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Post by gastoohigh on Oct 11, 2005 16:32:48 GMT -5
Does anybody do this? Will you give an example? I'd like to know what I can test for or check for if I do analysis.  Thanks, Gas TOOhigh |
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Post by fredws on Oct 11, 2005 21:24:53 GMT -5
Sure! Lots of people use oil analysis. You can think of it like a blood test for you car. It can be used to determine the condition of your oil, and probably more important, the condition of your engine. The best way to determine the condition of your engine is by doing what is called "trending" which basically means you take samples on a regular schedule, and based on the trends, you can tell if something is going wrong, or right!
You can tell things from a single sample however. The following is from an actual sample from a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette van:
Iron: 77
Chromium: 3
Lead: 28
Copper: 49
Tin: 0
Aluminum: 17
Nickel: 0
Silver: 0
Silicon: 25
Boron: 37
Sodium: 160
Magnesium: 855
Calcium: 3016
Barium: 0
Phosphorus: 1264
Zinc: 1416
Molybdenum: 27
Titanium: 0
Vanadium: 0
Potassium: 478
TBN: 3.84
Oxidation: 57.0
Nitration: 13.0
For instance, this sample shows possible coolant leak into the oil, based on the high levels of sodium and potassium. However, this is long before one could tell anything by looking at the color of the oil (looking for a milky color). By catching problems early, the operator can decide what to do before it becomes an emergency.
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