Engine Oil Analysis?

[JK021500HD]

Hey guys I changed my oil a week ago and just got the analysis back. I have done analysis since my first change every change to try to cover myself if I ever have a problem from piston slap or something with my 2002 6.0 liter. When I changed my oil there was some ferrous metal on the drain plug magnet that I have NEVER seen during any oil change on any of my vehicles. I looked like what you would see on the magnet when changing the trany fluid. Here is the result.

 

JASON: Copper has been reading quite high for your engine and it is an anomaly, something we don't

expect once wear-in has passed. The 5,084 miles you've run on this sample shouldn't be too long for this

type engine, so we think the continuing high copper and increased iron are due to poor wear at a bronze

bushing. If you found ferrous metal at the plug, we would bet there was non-ferrous with it. You may

want to consider cutting up an oil filter. The metals do not appear to be coming from bearings. The

excess wear was not caused by any contaminants.

 

What do you guys think about all of this? The truck has 20500 miles on it and my warranty runs out the end of this February. Do you think taking all of the oil reports into the dealer will get me anywhere or just laughed at?

 

JK

[vette dude]

is it eating oil? piston slap? or is it just that your tests are coming back bad?

[JK021500HD]

I do have piston slap that I can here but I only loose about 1/4 of a quart over 5000 miles. My tests have just been comming back with this info and now I have seen this on the magnet.

 

I have been using Mobile 1 since 3000 miles.

 

JK

[vette dude]

I do have piston slap that I can here  but I only loose about 1/4 of a quart over 5000 miles.  My tests have just been comming back with this info and now I have seen this on the magnet. 

 

I have been using Mobile 1 since 3000 miles.

 

JK

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

well, you can go to the dealer, but they told my dad that a quart every 5000 miles is within tollerances...

try your dealer, perhaps they will be more leanient

[BenKey]

Good luck with that and let us know what they say. My guess is they will say, "so". I would ask the people testing the oil if this is atypical of any other GM motors that they have tested. I know they say it's an anomaly, but is it a common anomaly for GM motors?

 

I would guess the copper, a lot of it, is from the cam bearings. They have copper showing brand new. At least some of it has to be from them.

[TimB]

Is there something wrong with your truck that you would get your oil checked after every oil change

[JK021500HD]

No there is nothing wrong with the truck that I am aware of it was just that when I bought my truck in Feb 2002 there was a lot of talk about the piston slap and GM not doing anything about it because they said it was normal. I was just hopeing that by doing the analysis it might catch something with the piston slap before my waranty ran out and I could get something done maybe. I fly a jet for a living for a corporation and we do oil analysis every 150 hours on our jet engines to catch something that is going wrong before it does. although it didn't catch the catastrophic failure of a Low Presure turbine blade in the second stage of a four stage axial flow compressor as I was climbing through 27,000 for 39,000 on my way to Denver. We made an uneventful emergency landing in Buffalo NY. Blackstone Labs does my analysis.

 

Jk

[TimB]

Big difference in stresses of a turbine than a truck engine. I think all the talk about piston slap is just that (talk) Most of the time someone is talking about it they are ldodge or ford people. Ive had several silverado's since 98 and put about 100k miles on each with no problems. I have 47K on my 2003SS an I swear it runs better every day.

[flash2003]

What do you guys think about all of this? The truck has 20500 miles on it and my warranty runs out the end of this February. Do you think taking all of the oil reports into the dealer will get me anywhere or just laughed at?

 

 

I was a Power Generation Tech for Caterpillar and we did oil samples and coolant samples every 6 months on stand by systems. Prime power systems were done every 250 hours. On both nat. gas and diesel engines. It was intresting to see certain contamanation levels to predict future engine problems. A bit extreme for our trucks but if you have access to GM's min. tolerance levels It might be helpful.

Also GM could say it was Mobil 1 oil, It didnt come in the engine from the factory.

I am too running mobil 1 oil if you find anything out let us know .

[marc_w]

To be honest, I think it's all normal.

 

From what I hear, it's not uncommon for GenIII motors to report high copper with 30K miles on the motor. (This was reported by some oil analysis company.)

 

The junk on the plug - Is it a metallic looking dark-greyish sludge? It looks real bad, but if you rub it between your fingers, it's like a slippery....... sludge. If so, I get that too... I have for every oil change in this truck (35K miles), my old 5.3 truck that I had fo 42K miles, and my '00 S10 that I had for 98K.

 

What kind of slap do you get - only on VERY cold mornings, or ever other cold start, no matter what the outside temp really is?

 

I had a slap that would show up under -8 to -10 *F, after sitting overnight, when the truck was a month or three old last winter - but this winter it's completely gone.

[Orion231]

Dude, I dunno bout you...but even if they just laugh at you at least you tried! I would take it in and find a good mechanic to show the reports too. You might be able to get it worked on. If not, least you tried! Better than not knowing.

 

Also, I myself have been in a plane crash. Forced Emergency Landings suck. I was getting my pilot's liscense in High School, well we were flying an old Pietenpol Air Camper, Mono High Wing, Seconite Skin, wooden plane. It was a BLAST to fly! Great to learn on, open cockpit, El Tigre Radial Engine, inline two seater... well the lesson for the day was forced Emergency Landings, so we went way out in the country and practiced stalling the aircraft and landing on paved roads way way out there in oil field country. Did three of them. When we were flying home, my Instructor would let me do Acrobatics if I did well on the lesson, so i did some loops, barrel rolls, and a Split S. Leved out and started for the Air Field. About 4 miles out and 4,000 FT AGL, we were cruising about 125-150 MPH plane was feeling great! The BOOM! I had hot oil all over my face and goggles, the plane shuddered and black smoke was everywhere, one of the pistons siezed and blew, the prop was windmilling, and we started loosing altitude and had no power. Jim took the controls and calmed me down. I was freakin out, so we radioed ahead and called in an emergency landing and gave them our heading and alititude and range from the air field, smoke was pouring out everywhere, I felt like we had been shot down old school style...in World War II! We ended up landing in a oil field pasture after buzzing over numerous residences and came to a stop on a mesquite tree. the plane was torn up, the landing was rough, but we made it out alive! Jim flew T-52s in Vietnam he is an excellent Pilot! When they inspected the engine it turned out that was had a bad piston that siezed up... it gave no warning till it was too late.

[JK021500HD]

I have a few things to get fixed before the end of the month when my warranty runs out so I will bring the report and ask them what they think just to see.

 

 

I found out that in the LP (low pressure) compressor we lost a blade on the second stage fan. The engine contained it but it did do a lot of damage to the shroud. So it was a catastrophic failure that contained itself. Thank God. Does anyone rememeber suix city Iowa, that was an uncontained failure.

 

JK