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Commo's Pennzoil 5w20 Platinum Ultra UOA

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36K views 81 replies 25 participants last post by  jac04  
#1 ·
After a year and 21,000 miles (total) in my 2014 JKU Sahara I decided I’d have the oil analyzed at Blackstone Labs in Ft. Wayne, IN, to better understand how the engine is responding.

So I caught four ounces or so of oil as it drained from the engine and sent it off to Blackstone in the handy package they provide. I also opted for a TBN test, which adds $10 to the $25 base cost. (The TBN tells you how much active additive remains in your oil.)

We know every Wrangler owner has a different approach to oil brand, weight, change frequency, conventional vs. synthetic, etc etc.

I’m a synthetic oil fan, and though I used Mobil 1 5w30 in my previous Jeep Commander (4.7L V8), still going strong at 185,000 miles, I chose to go with a Chrysler-suggested oil and use the Pennzoil Platinum Ultra 5w20. I had a shop do the first oil change just shy of 3,000 miles, going with the Pennzoil Platinum as Ultra wasn’t available. (I provided the Mopar filter.)




Much of my driving is in northern Michigan on the typical dusty sand roads that take you to the best trout streams. For that reason I’ve decided to think of my Jeep as being under severe duty and am using the Jeep OCI recommendation of 4,000 miles. I don’t obsess about the 4k number — my changes have come anywhere from 4,300 to 5,100 miles.




Since that first change I have done all four of the changes myself, always using a Mopar oil filter. I switched over to the Platinum Ultra as soon as I could find it. A Walmart near me in southeastern Michigan carries it pretty regularly, charging about $28 for 5 quart jugs. I bought some other filters and they look ok, but I think I'll keep the variables down and use the Mopar.

So far I’ve not had the dreaded oil filter housing leak. I do torque the oil filter cap carefully, but I think it’s pretty clear that you can do everything right and still have the plastic housing crack…but so far so good.




I’ve copied in the Blackstone UOA — good numbers, they tell me, though I don’t claim to understand them perfectly. Note that this (winter) interval didn’t have as much dusty road driving, so I would say it’s the best-case scenario.

I will do another UOA after this Spring/Summer’s driving, which will have some good numbers to compare. I should mention that with all the dust I see I am changing the Mopar air filter at 15,000 mile intervals.

Any experts out there able to glean any info from the UOA numbers here?

Seat of the pants reaction is that the engine purrs on the 5w20 and gets 19-21mpg depending on how hard I push the loud pedal.

Commo
 
#5 · (Edited)
^^^Agree, TBN (your oils ability to neutralize acid) and Silicon (dirt) are always two of the major area's of concern.
Yours both look great!!!!!!!!

That also says, that your air induction system is tight and your absolute filter micron rating is excellent and working. To have a 7, while driving mainly on dirt roads is excellent!
 
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#7 ·
I probably won't stretch it too much but won't worry at all if I get up to 5,000+ miles before it's convenient to change. The TBN certainly indicates there's a mileage cushion there. (BTW, my EVIC usually says I'm at right around 50% when I decide to change somewhere between 4-5k miles.)

Though I'm on the dusty roads year 'round I will certainly see more blowing dust as Spring and Summer progress. It'll be interesting to see if there's a jump in Silicon, among others.

m998, I'm looking forward to more data points on your PPU 5w30..

rMiller, I know what you mean about the torque wrench. I coat the o-ring and threads with oil and torque it gently only to the required spec..

Thanks for all the comments.

Commo
 
#9 ·
I think it is...this was discussed briefly on the BobIsTheOilGuy (BITOG) forum, where a Fram representative said that the design of the filter is proprietary and that companies like Fram had to license the design or reinvent it without copying it, so that limits the aftermarket options. You can see the Fram is quite different in the pic I posted above. The Wix, OTOH, looks almost identical, though it is made in Poland and the Mopar is made in the USA.

It's easy to go with Mopar, so when I find a decent price (surprisingly varied at various dealerships) I buy a few...

I'm talking about the 2014-2015 filter with the little superstructure as shown in my pic. Newbies take note: that little superstructure is actually the bottom of the filter and goes in first! Also, there is a big o-ring that comes with these filters and it should replace the one around the filter compartment cap.

Commo
 
#10 ·
UOA #2 on Commo's 2014 Jeep Wrangler JKU

So 4,000 miles later (and exactly 3 months, not planned) I've done another oil change and again sent a sample off to Blackstone Labs (my error on the sample date; it was 7/1 and I zoned and wrote 8/1.)





Another great (even better) Used Oil Analysis (UOA) on the Pennzoil Platinum Ultra 5w20, this despite more dusty road driving through the Spring into Summer, mostly in northern Michigan with high proportion of dirt road driving. This was with a Mopar oil filter, btw. I knew I would be up north for a long interval this trip so I changed the oil just before I hit 4,000 miles.

I'm not sure I want to go all the way to 6,000 miles as recommended by Blackstone Labs -- but I certainly won't worry if circumstances call for extending out to 5,000 miles or more.

My scheme calls for an air filter change at 30,000 miles but clearly the Mopar I installed at 15,000 miles is doing the job. I think occasionally checking the seal around your air filter is key to this kind of performance.

Though I don't know enough about all the numbers included in these UOAs it is interesting to study the relative numbers as I create a data base on this Pentastar 3.6L motor. Please post if you have thoughts. I may skip an oil change before having another UOA done as the $35 must be factored in to oil-change costs, no?

My next oil change will probably coincide with a hunting trip in November to the Adirondacks, an 1,100-mile road trip and then 10 days on the rocky/snowy trails.

Commo
 
#16 · (Edited)
Commo said:
So 4,000 miles later (and exactly 3 months, not planned) I've done another oil change and again sent a sample off to Blackstone Labs (my error on the sample date; it was 7/1 and I zoned and wrote 8/1.)





Another great (even better) Used Oil Analysis (UOA) on the Pennzoil Platinum Ultra 5w20, this despite more dusty road driving through the Spring into Summer, mostly in northern Michigan with high proportion of dirt road driving. This was with a Mopar oil filter, btw. I knew I would be up north for a long interval this trip so I changed the oil just before I hit 4,000 miles.

I'm not sure I want to go all the way to 6,000 miles as recommended by Blackstone Labs -- but I certainly won't worry if circumstances call for extending out to 5,000 miles or more.

My scheme calls for an air filter change at 30,000 miles but clearly the Mopar I installed at 15,000 miles is doing the job. I think occasionally checking the seal around your air filter is key to this kind of performance.

Though I don't know enough about all the numbers included in these UOAs it is interesting to study the relative numbers as I create a data base on this Pentastar 3.6L motor. Please post if you have thoughts. I may skip an oil change before having another UOA done as the $35 must be factored in to oil-change costs, no?

My next oil change will probably coincide with a hunting trip in November to the Adirondacks, an 1,100-mile road trip and then 10 days on the rocky/snowy trails.

Commo
Click to expand...
Commo... I changed my air filter at 15,000 miles. It was a little awkward to install. I wonder if there's anything that can be used around the seal on the filter before installing it to assure dust can't pass through?

Something like Honda Shin-Etsu silicon grease.

Btw.. my 3.6L really quieted down with Platinum Ultra 5w30.. I may change to 5w20 the next fill.

.
 
#11 ·
That is pretty good numbers. Especially the Iron at 8. These engines tend to run high on iron but yours looks below average.

I am at 17K and have done a UOA at 5K, 10K and 15K. My Iron levels dropped as it was breaking in at the 10K but spike to 50 at the 15K UOA. I suspect it was the "G-Oil 5W-30" that had good numbers in my other vehicles but currently running Pennzoil Ultra 5W-30 now in hopes the Iron goes back down.
 
#12 ·
+1 on the G-Oil. You might still be shedding in some break in metals. I've seen some engines take 20K or more miles to settle down. Once the engine is fully broken in I would also consider trying the spec'd 5W20 [if your Wrangler is in fact a 2014] and do a comparison to 5W30.

Most of the Pensastar UOA's I've seen were actually pretty good.
 
B
#13 ·
Great post! I've got a 2015 JKU. The suggested oil weight is 0-20 so that's what I've been using. I live outside of Wash DC and it's been a very hot and humid summer so far. I've been using Pennzoil Platinum as I haven't been able to find the ultra on a consistent basis. Should I be looking at moving to a 5-20 weight?
 
#19 ·
Third UOA at ~30,000 miles

OK, changed the oil recently at about 30k and sent a sample to Blackstone Labs:



Pretty consistent results, not going to obsess that the Silicon crept up a couple parts per million. :pullinghair:

I'm also curious about the seemingly higher finishing viscosity this time around compared to the last two; still within specs so I don't know what that means...thoughts?

We're starting to get enough data points to see the progression as I keep the oil change interval between 4,000 - 5,000 miles.

I also changed the air filter along with the oil at 30k, will be doing a 500-mile freeway run soon to hunt for a week on the rocky roads of the Adirondacks.

Please post other UOAs here as I find it very interesting to compare them.

Commo
 
#21 ·
I don't think they're implying that but maybe I can get their thoughts and report back. It'll be interesting to get the UOA on the next change to see where Silicon is headed..

I've changed the air filter at 15k and 30k, using Mopar filters. That is half the recommendation btw.

I'm looking at it as part of the 'severe duty' cycle which calls for the oil change at 4,000 miles, so it seems logical also to change the air filter at about half of the normal spec, especially since I'm seeing lots of dust on the northern Michigan roads.

The air filter didn't look bad at all, dusty with the usual chaff and a couple dead bugs...

Did you hit 20k yet and have a UOA done?

Commo
 
#29 ·
^^ The report looks good, especially for an engine with under 25K miles on it. Silicon is most likely from sealers and gasket material, however I would have a look at all plumbing from the air box to the throttle body and make sure nothing is loose or allowing unfiltered air to enter the engine. The copper is most likely from the oil cooler, it is not coming from engine bearings. That reading might not ever drop down. I'd consider it normal. You can do another UOA next time you change the oil and see how things are trending. The PU 5W30 is doing well.
 
#31 ·
Side-by-side UOAs

Sorry for the delay in responding:

Here's an imperfectly joined UOA comparo of my 5w20 report with 998's 5w30 report -- can't claim to know enough about all this to do much cogent analysis, but interesting to compare the numbers.

One thing I see (but don't understand significance of) is the viscosity numbers...mine seem to be on the high side while the 5w30 is lower in its range..




The additive numbers seem fairly close, which is logical. What do you think?

But I don't think it answers the age-old question: Should I use 5w20 or 5w30?? :bop:

Commo
 
#36 · (Edited)
Commo said:
Sorry for the delay in responding:

Here's an imperfectly joined UOA comparo of my 5w20 report with 998's 5w30 report -- can't claim to know enough about all this to do much cogent analysis, but interesting to compare the numbers.

One thing I see (but don't understand significance of) is the viscosity numbers...mine seem to be on the high side while the 5w30 is lower in its range..




The additive numbers seem fairly close, which is logical. What do you think?

But I don't think it answers the age-old question: Should I use 5w20 or 5w30?? :bop:

Commo
Click to expand...
Commo.. Thanks for superimposing those. I was going to say your numbers look better than mine - but Demar came in to clarify. My first thought when I compared our reports was why Blackstone gave me an excellent report but was picking on your 9 ppm silicon numbers? Lol..

Perhaps they need to add some color when they see 2 ppm change..

I wish they would tack happy or sad faces next to each result.. that way I won't lose any sleep.

.
 
#33 ·
On a sustained freeway trip (Michigan, elevation 600-1300 feet) I get between 19 & 20 mpg. Sometimes it seems to creep up toward 21mpg..

Other situations lower, of course. That's with 5w20 but there are so many variables I can't claim it's because I use 'thinner' oil..

Commo
 
#34 ·
There are so many variables that can impact mpg, its hard to say. The thinner oil helps, which is why there's such a big push toward them. The problem is the average person is not capable of noticing a difference between the two grades in all honesty. But if you run a fleet of hundreds or thousands of cars it could add up. Honestly you'll probably gain more mpg by slightly over inflating your tires.

The only major difference between the two UOA's is copper, which is probably still shedding from m998dna's oil cooler. Yours had a touch more SI, but we're talking Parts Per Million so I doubt it means anything. Since both Jeeps were used under different conditions comparing is very hard. A better comparsion would be switching viscosity in both vehicles and compare that way. The only problem with that is it would have to be done over several OCI's. You'd need one OCI just to flush out the old 5W20 in your case, and one OCI to flush the 5W30 in the other Jeep. Short trips in cold weather will show higher wear numbers, long freeway runs when the engine reaches operating temps will show lower numbers.

With regard to viscosity, PU 5W30 is on the thinner side for a 5W30. As far as thick vs. thin, that's a battle I don't want to get into. Both oils did their job well. The 30 grade has an advantage in extreme heat, towing, stop and go traffic, or if something goes wrong like the thermostat fails and the engine overheats. In a situation like overheating it might only buy you a little time. The Pentastar runs hot, I'd lean toward the 5W30. Some people claim 5W20 cools better, I feel the 5W30 provides a bit more of a cushion between parts. I recently saw a video about GM discussing 5W20 vs. 5W30 and they said they found in turbo applications 5W30 cooled the turbo better. But like I said both oils did well, and according to the TBN they could have been used for a longer time.

You could probably flip a coin. Or if you live where it gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer use 5W20 in the winter and switch to 5W30 for the summer.

The UOA is a useful tool to monitor an engine and see if dirt is entering, excess fuel or coolant, or if there's some major spike in wear metals. It isn't useful in determining engine wear, only a tear down can do that.

There are guys on Bitog who are much better than me at analyzing these reports. Good stuff, thanks for posting!
 
#43 ·
Commo... a little fun... last night I found when running over a set of railroad tracks at 65mph with cruise control on it stays on - no worries there. I just need to make sure there's no trains coming.. ;-)

Back on topic.. I overlaid these reports again and highlighted the major differences. If we compare at the same 20K mile mark, you're getting better numbers with 5w20 than I am with 5w30.

Perhaps this is the reason Chrysler spec'd 5w20 oil for the 3.6L Pentastar...

I wonder if I should post this on BITOG and see what transpires?

Discuss.

.
 

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#44 ·
Engines built today are of closer tighter tolerances. 5w20 is spec'd for a reason. I use 5w20 synth oil.

My personal opinion is 5w30 won't hurt anything so if you get the warm a fuzzier buy using that grade weight...fine. Just use a top tier oil and change it matter more than obsessing over these 2 oil grades.

Thanks for the follow up on the oil reports
 
R
#46 ·
Got results for 3rd oil change back.



I'll probably run this change to 5k and see what the TBN looks like before I get too adventurous with extended intervals. Looks like the oil idiot light was correct on this one.

Good to see that copper and silicon came down. Copper was probably from the oil cooler leeching. Silicon could have been from sealant leeching. I did inspect the air intake after UOA-1 and found no signs of dust ingression. I greased the seal frame of the air filter before reinstaling to get a better seal.
 
#47 ·
A little more time on this oil

OK, here is the latest Blackstone Lab report on my 2014 Wrangler Unlimited...more miles this time (about 7,000) and it seems to be in line with what we've seen before.

With it being winter and not much time up north on the dirt/sand roads I felt very comfortable running longer.

The Jeep continues to go well on the 5w20 synthetic Pennzoil Platinum Ultra.

And so far I've dodged the dreaded oil cooler/filter housing crack and resultant leak. Ever vigilant though, and gentle with the oil filter cap...sometimes I wish it would just break so I'd know I have the latest version of the part..

Thoughts?

Commo

 
#51 ·
Does anyone know what the intervals would/should be if it takes almost a year to reach the 5000 mi. mark? Does the oil degrade in any way if the vehicle is not driven as much? I put in around 4000-5000 miles a year so I always wonder if that 3 months/3000 mile, or the equivalent for synthetic, would apply?
 
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