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Blackstone Oil Reports - Life a of 14' STI

1748 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  rqjoe, 
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Hello All,

Not sure if there is a better subforum but I want to start documenting the life of my Subaru from this point on and figured a running thread of blackstone reports is a good place to start. This might also provide some comparative data for other owners.

Anyways I have completed 2 blackstone oil analysis on my last two oil changes and while I am not panicing just yet, there is some concerning data.

I'm going to let the report speak for itself however feedback input or suggestions is completely welcome. I would love to hear what others think of what I am seeing.

The car is 14' STI with now ~21,000 miles, mechanically stock.



Update #1 - After the 3rd oil test a concerning trend seems to be developing with high levels of copper and silver. I'll be sending in another sample after 1000 miles.

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irickchad
considering the "severe duty" duration from Subaru is 3,750 miles, which is suggested for all EJ engines, and you went almost 6K, that could be part of your issue.
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B
Hmmm yeah ok fair enough, somehow I still had it in my head the Subaru spec was 7500. I'll be doing my next change at 3750 and we'll see what it looks like.
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SD_GR
I think a 6K mi OCI is reasonable -- it does not meet warrant requirements but that's a different story. You should do exactly as Subaru requires no matter what under warranty. However look particularly at the viscosity and flashpoint of your first OCI, which was shorter, and compare it to the second, longer OCI -- the second OCI apparently benefited from the top-up oil that you added to replenish the additive package. I'm concerned about Cu, Fe, and Al. I suggest finding more data from other engines identical to yours using the same oil to see if there is any pattern. I also suggest asking outright if the oil is appropriate for your engine based on the data alone.
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B
Good points thanks for the input. I had thought the Subaru recommended OCI was 7500, which did seem super odd to me ... whoops... 3750 it is now.

I had not noticed the trend in viscosity between the two changes and added oil, it is interesting. Perhaps ill try a different oil. I had a few questions to write back to Blackstone and will ask their opinion about different oil. I know visual appearance is subjective but the oil did appear well "used" very dark.

Any idea where I could find oil reports with similiar oil and engine?
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SD_GR
Try Bob is the Oil Guy. Also ask blackstone directly if they recommend a different oil due to the apparent viscosity drop despite a relatively short interval.
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Rambo
Just FYI, you might want to blank out your personal information off the Blackstone report. Nobody here needs to know your personal contact info.
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B
2
Well latest oil report after ~4000 miles, but longer then I intended. Seem to be developing a concerning trend...

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W
Well I see one issue already. The oil you are using is it the Valvoline max life full synthetic or the blend. I work for Valvoline and normally the ma life is a synthetic blend which is not appropriate for that engine
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WrbRex said:
Well I see one issue already. The oil you are using is it the Valvoline max life full synthetic or the blend. I work for Valvoline and normally the ma life is a synthetic blend which is not appropriate for that engine
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Well you had me question it enough to go check my records and for a second I thought you may have been right.

But it was this stuff https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-5W-30-Synthetic-Mileage-Motor/dp/B06XD425WD
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zax
... why are you running "high mileage" oil on a car with 21k miles?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
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zax said:
... why are you running "high mileage" oil on a car with 21k miles?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
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Perhaps cause I already had it.

Are you of the opinion I should not be or....?
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zax
I'm by no means an oil expert, of I were you I'd post this over on BITOG.

FWIW, I had a less-than-favorable UOA with 5k miles on my 2015 STI. I immediately had my local dealership do all my menial maintenance for safety. It's been 25k miles since and no mechanical problems.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
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rqjoe
Interesting.
So, long ago in universe far far away when I was young and drove different cars I used to add and oil-additive to my cars when I did oil changes. I cannot remember the name of it any more but I remember it had suspended microscopic copper spheres and other small soft metals in a base of oil. It was intended for engines with many miles on them. The idea was that the small soft metal spheres would fill the small scratches/wear areas/etc. of the engine and thus keep smoother surfaces for the oil to work better.

I don't know if it actually helped...... but it was made and sold and marketed for this purpose. PERHAPS????? that max life oil you used "for older engines" is doing this same thing - the soft metals are coming from the oil itself and not the car?!

The following is from the amazon page for your oil. This "special additives" could be like McDonald's "special sauce" ---- who knows what it is....................................

"alvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage with MaxLife Technology Motor Oil is specially formulated for higher mileage engines. Valvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage with MaxLife Technology Motor Oil is formulated with the highest quality synthetic base oils plus special additives to fight the effects of aging and increase the life of your engine."
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