convenient oil analysis: you think is worth it?

[drexx]

26May2005 (UTC +8)

Saw this technique where you put in a drop of oil using the dipstick into this paper tester, and it'll tell you if you already need to change oil or not just yet.
http://www.magna-guard.com/OneDrop.html and also
http://www.herguth.com/circoil/cs_Automotive.pdf

I'm musing that it's a good idea to go with the results to see if you need to oil change or not, given that we always want the best care for our engines and gear boxes, to the point of using Toyota oil filters and synthetic oil... and also that we want to change oil before it's too late.

Granted, the results are not as detailed as one could want, specially if one analyzes oil as a preventive measure against catastrophic failures, but I guess you get what you pay for.

What do you think?

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

I use Amsoil Heavy Duty diesel oil.

I use an Amsoil dual filter/bypass filter mount.

I go 15,000 miles between oil changes.

I do oil analysis every five thousend miles.

Everytime I hit 15,000 miles the lab says the oil is STILL good.

I change it anyway, so I still feel good about it.


TOM

 

[cary]

Don't waste your money, all it is a piece of paper and it tells you nothing about the condition your oil is in. If you want to analyze your oil, do a real oil anaylis like blackstone labs.

 

[tarbe]

Please don't rely on a blotter test to determine if your oil needs to be changed.

All this would be good for, IMO, is if you want to blotter every thousand miles just to see how your oil is darkening over time. Not that this, by itself, means much.

That blotter test won't tell you about a head gasket leak, a bearing going bad, an air intake leak, oxidation, reserve alkalinity, etc. True oil analysis will tell you all these things and more.

 

[RavenTai]

wile I agree with the posts above I do think doing some blotter tests would be neat Gee-Wiz thing to track condition of fluids, not a replacement for analysis just a quick visual inspection of general condition only slightly beyond what you tell by looking directly at the fluid.

But surely a suitable piece of paper can be sourced, you don’t need to buy their expensive paper,