View Poll Results: Which best describes your oil when you wipe the dipstick on a napkin?
It's dark after less than 1000 miles and it smells like fuel.
119
56.13%
It's maybe a little dark, but I don't really smell fuel.
65
30.66%
Clean as a whistle
28
13.21%
Voters: 212. You may not vote on this poll
Fuel dilution in oil problem
#151
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Personally I think owners time and money would be better spent addressing the issue. Since the likelyhood of mitsu ever doing anything about it, one should consider finding a local tuner to invest in and solve the issue via tuning the car. It will save a lot of grief and what will become wasted breath to Mitsubishi.
#152
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Out of 100+ other (non-EVO X) oil analysis tests I have done, I have NEVER seen a fuel dilution over 0.66%. So the first oil change in the EVO X I have showing up at 2.4% is a SIGNIFICANT increase.
While it's a [relatively] high value, it still is only one data point for this car/engine. That first sample would include all the time it was on the boat from Japan also. As I get more time to drive the car (currently ~3000 miles on it total) I will continue with sample testing.
While it's a [relatively] high value, it still is only one data point for this car/engine. That first sample would include all the time it was on the boat from Japan also. As I get more time to drive the car (currently ~3000 miles on it total) I will continue with sample testing.
Personally I think owners time and money would be better spent addressing the issue. Since the likelyhood of mitsu ever doing anything about it, one should consider finding a local tuner to invest in and solve the issue via tuning the car. It will save a lot of grief and what will become wasted breath to Mitsubishi.
I am still a proponent of Oil Analysis and running the best oil and filtration available. There is another thread where running AMSOIL SSO, an Analysis was pulled at 10,000 miles. If it were not for the anti-freeze in the oil, the oil would have still been serviceable. Even at 10,000 miles, the oil had a 5.8 TBN which is where a Premium Petroleum oil starts at.
Doc
#153
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I also use mobil 1 EP, but change the oil every 5K miles on my evo. Use the same mobil 1 EP on my honda pilot and change the oil every 14-15k miles. Both smells like gas. no problem.
#154
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#155
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Doc, I had hoped you would respond to Papi's find that 4% fuel dilution is a max rather than 2%. I to have found other sites that also have levels >2%. One site said no more than 2% but another said >5% could "significantly reduce engine longevity" by one half. So I am wondering how you have, over your many years of experience, come to the 2% value? In addition, fuel dilution even occurs in a Prius; most of the values I saw were below 1% but there was at least one at 2%. Expect a turbo charged engine to be greater than a NA engine, especially a Prius.
TTP may be correct that a tune could resolve this issue. However, that assumes the low OEM A/F ratios are the source of the problem; injectors could also be the source of the fuel as well; if true then, a tune will not rectify the fuel addition. So Bottom Line: we need to know, first what the %dilution is in both OEM and aftermarket tuned engines and if different, is the % dilution significant.
Papi-I do not think this thread is a "witch hunt"; just an attempt to gather some information that may or may not be of relevence.
Later, Ken
TTP may be correct that a tune could resolve this issue. However, that assumes the low OEM A/F ratios are the source of the problem; injectors could also be the source of the fuel as well; if true then, a tune will not rectify the fuel addition. So Bottom Line: we need to know, first what the %dilution is in both OEM and aftermarket tuned engines and if different, is the % dilution significant.
Papi-I do not think this thread is a "witch hunt"; just an attempt to gather some information that may or may not be of relevence.
Later, Ken
#156
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Ken... I did miss that post. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
The EVO is a Gasoline Engine and that is referring to Diesels... Diesel Fuel is also a lubricant.
All the Labs I know of will recommend no more than 2% fuel dilution in a gasoline engine, and I have dealt with several over the years...
I have said in previous posts that it could be an Injector problem as well... Something is wrong someplace. These are not Top Fuel cars burning several gallons of fuel in a quarter mile to dillute the oil.
Papi... No Witch Hunt.... In a gasoline engine, in excess of 2% Fuel Dillution is over the limit.
You can find a thousand websites on the subject and keep going until you find one that says different.. It is up to you who to believe. This is why I will go with Labs that are ISO Accredited and will put more faith in ASTM Tests than people doing ***** nilly Analysis where there is no control.
These are $40K plus cars, high performance cars that are 99.9% of the time driven hard and/or tracked. This even takes a higher toll on the engine when there is excess dilution as there is not only a loss of lubricity, there is cylinder wash and viscosity loss which will effect the film strength of the oil.
The EVO is a Gasoline Engine and that is referring to Diesels... Diesel Fuel is also a lubricant.
All the Labs I know of will recommend no more than 2% fuel dilution in a gasoline engine, and I have dealt with several over the years...
I have said in previous posts that it could be an Injector problem as well... Something is wrong someplace. These are not Top Fuel cars burning several gallons of fuel in a quarter mile to dillute the oil.
Papi... No Witch Hunt.... In a gasoline engine, in excess of 2% Fuel Dillution is over the limit.
You can find a thousand websites on the subject and keep going until you find one that says different.. It is up to you who to believe. This is why I will go with Labs that are ISO Accredited and will put more faith in ASTM Tests than people doing ***** nilly Analysis where there is no control.
These are $40K plus cars, high performance cars that are 99.9% of the time driven hard and/or tracked. This even takes a higher toll on the engine when there is excess dilution as there is not only a loss of lubricity, there is cylinder wash and viscosity loss which will effect the film strength of the oil.
#158
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How many miles on the current change ?
You will need to try and capture about 4 oz of oil without getting any additional contamination until you get your kit.
I always keep an empty, dried out water bottle. It also allows me to keep extra oil for another sample if needed. I label the bottle with the appropriate info. Just in case the US Mail loses it or the results seem off and I need to send the lab another sample.
I keep my drain pan and funnel washed and in a plastic bag with that water bottle for when I change oil. All that for a MotorCycle..
Doc
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That's really what I've been thinking. The only guy I see really trying to scare people about this is Oil Doc. No offense to him, but he's a vendor and really pimps the Amsoil stuff a lot. I understand that's income for him, but I somethings think the fuel in oil issue is being blown way out of proportion.
Then again, the only way to be 100% sure it's *not* a real problem is for someone to run up tens of thousands of miles, then open up their engine and look. Would a borescope be sufficient to see excessive wear on cylinder walls?
Then again, the only way to be 100% sure it's *not* a real problem is for someone to run up tens of thousands of miles, then open up their engine and look. Would a borescope be sufficient to see excessive wear on cylinder walls?
I'm more worried about my bearings
#162
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I really dont care anymore about this, i didn't know we were suppose to smell the dip stick when checking the oil but hey. Now if you have a track car and you are always pushing your engine im sure is of bigger concern, but most race teams have an oil sample program to track severe changes.
In fact i spoke to an oil lab tech yesterday, and she said the percentage can varied from engine to engine. She told me that specific lab does not like to see anything more than 3%, but it could still be higher and not be a problem as long as they dont see and increase on metals content. So take it as you want it.
#163
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this is very easy to resolve, drain the oil and do an oil analysis this will tell you everthing you need and this way speculations will stop and you will have facts.
i am wondering if Jun noticed this issue, because i remember when the X's cam out they bought one and ran the Shiat out of it because they were in the process of breaking down the engine to meassure parts for their strocker kit,,, i am wondering if they ever ran thrue this issue.
i service cars with our Wynn's fuel treatments out of Xtremeboost, their shop car is an evoX i have never seen this issue with their car, we were tunning it with Jestr last month twice and never complained of this,,,,,, Bizare
i am wondering if Jun noticed this issue, because i remember when the X's cam out they bought one and ran the Shiat out of it because they were in the process of breaking down the engine to meassure parts for their strocker kit,,, i am wondering if they ever ran thrue this issue.
i service cars with our Wynn's fuel treatments out of Xtremeboost, their shop car is an evoX i have never seen this issue with their car, we were tunning it with Jestr last month twice and never complained of this,,,,,, Bizare