I have been digging for information on this site and on the net. I'm surprised at the lack of information, other than to conclude automatically that silicon means dirt. I've read the air filter debates as a cause, as well as whatever oil analysis debates were available.
Blackstone Labs is the only place I found a situation that represents mine. They have a specific article on their site named the "Silicon Bugaboo." They explain that high Silicon readings are commonly caused by our sealants and gaskets that contain silicone. They even provide specific ppm ranges. They explain that their oil analysis/spectroscopy only sees Silicon in elemental form as a whole, not at the molecular level to discern specific origin.
After purchasing an older RV4 with a higher time IO-320 engine, I've run 3 samples about every 25-30 hours with AvLabs and the last two have shown high Silicon readings (18, then the last one 16 ppm) when it should be more commonly somewhere between 4-7 ppm. The first analysis showed 5 ppm. This change occurred right after I replaced the 10+ year old thinned out silicone gaskets for all 4 valve covers with brand new silicone gaskets. All the other metal analysis findings are within normal limits and show no trend of increase. The oil filters have all been perfectly clean.
According to the Blackstone write-up, "There are certain types of gaskets used at pan and valve cover areas that are made from silicone-based materials. If these are installed on your engine, you can expect the silicon reading from your oil sample to go up to 15-20 ppm and continue reading high for as long as the gaskets are in place." This of course places my findings directly after silicone valve cover gasket replacement- right in line with that statement.
With all the discussion on the importance of oil analysis to mark trends on the health of your engine, as well as all the discussion of the importance of maintaining low Silicon levels for your air intake/fuel system health, and all the discussion on how much better the silicone valve cover gaskets are vs the cork gaskets, I would have guessed that I could easily find others affected by the combination of results.
Anyway, I'd appreciate any feedback, and hope that maybe this sheds a little light on a rather dim topic (at least from what I can see) that may have been noticed by others.
James
P.S. As an additional measure of caution, I'm changing out my K&N air filter as well, after reading posts on shrinkage and the filter element getting holes after "X" amount of time (although it appears in pretty good shape and seals nicely). I have used the K&N recharge system and its instructions under the guidance of an AP/inspector as well as a 40,000 hour/multiple RV builder pilot during the first 2 annual inspections.
Blackstone Labs is the only place I found a situation that represents mine. They have a specific article on their site named the "Silicon Bugaboo." They explain that high Silicon readings are commonly caused by our sealants and gaskets that contain silicone. They even provide specific ppm ranges. They explain that their oil analysis/spectroscopy only sees Silicon in elemental form as a whole, not at the molecular level to discern specific origin.
After purchasing an older RV4 with a higher time IO-320 engine, I've run 3 samples about every 25-30 hours with AvLabs and the last two have shown high Silicon readings (18, then the last one 16 ppm) when it should be more commonly somewhere between 4-7 ppm. The first analysis showed 5 ppm. This change occurred right after I replaced the 10+ year old thinned out silicone gaskets for all 4 valve covers with brand new silicone gaskets. All the other metal analysis findings are within normal limits and show no trend of increase. The oil filters have all been perfectly clean.
According to the Blackstone write-up, "There are certain types of gaskets used at pan and valve cover areas that are made from silicone-based materials. If these are installed on your engine, you can expect the silicon reading from your oil sample to go up to 15-20 ppm and continue reading high for as long as the gaskets are in place." This of course places my findings directly after silicone valve cover gasket replacement- right in line with that statement.
With all the discussion on the importance of oil analysis to mark trends on the health of your engine, as well as all the discussion of the importance of maintaining low Silicon levels for your air intake/fuel system health, and all the discussion on how much better the silicone valve cover gaskets are vs the cork gaskets, I would have guessed that I could easily find others affected by the combination of results.
Anyway, I'd appreciate any feedback, and hope that maybe this sheds a little light on a rather dim topic (at least from what I can see) that may have been noticed by others.
James
P.S. As an additional measure of caution, I'm changing out my K&N air filter as well, after reading posts on shrinkage and the filter element getting holes after "X" amount of time (although it appears in pretty good shape and seals nicely). I have used the K&N recharge system and its instructions under the guidance of an AP/inspector as well as a 40,000 hour/multiple RV builder pilot during the first 2 annual inspections.