GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I know that these are posted over at bobistheoilguy.com but I wanted to start a thread on this topic here on genvibe. Thought people could add their oil analyses in one convenient location.

In that vein, I will start it off with my own oil analysis from Blackstone Laboratories. This one is not very interesting because I had it done at only about 3000 miles but it at least tells you that the 3000 mile oil change doesn't make sense for my driving conditions (about 2/3 city and 1/3 highway). They incorrectly put down that I was using synthetic oil when really I had a synthetic blend for that time.

Looking forward to seeing others analyses.

How does one go about sending an oil sample in for analysis? How much does it cost? How much oil is needed, etc.? I'd like to do this for our 2009 GTs for the heck of it. Thanks in advance for the info.

Just go to their website http://www.blackstone-labs.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and click on "Free Test Kit". They send you a small container (around 3 fluid ounces I think) with another container that you place it in for mailing. The cost is $25 with an additional fee if you want a TBN done ($3-5 additional I think). You can either sample during your next oil change, which I think is preferred, or use some sort of pump through the dipstick tube. They provide clear instructions with the test kit and even more on their website. Also check out http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/engine-oil-analysis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for what each of the elements mean about your engine although if anything is out of the ordinary Blackstone will explain in their comments. Look forward to seeing your results.

Awesome! Thanks for all the info!

I am definitely going to do this. Both our 2009 GTs are due for oil changes in about 500 miles, so I may go ahead and do it with the next changes...

What exactly is the TBN? Did you have it done with your Vibe or no?

TBN is the 'total base number' as it relates to the additives in your oil. The lower the number, the less effective your oil is going to be at protecting your engine. As far as paying extra for the TBN test, it is really only useful if you are going to be trying to get extended oil changes out of your car (beyond the normal or 'recommended' oil change intervals). For example, I have sent several samples in and obtained a TBN because I am trying to see the maximum number of miles I can get out of a specific type and weight of oil in my car.

I will see if I can find my analysis and post them as well!!

This was my first oil change (after dumping the mystery oil that was in it when I bought the car)

At this point my driving was more highway driving (probably around 70/30).


And my second UOA. This one was after changing jobs which involves more city driving for the commute so its much more like 50/50. Notice the change in values going from 5200 to 6000 miles.


I plan to take their advice and take my next same between 7k and 8k to see what the values look like. This will probably be within the next month or so.
Again, my goal here was to find out how far I can stretch oil changes while still protecting my engine. I've had good results with this particular oil and have purchased a significant quantity of it at a really good price (comparable to conventional costs) so it's in my best interest to get as much out of it as I can.

Thanks for posting your analyses blindman10. Did you run the engine at highway speeds for longer than 20 minutes before sampling? Is that the reason for the trace fuel showing up?

biodieselrabbit wrote:Thanks for posting your analyses blindman10. Did you run the engine at highway speeds for longer than 20 minutes before sampling? Is that the reason for the trace fuel showing up?

My commute ends with a fair amount of city driving before I get home so while I operated the engine for more than 20 minutes, the majority of the final miles are stop and go city driving. It's my assumption that this is cause of the trace fuel. As far as I'm concerned, as long as it remains a trace amount I'm not too concerned.

Interesting thread. After reading up on Bobistheoilguy regarding testing, TBN, etc. I quit doing the 3k oil change on my '97 Civic and then, when I got the Vibe, have been changing it every 7500 miles. I did find that if I waited that long I would be down almost a quart, so started adding a quart of 5w-30 at 4000-4500 miles to both replenish the TBN and to get it safely to 7500.

I have also thought about switching from 5w-20 (recommended) to 5w-30 to see if that would avoid the need for the quart top up, but I didn't want my mpg to suffer.

Got our results from Blackstone yesterday...

My Vibe:


My Mom's Vibe:


Based on their suggestion, I will be moving from a 2500 mile oil change interval to a 5000 mile oil change interval.

Awesome that your report writer was a fellow vibe owner!

vibenvy wrote:Got our results from Blackstone yesterday...

My Mom's Vibe:


Based on their suggestion, I will be moving from a 2500 mile oil change interval to a 5000 mile oil change interval.

Hey Vibenvy,
Did Blackstone recommend an oil BRAND that has a better TBN than the pennzoil 5-20 that was tested?
chiadog

Rayven01 wrote:Awesome that your report writer was a fellow vibe owner!

I know! I started laughing when I read that! What a small world !

chiadog wrote:Hey Vibenvy,
Did Blackstone recommend an oil BRAND that has a better TBN than the pennzoil 5-20 that was tested?

No they didn't. We have been using Penzoil for as long as I can remember in all of our vehicles and have never had issues with it so I don't see any reason for switching. Penzoil has always served our vehicles well; my dad's 2001 s10 has ~280,000 miles on it and is still running great. Our 1994 Pontiac Sunbird LE Sedan that we junked back in January (due to rust) had 268,010 miles on it and still ran great.

Hey Vibenvy,

It appears to me that the oil test folks are saying you are using an inferior oil. From what I understand, "You might want to choose an oil with a higher TBN" means your Pennzoil came from the factory with insufficient additives to last the long haul. Am i missing something?
Chiadog

Chiadog wrote:Hey Vibenvy,

It appears to me that the oil test folks are saying you are using an inferior oil. From what I understand, "You might want to choose an oil with a higher TBN" means your Pennzoil came from the factory with insufficient additives to last the long haul. Am i missing something?
Chiadog

What they said specifically was:
The TBN read 2.3, which isn't a whole lot of active additive but it's enough to run 5,500-6,000 miles.

The TBN of this sample read 2.0. We consider a reading of 1.0 to be too low, and even though we think this
oil will be fine for 5,000-6,000 miles, you might want to consider something with a stronger TBN if you want
to run much beyond that.

I take both comments to mean if I wanted to go any further than 5000-6000 miles between oil changes than I would want to switch brands, but if I stick with the 5000-6000 mile interval, the Penzoil TBN should be fine. I will probably send another sample in when I do the next oil change at ~42,500 and see what they have to say than.

Yup, I agree! I just thought they were a little sneaky with their wording and someone may easily overlook the information.
If my Vibe had 50K, I'd get my oil tested. But at 150K, My Vibes' at the "Don't ask - Don't tell" stage of its life!
chiadog

Here is my oil analysis.

I'm a little worried about the Iron and Titanium in the oil. The sodium is likely due to road salt this winter.
I didn't pay to have the TBN analyzed, but now I wish I had, considering the viscosity has been changed to 5w/20.

Hey SJ,
Thanks for the info. I would call Blackstone and ask about that titanium number? And road salt causing high sodium? Is this supposed to be normal? Salt dust getting past the air filter? Does your Vibe use the stock air filter/intake?

Thanks for your question. I did some more research. The only information I got from Blackstone is what is displayed in the PDF I attached.

Lots of good information here http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/engine-oil-analysis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm using the stock intake, and a Fram air-filter. It looks like the Iron is the most worry-some item. Checking the oil level every 1000 miles from now on to make sure there is enough oil. There has been some oil loss 6 months or so. Not sure where it's going yet.

Looks like Titanium might just be something the oil had in it when it was put in. Maybe the AC-Delco stuff my dealer uses isn't the best for this engine? Thankfully there isn't any Potassium, otherwise I'd be worried about coolant in the oil. I plan on having the oil analyzed again in at the next change.

Road salt is listed as one of the possible causes of sodium in the oil in the following link. I went in to mountains of Washington state a few weeks ago and encountered lots of road salt, so this seems to stand up, but like the Titanium I'll keep an eye on it.
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Rea ... assium-oil" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Blackstone is great, I have used them in the past. I wanted to give you guys an alternate and share my quick experience.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/o ... -services/

Cost is about 25 bucks for PC and includes the TBN as well as pre-paid shipping to Oil Analyzers. Approx. 32 dollars for non PC.

On my Chevy Trailblazer I have approx. 5700 miles on this oil change so far with 40% oil life left on my OLM using Amsoil XL compared to 6200-6800 miles on Mobil One at the end of the OLM cycle. I have also seen a 2 MPG increase. While that might not seem like much is amounts to another 60+ miles for me on a tank.

Is anyone still using this service? If so, can they post up their analysis now that our miles are really up there

Bookworm wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:16 pm Is anyone still using this service? If so, can they post up their analysis now that our miles are really up there

I should send some from my 03 GT with 280k on it for fun.

In reality, I am considering doing this for my '07... I am nearing 200k miles, 120k of which I have put on. Curious to see how I actually treated her over the years.

Bookworm wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:16 pm Is anyone still using this service? If so, can they post up their analysis now that our miles are really up there

I used them a couple years ago but for my 1992 F-150. Mainly because I went over SEVEN years between oil changes and was curious as to what damage I did to the engine, if any! Turned out it wasn't that bad considering it was just under 10000 miles since the last oil change. Truck is sitting at 60k original miles. I bought it new 28 years ago

tpollauf wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:30 amI used them a couple years ago but for my 1992 F-150. Mainly because I went over SEVEN years between oil changes and was curious as to what damage I did to the engine, if any! Turned out it wasn't that bad considering it was just under 10000 miles since the last oil change. Truck is sitting at 60k original miles. I bought it new 28 years ago

I need to see said truck... All I ever see are the Pontiacs in the driveway!

tpollauf wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:30 am

Bookworm wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:16 pm Is anyone still using this service? If so, can they post up their analysis now that our miles are really up there

I used them a couple years ago but for my 1992 F-150. Mainly because I went over SEVEN years between oil changes and was curious as to what damage I did to the engine, if any! Turned out it wasn't that bad considering it was just under 10000 miles since the last oil change. Truck is sitting at 60k original miles. I bought it new 28 years ago

Sounds like you might have been just as well off renting a truck when you needed it, and have the extra driveway space!

I have not done oil analyses for either Vibe since the first ones in 2012. They both just turned over 90,000 miles about a month ago. I was planning on doing them again at 100,000 miles, but it will be at least a year before either Vibe hits the 100,000 mile mark, so I am considering doing one at 95,000 instead. Either way, I'll be sure to update here when I do!