Best oil to clean up an engine?

[Vince_R]

So here is the story. I have just been given a free car. A 1988 Nissan Maxima with the VG30E 3.0L V6 engine and a automatic transmission. I was told if I could get it running and get it home it was mine. So here i sit with my new old car. But it has been sitting in a field for almost four years and the oil was apparently changed last in 2008 at a jiffy lube (horror or horrors). So now i am going through and changing all the fluids has you might imagine and was wanting to get some input on the best oil to clean out the engine. It looks fairly clean from looking into the valve cover. but being that i have no clue about its oil change past and what having old oil sit in there that long will do i want a good oil to clean it out. I thought Pennzoil since they advertise there cleaning ability, but i wasn't sure if that was just hype. From personal experiance i have used Valvoline conventional on alot of used car oil changes and it always gets jet black within a few hundred miles, so i suppose it cleans well. Other friends have told me to use seafoam or MMO in the crankcase. So just wanted to get a general consensus and see what my fellow board members would recommend or do in this situation. Thanks for the input

 

[demarpaint]

Here's some pictures of a well maintained engine, that had nothing ever added to the oil to do cleaning. As you can see from the pictures, oil alone doesn't clean all that well, at least conventional oil. I'd add some MMO to the sump or Kreen if you're looking to do some real cleaning. Now before I get attacked, this engine never saw synthetic oil either, but conventional clearly dropped the ball. YMMV

 

[bigjl]

I have put 2litres of Castrol Edge FST 5w40 A3/B3/C3 and 1.2 litres of Castrol Magnatec 5w30 A3/B4 with a fresh filter into a Citreon C2 vtr recently and it really has pulled a lot of muck from inside the engine and put it into suspension in the oil going by how quick it changed colour.

I have never agreed with the use of chemicals to clean an engine internals, they came out in the UK years ago but all I have seen is lots of people that have used it then had issues with muck being loosened off and blocking an oil way or worse the oil pickup in the sump.

There will be more knowledgable oil bods along with more scientific ideas regarding this

But I am a can of cleaning it out gradually with reduced OCI as that is the way it built up, gradually.

Any decent oil will clean it out. But will take longer and cost more than throwing in some Kreen, Seafoam, MMO or whatever.

Just my opinion.

Not saying these things don't work just not my way of doing things.

 

[Trav]

Before you even try to turn that engine over pull the plugs and get a decent amount of Kroil down those cylinders for a week or so.
While its sitting pull the injectors and send them out to be cleaned, there will be solid rancid fuel varnish in them. With the injectors out you can jump the fuel pump to empty the tank.

Put a pint or Kreen in the tank and put 10 gal of fuel in it and let it sit overnight,
pump about half a gallon out before reinstalling the injectors.

With the plugs out turn it over by the crank bolt only then change the oil. Use the cheapest 10w30 you can get and add a pint of Kreen to it, run for 1K then use PU.

 

[bepperb]

Maybe I'm cheaper than most, or less optimistic. I'd change the oil with some cheap dino. Save the money for other things that likely need to be fixed. Cleaning varnish wouldn't be a priority for me on a car that probably needs a lot of other things done on it.

That being said, why not pull off the front valve cover. Then you'd really know weather to do nothing (varnish), MMO/Kreen (sludge) or not take this thing too far from home (epic internet picture sludge).

 

[lexus114]

Why was it parked in the first place??

 

[Mau]

Pennzoil products work for me....

I'd do what others recommended, pull the plugs, drop some MMO in all the cylinders and let it sit for a day or two. Turn it over manually, install new plugs, change oil and filter (I'd use a good Conventional oil such as Pennzoil Conventional or Castrol GTX for first 1000 miles) then switch to synthetic if you wish to clean (Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra my suggestions).

I have the same if not similar motor in my winter beater, its a nice engine and quite reliable.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Here's some pictures of a well maintained engine, that had nothing ever added to the oil to do cleaning. As you can see from the pictures, oil alone doesn't clean all that well, at least conventional oil. I'd add some MMO to the sump or Kreen if you're looking to do some real cleaning. Now before I get attacked, this engine never saw synthetic oil either, but conventional clearly dropped the ball. YMMV


Where's the pictures?

 

[Vince_R]

It apparently belonged to the persons grandparents who died in 2008. And it has no joke been sitting since then. Its fithy nasty has you can imagine. But shockingly aside from a broke radiator, dry rotted tires and hoses, and needing a wash like no car has ever been washed before its not in that bad of shape. I even got lucky enough that they ran most of the gas out before it was parked.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: Vince_R
It apparently belonged to the persons grandparents who died in 2008. And it has no joke been sitting since then. Its fithy nasty has you can imagine. But shockingly aside from a broke radiator, dry rotted tires and hoses, and needing a wash like no car has ever been washed before its not in that bad of shape. I even got lucky enough that they ran most of the gas out before it was parked.



Sounds like you got a good thing going on there. Nice project I wouldnt mind doing myself.

 

[Danh]

Pennzoil products seem like the default answer to this question, but why not a good, high-mileage oil? I see the OP is a Valvoline user, so MaxLife, with its robust additive package seems like a logical choice, too.

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: Vince_R
So here is the story. I have just been given a free car. A 1988 Nissan Maxima with the VG30E 3.0L V6 engine and a automatic transmission. I was told if I could get it running and get it home it was mine. So here i sit with my new old car. But it has been sitting in a field for almost four years and the oil was apparently changed last in 2008 at a jiffy lube (horror or horrors). So now i am going through and changing all the fluids has you might imagine and was wanting to get some input on the best oil to clean out the engine. It looks fairly clean from looking into the valve cover. but being that i have no clue about its oil change past and what having old oil sit in there that long will do i want a good oil to clean it out. I thought Pennzoil since they advertise there cleaning ability, but i wasn't sure if that was just hype. From personal experiance i have used Valvoline conventional on alot of used car oil changes and it always gets jet black within a few hundred miles, so i suppose it cleans well. Other friends have told me to use seafoam or MMO in the crankcase. So just wanted to get a general consensus and see what my fellow board members would recommend or do in this situation. Thanks for the input

I would run a short 1k OCI of Pennzoil Platinum. If I were in that situation.

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Here's some pictures of a well maintained engine, that had nothing ever added to the oil to do cleaning. As you can see from the pictures, oil alone doesn't clean all that well, at least conventional oil. I'd add some MMO to the sump or Kreen if you're looking to do some real cleaning. Now before I get attacked, this engine never saw synthetic oil either, but conventional clearly dropped the ball. YMMV


Where's the pictures?


They are in his head, lol

 

[CIRHS]

Just buy some dual rated diesel oil. Something Delo 400 and do a few short oil changes with filter at like 2000km.

Change Plugs, injectors, etc what the OP said is also a good thing.

Specific products like MMO are not going to be much better results than dual rated diesel oil.

 

[Boss302fan]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Before you even try to turn that engine over pull the plugs and get a decent amount of Kroil down those cylinders for a week or so.
While its sitting pull the injectors and send them out to be cleaned, there will be solid rancid fuel varnish in them. With the injectors out you can jump the fuel pump to empty the tank.

Put a pint or Kreen in the tank and put 10 gal of fuel in it and let it sit overnight,
pump about half a gallon out before reinstalling the injectors.

With the plugs out turn it over by the crank bolt only then change the oil. Use the cheapest 10w30 you can get and add a pint of Kreen to it, run for 1K then use PU.


DITTO... This is exactly what I would do.

 

[clarklawnscape]

never done it in a vehicle, but adding kerosene to the oil and running it a few hours has worked wonders in tractors

 

[fdcg27]

You are assuming that this engine needs internal cleaning.
It may not if regular changes were done while it was in use.
Sitting in a field not being run did nothing to cause any deposits in the engine, although there may be some flash rusting here and there.
You can confirm the engine's level of deposits by removing a valve cover.
You'll likely be replacing these gaskets anyway.
I'd expect oil leaks galore after four years of inactivity, along with possibly stuck rings.
Most of the leaks may fix themselves as the engine is used on the road.
I'd get it running, change the oil and then change it again at 1K just to get any circulating rust partcles out.

 

[artificialist]

The 85-88 Maxima has a great engine and transaxle, but everything else is weak.

My mother had one... What a nightmare.

also, don't forget to replace the timing belt. The VG30 engine found in that kind of Maxima is an interference engine.

 

[gman2304]

I bought a 1986 Maxima new. One of the best little cars I ever owned! You mentioned if you could get it home it is yours...and you apparently got it home. If I were you I'd get it to operating temp and check for leaks check all the fluids,brakes, electricals. Change the oil and filter and go for a test drive. It will let you know if something is amiss,and you can address any issues then. There is no need to start throwing money and parts at it without establishing a base line and knowing where you're at and what you've got. You'll know shortly after these simple and inexpensive checks whether the car has potential to be a good little car or is a potential turd! Thanks

 

[Clevy]

I've read this thread and trav seems to have the most involved and likely best plan of action.
I've read many of his posts. I have yet to read bad advice from him.