Oil analysis on my 2000MT

[Varak]

Finally decided to do one of these, though guess I should have done it sooner so I'd have something to compare to!

No problems showed up in the first sample from your Honda Insight. Universal averages for the 1.0L are based on an oil run of 8,400 miles. As nicely as your engine wears you could easily go that long or longer on the oil if you wanted to. Your wear mostly read below universal averages and in the proper balance. Copper is a little higher, but it's not high enough to show a problem. Could be the engine is showing its age just a little. But overall we'd say this little 3-cyl. engine is still going strong. No water, fuel, or coolant found. Air/oil filtration is good. Nice engine.

Miles on Oil 7585
Miles on Engine 223,950

Aluminum 3
Chromium 0
Iron 9
Copper 15
Lead 2
Tin 0
Molybdenum 116
Nickel 0
Manganese 0
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Potassium 2
BOron 60
Silicon 14
Sodium 6
Calcium 2573
Magnesium 12
Phosphorus 701
Zinc 800
Barium 0

SUS Viscosity @ 210F 55.4
cSt Viscosity @ 100C 8.9
Flashpoint in F 400
Fuel % <0.5
Antifreeze % 0.0
Water % 0.0
Insolubles % 0.3

Wondering if the copper is due to the Fumoto valve. Everything else seems within spec.

[Eli]

Excellent numbers! Quite the contrast to this analysis:

Oil analysis reports for my 2000 Insight.

I would still work to get copper and iron down a little. What brand of oil is this? Did you get the TBN test? I assume not since they didn't mention it.

Great viscosity and fuel dilute. You should be very happy with this report overall. It shows that you are doing most everything right, and with perhaps just a little tweaking could be even better.

I wonder if any of that silicon is dirt.. Hmm. What oil filter do you run?

[insightbuyer]

What company did you use to get this done, and what was the cost?

I like how it shows the anti-freeze and fuel in the oil, at least you can pretty much rule off that you have bad rings or head gasket.

[Eli]

This looks like a Blackstone Labs report. It costs $25-35 depending on the options you receive.

Fuel dilute doesn't necessarily equal bad rings; it's generally associated with combustion efficiency. Varak's low fuel dilution is greatly explained by his useage patterns; he's a courier driver. When I was a courier driver, my engine stayed hot all day long. This has the effect of burning contamination out of your oil.

If you take frequent short trips, it is guaranteed that your fuel dilute will be higher. With our short 2-4 mile commutes and generally short 5-15 mile trips around town, our oil suffers. It can take 20 minutes for your oil to reach operating temperature.

Fuel dilute was nearly 2% in Insight #2. When the engine spends a great deal of time in warm up mode, combustion efficiency is low. Spark plugs, fuel injectors and even little things like the PCV can all play into this, as well..

[Varak]

I use Mobil1 0W20 and the Honda OEM Filtech filters (blue cans).

I did not get the TBN test, though I guess I should do it at least once to see how it is holding up. Even if it tells me I could extend it significantly, I'd still rather change it sooner rather than later. The cost of an oil change is minimal compared to the issues that might be created by waiting too long.

In theory, I should be changing it every 3.75K under the severe condition recommendations. I did that initially when I bought the car, but the oil looked brand new coming out so I decided to switch to the 7.5K after a couple of changes and haven't had any issues.

And yes, it is a Blackstone Labs report ($25 or $35 if you do TBN).

www.blackstone-labs.net

Contact them and they will send you a free kit. You don't pay until you send in your sample.

[Eli]

Actually, I would consider your driving to be very much un-severe.

Most people look at it completely backwards. A quick 5 minute trip to the grocery store is most certainly not Light Duty. It's not even Normal duty. That's about as severe as it gets. Prolonged idling in city traffic or in extremely dusty conditions could also be severe. Extreme temperatures(both hot and cold) can play into it too.

In contrast, prolonged highway travel would be considered Light or Normal duty. Your oil being at operating temperature for a long period of time each day is the key. Fuel and water contamination degrade oil quickly, severely shortening it's useful life.

I know you're in AZ, so you would think the excessive temperatures could be a factor here, but they don't appear to be. They could actually be a good thing. Engine warms up more quickly. Modern synthetic oil does not have problems with the temperatures seen in a water-cooled engine.

[Varak]

Well, I do very little highway driving (maybe 10-20%). The majority of the time I'm in stop-and-go traffic on city streets. That is what I was basing it on.

I also wonder about the effects of turning the car off/on 30-40 times a day.

But you are right, the engine certainly warms up extra quick around here!

[Eli]

Ahh, didn't realize it was so much city driving! That's very interesting.

Also seems to put to rest the fear that auto-stop wears our engines faster. I've always been skeptical of the idea.. it's not like all of the oil instantly drains into the pan when the engine shuts off, but this pretty much proves that it's a non-issue.

Like with most things there are a lot of variables though, so YMMV.....

[Eli]

DP........

[jdstew]

Thanks Varak and Eli!

Eli, do you have a recommended analysis service?

- Jeff


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