Favorite Oil Analysis?

hamer

hamer

Pre-takeoff checklist
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hamer
What do you guys like to use? Seems like quite a few different companies out there. Mike Busch always mentions blackstone, although they seem to be a bit pricey at $30/test. I just grabbed an AOA kit off the shelf last time I was at Spruce and sent it out last week, still haven't seen the results. It was $13 + postage.
 
Have you ever heard of anyone who got useful information from an oil analysis that he wouldn’t have gotten from routine borescope and cutting the filters? I think oil analysis causes false fear, false security, and generally raises more questions than it answers.

That said, Aviation Consumer likes Blackstone.
 
I've been using Blackstone Labs for my diesel F-250 and my wifes BMW. The results are really useful to me, in fact they predicted I had a failing injector on my F-250 because they were seeing trends of increasing fuel in the oil. They also saw some coolant in the oil, which lead to a leaky EGR cooler. Those reports alone saved me downtime and damage on my truck, and saved thousands in repair bills.

I will change the oil in my Cardinal in a few more hours, and I will start sending samples to Blackstone. The power in their analysis is that they keep track of each samples trends. Over time, they can see if anything is trending that indicates a problem. It's those trends over time that is where the value lies in the samples.
 
Lynn Dixon said:
I... The power in their analysis is that they keep track of each samples trends. Over time, they can see if anything is trending that indicates a problem. It's those trends over time that is where the value lies in the samples.
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^^^ This ^^^. In a vacuum, the data may be of little use, over time, it can become valuable information.
 
I don’t want to know....
 
I've never used any service other than blackstone, but I too use them for every oil change on my plane. They cost more because they give you a hand written interpretation of the results which I find very useful. I print them all out and keep them in a binder with the plane. They also store the results with your account online. My oil changes cost a good amount anyway, $30 is a drop in the bucket especially if it can predict anything for me.
 
OneCharlieTango said:
Have you ever heard of anyone who got useful information from an oil analysis that he wouldn’t have gotten from routine borescope and cutting the filters? I think oil analysis causes false fear, false security, and generally raises more questions than it answers.

That said, Aviation Consumer likes Blackstone.
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Yes. My airplane is new to me, it flew maybe 3 hours the last 5 years before I bought it. It also doesn't have an oil filter. I've flown it ~50 hours in the last 3 months and I'd like to watch the trends and see if it's producing significant metal or not. I'm expecting some elevated levels but hoping to see it go down as I fly it.
 
Blackstone. Previous owners had been using them so I have years of history from before I even owned the plane.
 
Blackstone here too, but I agree with those above. A history of reports to see the trend over time is much more valuable than one data point.
 
I do one every time in my RV and Airplane. It’s such a minimal cost that the data overtime can be very useful.
 
It is best to use the same outfit whoever you go with. The results they send back will be more consistent and meaningful. I was told this by several A/P who said that each company is a tiny bit different in their analysis. It is the trend record that really counts.
 
I've used AvLab (AvLab.com) as they were used by the shop for my first oil change in 2012. They also provide an online account with data storage and trend analysis. And comparison with norms for your engine/cylinder type. They cost about $20-$25 per analysis including shipping to them. I'm still working off a stock of them I got at Sun N Fun a few years ago at $15/kit w shipping.

For the last analysis I had the sample also analyzed by AoA (it was a free kit private labeled as ExxGard but actually from AoA). The results were the same as the sample analyzed by AvLab (within about 10% relative). Their shipping was also a full week quicker than AvLab's (AvLab from NJ to LA, AoA from NJ to AZ). I think AoA also store historical data for you. The test report contained a brief overall analysis. Since all was normal, I don't know if there would have been a more detailed discussion if any analyses were other than normal.

I plan to test in parallel for the next couple of changes, and then change to AoA if they continue to look good (mostly for the quick shipping provided with their kits).
 
I got a report from Blackstone that said, “This Continental is aging like a fine wine.” A month or so later I needed an overhaul. Haven’t gotten an oil analysis since.
 
OneCharlieTango said:
I got a report from Blackstone that said, “This Continental is aging like a fine wine.” A month or so later I needed an overhaul. Haven’t gotten an oil analysis since.
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Just curious, what prompted the overhaul? Failure? Low oil pressure?
 
OneCharlieTango said:
I got a report from Blackstone that said, “This Continental is aging like a fine wine.” A month or so later I needed an overhaul. Haven’t gotten an oil analysis since.
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It's a tool in the toolbox, not the end-all be-all. It's important to treat it that way too. It should be used in conjunction with annual compression tests, borescope any suspicious cylinders, cutting open filters, engine monitor data etc. Engine care is a big process.
 
The first one I did was AOA because it was cheap. The second was Blackstone because everyone I knew said to use them. The report from Blackstone was FAR more complete and detailed, and included what I was really interested in -- a report on the quality of the oil itself, not just the engine bits and pieces in it. Viscosity, additives, gasoline and water content, etc. They also asked about the time on the oil, and amended and corrected the report when I gave them the correct info. I was impressed with both the test results and the personal attention I received. I have two of their kits in the hangar and will be using Blackstone from now on. In fact, I'm looking at adding another car to the stable and may use it for that too (since it's a bi-turbo V12).
 
idahoflier said:
Just curious, what prompted the overhaul? Failure? Low oil pressure?
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It's a long story, but it boils down to making metal. Lots of metal. But Blackstone saw nothing of note.

Mtns2Skies said:
It's a tool in the toolbox, not the end-all be-all. It's important to treat it that way too. It should be used in conjunction with annual compression tests, borescope any suspicious cylinders, cutting open filters, engine monitor data etc. Engine care is a big process.
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Right, but I've never heard of this particular tool being useful. Every story is "we had high XXX on our oil analysis. Then we did a borescope and found. . ." I say you should be doing borescopes anyway. What do you do when an oil analysis suggests a problem but everything else is ok? "Fly it another 20 hours and recheck" is the usual answer. How confident are you in your engine during that 20 hours? Would you fly it in IMC? Over mountains? And what if the oil analysis still suggests a problem but other tests remain reassuring?

I realize I'm a minority opinion on the subject, but I believe that oil analysis on balance does as much harm as good. There are false negatives (like mine) and false positives, and nobody knows what to do when it conflicts with other data. That is, there's no hierarchy of confidence. Consequently, oil analysis either confirms what you already knew from better tests, or it sows doubt. Just because it generates numbers doesn't mean it generates real data.
 
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OneCharlieTango said:
I got a report from Blackstone that said, “This Continental is aging like a fine wine.” A month or so later I needed an overhaul. Haven’t gotten an oil analysis since.
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I’d be interested to know the rest of what they wrote.

Here’s an excerpt (with nothing out of context) for my 1900 hour engine. Note that Blackstone is careful to qualify their favorable commentary by reminding me that an oil test can’t detect all trouble that’s ahead.

You noted no problems on your end and no metal in the oil filter, and we don't have any reason to suspect otherwise based on these results. This engine produced another fantastic report after 50 hours of oil use.Wear metals match up well with past reports and averages, so if any trouble is in the works, the evidence just isn't in the used oil.​

I test every oil change, and I really like Blackstone because of their personal commentary, which is a unique service.
 
I was thinking of changing to Blackstone next relube. I think I'll run AvLab and BS in parallel for a few relubes and see how that turns out. Will report back in a few years.
 
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