Hey guys, can anyone recommend a company that they have used to send out used oil for engine analysis. Also where you buy the containers to send the oil out. Greatly appreciate any recommendations.
Reputable oil sampling companies for engine oil analysis
- Thread starter Vinnie_B
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I've been using Blackstone for a few years. No complaints. They give you a nice summary of what the results mean with each test They will send you containers for free. You pay when they analyze it
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Thanks @96dreamer
This 100%.
Blackstone
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Anyone else need blackstone website here it is....thank your SVTP brothers!
www.blackstone-labs.com
Blackstone Laboratories Blackstone Laboratories
Learn what's going on in your engine with oil analysis. Our free kits are easy to use and we explain the results in plain English!
www.blackstone-labs.com
Anyone else need blackstone website here it is....thank your SVTP brothers!
Blackstone Laboratories Blackstone Laboratories
Learn what's going on in your engine with oil analysis. Our free kits are easy to use and we explain the results in plain English!
Official UOA thread with oil poll
I have created an Excel spreadsheet to compare/contrast every Shelby 5.4L UOA I have ever collected, and I need more samples to show trends. Base green color samples are random UOAs waiting for a follow up. Other "like" color groupings are samples taken from the same engine. Some of...
www.svtperformance.com
Great thread if you sittin around getting paid overtime and looking for a good read
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+1 for black stone. Been using them for years now. I love their email for their personal analysis. Got one for the Z06 the other day. I’ll be sending the GT500, and hellcat oil in this week. Love how they even tell you how much longer the filter could have gone before a change.
Another vote for Blackstone. They provide containers and mailers to send the oil to them.
What changes do you make after getting the results ??
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To pile on, Blackstone. Been doing it for our sons E46 M3's for years, and 2 days ago got a report that the bearing are starting to go (~125k miles). This is expected, but still better to catch it early. 2 years ago, they also let us know on the other car, had the bearings done, and the ones that came out were indeed done.
For me @1 Alibi 2 its just for documentation (Preventative Maintenance) Monitor internal wear and tear. With that said...... first sign of any potential issues and its getting torn down and completely forged and built. Maybe im just looking for an excuse to build the motor.......
......lol.I monitor the mustangs oil for internal wear and signs of potential issues. It's cheap insurance to catch a bearing on its way out. I also have been doing my f350s to test increased oil change intervals
I've done oil analysis on my track cars now for about 15 years - two BMW M's and two Ford Mustangs. I've learned a lot about what an oil analysis can tell you and what it can't.
Top 3:
1. Oil analysis tells you about the condition of the oil (not the engine). If your engine is going to have a crisis - broken rod, failed oil pump, broken ring, etc - that can develop quite quickly between UOA's. Typically, you'll never see it coming.
2. All is not lost regarding engine health, however. If you do UOA's regularly - every change, every 6 months or a year, etc - after a year or two or 30,000 miles or so, you'll have trending information that's reliable. THEN, if you see your lead level, which has always been between 5 and 10 ppm suddenly rise to 15 for two or more tests, it's possible you have an impending failure somewhere inside the machine.
3. Every time you switch motor oil types, or the manufacturer changes the formulation, you'll have one, maybe two, questionable UOA's. "Questionable" means "take the readings, particularly on wear metals, with a grain of salt". What happens when you switch oils is that the new type or brand of oil will have different detergents in it, and stuff the previous oil didn't catch will get cleaned up by the new one. In fact, if you've got a scrap of OCD in you, you might want to switch brands every few changes to take advantage of different cleaners in the different oils to keep the engine extra clean.
As an example of what I was talking about in 3. above, I did two UOA's on Motorcraft 5W-50 on my GT350. When I switched to Mobil 1 FS X2 5w-50, I had a spike in lead reported for the first UOA. Second one was right back to normal. Nothing to see here. I just switched back to Motorcraft, so I'll probably get a bump the next UOA as well. BTW - the reason I switch is cost - sometimes I get a great deal on MC, sometimes on Mobil. They're both great products.
As for who I use, I've used Blackstone and Dyson in the US, but for the last decade I've been using Caterpillar Labs. One of the things I learned over the years is that Nitration and Oxidation matter when it comes to oils creating varnish or sludge. Now, modern oils are vastly better than oil even just ten years ago, so it's not such a big deal. Nonetheless, I like CAT because they test for both routinely (no extra charge) in samples of gasoline engine oil. Blackstone doesn't test for either, although you can probably get it done for an extra fee.
Top 3:
1. Oil analysis tells you about the condition of the oil (not the engine). If your engine is going to have a crisis - broken rod, failed oil pump, broken ring, etc - that can develop quite quickly between UOA's. Typically, you'll never see it coming.
2. All is not lost regarding engine health, however. If you do UOA's regularly - every change, every 6 months or a year, etc - after a year or two or 30,000 miles or so, you'll have trending information that's reliable. THEN, if you see your lead level, which has always been between 5 and 10 ppm suddenly rise to 15 for two or more tests, it's possible you have an impending failure somewhere inside the machine.
3. Every time you switch motor oil types, or the manufacturer changes the formulation, you'll have one, maybe two, questionable UOA's. "Questionable" means "take the readings, particularly on wear metals, with a grain of salt". What happens when you switch oils is that the new type or brand of oil will have different detergents in it, and stuff the previous oil didn't catch will get cleaned up by the new one. In fact, if you've got a scrap of OCD in you, you might want to switch brands every few changes to take advantage of different cleaners in the different oils to keep the engine extra clean.
As an example of what I was talking about in 3. above, I did two UOA's on Motorcraft 5W-50 on my GT350. When I switched to Mobil 1 FS X2 5w-50, I had a spike in lead reported for the first UOA. Second one was right back to normal. Nothing to see here. I just switched back to Motorcraft, so I'll probably get a bump the next UOA as well. BTW - the reason I switch is cost - sometimes I get a great deal on MC, sometimes on Mobil. They're both great products.
As for who I use, I've used Blackstone and Dyson in the US, but for the last decade I've been using Caterpillar Labs. One of the things I learned over the years is that Nitration and Oxidation matter when it comes to oils creating varnish or sludge. Now, modern oils are vastly better than oil even just ten years ago, so it's not such a big deal. Nonetheless, I like CAT because they test for both routinely (no extra charge) in samples of gasoline engine oil. Blackstone doesn't test for either, although you can probably get it done for an extra fee.
So is there a right or a wrong place to take the oil sample from? Thru the dip stick to the oil pan or from the filter guys. Like to hear your opinions!
Incredible insight by all you folks.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing
For me @1 Alibi 2 its just for documentation (Preventative Maintenance) Monitor internal wear and tear. With that said...... first sign of any potential issues and its getting torn down and completely forged and built. Maybe im just looking for an excuse to build the motor.......
I take mine about half-way thru draining the oil when changing it.
Yes, I generally take mine about half way off draining, then I take a separate sample from the oil filter and send that in as well. Filter catches all the goodies mostly.
As stated above, Blackstone recommends pulling the sample half way through draining the oil during a change. You simply put their bottle in the draining stream. They say if you pull the sample at the begining or end of the drain, might have concentrated materials.
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