Oil Analysis thread (post yours up!)

[FarFromStock]

awesome - great info for sure. So can we mail the sample in? How much does it cost? Or is it really only cost effective if you have a fleet of raptors?

I buy the postage paid kits through Amsoil. They are about $30 and it includes the sample bottle, packaging, shipping and lab analysis.

 

[lathrash]

awesome - great info for sure. So can we mail the sample in? How much does it cost? Or is it really only cost effective if you have a fleet of raptors?

You can get a free test kit from Blackstone Labs. It costs $25 if you do a single test. Or you can buy in bulk (I bought a 6 pack) and they cost $19 each. You can also choose to pay for your shipping in advance ($2.29 for postage), so the packages come ready to drop in the mail when you're ready to ship them out.

 

[Nv Guy]

You can get a free test kit from Blackstone Labs. It costs $25 if you do a single test. Or you can buy in bulk (I bought a 6 pack) and they cost $19 each. You can also choose to pay for your shipping in advance ($2.29 for postage), so the packages come ready to drop in the mail when you're ready to ship them out.

I recommend paying for the postage up front; otherwise you have to answer a bunch of questions when you had it over to the post office or post office agent.

 

[SVT_4X4]

Here is mine from the first oil change.

 

[lathrash]

I have already done my third oil change (4,100 mile interval) and will send that sample in soon.

I just got my report from my third oil change. I probably won't run to 6k miles on this oil as he recommends though... maybe I'll go to 5k.

 

[Ni9mm]

I know google is my friend but does anyone have a link?

This is awesome!

I was right, google is my friend!

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

 

[Fred]

Since they must have a database of similar engines, oils, regions, etc... How large is the companies database?

Do they have 5 or 5000 samples?

This seems like something one would need to do numerous times to get a baseline and measure the changes.... Not a one shot deal

Would be a great tool when buying a used car.

 

[lathrash]

Since they must have a database of similar engines, oils, regions, etc... How large is the companies database?

Do they have 5 or 5000 samples?

This seems like something one would need to do numerous times to get a baseline and measure the changes.... Not a one shot deal

Would be a great tool when buying a used car.

If you want to know how big their database is, I would email them. They seem to be really good about taking care of their customers. They appear to be a fairly popular source for oil analysis, so I would like to think that they have a decent sized database, although I'm sure it takes time to build up a considerable number of samples for a particular engine like the relatively new Ford 6.2L.

You are right about it being a great tool when buying a used car, but I'm also considering this a great tool for whenever I sell my truck. Seeing multiple oil analysis reports, each with a clean bill of health, will only increase a buyer's confidence and help you attain your asking price for the vehicle.

 

[lathrash]

If you want to know how big their database is, I would email them. They seem to be really good about taking care of their customers. They appear to be a fairly popular source for oil analysis, so I would like to think that they have a decent sized database, although I'm sure it takes time to build up a considerable number of samples for a particular engine like the relatively new Ford 6.2L.

I went ahead and sent Blackstone Labs an email regarding the size of their database. This is the response...

Thanks for the e-mail. Our entire database contains over 500,000 samples, though we are kind of light on the Ford 6.2L since it is so new. Right now, we only have 16 samples in the average file for it. That's still gives us a pretty good idea about what's normal, though I suspect it will change quite a bit as we see more samples from that engine.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Sincerely,
Ryan Stark
Blackstone Labs​

 

[Chris@FreedomMotorsports]

Blackstone labs is a great option, next to Oil Analyzers from Amsoil they are the only other option I personally recommend.

One thing to remember is that when keeping up with the testing of your oil, when you change from one oil to another, there are often higher additive particles due to the additives sometimes doubling up as a result of not being able to flush ALL of the oil out when changing it.

It is also good to understand what sample "trending" means and what it is used for. I am going to duplicate an article I wrote on the subject here for the members so that they will have more information on the subject. It will be in this section of the forum so watch for it and let me know if you have questions.

For those that want to try to use Oil Analyzers, click the link below.

Oil Analyzers Postage Prepaid Testing Kits From Amsoil.