Pushing the v to the limit

Latest oil report at 35k. They recommend that I don't change the oil and go for 10k oil change. So I am doing that.




This was on all K&N. Silicon levels remain at their lowest. But right after I submitted this sample SoCal had a major dust storm. Which may or may not affect the next sample report.

An interesting thing to note is the increase in molybdenum levels. It's at it's highest level and apparently that is a good thing. Moly is added to fuel additives to prevent wear on engine metals. And I believe it is because of this that my iron levels are at the lowest level ever. All other readings are consistently low.

More info on moly:

Molybdenum-sulfur compounds in lubrication

"A layer of molybdenum atoms is sandwiched between two layers of sulfur atoms. When molybdenum disulfide is dispersed between two metal surfaces a layer binds to each metal surface through the sulfur atoms. Then the asperities (surface irregularities on the metals) are prevented from coming into contact. Sliding contact is between the outer layers of sulfur atoms which are only weakly interacting. The surfaces are therefore able to slide easily relative to one another (Fig. 2)."

Reason my moly levels are so high is probably because I add Sea Foam to every fill up. Not a full can but half on average. I like the smooth accelerations along with the K&N filter that gives it additional air flow.

So far very pleased with the results.

Also I've been doing some reading that recommends to once in a while drive the car at high speeds to clean out the system. From EGR to Catalytic converter. The cat converter needs to be flushed out and the high speed gives it the heat needed to burn out and clean out the system.

2019 Tips on how to Fix a Catalytic Converter (Without Replacing It) – Automobile Problems | Cars | Engine Problems | Autocareplanet.com

"The “Italian Tune-Up” is a very common fix for a range of automotive problems, including a clogged catalytic converter. You know many drivers simply don’t push their vehicles hard enough to heat the catalytic converter to its most-efficient temperature—between 800 °F (426 °C) and 1,832 °F (1,000 °C)—leading to premature failure.

Running a vehicle harder than usual for a few miles (e.g. multiple hard accelerations) could also heat up the converter adequately and burn off performance-robbing deposits in the intake, cylinder head, exhaust, oxygen sensors, and catalytic converter.
Fuels and Fuel Additives

A different fuel or fuel “additive” may be effective at cleaning out catalytic converter deposits. For example, if what you do is fill your vehicle with the cheapest low-octane fuel, try running your vehicle on a few tanks of high-octane fuel."


For me K&N and Sea Foam allows me to push my v to the limit and not worry too much. The data reassures not to worry. And pushing the car is needed once in a while to clean gunk out. Like we humans need to clean out our system by vigorous exercise once in a while

 

Ok this is probably the last report I'll post since data is still consistent. Overall nothing unusual after 40k miles on odometer and 10k miles on the oil. All previous reports were based on 5k oil changes. So this one was based on 10k. I haven't been driving it much since the covid lock-downs and no planned road trips.

The only metal that showed noticeable increase was Iron. But the increase was consistent with the increased interval from 5k to 10k oil change as mentioned in the report.

Iron wear sources from bobistheoilguy.com:

"This is the only wear metal that accurately and linearly increases with the length of time the oil has been in service. It has many sources inside of an engine, most commonly coming from cylinder liners, camshaft lobes, crankshaft journals, and oil pumps."

Silicon (sand particles) only increased from 6ppm to 9ppm (only 3ppm jump) which is very low for 5k additional miles on oil.

Moly only increased from 135 to 137ppm which seems to disprove my theory that it came from the additive I was adding (seafoam). So I'm not sure where the moly is coming from.

When I knocked the k&n filter to get some dirt out, I did notice lots of sand and even small rocks. The clean side is clean and the dirty side dirty. When I knocked off the dirt I make sure to knock in the direction of the dirty side. I have not cleaned my filter and may do that in another 10k. Or just buy a new filter and not bother with cleaning.

So overall pleased to see low metal wear while still able to get power and performance I want.

These oil reports I feel are very useful to gauge what is happening inside an engine. It doesn't give complete information but good information where red flags can be detected early and addressed early.

 

I tried 2 different oil pumps. The commonly sold WIX version (red/black) and the Blackstone pump.

The WIX version became difficult to pump for some reason so I switched to Blackstone's pump. Blackstone's pump is very smooth and easier to use.

WIX is more pricey ($40-$60) than the Blackstone pump ($35). Blackstone provides the tubes as well. Extra tubes can also be bought at homedepot.