89 Iroc Z

I need to find out if I have coolant, metal shavings, or something else in my oil. I found out today that you can buy a kit with a test tube that you use to mail off a sample of your oil to a company that will tell you exactly what’s in your oil. Does anyone know where you can buy these analysis kits?

red90bird

I don't know where you can but one but ask a shop that works on heavy trucks, they ususally do oil analysis and point you in the right direction.

paulo57509

Try here:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html

The test kits are free, but not the analysis.

For more info on oil analysis, check here:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/whatisoilanalysis.htm

ljnowell

Metal shavings make oil a little grainey feeling.

Coolant makes it look like chocolate milk.

Fuel makes it smell *** awful and thin.

What else do you think made its way in there?

Red Devil

That and why do you think they made their way in there as well.

ljnowell

doesnt seem very hard to figure out to me. Each of them only has a limited amount of ways of getting there, and odds are by examining the OIL ONLY you wont be able to tell. Seems like a waste of time and money.

Red Devil

But the way in which he worded it sounds like he himself doesn't even know if they are in there, hance the 'why does he think' question. I'm curious now...

Stekman

Are you experiencing any differences in how the car is running? Difference in oil pressure, etc? Basically, what makes you think you need to analyze your oil?

89 Iroc Z

I need the oil analysis done simply because it has gone beyond of just doing a few simple testes to see what’s wrong. I need to find out if I still have the problem of coolant in my oil or if I am just seeing the damage the coolant did.

I have spent 2 years and have ended up replacing my engine and heads to fix the problem of coolant in my oil. Still had the problem with the new engine so I replaced the intake and that seemed to fix the coolant in the oil. But now when I stir up the oil it turns milky. There are also a lot of very small metal particles / metal dust in the oil (looks like the dust / particles you get when you take sand paper to metal, very very fine particles). I just need the guessing game to stop and figure out what exactly is in there. I may have killed my brand new engine from the coolant in it. I know what coolant looks like in oil from the first post listed below, but it doesn’t look like that anymore. I have tried to get a picture of it but it doesn’t turn out, just ends up looking like normal oil.

For the full story you must read these other threads of mine:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=245066
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=248263

Stekman

You changed the oil after each issue, right? And have changed the oil recently to actually verify that these remnants are not just that, remnants from your previous issues?

If so, i don't see the need for an anylsis. Something is screwed up.

89 Iroc Z

I have changed the oil many times after the intake swap at least 5 times. I know something is screwed up I just want to know what so I don’t go through replacing everything just for it to turn out to be something cheap and easy to fix.

ljnowell

What I think everyone here is trying to tell you is that the test can do no more than you already have. They will tell you that there is metal, and coolant. You cant tell where the metal, or the coolant came from without examining the engine. If it were mine, the thing would come and and get dissassembled. That way you will find the problem and correct it. The analysis is useless in helping you find how it got in the oil.

89 Iroc Z

I don’t see the point of pulling the engine and rebuilding it only to find out that I am still leaking antifreeze and then I would just have to pull it again. I have to find out if I am seeing bearing particles or small amounts of antifreeze or both.

ljnowell

You may not need to rebuild it. Its easy to tell whats in the oil. If its antifreeze, replace head gaskets and intake gaskets. If its metal, then you have a real problem, probably need pulled and rebuilt because of metal shavings in the bearings. If you have replaced the engine, and the heads, and the intake there is only one variable left. YOu. Dont take it the wrong way, but you may not be sealing everything like you should. It sucks but its possible. There is no way that you are experiencing the same problem with all new components like that.

PLANT PROTECTION

iTrader: (6)

If Blackstone can ID what kind of metal it is then you would be able to pinpoint the problem, pablo's post suggests that they can. I would send it in.

89 Iroc Z

Yea I definitely am going to do an oil analysis. There just is no way I can look at the oil and know exactly the problem when there are such low levels of it in the oil like I am having. If I have tons of coolant or metal in the oil it is easy to see but not when I have small amounts.

Here is an example of there test off there website:


Now all I have to do is wait for the test kit to arrive....

red90bird

I would like to point out that oil analysis is not done as a one time deal. generally (on heavy trucks) an analyisis is done at each oil change to establish a base line to catch problems before they become a problem.
89iroc-I'm not saying haveing the analysis done was a bad idea I'm just pointing how and why its ususally done.

89 Iroc Z

True but it will tell me if there are small amounts of coolant in the oil or what type of metal is in the oil which is what I am after.