2002 Newell Coach Oil Analysis

[Brian Atwood]

I would like to get an engine oil analysis done before I commit to purchasing this 2002 Newell Coach I have located. I know about Blackstone Labs, but wondered if there were any other labs that I could mail a sample to for the same tests as Blackstone. Thanks for any info!

Brian

[prairieschooner]

Most of the Heavy Equipment Shops can help with this. I have used Johnson Caterpillar in Riverside, CA but there are many other capable Labs.

[lbrachfe]

Detroit D does them

[The Newell]

NAPA has a kit they sell and you mail it off and a week or 2 later you get the report back.

[Neweller]

There appear to be a lot of ways to get it done. I guess it would matter how long you want to wait for the results?

[folivier]

I've been using Blackstone for 3 years (3 oil changes) and it's nice to get not only the report but comments from them detailing a few of the most important wear items.
Here is an example of the comments from my last report:
" Iron came down once again in this latest sample from your Newell Coach's 8V92T engine. We
wouldn't have expected iron to drop on a longer oil run like this -- usually it tracks up with more time on the
oil -- so that's a good sign that steel wear has actually improved quite a bit in your engine. Previously, your
per-mile iron wear rate (ppm/miles) was between 0.013 to 0.016 ppm/mile, but in this latest sample it's
dropped considerably, to just 0.005 ppm/mile - less than half of your previous wear. That's great to see! Fuel
is down as well. Nice report here!"

[cdat]

How many folks use an oil sample as a way of determining whether or not it's time for an oil change, or do most folks just go off of "once a year". Same with transmission fluid, do you do samples on that yearly or less, or more?

Thanks
john

[Paul Wilbert]

And you can always do your own. Lubricheck - The digital 'blood tester' for your car (http://www.lubricheck.com/). It was recently introduced to the market.

Paul

[NewellCrazy]

These folks JG Lubricant Svcs (http://www.jglubricantservices.com/) are good and are cheaper than Blackwell.

[prairieschooner]

The Oil Analysis is more for determining maintenance/repairs that will be coming up

[GringoPhil]

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/CPrintText.php?Font=./Data/Fonts/bedb819ef8646282a5b204ae73e2efe9-Gender.ttf&Text=what+is+oil+analysis%3F&Color=010180&FontSize=40

Oil analysis is a quick, nondestructive way to gauge the health of an engine by looking at what's in the oil.

What does a standard analysis include?
In our standard oil analysis, we perform four tests:


Spectral exam (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/spectrometry-the-marvel-of-the-lab.php):
In the spectral exam, we take a portion of your oil sample and run it through a machine called a spectrometer (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/spectrometry.html). The spectrometer analyzes the oil and tells us the levels of the various metals and additives that are present in the oil. This gives us a gauge of how much your engine is wearing. To learn more about the elements we look at and where they come from in your oil, go to our Report Explanation (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/report-explanation.php) page.

Insolubles test (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what-are-insolubles.php):
The insolubles (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what-are-insolubles.php) test measures the amount of abrasive solids that are present in the oil. The solids are formed by oil oxidation (when the oil breaks down due to the presence of oxygen, accelerated by heat) and blow-by past the rings. This test tells you how good a job the oil filter is doing, and to what extent the oil has oxidized.

Viscosity test (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/oil-viscosity.php):
The viscosity (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/oil-viscosity.php) measures the grade, or thickness, of the oil. Whether it's supposed to be a 5W/30, 15W/40, or some other grade, we will know (within a range) what the viscosity should be. If your viscosity falls outside that range, there's probably a reason: the oil could have been overheated or contaminated with fuel, moisture, or coolant.

Flash Point test (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what-is-a-flash-point.php):
The Flash Point (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what_is_a_flash_point_.html) test measures the temperature at which vapors from the oil ignite. For any specific grade of oil, we know what temperature the oil should flash at. If it flashes at or above that level, the oil is not contaminated. If the oil flashes off lower than it should, then it's probably been contaminated with something. Fuel is the most common contaminant in oil.