Changing Viscosity for Summer and for Cleaning?

Engine & timing components had only 65K miles on them. Timing components worked fine prior to tear down. Just had low oil pressure code..which led to the sludge discovery
Timing chain sure but not guides and tensioner. They are wear items, I'd just replace them, just asking to do it again.
Great job on clean-up, VRP 5w30, HPL, Motul X-Clean 5w40, Amsoil SS or even a standard xW40/50 with some Gumout Multisystem Tune Up or Kreen @ 1oz/qt or HPL 40 cleaner ect will clean as well and give you the added visc you are worried about. Even LiquiMoly flush or BG EPR at the end of oci's will do as well
 
Timing chain sure but not guides and tensioner. They are wear items, I'd just replace them, just asking to do it again.
Great job on clean-up, VRP 5w30, HPL, Motul X-Clean 5w40, Amsoil SS or even a standard xW40/50 with some Gumout Multisystem Tune Up or Kreen @ 1oz/qt or HPL 40 cleaner ect will clean as well and give you the added visc you are worried about. Even LiquiMoly flush or BG EPR at the end of oci's will do as well
Plus the thing that wears chains is soot/debris. That oil was about as dirty as possible, personally if I was gonna tear it down, the timing stuff is the obvious thing to take care of, way, way easier than doing it again on an accelerated timeline.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wlk
Plus the thing that wears chains is soot/debris. That oil was about as dirty as possible, personally if I was gonna tear it down, the timing stuff is the obvious thing to take care of, way, way easier than doing it again on an accelerated timeline.
I don't disagree, I would go all new regardless personally but giving him an option
 
What do you mean by dismantle? Did you open the oil pan? Did you take the pistons out?


If your engine is spec'd for 5W-20 and your main concern in to continue the internal cleaning—you have 2 options:

1. Run VRP 5W-30 year round from now on for unspecified time. Most likely at least 3-4 oil changes.

2. Use the oil you like and also get one of the HPL engine cleaners and use them together for certain time, but for sure more than once.

HPL have 2 cleaning oils SAE 30 and SAE 40 that can be mixed with any oil:
https://www.advlubrication.com/collections/automotive-lubricants/products/engine-cleaner

The difference would be that the VRP is proven to clean not only sludge and varnish, but also to clean piston rings too. And the other engine cleaners are not specialized in cleaning specifically piston rings. But they may clean quicker the other engine internals.

If you had that much sludge in your engine I would inspect the oil filter every 1,000 miles (regardless of the cleaning oil I use), if it's cartridge filter and possible change it, if it has a lot sledge in it. If it's a regular metal filter, I would change it after 1,000-2,000 miles and cut it open to inspect any collected material and decide when to change the next filter.

I like the idea of an early oil filter change at 1,000 miles - I think the good synthetics discussed will help clean up residual sludge, which would end up in the filter.
 
Must've been about a 60k mile OCI for that amount of sludge haha
It might be 6 OCI with Ford synt. blend 5W-20. But possibly fewer longer OCI.

Would have been a great experiment to leave the sludge and just put VRP in it
Don't worry, there is still plenty of sludge in that engine for the VRP. We'll see that in the first few oil filters.
 
Last edited:
The correct answer has already been given a few times but you're obviously obsessed with using VRP. Its Texas you dont need a 5W anyways. 10w40/15w50 would serve you fine as well.
 
Back
Top Bottom