Myrunr2010
New member
Well, probably not, but, if you were getting ready to do some major maintenance to the motor/vehicle, you would have a better idea of if it's worth the money.
Oil Type....opening a can of worms....
- Thread starter Myrunr2010
- Start date
Well, probably not, but, if you were getting ready to do some major maintenance to the motor/vehicle, you would have a better idea of if it's worth the money.
TheDurk
Elite Member
True, but if you saw fuel or coolant you could address those. It's more for peace of mind and confirmation that it's worth investing in other areas of the vehicle. Plus, having a history has to help when it comes time to sell.
jeremyc74
Banned
I'm not sure it tells you anything without knowing the source. It could be something fairly simple to fix, like changing the oil pump for example, or it could be that you have a bearing starting to spin.
I'm not against having it done, because it can certainly help you optimize your OCI, but I don't think it's much good as a maintenance tool.
Here's an example of an analysis someone posted on the N54 forums (the engine in my car).
Nunyabiz
New member
I think the biggest concern is how often you wish to change your oil and keep the detergent and lubricant qualities.
If I ran regular petroleum oil I would never let it go past 3000 miles or 6 months which ever comes first.
Rotella "Synthetic" T6 has a fairly high ZDDP level of around 1200ppm.
So it "may" lessen the life of your Cat but by how much depends on how much oil you burn.
In my case my 4Runner literally burns like about 2 tablespoons per year it seems as I have never needed to add oil even after 1 year the oil level was still right on the mark.
The T6 oil is really designed for Diesels and old cars with flat tappets.
Probably not the best all around choice for oil for a 4Runner but only because it might kill your Cat quicker, other than that it should be a great oil.
Myself I prefer the Amsoil Signature series 5W30.
The ZDDP I think is around 800 or lower but with a high TBN of between 12 to 13 so it maintains its detergent package full benefits for the entire year ( I drive on average far less than 7000 miles per year).
In fact the TBN level on my 1 year old Amsoil is higher than fresh Mobil 1 straight out of the bottle.
It burns virtually zero oil and has a low ZDDP so my Cat should be in great shape still even though it has 180,000 miles on it.
Counting oil/filter and having my mechanic do it so I don't have to figure out what to do with 5+ qts of used oil, I spend about $70 on an oil change that fully protects my engine for one full year.
If I bought the cheapest crap petroleum oil I could find on sale and cheap filter it would still cost me that much or more because I would have to change the oil twice and the engine would not be as protected.
Makes absolutely zero sense to skimp on what is literally the life's blood of your engine.
Redline is another great oil however I believe it has the same high ZDDP levels as Rotella T6 does over 1200ppm.
Again probably not a huge deal unless your engine burns a fair amount of oil.
If it does then it will kill the Cat quicker.
Amsoil seems to me to have the best all around package for my particular engine requirements.
Reasonable ZDDP levels that wont kill the Cat, the highest TBN levels of any oil, very good long wearing detergent package.
Been using it since 1977 and has worked great in every car I have owned except for my Ford Diesel truck, I used plain old Rotella T in that because it took over 9 quarts of oil and needed to be changed every 3000 miles period so not worth using synthetic unless I put on a really nice By-Pass oil filter to filer out all the soot.
Which if it had not been stolen is what I was planning on doing and then start running either the Rotella T6 or Amsoil and letting it go to 10,000+ miles.
If I ran regular petroleum oil I would never let it go past 3000 miles or 6 months which ever comes first.
Rotella "Synthetic" T6 has a fairly high ZDDP level of around 1200ppm.
So it "may" lessen the life of your Cat but by how much depends on how much oil you burn.
In my case my 4Runner literally burns like about 2 tablespoons per year it seems as I have never needed to add oil even after 1 year the oil level was still right on the mark.
The T6 oil is really designed for Diesels and old cars with flat tappets.
Probably not the best all around choice for oil for a 4Runner but only because it might kill your Cat quicker, other than that it should be a great oil.
Myself I prefer the Amsoil Signature series 5W30.
The ZDDP I think is around 800 or lower but with a high TBN of between 12 to 13 so it maintains its detergent package full benefits for the entire year ( I drive on average far less than 7000 miles per year).
In fact the TBN level on my 1 year old Amsoil is higher than fresh Mobil 1 straight out of the bottle.
It burns virtually zero oil and has a low ZDDP so my Cat should be in great shape still even though it has 180,000 miles on it.
Counting oil/filter and having my mechanic do it so I don't have to figure out what to do with 5+ qts of used oil, I spend about $70 on an oil change that fully protects my engine for one full year.
If I bought the cheapest crap petroleum oil I could find on sale and cheap filter it would still cost me that much or more because I would have to change the oil twice and the engine would not be as protected.
Makes absolutely zero sense to skimp on what is literally the life's blood of your engine.
Redline is another great oil however I believe it has the same high ZDDP levels as Rotella T6 does over 1200ppm.
Again probably not a huge deal unless your engine burns a fair amount of oil.
If it does then it will kill the Cat quicker.
Amsoil seems to me to have the best all around package for my particular engine requirements.
Reasonable ZDDP levels that wont kill the Cat, the highest TBN levels of any oil, very good long wearing detergent package.
Been using it since 1977 and has worked great in every car I have owned except for my Ford Diesel truck, I used plain old Rotella T in that because it took over 9 quarts of oil and needed to be changed every 3000 miles period so not worth using synthetic unless I put on a really nice By-Pass oil filter to filer out all the soot.
Which if it had not been stolen is what I was planning on doing and then start running either the Rotella T6 or Amsoil and letting it go to 10,000+ miles.
AZBub
New member
LOL! That minus the filter part. How many people would admit to using a Walmart brand oil filter on here.
T4R2014
Elite Member
Still better than Fram filters. Actually, they don't even make Supertech oil filters anymore.
T4R2014
Elite Member
Looked it up. That is a nice looking filter. I was comparing the Supertech to the classic orange can Fram filter since they are in a similar price range. Should have specified since they have a few types.
pluton
Senior Member
When I first got my 97, I took the first oil out at 3000 and had a UOA done. I wanted to make sure I didn't get an engine that was leaking coolant into the oil. Once the UOA came back good, I was satisfied that I hadn't bought a loser engine that'd die of sludge.
I have no plans to get another UOA unless I suspect problems.
I have no plans to get another UOA unless I suspect problems.
They make great suppressors though.
Myrunr2010
New member
What is ZDDP?
