Got this from the good folks at Blackstone via e-mail a day into my cross country trip towing about 11k... I'm gonna change the oil again in another week to see what the hard driving did for it.

The last oil sample was taken when I got back from a 6 month deployment, the truck only drove about once a week, so that could have had some weird effects on the oil.

I was not using Lucas, as they guessed... funny, I know I marked no additives on the sample sheet.

Good news is that there is very little fuel, and no water or antifreeze

 

Don't know what your #'s were last sample. The iron & copper # 's are up there. As far as the bearings,,,could it be your getting very lubrication in that area ? Hard to believe your oil wiped out b-4 5k

 

When you were deployed, was your truck just started and idled or was it driven for at least 10 miles and up to full operating temp?

Try this oil for your next oil change. http://www.castrol.com/castrol/secti...tentId=7020026

 

That looks like some good stuff... I still have one oil change left of some rosmella, then I was thinking about switching to a synthetic. I'll look into that castrol...

The last numbers are on the same page, look at the dates at the top.

Angie drove it around town, when she drove it, she got it up to operating temp, even beat on it a few times

 

I am not one to push a certain brand of oil, but that Castrol is real good stuff. About $15.00 per gallon.


That sample looks like the oil was acid loaded and leaching metals from the oil cooler. You vis is a little high, probably from soot loading, this also could be a partial cause of your elevated numbers. I would recommend changing your oil and filter then run it the same miles as the last sample. This will give you a real world sample.


The only other thing it could be is from when me and Cincy took it out for a weekend. Did you ever get the beer stains out of the seats?

 

I don't think that it was a good idea to run my oil that long, I only lived about 3 miles from work, the truck spent more time in high idle and cool down than it did driving, probably. That's pretty hard on the oil, from what I hear.

I wanted to do a change here shortly to see what the oil did on the trip. I changed it about a week before I left, and I have not been driving it much now that Angie is here. (been taking her truck.) I figured that with some good, normal Cummins use, (pulling and long hours) that it would show what was really going on in there. That, and if I do have some bearing problems, it would probably show up after the trip.


I got the beer stains out of the carpet (I have leather seats, don't forget), and I've almost got Eric's fingernail marks sanded out of the dash. Thanks for ripping my 'oh crap' handles off, that'll be 151.50, please . I did find the pair of jockeys that one of you fudged in and threw in my tool box. I've got a special package coming back to one of ya!

 

Maybe try some RotellaT6 Mark. I have some for my next oil change..Had good luck with the old stuff.

 

I'm still looking for an oil. I don't think that I'm going to go full syn.

 

very good test results on my last analize.11ooo on oil sotex

 

would have been good to see how much TBN was left. From the looks probably 0 to very low. Does blakstone charge xtra for TBN ? I forget. Some do . I use Oil Analyzers. $25.00 TBN included. I saw the other chart. Looks like it mabe only a 25k oil. Of course, the short driving may have killed it

 

They do a TBN, but it is 10 bucks more. The first report I did, I changed it with about 2800 miles on it, and they said I could go 5k.

I won't have the short driving problem anymore, it's 17 miles to work

 

i used oil analyzers houston tx.twenty bucks.. lube typ dme premium api cj-4synthetic amsoil tbn 6.63 sotex

 

I'll look into oil analyzers.

Thanks for the info, fellas.

 

Hi Mark

I agree with Hvytrkmech! However, I recommend running the Rosmella out for several UOA cycles, if you want a true understanding of where you're at. From past experience,the key to UOAs for diagnosis is to reduce as many input variables as possible, so that only the issues stand out. There is normalization that needs to occur when different lubricant chemistry packages are introduced (from brand to brand). If you haven't yet done so, consider choosing just one oil product and stick with it through several OCIs.

You my want to consider using a filter such as the Donaldson Endurance Synteq (Part# ELF 7349). This is a synthetic media filter which is 98.7 percent efficient when faced with 15 micron contaminants,and 50 percent efficient when faced with seven micron contaminants. See if things settle down and then try the Castrol.

 

I use blackstone also. I do samples every 5K (except on etended trip). I switched from Rotella dinasoar to syn at about 21k which was when I put by bypass on. I drove it 2k and then took a 9K trip when we moved from AK to CA. When I finally got the sample it showed elevated levels on just about all the same elements you did. I was towing a 10K trailer also so I am sure that was it.

I changed the oil and did another sample 5500 miles later and it was back to normal. I just sent in another sample last week and we will see how it looks but I suspect with another 5k it will be fine. Towing a lot of weight will always wear those exact areas more (more torque needed also know as twisting). Good luck, Shawn