Imagine the confidence you could gain in your boat if you knew exactly what was going on inside its engine at any given time. Unfortunately, you don’t have a crystal ball or X-ray vision. But PartsVu is now offering Blackstone Laboratories oil analysis giving you the opportunity to learn critical information about the health of your engine, transmission, gear set, and generator.
PartsVu’s Blackstone Laboratories oil analysis kits include everything you need to ship an oil sample to the professionals at Blackstone Laboratories for full analysis. The lab report will indicate whether your oil change intervals are on time; the presence of contaminants such as water, coolant, or salt; and a full spectrum of metals that might identify premature engine wear. With this information, you will be able to prevent costly or dangerous marine engine failures before it is too late.
Oil sampling has long been advocated by marine surveyors and industry professionals for use in pre-purchase inspections. Oils are collected from main engines, transmissions, gear sets, and generators. Each sample is then labeled based on its origin, the type and viscosity of oil used, and approximate run time. The kits are then shipped back to the lab where technicians perform various tests for viscosity, contamination, thermal breakdown, and the telltale spectrum of metals.
Sold alone or as an add-on to our oil change kits, each sample kit comes complete with a sample bottle, plastic bag, absorbent mat, external containment bottle, and prepaid label for shipment back to the lab.
Simply collect a small sample, fill out the sample card, and drop it in the mailbox. In a few days you will receive an email with test results and a plain-English breakdown of what the results mean. Additionally, Blackstone will archive your sample, which can be used as a baseline for future testing to determine how your boat is performing over time.
Common Marine Engine Blackstone Laboratories Oil Analysis Discoveries
The owner of an inboard or sterndrive boat might see the presence of water or glycol as an indication of a cracked cylinder head or a failing head gasket before a compression test reveals that the cylinder walls or valves have been damaged by rust. This early detection can save thousands of dollars on costly repairs or engine replacement.
The owner of an outboard boat whose engine is often idle may see bearing wear because oil that only has a few hours of run time can lose its lubricity due to this idleness. The owner of a generator with a small engine that lacks oil filters and relies solely on oil changes to clean contamination may discover that several back-to-back oil changes followed by short run times are necessary to return the internals to cleanliness and reliability.
Other Situations Marine Engine Oil Analysis is Helpful
Before you close on your next used-boat purchase or offer your own craft for sale, consider having an oil analysis done in advance. Thinking about a long-distance trip? Pull a sample beforehand to make sure all systems are working properly. This kit also works well for on-road and off-road applications such as your tow vehicle, your personal car, or heavy machinery. Because Blackstone Laboratories has been an industry leader in oil sampling technology for years, it probably already has samples on file from equipment just like yours—which means it has baseline samples for comparison.
Stop guessing and know with certainty that your oil-change intervals are correct, your craft is safe, and your engine is ready to go on the next trip. Take advantage of this cheap insurance and great insight into what’s really going on inside your engine.
To keep your engine running smoothly work with other kits like our Mercury oil change kits.
