Yo, mr zeng.
Toyota Vios 2008 2nd gen (dugong)
Current odo: 160,125 km
Date: 20/3/20
Blotter time: after ard 50 hours
Oil age: 1,020 km
Engine oil: shell helix ultra 5w40



This post has been edited by tanalvis: Mar 20 2020, 06:38 PM

Hi mate,

There is absence of darkened centre zone (typically of about 8-9 mm diameter) and darkened perimeter ring surrounding it , which is good news in itself .

The diffusion zone is very lightly gray indicating very low levels of combustion contaminants/dirt within the used oil .

It also indicates high capacity in detergency/dispersancy properties .

However, the translucent outermost zone indicates there is sign of duel dilution which requires monitoring in this 1020 km used oil .

Anyway this Helix Ultra 5W40 has very high specs in MB 229.5 VW 50200 50500 A3B4 and it has plenty of life to go on in your Vios , IMHO .

hmm, when should i do another blotter?
was gonna change to syntium 5000 5W-30 in next 5,000km due to increase FC. drop by ard 2km per litre (will further monitor mileage). [syntium 5000 ACEA C3, MB 229.31 VW50501]
if the dilution continue during 4000 or 5000km, what should i do?

Assuming you are a beginner in oil blotter spot test, you may do tests at intervals of say 2,000 km to 'see' and learn the process of oil being 'damaged' or 'condemned' for further use .

Finally depending on your comfortable oil change intervals of 5000 or 8000 or 12000 or 15000 km , do another test say 1000 km before intended mileage giving yourself another evaluation seeking further opinion and most importantly, a bit of time to plan your next oil change date .

IMO, 5000 km oil change interval for a Helix Ultra 5W40 A3B4 or Syntium 5000 C3 5W30 is a bit too short for the Vios .

For folks who are comfortable with 5000 -8000 km oil change intervals, why not consider any mineral non-semisyn 15W40/10W30 gasoline or diesel engine oils . This position is based on my readings on various Used Oil Analyses so far .

Fuel consumption increases with Ultra 5W40 ?

I don't thick Syntium 5W30 C3 would help much IMHO if perceptible .

Why not consider upping your tyre pressure to minimum 36 psi as permitted by tyre manufacturers for better fuel economy ?

Just my 2 sen .

Edit: On fuel dilution problem, don't worry about it in your context of generally short oil change interval as it is rather academic than practicality IMO.

This post has been edited by zeng: Mar 22 2020, 10:53 AM

Edit: Arranged in a proper sequence, out of a complete article from Jan-Feb 2019 edition of Machinery Lubrication magazine .

This post has been edited by zeng: Apr 11 2020, 10:41 AM

I just bought this Petronas Syntium 3000 SE Fully Synthetic oil to try out.

Plan to change it when I am free. Hope this is good stuff.

According to this 2016 data sheet :



This SE has a TBN of 7.2 .

Based on its claimed SN spec, it is a bit low'ish . But ....................

Could it be a ACEA C2 mid-SaPS oil ?

This post has been edited by zeng: May 2 2020, 02:09 PM

I duno wor.. Just want to test this engine oil out.

Out of curiosity, I weigh and compared the engine oil bottle with it's content.

Nissan 5W30 Fully Synthetic bought @ RM125; vs
Petronas Syntium 3000 SE 5W30 Fully Syntetic bought @ RM145.

The difference in weight is quite obvious with the Petronas oil weighs about 800gram - 1kg more. Could it be more additives are added into the Petronas oil?

800 - 1000 grams difference ? That's very surprising for a 4 Litre pack IMO .
SN/SM additive package in itself is very basic compared to ACEA A5B5 or A3B4 specs .
However this Petronas 5W30 carry no ACEA specs, though all its EU counterparts carries ACEA .

0.8-1.0 kg difference is very significant.
Even after taking into consideration the difference of oil density and actual volume, the biggest difference I could calculate is 0.3-0.4 kg. Another factor is bottle weight, but still can't make up the gap.

Hi.. Im just wondering anyone of you used mobil 1 5w50 before? Will it be too heavy for a 9years altis 2.0L?

Yes, I bought some online at promotion price for like RM79 for this fully synthetic .
My relative used it in a 20 yo(?) Corona and 7/8 yo Kancil .
For the same price, I would opt for a fully synthetic 0W30 or 5W40 instead .
If I had it at hand, I won't hesitate to use it in Altis .

What! You bought less than rm100 for a bottle for this brand? Where did you buy it? The cheapest I get after voucher discount also need 100++

hi guys, when is the most suitable time to take the EO sample for blotter test? during engine cold in morning? or after driving few hours?

After driving for hours while the engine oil is still hot or warm .But for most of us who don't travel outstation often , that's challenging and quite tough to sustain this practice .
I started off with 1.5 hour outstation travel habit but now settle at 25 - 30 minutes driving after work arriving home . Pick your 'sweet spot' , but generally do sampling after the longer hour traveling the better .
Yes, not first thing in the morning , or cold engine oil for more 'realistic' results .

Edit: Whatever time interval is selected , try to be consistent afterwards for realistic comparison of blotters .
Btw, I took blotter spot samples 10 - 20 minutes after engine shut down before it gets cold .

This post has been edited by zeng: May 13 2020, 11:03 AM

Thanks and appreciate for your explanation

Just wondering how to test results differ if we were to test after a short drive. Would the result shows better than the actual circumstances, or worse? If you get what i mean.

Blotter test engine oil condition after a short drive, of say 10 minutes and less, could likely demonstrates false positive in fuel dilution phenomenon in a perfectly normal and properly tuned engine giving rise to misinterpretation .

Besides, I'm not aware of occassions of engine gets destroyed (and require overhaul) typically after such short drive .

Having said that ,after each and every engine start, if one never drive and shut down engine beyond 10 minutes , then blotter test after short drive makes perfect sense ...... if that is the typical driving condition IMO .

This post has been edited by zeng: May 14 2020, 11:17 AM

"false positive in fuel dilution".

positive as in bad thing?
like positive in HIV testing, or demam denggi?

sorry have to be sure i understand.