Here's a UOA (Used Oil Analysis) done on a Nissan KA24DE truck engine by a BITOG forum participant. He was using German Castrol Syntec 0W30 which differs from the North American stuff by being an honest PAO/ester synthetic oil and NOT a Group III pretender. Many people on BITOG believe it's similar or the same as Castrol Helix available in Europe. Results look very good considering the duration and the cold temps which are especially tough on oil and wear.
This is my first UOA on this truck, as well as the first run with a synthetic oil in this engine.
Vehicle: 1998 Nissan Frontier 4x4
Engine: KA24DE DOHC Inline 4
Oil: German Castrol 0w-30
Oil Filter: Napa Gold 1344 (oversized)
Oil Capacity: 4.2 qts. +
Air Filter: Napa Gold
Magnetic drain plug - stays very clean, not covered like a tranny plug
Miles on Engine at time of sample: 64,950
Miles on oil sample: 5,150
Make up oil: zero
Sample Date: January 7, 2004
Lab: Blackstone
Aluminum: 2
Chromium: 1
Iron: 8
Copper: 3
Lead: 8
Tin: 0
Molybdenum: 11
Nickel: 0
Manganese: 8
Silver: 0
Titanium: 0
Potassium: 0
Boron: 12
Silicon: 4
Sodium: 6
Calcium: 2987
Magnesium: 101
Phosphorus: 766
Zinc: 969
Barium: 0
SUS @ 210F: 64.6
Flashpoint: 375
Fuel: <1.0
Antifreeze: 0
Water: 0
Insolubles: 0.3
TBN: 4.1
Vehicle use: Daily commuter, 100 miles per day, 85% highway, lots of long climbs and descents 7700 feet altitude to 4300 and back up, most climbing done in 4th gear at 3900 RPM @ 70mph. Truck is never garaged and started in many subzero mornings during this interval. I confess to idleing the engine 3-5 minutes on cold mornings while I stay inside and drink coffee. This cuts the wait time for the heater at -14 degrees F.
For more discussion on this sample test, you can see the original post here:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...c;f=3;t=001217
Oil Analysis on a KA24DE Engine
Linear Mode
