Oil change monitor suggesting oil change already, 2 months to go according to date and 4200km to go if following mileage




This post has been edited by rcracer: Mar 17 2018, 03:30 PM


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What brand is this engine oil? 😂

Shell helix ultra

Hard to comment without further details like km/month in use;engine model, turbo? direct injection?; engine oil grade/specs etc.

This post has been edited by zeng: Mar 18 2018, 10:42 AM

eo looks clear, but hav to wonder how much sludge-like deposit already accumulating in the crankcase

engine oil (usually) contains detergent to prevent sludge from happening. now wat will happen if the detergent is depleted?

12000km , diesel turbo , helix ultra 10w 30

Edit : more intense light , more than 24 hours

This post has been edited by rcracer: Mar 18 2018, 04:29 PM


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Helix Ultra doesn't offer 10W30 in M'sia.
Assuming this is an Euro turbo engine with Diesel Particulate Filter specifying use of this oil etc ......
and further assuming this oil is Shell Helix Ultra ECT C2/C3 0W30, whose typical oil life could be upto 30,000 km in some Euro engines......
..triggering oil change at 12,000 km here, with due respect to whoever is this OEM, I'm of the opinion its oil life monitor is too conservative and I personnaly won't follow it in my car that's without warranty requirements.
This is 'confirmed' with this well done (and lighted) 24 hr blotter spot shown above.JMHO.

This post has been edited by zeng: Mar 19 2018, 11:30 AM

Zeng...... this is Aisin fully synthetic (PAO+Ester) 5w-40 API SN.

Done 12k kms. Used on Elantra 2.0 NA (G4GC). Pic shows 48hrs blot, sample taken hot.

Huuh ........ that's no joke. It's hell lot of clean and transparent, not much of dark coloured contaminants such as soot, dirt, combustion byproducts etc.
It's like my 5000 km oil blotter above.
This oil is powderful, that's for sure.
At the same time , this Hyundai engine is very clean and in tip top condition. How long mileage is this engine, btw?
Any intention of prolonging oil change of existing sump oil ?

Edit: Heck , this is 194k km engine. Two things here:
a) there is no doubt about the capability of this engine oil(Aisin fully synthetic (PAO+Ester) 5w-40 API SN), and
b) this Hyundai engine is hell lot of a clean at 194K km indicating high quality of this engine design and manufacturing , maybe helped by your driving habit and maintenance regime.
Japanese OEMs better buck up, IMHO.

Edit 1:only very faint shape of centre zone, and is fully transparent not opaque.
Edit 2:Sorry, I think this 12,000 km Aisin 5W40 oil blotter is obviously better than my 5000 km Total Quartz 7000 Energy 10W40 A3B4 oil blotter.

This post has been edited by zeng: Mar 28 2018, 03:37 PM

Thanks for the comment, zeng.

Actually this engine is minutely burning oil. I suspect it is due to worn valve stem seals as there is zero oil stains anywhere.

Had to change out the sampled oil right after I did the blot test, as oil level has reached uncomfortably low (for me) and no point to top up. Changed with another 3.5litre of Aisin PAO+Ester.

Previously was on 2x Totachi FS Touring 5W-40 which was on sale in Lazada. Also ran through Kendal GT1 LT 5W-30, M1 0W-40 and Shell Ultra 5W-40. Basically whichever oil I can get on discount (circa RM130-160 range), without breaking the bank.

I bought this car pre-loved, so I have no idea how it fared on previous ownership. Once I got it, in went the SHU and M1 for cleaning. I can only track from its 79k-th km onwards, till now 194k. OCI would vary between 10-14k km and ori Hyundai (Mann manufactured) oil filter.

Aisin FS 5W30 (non-PAO)
Hyundai Elantra 1.8 G4GB
Picture taken 20 hrs after.
Current mileage 13,536 km.



This post has been edited by alphaz: Mar 30 2018, 02:16 PM

This 10 hr blotter spot doesn't show up any 'shape' of a centre zone and that is a good indication of serviceable oil, though at 48-72 hr a centre zone may be observable clearly or faintly, IDK.

I would speculate this oil [Aisin FS 5W30 (non-PAO)] is of high quality though it's said to be non-PAO and is still serviceable for another several thousand km say, up to 16,000-18,000 km.

You may take another blotter spot after 1500-2000 km if you are extending its oil change.

Oil consumption due to hardened valve stem seals can be assessed on early morning start first thing in the morning by looking up for bluish exhaust smoke upon start-up.
Alternatively oil consumption may be caused by worn piston ring sets by looking up for coloured smoke upon engine deceleration/acceleration at medium speed cruising.

Not sure about Totachi and Kendall, the M1 0W40 and Shell Ultra 5W40 are top tier oils even suitable for most European Continental engines.

Not sure why a lowish 200,000 km engine has oil consumption issue whilst its combustion system looks top form.

This post has been edited by zeng: Mar 31 2018, 07:02 PM

No smoke at all from the exhaust and no leaks but yet 90% of the engine oil dissapears within 2.5k KM. Not mixed with coolant nor any check engine lights..

What maybe the issue?

What's your engine model and whether there is a cooler installed in the engine compartment ?

Peugeot 308 THP156 engine, not sure about coolers..

Someone on auto world wrote about this engine has a problem of oil entering intake manifold and gets burnt.
If it's true, then it causes engine oil consumption, though I'm not sure it's valid or not.
Maybe you can google to find out more.

I believe he meant the intercooler.

Another place for leaking oil is the turbocharger turbine bearings. The turbocharger turbine lubrication share the same engine oil as the crankcase. Those can leak oil after some time.

Better bring it in for a peugeot specialist to get it checked, losing so much oil in 2500km is definitely not normal, and in my opinion really serious. Your engine is almost at the point of starvation, very bad for lubrication and cause cooling issues too. The timing chain quality is quite a time bomb for your car and it requires good lubrication to keep it in good condition.

Although some members already pointed out a number of possibility, likely yours is a combination of issues.

Interesting topic here, and I wonder what's the observation time after dropping the oil on paper?
Some with 1 hour photo, some with 24 hour photo.
Seems not much info from the Internet to interpret the oil condition. Maybe Zeng can explain a little more.

I tried my engine oil, at about 5k km travelled, and could see a center black ring after a day. Does it mean that oil is not carrying the soot well? It's done with A4 paper.

Let me do it again and snap a photo these few days.

My rule of thumb limited understanding on intercooler is that the turbocharged compressed air (which is hot) is cooled by water through bottom hose from radiator and probably there is no oil passage within intercooler.

Turbocharger bearings having oil leaks, I'm not sure though.