a small crack found in one head through to the water jacket. The rod & main bearings were wiped out.

That being said, if you are getting coolant in your oil I'd suspect the oil cooler (unless you've pushed your engine pretty hard then it may be the HG).

 

[JCockerill]

i run a banks kit on it, didn't think that was that hard on it. . max boost i've ever hit is 40psi. and max egts of 1250. I didn't think that was that hard. is this enough to blow the HG out of something else. I can't seem to notice the coolant droping, but i'll keep my eye on it now.

 

[JCleary]

I think that I want to see your numbers and that changing oil to a synthetic is known to clean some junk out of the system. Amsoil additive packages are known to skew numbers and I would not worry about it too much at this point.



Remember, they need to keep you scared about your samples so that you keep sending them more samples, and more of your hard earned $. It is like getting someone hooked on crack. Give them a little to think about, and then they keep coming back.

I don't think that's the case. I've only received one report (my first one with my '03) that had elevated potassium. Every subsequent oil sample I've sent in (both my '03 and '07, plus my Suzuki DRZ400S) have been glowing reviews of my engines' condition. It is interesting to see the performance difference between oils. I've noticed it specifically on my DRZ with 1k oil change intervals and extreme shearing of viscocity... . None of it led to elevated wear, however.

 

[amsoilman]

My last Oil analysis report, with 60,000 miles/5 years on the oil, there was ZERO Potassium! There should not be Potassium in your oil.