mikesim
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As I indicated in an earlier post, I did the 8,000 mile service on the NT last weekend and pulled a sample of the oil to send off to the lab for analysis. I just got the results back from Blackstone today.
For those who are not familiar with oil analysis reports, I will give you a brief tutorial on what info is contained within them. The elements contained in the left column are the elements that were found in the oil sample. These elements can be present due to 1.) the natural property of the crude used to make the oil; 2.) Additives added by the refiner to give the oil the desired qualities for the application, or 3.) Elements that come from the internal engine components due to wear. The quantities listed are the report are the values in the sample at ppm (parts per million). You will note that the shaded column on the left indicates the elements found in the sample that was sent to the lab. The shaded column on the right reflects the universal averages Blackstone finds in analysis of similar engines. For this test, the universal averages were based on an oil change interval of 2,000 miles, while my NT went 8,000 miles between changes. You can thus interpolate the universal averages for an 8K interval by multiplying the posted universal averages by a factor of four.
What are the elements, and what do they mean?
Aluminum - Typically shows piston wear and cylinder wear if the engine does not have a cast iron sleeve. Some aluminum (as well as the other elements will be naturally occuring in any oil)
Chromium - Typically not found in virgin oil, the presence of this element shows wear from the piston rings.
Iron - Typically present in some quantity in virgin oil the test sample reflects cylinder wall wear and in a wet sump bike such as the NT, the wear from the geartrain.
Copper/Lead/Tin - These elements typically reflect bearing wear in plain bearing engines.
Molybdenum - Typically not found in virgin oil, it's presence indicates that it was an anti-wear additive used by the refiner. In this case Exxon-Mobil. High moly oils are generally considered to be superior from a wear standpoint, but with a wet clutch engine such as the NT, you don't want too much slickeryness which can cause clutch slippage.
Nickel/Manganese/Silver/Titanium - Typically not found in virgin samples, nor are they used by the refiners as additives. There is one oil now that is being marketed "with Titanium", but that is more marketing than anything else, IMHO.
Potassium - Generally not present in any large degree unless an internal coolant leak is occurring.
Boron - Normall used as an anti-wear additive by the refineries.
Silcon - Generally, high silicon indicates a new engine or a faulty air filter as it allows too much dirt to pass thru the flter media.
Sodium - See Potassium above
Calcium - Some quantity of this element occurs naturally in oil, but it's primary use is as an additive to counteract the formation of acids in the oil which are a a natural by-product of combustion. An oil with a robust additive package is usually high in Calcium.
Magnesium - Used by the refiner as an anti-wear additive.
Phosphorus - Used as both an anti-wear additive and to reduce oil acidity.
Zinc - Some naturally occurs in oil but the high presence in the sample indicates that Exxon-Mobil used this as an anti-wear additive.
Barium - Trace element
I was intially concerned as I expressed in a previous post about the long (8,000 mile) oil change interval recommended by Honda. My concern was that the additive pack would hold up to this oil change interval. To determine this, I asked the lab to test for TBN (total base number). This number indicates the relative strength of the anti-acid additives after the test interval. You will note that the TBN remained quite high after 8K miles which tells me that the additive pack in Mobil 1 4T 10-40 is OK to use in this bike for the Honda recommended interval. I was also concerned about the oil shearing and the roughness while shifting that I was noticing as I apporached the 8,000 mile mark. The sample confirms my suspicion that the viscosity of the oil had sheared somewhat although not to dangerous levels. I do believe however based on this sample I will begin to use a 6K oil change interval.
I hope you aren't bored with my treatise on oil analysis but I suspect that there may be one or two of you who might be as anal as I am about this sort of stuff.
Mike
For those who are not familiar with oil analysis reports, I will give you a brief tutorial on what info is contained within them. The elements contained in the left column are the elements that were found in the oil sample. These elements can be present due to 1.) the natural property of the crude used to make the oil; 2.) Additives added by the refiner to give the oil the desired qualities for the application, or 3.) Elements that come from the internal engine components due to wear. The quantities listed are the report are the values in the sample at ppm (parts per million). You will note that the shaded column on the left indicates the elements found in the sample that was sent to the lab. The shaded column on the right reflects the universal averages Blackstone finds in analysis of similar engines. For this test, the universal averages were based on an oil change interval of 2,000 miles, while my NT went 8,000 miles between changes. You can thus interpolate the universal averages for an 8K interval by multiplying the posted universal averages by a factor of four.
What are the elements, and what do they mean?
Aluminum - Typically shows piston wear and cylinder wear if the engine does not have a cast iron sleeve. Some aluminum (as well as the other elements will be naturally occuring in any oil)
Chromium - Typically not found in virgin oil, the presence of this element shows wear from the piston rings.
Iron - Typically present in some quantity in virgin oil the test sample reflects cylinder wall wear and in a wet sump bike such as the NT, the wear from the geartrain.
Copper/Lead/Tin - These elements typically reflect bearing wear in plain bearing engines.
Molybdenum - Typically not found in virgin oil, it's presence indicates that it was an anti-wear additive used by the refiner. In this case Exxon-Mobil. High moly oils are generally considered to be superior from a wear standpoint, but with a wet clutch engine such as the NT, you don't want too much slickeryness which can cause clutch slippage.
Nickel/Manganese/Silver/Titanium - Typically not found in virgin samples, nor are they used by the refiners as additives. There is one oil now that is being marketed "with Titanium", but that is more marketing than anything else, IMHO.
Potassium - Generally not present in any large degree unless an internal coolant leak is occurring.
Boron - Normall used as an anti-wear additive by the refineries.
Silcon - Generally, high silicon indicates a new engine or a faulty air filter as it allows too much dirt to pass thru the flter media.
Sodium - See Potassium above
Calcium - Some quantity of this element occurs naturally in oil, but it's primary use is as an additive to counteract the formation of acids in the oil which are a a natural by-product of combustion. An oil with a robust additive package is usually high in Calcium.
Magnesium - Used by the refiner as an anti-wear additive.
Phosphorus - Used as both an anti-wear additive and to reduce oil acidity.
Zinc - Some naturally occurs in oil but the high presence in the sample indicates that Exxon-Mobil used this as an anti-wear additive.
Barium - Trace element
I was intially concerned as I expressed in a previous post about the long (8,000 mile) oil change interval recommended by Honda. My concern was that the additive pack would hold up to this oil change interval. To determine this, I asked the lab to test for TBN (total base number). This number indicates the relative strength of the anti-acid additives after the test interval. You will note that the TBN remained quite high after 8K miles which tells me that the additive pack in Mobil 1 4T 10-40 is OK to use in this bike for the Honda recommended interval. I was also concerned about the oil shearing and the roughness while shifting that I was noticing as I apporached the 8,000 mile mark. The sample confirms my suspicion that the viscosity of the oil had sheared somewhat although not to dangerous levels. I do believe however based on this sample I will begin to use a 6K oil change interval.
I hope you aren't bored with my treatise on oil analysis but I suspect that there may be one or two of you who might be as anal as I am about this sort of stuff.
Mike
