Maxlife oil analysis results
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 7,234
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From: Mississauga, Ontario
Maxlife oil analysis results I got my oil analysis results back today, from running Maxlife 10w30 for
2400 miles. Click here for the results:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...c;f=3;t=000044
Basically in a nutshell, the engine and oil are in good shape, the high
lead levels is due to my hard driving.
The low silicon levels show a good air filter, and the viscosity at 11.4
is very good, it shows it's not thinning out to a 20wt by any means (a
lot of 5w30 samples turn out at a vis of around 9.0 to 9.3, where at 9.3
down to 5.6 indicates 20wt oil)
The one disturbing thing is the lack of moly on the analysis. This could
mean that all of the moly has attached itself to the metal, or it could
mean perhaps there wasn't any moly in this oil to begin with! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> The
next oil change will be with the newer SL rated Maxlife though, so
perhaps they added moly to this new formula and not the older stuff.
I'll find out on the next analysis! I will run this next oil for 5000 miles.
2400 miles. Click here for the results:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...c;f=3;t=000044
Basically in a nutshell, the engine and oil are in good shape, the high
lead levels is due to my hard driving.
The low silicon levels show a good air filter, and the viscosity at 11.4
is very good, it shows it's not thinning out to a 20wt by any means (a
lot of 5w30 samples turn out at a vis of around 9.0 to 9.3, where at 9.3
down to 5.6 indicates 20wt oil)
The one disturbing thing is the lack of moly on the analysis. This could
mean that all of the moly has attached itself to the metal, or it could
mean perhaps there wasn't any moly in this oil to begin with! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> The
next oil change will be with the newer SL rated Maxlife though, so
perhaps they added moly to this new formula and not the older stuff.
I'll find out on the next analysis! I will run this next oil for 5000 miles.
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 7,234
Likes: 1
From: Mississauga, Ontario
Re: Maxlife oil analysis results I think Maxlife is totally safe for newer engines, and I think it's a great oil for the money. Hopefully my next analysis will show that it does have a lot of moly in it, which is an awesome antiwear additive.
If you saw Trevor's oil analysis on Royal Purple a few weeks ago, you'll see that this oil remained a solid 30wt oil while the RP thinned out almost to the point of being a 20wt! I personally think Maxlife is a better oil than both Royal Purple and Mobil 1.
I don't know anything about the high mileage tranny fluid though.
If you saw Trevor's oil analysis on Royal Purple a few weeks ago, you'll see that this oil remained a solid 30wt oil while the RP thinned out almost to the point of being a 20wt! I personally think Maxlife is a better oil than both Royal Purple and Mobil 1.
I don't know anything about the high mileage tranny fluid though.
Re: Maxlife oil analysis results </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Also what do you think of the high milage tranny fluids.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Chris,
I'm far from an expert on tranny fluids, but when I discussed this with Redline they recommended against extended drain intervals (assuming manual trans). Their reasoning was that in a manual transmission (i.e. no filter) even the best trans fluid would carry particulate even if the fluid itself was still very capable. This is not to say that cheap tranny fluid is the way to go since there are gear protection, shiftability (if that's a word <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> ), etc., benefits to a high performance trans fluid such as Redline.
Again, this is secondhand information, but spectrographic analysis of trans lubricants is possible and may provide you with more thorough information for your application. From my experience, however, few people tend to do it.
I'm far from an expert on tranny fluids, but when I discussed this with Redline they recommended against extended drain intervals (assuming manual trans). Their reasoning was that in a manual transmission (i.e. no filter) even the best trans fluid would carry particulate even if the fluid itself was still very capable. This is not to say that cheap tranny fluid is the way to go since there are gear protection, shiftability (if that's a word <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> ), etc., benefits to a high performance trans fluid such as Redline.
Again, this is secondhand information, but spectrographic analysis of trans lubricants is possible and may provide you with more thorough information for your application. From my experience, however, few people tend to do it.
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 72
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From: Corpus Christi, Texas
Re: Maxlife oil analysis results Hey Patman I appreciate your analytic angle on oil issues. I have followed your interest in moly additives but I am sceptical -- not from the science but from my own experience. Okay it is ancient and not scientific, but I first used moly additives that were available in 1972. Then I had a $75 Rambler American, that was my first car when I was 18, that I drove from Wisconsin to Fairbanks with moly additives in the oil. The Al-Can highway was 2000 miles of mostly gravel then and quite a beautiful trip that I highly recommend to anyone with the time to travel. Anyway the moly additive was in 1 pint green cans and that is all I can remember. Of course, I did no oil analysis then, I was too broke and didn't really know anything except what I could see and guess, and I have always thought that the moly plated itself into the combustion chamber big-time: When I pulled the head on the Rambler flat head 6, later on in Fairbanks, it was full of gray-white plated junk: Moly or not? I don't know enough to say one way or the other, but my information is provided so if you pull the heads you can check it out.
Where do you guess the moly in your oil went?
Where do you guess the moly in your oil went?
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 7,234
Likes: 1
From: Mississauga, Ontario
Re: Maxlife oil analysis results Moly has come a long way since 1972. Back then it probably was moly in solid form, which is obviously not good. Now it's soluable and works much better.
I really don't know why my moly level was so low. Either the GM dealer didn't put in my Maxlife, or Maxlife doesn't have as much moly as they claim. Perhaps only the newest SL rated Maxlife has moly. Or, all of the moly has bonded to the metal, which means my next analysis will show way more moly left over at the end of the interval.
I really don't know why my moly level was so low. Either the GM dealer didn't put in my Maxlife, or Maxlife doesn't have as much moly as they claim. Perhaps only the newest SL rated Maxlife has moly. Or, all of the moly has bonded to the metal, which means my next analysis will show way more moly left over at the end of the interval.
