MAN 1550 CR oil sample...high iron and copper

I also had another oil sample that had high coolant. We weren't losing a lot of coolant, very little actually, almost not enough to notice but since I knew the boat extremely well, and it never used any in the overflow bottle, adding an inch after every trip was weird. It also wasn't enough to change the color of the oil but the oil sample did pick it up. Turns out the head gasket was starting to go bad on a C15 CAT, took 2 months to finally get the dealer to act, they had to put die in the coolant, had to run it 40 hours with the die etc. etc. etc.

I was one of those who had a 12v71n rebuilt because of oil analysis alone...6500 hrs, running smooth, started great, but analysis showed extreme high chrome content, did the teardown, bad camshaft, well worn liners etc etc, was well worth the oil sample.

The motors were not fitted with drain plugs.

And, the coolers were changed ONLY because of oil analysis.

High chrome can come from camshafts, the lobes. And piston rings.

By using that theory you could also state that the Oil pressure gauge is useless too.......because a motor always has pressure, unless it's about to have a catastrophic failure!!!!!!!!!!!!

I may be misinformed about chrome in the oil analysis being a telltale for the camshaft issues, I will have to go back and ask the mechanic that told me that.
I am not, however, mistaken about chrome as a wear metal with regards to piston rings.

https://www.brighthubengineering.co...-for-failure-and-replacement-of-piston-rings/

Am I the only one that notices you use the phrase, "never heard of" a lot in your posts? Just curious.

To your question about lack of replies, I've heard of many, especially those found during survey. I find oil analysis to be an excellent indicator of current or potential issues. You go to the doctor and your labs indicate your WBC is high. The doctor uses that as an indicator of problems and looks further. It often means infection but they then determine more specifically. It may mean a minor issue or may lead to uncovering something major. It's a diagnostic tool. That's what oil analysis is. It's an outstanding tool when done regularly.

And why did I not initially reply? Because I knew you'd just dig in deeper and harder and you'd fight every one who disagreed with you. Then you'd post such ridiculous posts as the one I'm now responding to. You don't want a discussion. You want to show you're smarter than everyone else here.

All this from the OP asking about high iron and copper. I agree not a serious matter to worry about but I strongly disagree with oil analysis being overrated. Why? Because I've surrounded myself by some very capable people and they all believe in regular oil analysis and it's value.

I give up. Go along your merry way, and I will just cue up a song by the Spin Doctors that just came to mind .... Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.

Oh yeah, and just for the record I am another one that believes in the value of a properly managed regimen of oil analysis.

You just can't help yourself, can you?

What do you say guys? I think we can all agree to disagree here. Nobody is going to change anyone's mind but I think there's enough debate here to help people decide for themselves.

Sharing an excellent article with regards to oil analysis in a preventative maintenance program, lots of very good information here. One of the most important aspects I have adhered to is that it is imperative to draw the sample to be analyzed THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME. You are using data to draw inferences, and if the data is skewed because you have used a different sampling method, it pretty much negates the time, effort, and money spent in getting the samples analyzed.

https://www.petersoncat.com/sites/cat/files/downloads/training_handout.pdf

Absolutely. You'll get the highest concentrations from the pan of a cold motor but the best real world sample will be through the dipstick on a recently run motor.

I have heard of strip downs for high copper , the main bearing shells as mentioned above and the “Chrome “ for camshaft wear .They add chrome to harden steel .
Another hobby is classic cars and the engines wear the same except obviously you don’t see sodium in road vehicles.
If you can keep consistent records emphasis on consistency then with bigger ( read expensive) machinery that needs to do huge hrs then oil analysis is the way to go .Personally only doing 50/80 leisure hrs , but always fresh oil + filters annually regardless I do not do it .But understand and respect others who choose to do .It’s harmless and at the time of sale sends out positive signals to the prospects if there’s a wad of oil analysis results stuffed in the bulging history file.