High Iron and Aluminum in Oil

I got my Blackstone labs report back on my 2003 and they said I had high iron and aluminum. This was after 5500 miles, of which 2k was moderate to hard camper towing (with the proper setup and technique, trans cooler, never OD, etc). I use Mobile 1 synthetic 5w/30. Everything else was in spec. The iron level was 14 and the aluminum was 8. The levels of these at previous oil change analysis was iron 5 aluminum 2.

The truck has 72k on it. Thoughts?

 

Call them up with your sample ID and ask. They’re be happy to explain what they found and what it means.

 

According to Blackstone, Iron and Aluminum can be found in:

Aluminum: Pistons, turbo bearings, cases (heads & blocks).

Iron: Cylinders, rotating shafts, the valve train, and any steel part sharing the oil

Sounds like something is rubbing or grinding on something and is causing that. Could be your heads possibly. Purely speculation.

 

engine still breaking in!

 

Post the report here.

Towing is the hardest thing you can do to these trucks other than overheating (even the stock A/T transmission cant handle towing moderate loads without overheating) . 14PPT isn't the end of the world. What kind of RPM's were you seeing while towing? Big climbs in the heat?

What oil filter are you using?

 

It should tell you on the report what it could be but most likely the head and block, since its the only thing thats aluminum and iron.

 

Do yourself a favor. Throw the results in the trash. All a Blackstone OA will do is cause you an ulcer in the long run. Change your oil and filter when your supposed to and your engine will last many years and many miles. If you have a $500k race car that you never change the oil on, or like fads and have a disposable income.....then maybe get a oil analysis so you can worry about the AL and FE content of your oil. Nice name by the way.

 

RPM range was 3500-4500. No big climbs, water temp always below 200, normally in 188-195 while towing. Last year I towed up 14000ft with a 2002 taco and oil reports always came back positive. But that truck had well over 200k on it so I wonder if this is just a new engine still breaking in. The guy who had it before me literally only drove to Walmart and back.

 

I'm hoping for this! Not going to worry too much about it unless the next report comes back even worse.

 

So if it comes back the same or worse what then??

Pull the engine apart and do a complete rebuild ?

 

Light it on fire and roll it down a hill of course.

 

Don't sweat it, it's not an old Ferrari.

 

Not to worry. I have been doing anywhere from 7500-8500 oil/filter changes on my 2004 2.7 for a few years now. Every sample has come back perfect from Blackstone. They have even said that no one has gone this long with a 2.7. I use Amsoil Signature 10-30.

In any case, I'm usually anal retentive about maintenance and somehow my air filter got really dirty in a much shorter time interval than it usually does. I had high iron and aluminum numbers as well. Aluminum is pistons and iron is block/crank. It bothers me but it really isn't a problem if caught early and only happens once. I'll change at 5000 this time and have another analysis done. My TBN was great at 9500 this last time. It was my screw up not keeping on top of my air filter that resulted in this bad sample. I'm trying to get to 10,000 mile intervals which should be possible with Amsoil Signature. 10,000+ is normal with this oil. In most other engines.

Check your air filter and all of your intake ducting for loose clamps, cracks etc. That's all it is. Silicon form sand and dirt is your problem. Easy fix. I will also add that Mobil 1 usually has higher iron numbers than other oils especially with extended intervals although it doesn't seem to hurt anything. It's a very good oil. I used it myself for 15 years in another car.

 

Can you post a pic? Here the report for my 1998 PreRunner 3RZ-FE 2.7l IR @ approx. 83,000 miles.



And here's the oil report for my 1998 5-Lug SR5 5VZ-FE 3.4l v6 5VZ @ approx. 450,000 miles.

 

Uh, no. Read my other post, change the oil and filter and get another analysis done after the recommended interval. There are probably a whole bunch of people on this forum who have high aluminum and iron numbers and don't even know they do with 200,000+ on the odometer.

 

I'll see what I can do. Don't know if I know how to.

 

I think he was being sarcastic

 

Hahah, yes, being sarcastic. I'm going to be buried in this truck. I'll never give it up.

I did omit one detail that I even forgot, we spent a few days off road around Sedona and it was really dusty. I have a K&N air filter. I know everything on intake is tight and filter was just cleaned/oil before we departed on our trip. But maybe that was the cause?

 

probably. There isn't enough reliable data to say whether or not K&N is any better at filtering than OEM paper filters. I think a lot of the variation comes from the factor that how the filter (which is done by the end user) is oiled will affect its ability to filter particles. It is also generally accepted that K&N filters compromise filtration in the name of "airflow".

Dirt and dust likely contributed to increased wear. What oil filter are you using? I would recommend OEM... there is a comparison done by @chris4x4 where he cut a bunch open. OEM won by a mile.