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mickeyfinn
05-06-2004, 11:47 AM
Does anyone here change the oil in their boats by analysis? We do all of our equipment at work and a friend of mine has been doing it in his boat and car for 4 years now. He has a 21 Tahiti jet with a 454. He says he doesn't do it because it is cheaper just to see what results he gets. Every year at the beginning of the season he changes the filter and adds a quart of Royal Purple. He takes a sample out of the filter and sends it for analysis. So far it has shown no signs of breaking down and he beilieves that this could go on forever. He uses the boat a LOT!!! I change the oil in the little family runabout twice a season and more often than that when the hondo is running. We have been doing this at work with Royal Purple as well and have some gear boxes with three years or better and the oil tests good everytime still. Several of our applications showed less current draw and lower temps as well. Anyone else use analysis to decide when you are due for a change?

mickeyfinn
05-06-2004, 12:10 PM
At work we pay about 100.00 for 10 bottles. This covers the analysis also. They have prepaid mailers on them. Just put in your sample and send it in. They will either send you a report on part of a dead tree or email. Your choice. Not sure what my neighbor is doing, I assume he does the same thing since he is doing his boat and other vehicles.

HighRoller
05-06-2004, 02:05 PM
It's a little more complicated than that RD. Oil analysis is very common in the trucking industry because the byproducts of diesel combustion are terribly corrosive to motor oil. Therefore, an oil sample will tell you what's going on inside the engine. It will detect metals such as bronze, aluminum and steel as well as specialized things like silicon. Basically, an analysis can tell you ahead of time if you have a part that's either wearing incorrectly or coming apart or if you have excessive blowby, fuel, or water in the oil. The first analysis I did after I bought my truck showed unusually high amounts of iron. Turns out the oil pressure regulator mechanism was grinding itself to pieces. Also, the analysis will tell you what condition the oil is in at time of sample so you can guage whether you changed it too early or too late. I would say if you have a high performance piece it is worth the money.

mickeyfinn
05-06-2004, 02:22 PM
The analysis gives you most of the metals, including copper. Also viscosity and film strength and a number of other things. Most people don't bother with analysis on a long term basis for mineral oils. They might use it to set up a preventative maintenance program and establish changing intervals. Quite a few companies that are switching to true synthetics are going to an analysis based oil change program due to the fact the oil cost more and last much longer. It is almost like each application needs to be monitored to find out how long it will last.