Oil Samples

External oil line with valve for easy oil sample ? Think one of my former employers had this setup on his truck .

jimmy

 

I have used Fumoto drain valves on all my vehicle and truck oil pans for years. Great little device. Just remove the clip, flip the switch, and drain. Can slow the flow so that it is less of a mess to catch a sample. That is an option. Many bypass filter units have ports for taking a sample, if one is so inclined to put on a bypass oil filter setup.

 

Re: All the talk of oil sampling - 2 questions...
1: how do you interpret the results? The couple of samples I saw somebody post just had a bunch of numbers and percentages of different minerals and metals and stuff. How do I know what's good and what's bad?
2: what kind of actual repairs or adjustments would one perform based on oil test results? In other words, do these tests have a real impact in real life other than " oh well your engine kind of sucks, good luck with that"

 

I've used Polaris and Cat, both of them let you know if you have a problem and suggested cause, or let you know if it looks good.

 

You need to sample regularly to see trends or sudden changes.

 

Just called local CAT shop in Spokane, WA for and its $15 for test and they supply test kit. Local Speedco charges $25.

 

I would concur. A person should do regular oil samples to track trends, patterns, changes going on to have information to make any decision.

I typically use the oil sample kits that my oil supplier gives me for free and the oil company does the testing for free and sends me the results. Every once in a while, I will send an additional sample to another lab, Horizon, and have them do the test and see if results are similar to the free ones. Following a methodology of "Trust, but verify".