Eastern Marine Services, LLC Marine Surveyors & Consultants Specializing in Fiberglass Powerboats Centreville, Virginia Serving The Chesapeake Bay And Surrounding States G. Emory Shover, SAMSŪ AMSŪ ABYC Standards Accredited Helping You Make The Right Choice Oil Analysis Lubricating oil is formulated not only to lubricate but also to hold contaminants in suspension until it is replaced, sample of it can provide a picture of an engine’s condition at any particular time. The way to unlock such valuable information is through oil analysis, a process that can involve three kinds of scientific testing: spectrographic analysis, particle counting, and ferrography. High levels of iron, chrome, and aluminum, for instance, might indicate piston ring or liner wear, while high amounts of copper or aluminum may point to bearing wear. Abnormal sodium or potassium levels could mean you have a faulty gasket or possibly a cracked cylinder head, and so on. Spectrographic analysis can also determine the presence of water, fuel, and organic (nonmetallic) material that may be the result of excessive oxidation or nitration. You can use this information to determine optimum oil-change intervals. That’s important everywhere, but especially in the Northeast, where boats may not be used as much. Up there, oil can become highly acidic and therefore corrosive; analysis can show whether fogging or other recommended winterizing steps are really protecting your engine against such destruction. Go to main page. Copyright © 2006/2011 Eastern Marine Services, LLC, info@easternmarineservices.com (Installed July 31, 2006, Last Revised October 26, 2011) This site is hosted and maintained by Don Robertson's Marine Marketplace