UPDATED AGAIN: Blackstone Laboratories Oil Report - 2.3L Engine @ 2500, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 miles (now using Motul 5w30)

[1975U15]

Appreciate you sharing OP. Some of the comments here are pretty useless.

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[hellahella]

Thanks OP for posting.

But can someone just tell me if 1k, 2.5k, or 5k to change oil? Are there results for 2.3? How much better is 2.7 than 2.3? Should I get a catch can? Thanks.

 

[AK SNO RIDER]

It says they have no data for than engine in a bronco - the averages are the same as the data set.

Fuel diluted oil is not uncommon in the first oil analysis, the rings aren’t set until the engine works some. If there is too much fuel in the next sample run conventional oil on the next oil change. Lots of short trips, idling or babying an engine can cause fuel dilution. Those rings need some heat and work to seat.

The averages you are referring to are to his specific vehicle. Blackstone keeps track of them for you and updates that column each time you get an analysis on your vehicle.

They are the same because it's his units first analysis.

And for the people asking for a "high level interpretation", it's right there at the top of the report...

 

[HBTFD]

The averages you are referring to are to his specific vehicle. Blackstone keeps track of them for you and updates that column each time you get an analysis on your vehicle.

They are the same because it's his units first analysis.

And for the people asking for a "high level interpretation", it's right there at the top of the report...

Your right. I had to zoom the image on my phone and got specific vehicle vs average of vehicle mixed up.

 

[redone17]

I’ll be sure to update this thread with the next report. It seems they are suggesting I do it at 5500 instead of my planned 7500. Stay tuned.

 

[broadicustomworks]

What is the cost/ analysis results timeframe on this?

 

[redone17]

What is the cost/ analysis results timeframe on this?

$30 and it took about 2 weeks.

 

[broadicustomworks]

$30 and it took about 2 weeks.

Not bad at all.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[KyleQ]

Meh, this soft break in recommendation isn't the best. The idea is to seat the rings, everything else doesn't really care. What seats rings? PRESSURE. The only way to achieve that is to load the engine and give it some RPMs - ala kinda beat on it.

I will be changing the oil ~1k as a result, but I'm also not going to keep the RPM's that low - just avoiding the redline until that first change. I doubt any of this actually matters with a modern computer controlled engine anyway. Things are built so well and oil is so dang good as long as it's wet it'll probably run.

 

[j_anderson]

I chose to wait until 2500 miles for our first oil change. I know a few on here were insisting on 1000. I split the difference so to speak.

Even though the dealer insisted 5000 would be fine and that I was wasting money - I was confident in wanting to see what this report revealed and provide info for the rest of the community to make their own decisions based on these results.

I used Ford Pass Points - which is weird because I gained 495 points at the same time.

Those of you with more experience - please chime in. I’ve used Blackstone in the past - but, it was for a TDI/Diesel engine and I was moderating metals due to camshaft wear

Breaking-in regime was:

Drove it as suggested by manufacturer. 1,000 went quickly. Lots of hilly backroads, some highway and to and from work - which is only a mile (down/up hill). Wondering if that has something to do with fuel in the oil.

I am pretty certain I kept it below 3500 RPMs (for the most part anyhow) and didn’t take it off-road until after the 1k.

Didnt know Blackstone lab was here in my city.

 

[goatman]

What I get from the commentary is that a catch can is a must. Fuel in the oil is from the emissions/pcv system.

Nope. PCV is Positive Crankcase Ventilation, has nothing to do with fuel. Emissions is engine management, catalytic converter, and the evap system in the gas tank. None of those have anything to do with a catch can.

 

[Bestdayever]

Congrats, you now have a baseline. I would suggest annual oil analysis unless you notice CEL or unknown loss of fluids or unexplained oil level increase. Oil analysis kits are available thru professional shops and are sold as a prepaid mail in to the lab. Some H/D truck shops (Cat/Cummins/Volvo) may do inhouse analysis. I have seen Powerstroke and Duramax diesels with 7-9% fuel dilution in the oil, and that was without misfiring injector problems.

 

[Laminar]

OP, thanks for taking a sample and sharing it! I typically sample every other oil change on my vehicles to keep an eye on how everything is wearing.

What does the report conclude?

The numbers on the "Elements in PPM" section show how much of each material was found in the oil. The far right column shows the averages that Blackstone has measured in other 2.3 EcoBoosts. The tech pointed out that the copper and silicon values were much higher than average - copper is found in bearings, silicon is introduced by poor air filtration, coolant leakage, or by dust/particles in the air making their way into an open engine while it's being worked on. Iron is usually cylinder walls, chromium is often the piston rings, and aluminum is usually piston material. If you look at what value is high, you can usually figure out what's wearing out. In this case, the copper was high due to initial bearing break-in, and silicon was high because it's a fresh build.

Also the Moly level is high, so maybe Ford's break-in oil contains a little extra moly to reduce friction/wear.

Fuel in the oil is from the rings not seating and the engine not getting hot enough to vaporize the fuel. A can isn’t going to do anything for either of those conditions.

^^
I've taken a sample when I just pulled the car into the garage and didn't let it warm up fully. That sample came back with high fuel dilution. The next sample taken from the same vehicle fully warmed up came back with no fuel. If the dealership collected the sample for him, they may have just pulled the truck in after sitting outside for a while, or pulled the sample from the beginning or end of the drain.

I’ll be sure to update this thread with the next report. It seems they are suggesting I do it at 5500 instead of my planned 7500. Stay tuned.

If you do the 3000 mile change like they suggest, I'd say it's important to make sure the thing gets fully warmed up and sampled properly. No point in sending them another cold sample only to keep finding fuel in it.

Meh, this soft break in recommendation isn't the best. The idea is to seat the rings, everything else doesn't really care. What seats rings? PRESSURE. The only way to achieve that is to load the engine and give it some RPMs - ala kinda beat on it.

Which OEM do you work for? What test data are you basing this on?

Rarely do I blindly appeal to authority, but in this case the manufacturer knows EVERYTHING about the engine's metallurgy and construction, they have tens or even hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world testing and data, and they are the absolutely on the hook for the engine's condition through the warranty period.

The only people I see saying "yeah beat on it to break it in" are the people that are just repeating some BS they read on the internet or they're like "bro I've built 5 engines and I beat on them and they're all great" with absolutely no data on longevity through 60,000+ miles. And I'm sure you can find some racing engine builders that recommend a harsh break in cycle but again, they're not on the hook for 60,000 miles of warranty - the engines they build live a much different life with far fewer miles and hours of life than a manufactured, oem-spec, warrantied, emission-controlled passenger vehicle engine.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

I find this whole thing very interesting. I did not know this was an available service, and the price seems great. More data and much cheaper than testing well water in my experience.

I’ve had a GTI with a failed motor at 38,000 miles and a Land Rover than would “make oil” intermittently. I wonder if having this info longitudinally would have given hints of issues developing. May try this myself, wonder if there is an option in the PNW.

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