Tool to test oil quality

http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/lubricheck-engine-oil-tester-analyzer.asp

What do all of you smart folks think of this?

43$ or just change the oil.

I'll be running 9 quarts of synthetic in my new motor once I finish break in. I have 3 motorcycles and I rarely ride 2 of them, and my car runs synthetic from the factory.

I could spend hundreds of dollars a year changing oil on the traditional schedule. Is it your opinion that the tool is useless? Many of my vehicles sit for 3 months without being used and I do not want to change oil when it isn't necessary

I'll be running 9 quarts of synthetic in my new motor once I finish break in. I have 3 motorcycles and I rarely ride 2 of them, and my car runs synthetic from the factory.

I could spend hundreds of dollars a year changing oil on the traditional schedule. Is it your opinion that the tool is useless? Many of my vehicles sit for 3 months without being used and I do not want to change oil when it isn't necessary

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Well... the 'traditional' schedule is 3 months OR 3,000 miles... and it can work both ways (if you don't put 3,000 miles on your car within 3 months, then don't change it until you do). Engine oil doesn't break down (or even get dirty) if it's just sitting in the crankcase (nor do internal parts wear out, in the same regard) - that comes from being subjected to the heat, friction, carbon, and dirt that gets into the engine and absorbed by the oil as it makes its way through the engine during lubrication.

Get in the habit of writing down the mileage of each vehicle when you change the oil... and don't worry so much about how much time goes by between oil changes.

Makes sense to me. Why change the oil if it is not necessary?

I am in the construction industry and fluid analysis on our equipment is SOP.

It's said that the acids in the oil can sit and concentrate in old oil in rarely used cars.. So when you do use it.. It corrodes the bearings and other soft materials in the engine.

I at least try to change the oil once a year in my rigs.

Very INTERESTING and TIMELY thread!

I believe the tool is worthwhile. It is my understanding that oil CAN become contaminated (even in rarely utilized vehicles) by gases that blow by the pistons.

I have two vehicles (1989 LX and 2003 Marauder) that are rarely used. I have been changing the oil once a year, only because they are occasionally utilized.

Since I have not been using my '73 Grande or '73 Mach 1, I have not been changing the oil on either of them.

Many of the "newer" vehicles (to include the First Lady 2013 Lincoln MKT) have oil monitoring systems that actually shows when the oil has degraded. I have noticed that dependent upon the type of driving she does (short versus long trips), the time and mileage between changes have varied.

To me, that is enough to support my decision not to make all these (what I believe) unnecessary oil changes.

...my $.02.

BT

my 97' Expedition gets an oil change once a year, I only put 2k-3K per year on it, and it sits alot during the summer months.

but 2 years ago the oil filter rotted out from the inside out, and I lost all of the crankcase oil in the driveway (goodthing I saw the oil spilling)

It's said that the acids in the oil can sit and concentrate in old oil in rarely used cars.. So when you do use it.. It corrodes the bearings and other soft materials in the engine.

I at least try to change the oil once a year in my rigs.

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+1 to that...plus people tend to forget how much water builds up in a block while it sitting..That goes into the oil too....i was told by my cousin who is a mechanical engineer, never to trust old oil even if the engine has not been runing much...Cause of acids and water...Is sometimes just as bad or worse than used motor oil in a engine that has been runing alot....I'll trust what he told me on that one.

from the video it appears they test for acidity specifically.

It's an interesting looking tool. I wish they provided a little more information about the specifics in how it works, and maybe some info comparing the results from their tester with the analysis from an actual oil lab. There's not a lot of info on the page to give me any kind of assurance about the validity of the test that their little machine is doing. No standards, no certification, just their word, which makes me a little uneasy about it.

It's cheap enough though, that picking one up and doing your own "testing" wouldn't be hard. A cool find all the same though!

Well I scouted it out with a google search and found three promising reviews/articles Still not sure, so I'll do more research.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/17/nearly-two-years-later-we-get-our-hands-on-lubrichecks-blood/

http://www.epinions.com/review/Oilyzer_Engine_Oil_Tester_epi/content_509719907972?sb=1

http://www.epinions.com/review/Lubricheck_Engine_Oil_Analyzer_epi/content_615982665348?sb=1

Please don't forget about condensation. Moisture build up in engines that don't get fully warmed up can cause significant problems. We had a race engine damaged by sitting in the shop with overhead doors being opened frequently causing cylinders to flash rust due to condensation.

Besides, compared to engines... oil is cheap. Protect your investment and change the oil.