General Analysis
NOTE: THESE CHARTS ARE FOR GENERAL USE ONLY AND DO NOT INDICATE DEFINITE LIMITS
OF WEAR METALS FOR ANY SPECIFIC MAKE OR MODEL. Wear patterns are best established after
evaluation of three samples taken at the same oil change intervals. Make, model,
application, age, makeup oil added, time of use or recent repairs can cause the values to
vary greatly from those shown. Values are given in parts per million (PPM).
| Primary Elements |
Secondary Elements |
Potential Wear |
Problem Area & Causes |
| Silicon (Dirt) |
Aluminum |
Pistons, Rings, Liners |
Air Induction System Filters, Turbocharger Breathers,
Contamination -- Dirt |
| Iron |
|
Liners, Pistons, Crankshafts,
Valves, Gear Train |
Contamination -- Dirt, Abnormal temperatures,
Lack of lubrication, Storage (rust) |
| Chromium |
Molybdenum |
Piston Rings |
Blow-by, Oil consumption |
| Aluminum |
Chromium |
Piston & Rings |
Blow-by |
| Aluminum or Copper |
Lead, Tin |
Bearings |
Low or fluctuating oil pressure |
| Sodium |
Silicon, Boron |
Cooling System |
Water Pump, Cylinder head, Liner seats, Oil cooler,
Anti-freezes |
| Silver |
|
Wrist-Pin Bushings |
Due to use of zinc based oil |
| Iron |
Chromium,
Aluminum |
Piston Rings, Liners |
Abnormal operating temperature-dirt,
Restricted air induction system |
| Lead-Tin |
Copper, Aluminum |
Bearing |
Dirt contamination, Lack of lubricant |
OIL ADDITIVES USED TO IDENTIFY OIL TYPE
| Additives in Grease |
Additives in Coolant |
| Lead |
Sodium |
| Born |
Silicon |
| Sodium |
Boron |
| Silicon |
Chromium |
| Boron, Silicon, Molybdenum |
- Lube Oil Additive |
| Calcium, Magnesium |
- Lube Oil Detergent |
| Zinc (ZDP), Calcium |
- Oxidation and Wear Inhibitor |
SUGGESTED SAFE WEAR LEVELS (expressed in parts per million)
| |
Diesel Engines |
Transmissions |
Hydraulics |
Final Drives - Diffs. |
| Silicon (Dirt) |
5-20 |
5-30 |
1-10 |
25-75 |
| Iron |
10-80 |
10-100 |
1-15 |
50-300 |
| Chromium |
2-10 |
1-4 |
1-3 |
2-6 |
| Aluminum |
4-15 |
6-10 |
1-10 |
- |
| Copper |
10-30 |
20-250 |
1-20 |
30-100 |
| Sodium |
10-50 |
10-50 |
- |
- |
| Lead |
5-30 |
- |
- |
- |
| Tin |
5-30 |
- |
- |
- |
ISO FLUID CLEANLINESS GUIDELINES FOR HYDRAULIC COMPARTMENTS
| ISO Code |
Recommendations Component |
| 20/16 |
Low Pressure Systems |
| 18/15 |
Low Pressure Control System |
| 16/13 |
Vane/Piston, Pumps & Motors, Control Values |
| 15/12 |
Highly Sophisticated Systems and Hydrostatic Transmission |
| 14/11 |
Sensitive Servo Systems |
| 12/9 |
High Performance Sensitive High Pressure Systems |
Relative Sizes of Particles and Comparison of Dimensional Units
| Size of Familiar Objects |
| Substance |
Micron |
Inch |
| Grain of Table Salt |
100 |
.0039 |
| Human Hair |
70 |
.0027 |
| Lower Limit of Visibility |
40 |
.00158 |
| Talcum Power |
10 |
.0003 |