Vehicle: 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport

Purchase date: 4/5/12

Miles at purchase: 106,900

Engine: 3.3L V6

Oil: Amsoil 5W-30 Original Equipment versus Amsoil 0W-20 Signature Series

Oil Filter: Donaldson P169071 Synteq

Air Filter: Amsoil EaA 170

Lab: Polaris

Sampling Method: Sampling pump with Hot oil

*Detailed notes below.

Motor Oil------------------------0E5W-30------------SS0W-20
Nominal Drain Interval----------6mo.3k------------ 12mo.5k

Wear Metals (ppm)
Iron---------------------------------7-------------------19
Chromium--------------------------0--------------------0
Nickel-------------------------------0--------------------0
Aluminum--------------------------1--------------------5
Copper------------------------------1-------------------3
Lead---------------------------------0-------------------0
Tin----------------------------------0-------------------1
Cadmium---------------------------0-------------------0
Silver-------------------------------0-------------------0
Vanadium--------------------------0-------------------0

Contaminant Metals (ppm)
Silicon---------------------------15------------------29
Sodium--------------------------4-------------------9
Potassium-----------------------2-------------------3

Multi-Source Metals (ppm)
Titanium-------------------------0-------------------0
Molybdenum-------------------74------------------163
Antimony------------------------0-------------------2
Manganese----------------------0-------------------0
Lithium--------------------------0-------------------0
Boron-------------------------134-----------------101

Additive Metals (ppm)
Magnesium-----------------------7------------------21
Calcium-----------------------1891----------------4060
Barium---------------------------0-------------------0
Phosphorous-------------------659-----------------775
Zinc----------------------------734-----------------917

Fuel Dilution
% Vol------------------------(<1)----------------(<1)

Soot
% Vol----------------------(<.1)------------(0.3 - FTIR)

Water
% Vol--------------------- (<.1 - FTIR)------(<.1 - FTIR)

Viscosity
cSt 100 C--------------------10.1-----------------9.9

TBN-------------------------2.59-----------------3.37

Oxidation---------------------11-------------------55

Nitration---------------------10-------------------14

Particle Count (Pore Blockage)
ISO Code based 4/6/14-------17/17/14---------------N/A
>4 --------------------------------1214-----------------N/A
>6---------------------------------661------------------N/A
>10--------------------------------246------------------N/A
>14--------------------------------112------------------N/A
>21---------------------------------38-------------------N/A
>38----------------------------------5-------------------N/A
>70----------------------------------0-------------------N/A
>100---------------------------------0-------------------N/A

*Detailed notes:

4/11/2012 at 106,962 miles: Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter. Amsoil OE 5W-30 Motor Oil (Drain interval: 6 months/2,888 miles)

10/11/2012 at 109,850 miles: oil change only. Amsoil OE 5w-30 Motor Oil (Drain interval: 6 months/3,298 miles [oil] 12 months/6189 [filter])

3/12/2013 at 112,515 miles: Used Oil Analysis with ISO particle count. Lab: Polaris Labs (Sample interval: 5 months/2665 miles)

4/23/2013 at 113,148 miles: Oil and oil filter change. Amsoil SS 0W-20 Motor Oil. Note: At time of oil change, replaced oil pan gasket and sealed with Permatex Ultra Black in corners. (Drain interval: 12 months/4,809 miles)

11/27/2013 at 115,729 miles: Added 7oz. make-up oil (7 months/2,581 miles)

4/08/2014 at 117,957 miles: Oil and oil filter change. Amsoil SS 0W-20 Motor Oil. Note: 1 quart low at oil change. (Drain interval: 12 months/5,297 miles)

10/29/2014 at 121,258 miles: Add 15oz. make-up oil (6 months/3,301 miles)

2/11/2015 at 122,768 miles: Add 16 oz. make-up oil (10 months/4,811 miles)

3/17/2015 at 123,151 miles: Used Oil Analysis. Lab: Polaris Labs, (Sample interval: 11 months/5,194 miles)

3/24/2015 at 123,254 miles: Oil and Oil Filter change. Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 PurePlus.(Sample interval: pending)

Typical Driving Habits: I live in a smaller city. Can get to everywhere I need to go within a five mile radius or less. Other than a couple out of town trips per year, very little highway miles. Ambient temperature can range between 0 (F) to 105 (F). Payload typically consists of a family of four. No hitch, no towing ever. Lots of hills and steep grades.

 

Very interesting write up.

 

summary: don't use 0w-30 unless you live in a place where water freezes when thrown..

 

Also more expensive oil does not equal better oil.
That signature series runs $11.50 a quart. Regular amsoil syn is only $7.50.

I run 10w30 in the van, 5w30 in my built motor. Never had an issue or a reason to do otherwise.

 

I use $18/5qt Pennzoil high mileage and put more work on engines than most. I'll probably go to 10w-30 since I'm always close to the equator unless I'm over-seas where I don't drive except for a bike sometimes.

0w-30 only makes sense in extremely cold weather, else it has too little viscosity on cold-starts and gives results like these.

I think there are actually budget 0w-30 offerings on shelves.

 

0W-30??? You mean zero-w-twenty (0W-20).

0W-20 is what I used in the place of the factory recommended 5W-30. I did it two years back-to-back with no issues, Spring/Fall/Summer/Winter, supported by Used Oil Analysis.

Basically, when folks said that if a 5W-20 or 0W-20 was used in an engine that was originally specified for a 5W-30 or 10W-30, the results would be disastrous, e.g. the engine would blow-up, the radio would stop working, the wife would leave me, the first born child would die, etc, etc. None of it. The engine was protected fine with no harm done.

With these preliminary results, in this application, I believe I could run a name brand motor oil in any of the following grades: 0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30 or 10W-30, and engine wear would be equal across the board, no problems, supported by Used Oil Analysis as I've demonstrated here.

 

After seeing the my cars old motor, and the wife's trucks motor, you couldn't pay me to run Penzoil in my lawnmower. Globs of sludge lubricate, right?

What I gathered from your results is the 0w20 was wearing the motor more then the 5w30, having more then double the particulate matter. I would also gather that those results would be much more skewed comparing cheaper oils.

 

The myth that Pennzoil causes engine sludge comes from a half truth that dates back to the 1920s and 30s when Pennzoil was pumped from within the earth from the state of Pennsylvania at a time when hydro-processing and additive technology was either in its infancy or non-existent. The same was said about Quaker State. Today, name brand modern motor oils cannot on their own "cause" engine sludge to occur. If sludge occurs, it's from an environmental factor.

The wear is accumulative. Note how the 0W-20 was run twice as long as the 5W-30.

Example given:

At 5 months/2665 miles, the 5W-30 had 7ppm Iron, 1 ppm Aluminum and 1 ppm Copper

At 11 months/5,194 miles, the 0W-20 had 19ppm Iron, 5ppm Aluminum and 3ppm Copper

Had the 0W-20 been sampled at the same 5 month/2665 mile interval, I believe it’s safe to assume there would be no meaningful difference in engine wear when compared to the 5W-30 at the same interval.

Also consider how we are talking about parts-per-million (PPM), so a very, very, small almost non-existent amount of wear particulate.

 

zero-winter isn't the only zero-winter rated oil. All ratings share velocity through most thermal ranges.

I have no sludge using Pennzoil high mileage with the cleaning agents. I can't speak for the standard Pennzoil. According to bobtheoilguy Platinum is also good.

 

Penzoil conventional, had sludge in both engines. Call it myth or not, but I changed brands, 2 changes later all the gunk was out, and I have had it back since. You see stuff like that come out of the drain plug of 2 vehicles running Penzoil, you'd think again.

The wear is accumulative, but the 0W-20 also had more the twice the ppms, so regardless of how minuscule the wear may be, it's still wearing more. Any difference in wear is meaningful. It may be the difference in making 200k or making 500k. I prefer my vehicles to last.