SS #670 Oil report

I have my oil analyzed at Blackstone Laboratories every few years. The last time I submitted a sample the cost of the analysis was $35 and the test kit includes a pre-paid mailer. You used to be able to mail them in any blue collection box but as of October, 2019 items that measure more than 1/2 inch in thickness may not be deposited into collection boxes. (Most collection boxes have been modified to enforce this new policy!)

This means you have to take your sample in to the post office. Which can turn into a huge hassle. One time I tried to mail from a satellite post office and was told flat out that motor oil is flammable and could not be accepted under any circumstances. I went to the main post office. It took three employees 15 minutes in a backroom consultation before it was agreed my sample could be mailed. (Quoting from the Blackstone Laboratories website) the key is that, "A liquid with a flashpoint above 200° F (93° C) is not regulated as a hazardous material and may be mailed subject to the general packaging requirements in DMM 601.1-7, provided it possesses no characteristics of another hazard class." The lowest flashpoint of any sample I have sent in was 395°.

All of the samples I've taken have been of Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic oil.

Oil report	Description

Here are the comments at 57082 miles:

CRAIG: We found very little change since the last sample from your GM engine. All wear was well below average for this type of engine, which, along with the steady wear trend, is a very good indication of normal wearing parts and careful operation. We found nothing from our test data that would suggest any kind of mechanical problem at 57,082 miles. If all engines looked this good, our job would be easy!

Here are the comments at 31456 miles:

CRAIG: Nice improvement (again). Wear at this point as about as low as we could expect to see from this type of engine after almost 3,000 miles on the oil. Everything is well below average levels, which is a good indication that no mechanical problems exist. The oil was physically normal for a 5W/30 and appears to be doing a good job for you. No fuel dilution, moisture or anti-freeze was found. Silicon continues to improve, so your air filtration is doing a good job for you. At 31,456 total miles, we have no problems to report.

Here are the comments at 19557 miles:

CRAIG: Copper is dropping out nicely, and may disappear completely in one or two more oil changes. Almost all other wear was at or below average for this type of engine, which is a very good indication of normal wearing parts. The oil's viscosity was in the normal range for 5W/30. No fuel dilution, moisture or coolant contamination was found. Insolubles (oil oxidation and blow-by) were low at 0.3% showing good oil filtration. At 19,557 total miles, your engine looks good.

Here are the comments at 13444 miles:

CRAIG: Copper still read quite high in this sample taken from the engine at 13,444 miles after 2934 miles use of the oil. Silicon improved nicely. All wear other than copper dropped as expected and were below average and easily normal. So long as copper drops to a third the iron count in the next two or three samples we will think your 5.7L engine a normal one. No gas, moisture or coolant found in the sample. Check back after 4,000 miles oil use.

Here are the comments at 4500 miles:

CRAIG: If this is a 350 engine the universal average file shows typical wear metals for the type after a routine run on the oil, and after wear-in. Your engine is still undergoing wear-in and the only high metal was copper, which we suspect will subside by 10,000 miles. Silicon will drop as well. This oil was 5W/30 Mobil 1 with no gas, moisture or coolant in suspension. We found no obvious problems in the sample and suggest checking back after wear-in.

Here are the report results:

Elements ppm	@ 57082 miles (3270)	@ 31456 miles (2900)	@ 19557 miles (2797)	@ 13444 miles (2934)	@ 4500 miles (2500)	Universal averages
aluminum	3	3	5	4	6	4
chromium	1	1	2	2	2	1
iron	9	8	11	9	14	15
copper	14	18	39	51	95	41
lead	2	3	4	6	9	7
tin	0	2	2	3	9	2
molybdenum	72	2	3	2	3	53
nickel	1	0	1	1	1	1
manganese	1	1	1	1	2	1
silver	0	0	0	0	0	0
titanium	0	0	0	0	0	0
potassium	0					1
vanadium		0	0	0	0	0
boron	130	64	61	61	94	81
silicon	9	3	5	6	28	9
sodium	8	8	8	7	7	8
calcium	3433	850	834	882	826	2073
magnesium	48	1500	1364	1540	1366	1037
phosphorus	723	657	641	609	661	738
zinc	937	776	736	749	743	879
barium	0	0	0	0	0	0

Tested properties	@ 57082 miles (3270)	@ 31456 miles (2900)	@ 19557 miles (2797)	@ 13444 miles (2934)	@ 4500 miles (2500)	should be
SUS viscosity @ 210°	61.4	58.2	61.4	56.4	58.0	55-62
flash point in ° F	415°	400°	375°	380°	385°	>365°
fuel %	<0.5	<0.5	<0.5	<0.5	<0.5	<2.0
antifreeze %	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
water %	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<0.1
insolubles %	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4	<0.6

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Craig Leres