I am copying this article from my own website, I wrote it so there isn't a problem with stealing any information. Please note that my specific area of expertise is with GM trucks for the most part, hince the GM references in the article, but the trending information is the same. This coming week I will contact both Blackstone Labs and Oil Analyzers in an effort to obtain as much information as possible covering the analysis trending of the Ford Raptor and will post that information in this thread at that time. Enjoy.
Oil Analysis Trending
One of the most commonly misunderstood areas of interpreting results from oil analysis is with the term "Trending". It is commonly though that when you are performing analysis, that you should look for trends in your own oil analysis reports to figure out whether the analysis results are good or bad or if something may be wrong with your rig. While keeping an eye on trends in your own vehicle is a good thing, that is not what the labs are referring to in this regard.
When a lab, any lab, does an analysis test, they are looking at the "Trends" set by past results for your particular vehicle. By comparing the results of your current test to all the tests that have been run on all vehicles of the same make and model of vehicle specifically, they can tell what the "Good and Bad" ranges can be.
For example, with the GM trucks with the Duramax, one thing they have come to learn in regard to copper levels specifically is that the GM oil cooler has a tendency to "Leech" copper "Ions" making it look as if there could be excessive wear going on in other parts of the engine. As explained by a couple of different labs, this leeching is more often the result of the detergents in the oil which "Clean" the engine, having an effect on also cleaning copper "Ions" out of the oil cooler. This does not necessarily mean that your engine is wearing more, it means that if your truck is a GM Duramax, you may have to deal with seeing higher copper levels.
Now, I was told by more than one lab that with the Duramax trucks, this is acceptable because of the fact that the detergent packages in the oil.
So, in closing, when a lab makes a recommendation about the viability of an oil sample, they are looking at the trends set forth in the history of all vehicles of your type that have ever been tested overall to determine whether your vehicle is having issues and whether you should change the oil or not.
In most all cases, if they see an immediate problem, they will call you to inform you of the results and that you need to change the oil. Now, while trending in oil analysis is mainly used by the labs to determine appropriate levels of contaminants or failure of additive packages, shear stability or otherwise. You CAN use trending over time using continued used oil analysis to get a good picture of what your particular driving style and environment may effect your truck. You can also use it to determine if you need to begin looking for potential problem areas inside your engine and being "Preemptive" in the repairs of a possible failing part or system. There will be threads coming soon about how to do just that. How to spot and diagnose what could be possible signs of engine failure stemming from everything from the cam, main bearings, pistons, rings and more.
Please post questions below.
Originally posted Here: Oil Analysis Trending
Oil Analysis Trending
One of the most commonly misunderstood areas of interpreting results from oil analysis is with the term "Trending". It is commonly though that when you are performing analysis, that you should look for trends in your own oil analysis reports to figure out whether the analysis results are good or bad or if something may be wrong with your rig. While keeping an eye on trends in your own vehicle is a good thing, that is not what the labs are referring to in this regard.
When a lab, any lab, does an analysis test, they are looking at the "Trends" set by past results for your particular vehicle. By comparing the results of your current test to all the tests that have been run on all vehicles of the same make and model of vehicle specifically, they can tell what the "Good and Bad" ranges can be.
For example, with the GM trucks with the Duramax, one thing they have come to learn in regard to copper levels specifically is that the GM oil cooler has a tendency to "Leech" copper "Ions" making it look as if there could be excessive wear going on in other parts of the engine. As explained by a couple of different labs, this leeching is more often the result of the detergents in the oil which "Clean" the engine, having an effect on also cleaning copper "Ions" out of the oil cooler. This does not necessarily mean that your engine is wearing more, it means that if your truck is a GM Duramax, you may have to deal with seeing higher copper levels.
Now, I was told by more than one lab that with the Duramax trucks, this is acceptable because of the fact that the detergent packages in the oil.
So, in closing, when a lab makes a recommendation about the viability of an oil sample, they are looking at the trends set forth in the history of all vehicles of your type that have ever been tested overall to determine whether your vehicle is having issues and whether you should change the oil or not.
In most all cases, if they see an immediate problem, they will call you to inform you of the results and that you need to change the oil. Now, while trending in oil analysis is mainly used by the labs to determine appropriate levels of contaminants or failure of additive packages, shear stability or otherwise. You CAN use trending over time using continued used oil analysis to get a good picture of what your particular driving style and environment may effect your truck. You can also use it to determine if you need to begin looking for potential problem areas inside your engine and being "Preemptive" in the repairs of a possible failing part or system. There will be threads coming soon about how to do just that. How to spot and diagnose what could be possible signs of engine failure stemming from everything from the cam, main bearings, pistons, rings and more.
Please post questions below.
Originally posted Here: Oil Analysis Trending
