I joined the bandwagon to have my engine oil analysis done, but I also had the Total Base Number (TBN) and particle count performed on Penzoil 10W/30 oil after a 5,000 mile change interval at 10,000 miles.

The complete post is on the Hawaii Club section under oil analysis.

The TBN or Total Base Number is a measure of the remaining active additatives. It can be as high as 16-18 for new diesel engine oil to 3-4 for a heavily used oil. I'm trying to find out from Penzoil the TBN for fresh oil. My value was a strong 8.5 after 5,000 miles.

There was an active discussion about the quality of OEM Honda oil filters versus after market filters. I think the particle analysis can show us if the oil filter is doing its job or not, but Ryan Stark said that I should have a particle count done on fresh oil to provide a baseline. I'm in touch with Penzoil about this also. The analysis was good with an ISO ratio of 18/15. I lost my notes about what is bad and what is excellent.

Part. > 15u/mL: 212
GRAV : 3.8mg/L
ISO : 18/15
SAE : 7
NAS 10 I don't know what this means.

Size Distribution:
(Hydraulic)
Screen Size 15u
> Size Count
> 2u 5373
> 5u 1986
> 10u 553
> 15u 212
> 25u 51
> 50u 5
>100u 0

 

That's nice. Can you give us a little more background?

My primary concern with Honda filters was not necessarily the filtering, but quality of construction (safety margin).

I keep hearing (reading) that ash content is bad, and having a high flash point is important in newer cars with higher operating temps... any idea of how to relate your numbers to what oil we should buy?

What did the service run you, and where did you send it to?

 

Part. > 15u/mL: 39
GRAV : .7mg/L
ISO : 16/12
SAE : 4
NAS 8

Size Distribution:
(Hydraulic)
Screen Size 15u
> Size Count
> 2u 988
> 5u 365
> 10u 102
> 15u 39
> 25u 9
> 50u 1
>100u 0

Here's the results from my 4K oil change with the OEM Honda filter. In short the 2-5 Micron (u) number is dust in the oil. The critical numbers are really 25 (u) and above. These can cause mechanical wear on the engine. The ISO, SAE and NAS numbers are relative to the number and classes of particles present.......the lower the better. You are correct in these numbers can identify superior filters. I have a K&N on now and am curious what the results will be. I am the one that started the threads on oil cleanliness as I work in aircraft hydraulics. If you email Ryan he'll send you test kits gratis. Charge is about 12-20 bucks depending on whether you get chemicals and particle count or just chemicals. Make sure you mark your form "S2000 Member" and you'll receive a discount. Tyan is setting up an S2000 database to bettter understand the characteristics of engine wear on this car. He is really knowledgable on lubrication......www.blackstone-labs.com

Utah

 

Thanks for the info, Utah. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to that