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I have a 2000 XJ with Golen 4.6L stroker that has approximately 6000 miles on it. I ran break in oil in it for the first 1000 miles per Chad Golen's instructions, then ran Joe Gibbs Driven 10W-40 synthetic hot rod oil for 5000 miles. I haven't used any additives and only 93 octane pump gas.
Now I just received my first oil analysis at 6000 miles. Most of the numbers were okay, except for an alarmingly high lead content of 116:
I couldn't sleep after reading that, so I got up and did research. Unfortunately I found a lot of material talking about high lead content in the oil analysis with no follow up to tell what happened after that. I didn't find anyone with lead numbers as high as mine.
I realize I need to run it a while and have another analysis done before jumping to any conclusions. But meanwhile, has anybody had any experience with ridiculously high lead numbers? Am I going to end up having to pull this motor and have the bottom end redone?
Just like any race motor drive it like you stole it and when it blows build another. Just a fact of life with a HP engine of any kind 6,000 mi. are quite a few for a high compression I 6 engine stroked. Wait till the oil pressure starts dropping and cut open every oil filter you take off, looking for any material in the filter.
If it were mine I would never let it go for that long between oil changes, oil and filters are cheap. On my 93 oct. pump gas motors 570HP range I changed them every week or every time it made some money. 9 qts. of oil 2 filters, go to summit or Jegs and buy a filter cutter much easier to do then.
BTW how long were you planning on this engine lasting, its not really a DD?
It's not a daily driver, but I'm not racing it. It's mall crawler plus. I use it around town when I need to pick up something that won't fit in my car or when I'm going someplace unfriendly to a sports car. I do get my foot in it sometimes, because what's the point of having the power if I'm not going to use it? But mostly I drive it like I did before the swap.
The motor came with a 100K mile warranty. I was kind of hoping to keep it running at least that long. I certainly wasn't expecting bearing damage this early (if that's what this is). Once my J-truck is roadworthy, the XJ is going into the garage for a lift and axles with an eye toward moderate off-road use, but I plan to keep it street legal for continued use as noted above.
As for the oil change interval, the factory schedule for the 2000 was 5000 miles. Assuming the oil and filter did their job (which the analysis shows they did) I didn't see any reason to increase the frequency of oil changes, since my driving is pretty much the same as it was with the stock motor. I'll be doing 3000 now, however, because now I'll be paranoid about what's happening with the bearings.
If this is bearing damage, shouldn't I be seeing higher tin?
Hell I don't know to be honest the only ones I ever sent in were for my diesels starting a 50,000 or so. Never a HP engine they are easy to check visually for major problems requiring a tear down.
Your overreacting. It's normal to see this after a rebuild. Give it another 3-5000 and check again. I'm sure it will drop. And don't think you need to baby it. It's design to run so run it.
Your overreacting. It's normal to see this after a rebuild. Give it another 3-5000 and check again. I'm sure it will drop. And don't think you need to baby it. It's design to run so run it.
Thanks for that.
I don't baby it. In fact, Golen's break-in and operating instructions actually say outright NOT to baby it. When I say I drive it pretty much the same as I did before the swap, I didn't baby it then, either.
I don't think I'm overreacting, especially considering how much money I have in this thing. I'm just looking for answers, which haven't been easy to find. The only thing I've seen so far that would explain it (other than bearing wear) is where someone said that it's not uncommon for a core rebuilt after a bearing failure to still have a high dose of lead in the oil passages if the block wasn't cleaned properly. Maybe this block had a bearing failure in its past life, but given the care Golen usually uses with their motors, I would have expected it to have been thoroughly cleaned.
I wish I had saved the filter. It didn't even occur to me to cut it open.
In any case, there's nothing I can do about it now. I do appreciate the insight.
Did you send Golen a copy of the report with a question?
Not yet. I considered it, but I was hoping to gather a little more information and get another oil report before involving them. From what I'm reading, I seriously doubt they're going to tell me to pull the engine and send it back based on one oil report, so I think I have a little time there.
Not yet. I considered it, but I was hoping to gather a little more information and get another oil report before involving them. From what I'm reading, I seriously doubt they're going to tell me to pull the engine and send it back based on one oil report, so I think I have a little time there.
That was not the point.
The point is to establish the fact that you are aware of a future problem now......establishing a trackable record of communication.
I don't think you have an urgent problem anyway.
Stating that you have a concern NOW is better than later.
He already has the documents if ever needed why bother them now. But please change the oil much more often and use a NAPA Gold or WIX filter and oil of your choice not the stuff that you used the first time Mobil, Castoil, etc. any good quality oil is fine. I bet from just the name it was expensive just change at least every 3 mo/3;000 mi. being what the engine is.
I'm using a Wix 51085, so there's no need to worry there. I have never put a Fram on my vehicles.
As for the oil, I have pretty good reasons for continuing to use the Joe Gibbs hot rod oil. Yes, it is expensive, and in most respects it's no better than regular oil. However, the warranty on this motor requires the use of either a high-zinc oil or a zinc additive to protect the cam.
I dislike additives. I don't like the idea of a guessing game of how much zinc phosphates I'm actually ending up with. I don't like the idea of potentially having more zinc than I need and killing my catalytic converter. I don't like the idea of adding zinc to a motor oil that had its detergent package in balance with the zinc until I messed with it.
The HR oil has the required level of zinc already in it, with the detergent package balanced for it. The oil analysis didn't show me anything of concern about the oil other than a little less moly than I'd like. The TBN showed that after 5000 miles, the oil was not anywhere close to the end of its useful life. Plus, Golen actually sells this oil on their website (although I buy mine direct from Driven), so if I have a warranty claim, it would be impossible to say I didn't use the correct oil.
As for the oil change interval, I don't think there's any reason to go shorter. At 5000 miles, the oil was still within its sweet spot between the volatiles breaking down and the oil itself breaking down. More frequent oil changes would just deposit more gunk and soot in the system without any significant advantage. If I have a problem with this engine, it's not because I kept the oil in it for 5000 miles. The oil report proves that out.
12-12-2015, 10:05 AM
Hey Engine Gurus - Frightening Oil Analysis
