Bret

I purchased my '03 S2000 on 12/06/02. My engine burned exactly one quart of oil from the time I got the car until the oil was changed. I used Castrol 10W30 to make-up for this burned oil. On 11/29/03 at exactly 3,750 miles, I changed the oil for the first time. I was torn between changing it earlier because some people say that oil shouldn't be left in for more than six months and leaving the oil in longer because some people say that there is a special break-in oil that should be left in until 7,500. I just decided to go by the "Severe" maintenance schedule in the owners manual which seems like a reasonable middle ground. I sent the oil to Blackstone Laboratories to have it analyzed. I was especially interested to know whether there were any indications that I should have changed the oil at an earlier time, say after six months. Here are the results:

So, the report basically says that there are not any problems. Just to be sure, I called and spoke with them. I specifically asked them if there were any indications that the oil had begun to deteriorate and I should have changed it earlier. I was told that there were no such indications. But, I was also told that due to the fact that this is the first oil change and the element levels are way out of wack versus the universal averages after break-in, some aspects could not be looked at in that regard. Because I won't put 3,750 miles on my car over the next year, I then asked if I should change the oil at six months or wait for a year. I was told that they suggest that I change the oil every six months and have it analyzed. This will help clean out the contaminates from the break-in process and will more quickly help determine when the engine is finished breaking-in. When it is determined that the engine has broken-in, then they will be able to analyze the oil after another six months and determine if it can stay in another six months.

Conclusion: Because they did not find any measurable data to suggest that my oil had deteriorated over the course of one year, I believe that leaving the break-in oil in the engine for the first year over 3,750 miles of use is not a problem. Of course, this is my engine in my car with my driving habits which is parked in my garage, so draw your own conclusions about what you would do. If I had to do it over again, I would still do the same thing.

so_weahd

Bret, thanks for posting your experience. What does it cost for this kind of oil analysis by the lab?

Bret

It's $20. You can get a free test kit from them to start things off.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com

rmv193

Good Report. I have an 03 with only 1000 miles on it. Let me know where to send the sample, how to pull it, etc, and I could send out mine and post it as back up data.

Later, Rich.

Bret

You can order a free test kit from their web site. It contains everything you need. The containers that they send you are already preaddressed and can be sent through the mail. As far as the proper method to pull a sample, that is a good question. They didn't give instructions on how to pull a representative sample, but what I did was I drained all of the oil from the engine in to a large four gallon drain pan that has a spout on it. I then poured the oil in to a five quart jug, shook it up, and then poured out a small amount in to the sample container. The sample is about half a cup. I don't know how scientific my method really was, but I'm sure that it's better than what most people do and is certainly better than taking the first or last oil that comes out of the oil pan drain hole.

Road Rage

It confirms a high level of molybdenum.

I generally change the oil at 500 miles because of the sand casting residue. I think what I will do is change the oil at 500 miles and add a can of Mr. Moly "Break-In" additive - this is formulated not to coat anything, but adds the protective moly per the break in oil.

That way, I have the best of both worlds, and no grit to scrub the rings.

I am not sure Blackstone is the best lab - I send mine to Quaker State.

Prancing Horse

Bret,

Whoa, look at that moly count! Thats the highest I have seen for any Honda motor to date. More then even Redlines moly count, which is ~600ppm.

Did you get a TBN? If you elect for the "Dyson Package" this includes the TBN and an interpretation from a tribiologist and engine guru. Great guy to work with.

TBN (total base number) will give you a more complete look into the life left in the oil - think the oils ability to neutralize acids from combustion and moisture accumulation. Anything lower then 2.0 would be evidence that this oil has degraded in terms of insoluble neutralization.

It appears that the oil thinned out a bit to a high 20w. I don't know the range of the factory oil but this oil did thin out. The flashpoint is also rather low. If you see redline frequently, I wouldn't have pushed this oil much further.

BTW, when you do drive it, what are your driving conditions like? Freeway, city, miles, short-trips? Since I only drive the S on weekends, when its not raining, I always hit the freeway for 40-50 miles to burn away the condensation, moisture that has accumulated, and to allow normal operating temp in all components. Moisture in oil is NOT good which can lead to oxidation and the buildup of solids/sludge

Thanks for posting this report!

Road Rage

I agree that the oil thinning is odd - usually one would expect to see it thicken a bit. But I do not think the explanation is thinning from contaminants - a lot of mfr's have been lowering their viscosity for 10w30's to the very low end of the 30w spectrum, ostensibly to win over fleet sales contracts by providing the best overall mileage capabilities. So it might not be a bad idea to add one quart of 10w40 for every fill to ensure a 30w. With 6 quarts of oil, adding one 40w would yield a 32w.

TBN's statically indicates the base level of the oil as you say - but it is an excellent indicator of the oil's ability to resist oxidation as well. So it is a great indicator of longevity potential. Amsoil and Red Line have high TBN, Mobil1 is not much higher than the better mineral oils like Valvoline and Castrol, at about 5-6 in the analyses I have seen.

yomike

Good report Bret. What brand and what weight did yo refill the crankcase?

Bret

I did ask for a TBN, but this is all that I received via email. They're suppose to be sending me a hard copy in the mail. If I don't get a TBN with it, then I'll give them a call to see why not. I didn't elect for the "Dyson Package". Perhaps I'll do that next time.

How do you interpret the data to know that the oil thinned out to high 20 weight? I'd like to know more about this if you can elaborate.

I'd say that most of my driving is curvey roads with lots of hills and an above average amount of stops. Most of my driving is to work and back. That's 13 miles each way. I do occasionally take it out for a nightime drive of about 20 miles or so during which I can keep a pretty constant speed. They said that there was no water in the oil, so it looks like any condensation was burned off.

yomike, I refilled the engine with regular Castrol 10W30. It took 5.25 quarts.