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- 2023 CX5 turbo
I would call your is probably lost. I have heard that happening several times...
SkyActiv Oil Analysis Thread
- Thread starter Kedis82ZE8
- Start date
2019 CX-5 NA. I'm an extended oil change interval enthusiast at least with port injected engines. I'm not certain that extened OCI's is a good idea with direct injection engines, especially old school GDI like SkyActiv that doesn't have port injectors to keep the intake valves clean. Will not go more than 10K on oil changes with this engine. Like the cleaning ability that the R and P has from the engineered base oil and not the additive package(the Valvoline guy, Lake Speed Jr. interviewed said so). Some stories on the web from drivers with oil burning engines from gummed up rings like the GM 5.3's, Honda V6's, etc getting positive results after using R and P. I must say that the STP/Amalie HDEO 5w-40 did very well the last oil change.
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N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
I finally got my result today.
I'm happy to see that the wear metals are down despite the higher mileage this interval. Looks like I've cleared the last of the silicon out from assembly. And fuel dilution has continued to reduce on a per-mile basis, a sign that the rings are nearly fully broken in.
One big curiosity stands out to me. The amount of boron (friction modifier) is down 25%, and calcium (detergent) is down 10%. ZDDP (anti-wear) is also down slightly. Did Pennzoil alter their formula? Just to be sure, I shake up my oil jugs every few months, and vigorously before the oil change, to ensure the additives are all going into the engine.
I'm happy to see that the wear metals are down despite the higher mileage this interval. Looks like I've cleared the last of the silicon out from assembly. And fuel dilution has continued to reduce on a per-mile basis, a sign that the rings are nearly fully broken in.
One big curiosity stands out to me. The amount of boron (friction modifier) is down 25%, and calcium (detergent) is down 10%. ZDDP (anti-wear) is also down slightly. Did Pennzoil alter their formula? Just to be sure, I shake up my oil jugs every few months, and vigorously before the oil change, to ensure the additives are all going into the engine.
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- 2023 CX5 turbo
I believe so as I had the same thing on a PUP 0w20 test from about the same dates on another vehicle I do analysis on..the boron went down and the viscosity increased....
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- 2017 CX3 AWD
Latest report on my 2017 CX-3 Skyactiv 2.0 with 165,550 miles. 6,300 miles on Royal Purple 0w20 with LM Motor Oil Saver and RP filter.
The next sample is Idemitsu 5w30, Mazda Thailand filter, and LM moly. 2K more miles to go so maybe mid January.
***Comments: Liqui Moly Oil Saver is fine to use, and it doesn't tend to skew the results much, if at all. There's a different reason potassium and sodium spiked. These elements together show coolant
contamination. The good news is, the contamination doesn't seem to have interfered with lubrication; the wear metals are about as low as they were in past samples. There aren't any other contaminants like excess dirt or fuel dilution to deal with. If coolant is disappearing, seek inspection. If no coolant loss is seen, check back on contamination in 5K-6K miles.***
I have not detected any coolant loss and I am looking under the hood more than twice a week. Pretty sure that the sample had not been contaminated during collection. Will wait and see!
Edit: Kept reading last night and confirmed that potassium and sodium are in the Peak formula that I used at the time. I did only one round of drain & fill, which means the old-new mix is perhaps 33/67 (judging by how much is left in the first jug). The hike in potassium coincides with the introduction of new formula. What else is there to blame? I of course blame myself for the choice. I can feel Gandalf staring at me.
Followed up with Brian at the lab and he didn't think the new formula did it. I will do two more rounds of drain & fill with Peak OET Asian Green 50/50.
The next sample is Idemitsu 5w30, Mazda Thailand filter, and LM moly. 2K more miles to go so maybe mid January.
***Comments: Liqui Moly Oil Saver is fine to use, and it doesn't tend to skew the results much, if at all. There's a different reason potassium and sodium spiked. These elements together show coolant
contamination. The good news is, the contamination doesn't seem to have interfered with lubrication; the wear metals are about as low as they were in past samples. There aren't any other contaminants like excess dirt or fuel dilution to deal with. If coolant is disappearing, seek inspection. If no coolant loss is seen, check back on contamination in 5K-6K miles.***
I have not detected any coolant loss and I am looking under the hood more than twice a week. Pretty sure that the sample had not been contaminated during collection. Will wait and see!
Edit: Kept reading last night and confirmed that potassium and sodium are in the Peak formula that I used at the time. I did only one round of drain & fill, which means the old-new mix is perhaps 33/67 (judging by how much is left in the first jug). The hike in potassium coincides with the introduction of new formula. What else is there to blame? I of course blame myself for the choice. I can feel Gandalf staring at me.
Followed up with Brian at the lab and he didn't think the new formula did it. I will do two more rounds of drain & fill with Peak OET Asian Green 50/50.
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I just did a 10K run on the Pennz Non-Ultra Platinum and the Boron was way low compared to the previous oils I have used. Everything was fine but WHOA that is a BIG difference in Boron from the other oils.
N7turbo
2023 CX-5 2.5T ... 2024 MX-5 RF GT
From my reading, I think the Ultra got the extra boron while the the Platinum oil did not. It was one thing that differentiated them.
When I did the math and found the difference in boron and ZDDP between the old and new oil is 25% and 10%, I thought those looked like numbers that a human would intentionally target so it must be a formula change.
I know LSPI prevention is a big theme these days and is why calcium has been cut and magnesium has increased to fill some of that role, but I'm not sure what role boron would play in that.
On the topic, I also noted that the container stickers have changed.
Had to use imgur because the forum software cuts images down to such a small size that it prevents zooming for inspection.
Old on the left, New on the right:
imgur.com
I'm not sure why the marketing team agonized over "Made From" vs "Made With" natural gas, but the more noteworthy changes are on the back.
When I did the math and found the difference in boron and ZDDP between the old and new oil is 25% and 10%, I thought those looked like numbers that a human would intentionally target so it must be a formula change.
I know LSPI prevention is a big theme these days and is why calcium has been cut and magnesium has increased to fill some of that role, but I'm not sure what role boron would play in that.
On the topic, I also noted that the container stickers have changed.
Had to use imgur because the forum software cuts images down to such a small size that it prevents zooming for inspection.
Old on the left, New on the right:
New Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Container
Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users.
imgur.com
I'm not sure why the marketing team agonized over "Made From" vs "Made With" natural gas, but the more noteworthy changes are on the back.
- No longer lists ACEA A5/B5, A1/B1
- No longer lists Ford WSS-M2C946-A
- No longer lists Honda/Acura HT0-06
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- 2017 CX3 AWD
Folks, I have a jug of used Royal Purple oil from the oil/filter change at the end of August (before the most recent one showing contamination). Is it worthwhile to send a sample in? 
If it comes back showing the same elevated values for potassium and sodium, then the coolant contamination is likely pre-existing. If it shows values similar to the 1/2024 sample, then I can narrow down what the culprit might be.
The jug has been sitting in the laundry room for three months.
If it comes back showing the same elevated values for potassium and sodium, then the coolant contamination is likely pre-existing. If it shows values similar to the 1/2024 sample, then I can narrow down what the culprit might be.The jug has been sitting in the laundry room for three months.
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HyFlyer
2019 CX5 sig 2.2 diesel / 2016.5 CX5 touring 2.5na
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- Southwest Ohio
Mix it up thoroughly, pull your sample and let the lab know what your looking for / concerns. You could let them know the sample is from a 3 months ago oil change been sitting in a jug in case that has any bearing on their lab work.
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- 2023 CX5 turbo
Blackstone said that does not matter like above poster said shake it up and let the lab know.Folks, I have a jug of used Royal Purple oil from the oil/filter change at the end of September (before the most recent one showing contamination). Is it worthwhile to send a sample in?
The jug has been sitting in the laundry room for three months.
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- 2017 CX3 AWD
UOA from 5K OCI on 12/23/25.
Comments: "Potassium and sodium went down, but that doesn't mean the coolant leak is going away. The decreases are probably thanks to the shorter oil change interval. That said, the coolant leak doesn't appear to be getting worse, either; potassium & sodium are about the same as last time in terms of ppm-per-mile. Engine wear continues to look good. The viscosity is just a touch thin for 5W/30, and that's no problem. Insolubles are low at 0.2%, showing the oil filter worked well. Keep watching for coolant loss, and stick with 5K-mile intervals."
The viscosity was impacted by the residual 0w20 from the previous OCI (which N7turbo already told me so.) If anyone is curious about the oil filter for this OCI, the cut-open video was posted on 2/6.
Comments: "Potassium and sodium went down, but that doesn't mean the coolant leak is going away. The decreases are probably thanks to the shorter oil change interval. That said, the coolant leak doesn't appear to be getting worse, either; potassium & sodium are about the same as last time in terms of ppm-per-mile. Engine wear continues to look good. The viscosity is just a touch thin for 5W/30, and that's no problem. Insolubles are low at 0.2%, showing the oil filter worked well. Keep watching for coolant loss, and stick with 5K-mile intervals."
The viscosity was impacted by the residual 0w20 from the previous OCI (which N7turbo already told me so.) If anyone is curious about the oil filter for this OCI, the cut-open video was posted on 2/6.
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UOA from 5K OCI on 12/23/25.
Comments: "Potassium and sodium went down, but that doesn't mean the coolant leak is going away. The decreases are probably thanks to the shorter oil change interval. That said, the coolant leak doesn't appear to be getting worse, either; potassium & sodium are about the same as last time in terms of ppm-per-mile. Engine wear continues to look good. The viscosity is just a touch thin for 5W/30, and that's no problem. Insolubles are low at 0.2%, showing the oil filter worked well. Keep watching for coolant loss, and stick with 5K-mile intervals."
The viscosity was impacted by the residual 0w20 from the previous OCI (which N7turbo already told me so.) If anyone is curious about the oil filter for this OCI, the cut-open video was posted on 2/6.
Could be a small internal leak somewhere. Maybe a seal or gasket in EGR system? Not sure how that works w/ 2.0. Doesn't seem to be a huge worry as long you're monitoring wear!
I also get a small amount of potassium and sodium in my oil samples. A very small amount, say 10ppm, but is the reason I monitor. It also seems to be getting less each oil change.
I was wondering if it could just be caused my the climate here.. Or maybe just manufacturing byproduct..
