Will be performing Engine oil analysis, any lab suggestions?

[amirza786]

I am in the process of changing my oil, I currently have about 7K (20% remaining on MM) on the current fill which is Idemitsu 0W20. Over the last 7K I have driven hard in very harsh conditions, including 2x 8 hour trips in over 100 F temps at high speeds as well as lots of mixed city/hwy driving. I am curious to see how well the oil has held up, as well as if there is any excess fuel dilution in the oil. I have an engine analysis kit from Blackstone Laboratories, but if anyone has an suggestions for a lab they have used, please let me know.

The reason I chose Blackstone is because they send you the Analysis kit for free then only charge you when you send in the oil ($28). Other labs make you buy the kit and then charge you for the Analysis as well

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[idragmazda]

I used blackstone. Takes 1-2 weeks to get back. I like them because they maintain a database of your model they have run analyses on. That way, they can compare your car vs. peers. Their write-ups are good too (versus just giving you data that you don't really know what to do with). There are a few threads on this forum if you want to compare your results to other members too.

 

[parshisa]

Oil Analyzers. Their lab is conveniently located in Houston 10min from where I work. 21$ with PC on amsoil website will give you full metal/element analysis plus TBN, soot and MEASURED (not estimated as by Blackstone) fuel dilution. Drop off the sample in the morning - results are back by COB

 

[amirza786]

Oil Analyzers. Their lab is conveniently located in Houston 10min from where I work. 21$ with PC on amsoil website will give you full metal/element analysis plus TBN, soot and MEASURED (not estimated as by Blackstone) fuel dilution. Drop off the sample in the morning - results are back by COB

I am assuming I can ship them the sample, is that correct?

 

[parshisa]

I am assuming I can ship them the sample, is that correct?

Sure, you can buy it with pre-paid shipping. I just buy non-postage kit cause the lab is right there

 

[Eryan36]

I’ve always used Blackstone.

 

[amirza786]

I’ve always used Blackstone.

Thank you very much. I am going to send this sample to Oil Analysers in Houston, next sample on my next oil change to Blackstone to compare the two (I've heard good things about both labs). Yesterday I changed my oil to Idemitsu Zepro Ecomedalist 0w20, I am going to beat the crap out of my car over the summer (I will be making multiple trips from Northern California to Los Angeles, 360 miles each way), a lot of the driving will be in very harsh conditions and temps, as the central valley between Northern and Southern Cal easily gets over 110 F in the summer and I'm going to let my maintenance Minder reach about 5 percent before changing out the oil. This oil has a very high rating and I want to see how well it holds out to a long drain interval while taking a beating. Again, thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

[SaintClarence27]

You know you don't HAVE to beat the crap out of your engine, right? ;-)

 

[gtman]

Idemitsu Zepro Ecomedalist

I had never heard of that oil before, so I checked it out. Reviews are really, really good.

Found an interesting article on the stuff, too...
https://motoiq.com/can-an-oil-chang...test-idemitsu-zero-eco-medalist-and-find-out/

 

[Design]

I would suggest sticking with one and just look for irregularities with each subsequent result.

I prefer Blackstone for their colorful commentary. They also compare results to other models of your year, to see how far you deviate from the average. They do use flashpoint analysis to measure fuel dilution, which is why many prefer Polaris.

I believe Oil Analyzers is a subdivision of Polaris that is contracted through Amsoil. Not a bad thing, but Amsoil is their specialty. I'm not a fan of Polaris's canned commentary. But if you know what to look for, they are great.

 

[amirza786]

You know you don't HAVE to beat the crap out of your engine, right? ;-)

That's what I meant

 

[amirza786]

I had never heard of that oil before, so I checked it out. Reviews are really, really good.

Found an interesting article on the stuff, too...
https://motoiq.com/can-an-oil-chang...test-idemitsu-zero-eco-medalist-and-find-out/

It's actually the factory fill for Honda, Mazda and Toyota. I found out about them through my mechanic, he told me this is one of the oils recommended by Honda. Companies been around for a while, it's pretty cheap on Amazon at $28 for a 5 quart bottle. The sample I am sending is their regular 0W20, it's been beaten to hell, let's see how it withstood 7k miles of harsh driving and conditions

 

[amirza786]

I would suggest sticking with one and just look for irregularities with each subsequent result.

I prefer Blackstone for their colorful commentary. They also compare results to other models of your year, to see how far you deviate from the average. They do use flashpoint analysis to measure fuel dilution, which is why many prefer Polaris.

I believe Oil Analyzers is a subdivision of Polaris that is contracted through Amsoil. Not a bad thing, but Amsoil is their specialty. I'm not a fan of Polaris's canned commentary. But if you know what to look for, they are great.

If there is something in the report I don't understand I will contact them, also my mechanic knows how to read the raw data, I can show it to him if needed

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