Oil Analysis Questions

[nwcatman]

i just got back my oil analysis from MONITOR and thought they would a legend on how to interpret the data but guess not. the only thing "noted" was under CONTAMINANT METALS column and it says " Potassium is at a MINOR LEVEL. " it shows a figure of 38.

what else should i look for on the report? THANKS

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Mainly look for high numbers in common wear metals:



Iron - from cylinder walls

Chrome - from rings

Aluminum - from pistons

Silicon - frequently a bit higher in new engine due to sealants used - but also from dirt passing thru the air filter

Tin, lead, brass and copper - from bearings



Potassium CAN come from antifreeze, but is more commonly seen as an additive to some brands of oil

 

[SRadke]

What's that Gary? Could you say that again?



Slow site today make you want to click many times doesn't it.



-Scott

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

HOLY COW - looks like we got server problems again!

 

[nwcatman]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

Mainly look for high numbers in common wear metals:



Iron - from cylinder walls

Chrome - from rings

Aluminum - from pistons

Silicon - frequently a bit higher in new engine due to sealants used - but also from dirt passing thru the air filter

Tin, lead, brass and copper - from bearings



Potassium CAN come from antifreeze, but is more commonly seen as an additive to some brands of oil

ok, but what is considered a high level? here is in part what it said:

iron 14

chromium 0

nickel 0

aluminum 5

copper 4

lead 1

tin 0

rest of wear metals were 0

additive metals were:

magnesium 11

calcium 3503

barium 1

phosphorous 1158

zinc 1184



THANKS

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

iron 14

chromium 0

nickel 0

aluminum 5

copper 4

lead 1

tin 0





All your numbers look excellent, especially chrome, nickel and tin.



Anything under 20 or so for iron is good, especially for a new engine - your aluminum, copper and lead are all in good shape - keep using what you're using, and doing what you're doing!



Here's a sample of one of my analysis sheets - look over to the right side for what is considered "typical" values:



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[nwcatman]

cool. thanks gary !!

 

[Prairie Dog]

I just sent off a sample because I wanted to see how good a job my BullyDog (they use an AFE filter) intake is doing. How much silicon (dirt rite?) is too much?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Supposedly, silicon levels CAN be somewhat higher in a new engine due to material used in some sealants - but I would normally consider anything under 10 ppm or so as reasonable...