CRV 18k mi OCI, significant sludge buildup

Pennzoil motor oil
50yr Street Mech said:
This will blow you're mind. 13' CRV AWD EXL / 70k / Took to the dealer to replace the VTC valve. Mechanic says " you know, there's A LOT of sludge build up in that engine..." I was like WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!! I did OCI every 3k. Original owner. Good synthetic oil with a good filter. Combo of highway and city driving. Yeh, something smells fishy in Denmark. I think BIG OIL is pullin the wool over our eyes !
Click to expand...
I personally think all these big "Name brand" oil manufacturers are the ones who have an incentive to increase profits by cheapening the product (same principal as First Brands/Fram cheapening their oil filters), but cheapening the oil, as it costs less to make an inferior oil.
 
Granted, it costs less to make an inferior oil. That makes total sense. But I'm using quality oils and filters, or are they quality oils in the first place. The typical oil I'm using is the 20k oil, which I dump at 3k. So, why in the world would their be sludge buildup in the engine at 70k ? I went into the shop bay, and seen it myself. I'm not using additives, like say STP blue bottle, or anything like that. Then I'd say, " Ok, it's the blue bottle causing this mess" Not beating the car to death, not running it hot. It's just a daily Joe Schmo driver. It gets it's highway workouts. Regardless, it has 614, 877k on it now. I attribute that to the 3k oil changes. 13' K24 Honda engine. I can't really complain. Same bearings/cam bearings/rod bearings/cap bearings. I just think this 10k , 20k, whatever k oil is a bunch of bologna. Frequent OCI's is the key to longevity. Big Auto extended OCI intervals to blow an engine before it's time so you either rebuild it, or buy a new car.
 
Titan said:
It would burn about 1 quart per OCI. Due to your experiment with Valvoline Restore and Protect, I currently have that in this car. It burned about 1/2 a quart in the first OCI, and NONE in it's current OCI (which has about 5000 miles). So, perhaps the rings were a bit dirty? Don't know...but I've been watching it closely and the consumption may have stopped! At just over 130,000 miles now.
Click to expand...
My CRV uses roughly 1qt per OCI as well and I usually change it around 7500 mi which is 20ish % on the MM. Been running Chevron 5w30 syn-blend for years due to stash, but it has Mobil 1 5w30 in it now. Curious if consumption changes.
 
No pics of sludge. I've seen a lot worse. Very thin layer... More concerned now about clackity clack. Does not use a drop of oil. Ran an EPR 109 at 300 K just in case of stuck rings, but no stuck rings. Cleaned it out nicely though. Just wanna know if I should thicken the grade to 5W30 or something else to slow the inevitable death. Runs fantastic, but it can't run forever. I'm not stupid. The end will happen.
 
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WalkingWhale said:
Good afternoon BITOG and I hope everyone can enjoy their Memorial Day if you are in the US.


After changing my partner's oil and CVT on their 2021 CRV, Youtube's strange algorithm recommended to me another engine sludge video.
(Seriously, these are addicting for me to watch, sort of like those Dr. PimplePopperMDs videos are for some!) What caught my eye was that the vehicle in the video was the same 1.5T CRV that my partner currently has, and what was even more shocking, was that there was "only" 18K on this OCI (likely never changed from factory fill) because you can see the odometer in the video with 18k clearly in the dash!

I know 18k is way more than any Honda MM is going to let you go for but still it was shocking that a presumably full synthetic sludged up that much in 18k miles. Now, I am one who never likes to spend more money than I have to and believe that modern synthetics can be trusted out to 10k miles in most engines when their driving habits allow. I also generally trust the Maintenance Minder and Honda engineers. I've seen people's valve covers off after forgetting 1 OCI and they are usually in no worse shape since it was a 1-time thing. However, this video gave me pause to rethink that paradigm of thinking if we are running our oils to the edge like that in our 1.5Ts on the MM.

One thing that makes me feel a little better is the fact that this is a slightly older model CRV, I think in the video the mechanic mentions that it is 6 years old with only 18k on it and was therefore short-tripped a lot which I know can cause engine oils to degrade faster. used oil analysis of the Honda MM seem to show that it is pretty conservative in its estimation of oil life as well, with not much looking amiss besides oil dilution in some cases.

I end with this: Is short-tripping that much of a catalyst for sludge buildup? Or is the factory fill perhaps not full synthetic? Are we really running our oils to the tipping point on the Honda MM? Or is there something else at play here?

Just thought this would be a little discussion for a Sunday afternoon!

Link to the video here:
(Link removed- profanity)
Click to expand...

For a DIY oil change using ramps, and using a Super Tech Full Synthetic Dexos 1 Gen 3 approved oil and a Super Tech oil filter,
an oil change only costs about $21.

5,000 miles / 6 months (whichever comes first) is a safe maintenance strategy for most cars,
especially if you want to keep them for decades.
 
Just a thought here. Getting oil changed 3000 miles or at least 4000 miles if you drive small trips is INSURANCE really. Better to spend the money at the lube oil/JiffyLube at $100 and change the filter than to have your Honda engine clog up, get major deposits, etc. or ruin the engine. It's cheaper than buying a new or slightly used Honda.
Just a interesting story. We moved our NYPA offices from Columbus Circle NYC to White Plains. I got my new Tercel, change the oil and filter at 1K miles, 3 K and then 7K just to get the original metal debris out. Then 5K or slightly less for oil and filter changes. The engine outlasted the car (after an accident) when my sister's husband put it into another car for 10 more years. But one of our mechanical engineers, MS in ME in TRIBOLOGY never had a car before, and got a Chrysler K car, and since it had a 50,000-mile warranty NEVER changed the oil. Of course the engine was seized and destroyed. Moral of the story--just because you're an engineer or DYI mechanic, do not skimp on oil changes!!!
 
Nessism1 said:
I've mentioned this before in older threads, so sorry for repeating, but back when I worked for an OEM we collected a bunch of low mileage blown up engines for engineering analysis, and none of them had ever had the oil changed. The manager laughed and said that it was almost like clockwork: the engine would run for about 25,000 miles, then sludge up and throw a rod.
Click to expand...
LOL but think of how much service/maintenance money they saved.
 
MolaKule said:
I find this statement to be unbelievable.
Click to expand...
Yes Mary had a Master's in ME with tribology courses and just didn't change the oil. We were at the mechanic shop on the same day, when I was getting another oil change, and her K car's engine had seized, because she had not changed the oil. I was in shock too. She and her family lived in Queens and did not have cars so it was new to her. Some folks misread the K car warranty to mean no service...... Mary thought the oil was good for the warranty period.
 
JeffKeryk said:
I got nuthin'. Beyond the pale. The last K car was built over 30 years ago.
Click to expand...
Yes you are correct. This happened in 1980's when I was at the NYPA. The main point is that if someone doesn't change oil, do required maintenance, then they will get engine failure, even if they have some engineering education. Hopefully now when car manufacturers give "warranties" they make it crystal clear that oil changes, regular maintenance must be done, especially with the more complex engine and car designs.
 
Nessism1 said:
This was back in 2005 or so. Nissan VQ engines. Largely Infiniti. You might think that people buying a luxury vehicle would take care of it, but not all. I don't know if the oil was synthetic in those days. Likely, not.
Click to expand...
Infiniti buyers not doing basic maintenance? I'm shocked, lol. I wonder how many of those had all their original bodywork intact.
 
Read most of these posts, and I'm shocked that people can be so ignorant to not change the oil and filter on on engine. I mean, the vehicle tells you when to change it. I guess they just don't care about something that is so vital to the life of an engine.
 
WalkingWhale said:
Good afternoon BITOG and I hope everyone can enjoy their Memorial Day if you are in the US.


After changing my partner's oil and CVT on their 2021 CRV, Youtube's strange algorithm recommended to me another engine sludge video.
(Seriously, these are addicting for me to watch, sort of like those Dr. PimplePopperMDs videos are for some!) What caught my eye was that the vehicle in the video was the same 1.5T CRV that my partner currently has, and what was even more shocking, was that there was "only" 18K on this OCI (likely never changed from factory fill) because you can see the odometer in the video with 18k clearly in the dash!

I know 18k is way more than any Honda MM is going to let you go for but still it was shocking that a presumably full synthetic sludged up that much in 18k miles. Now, I am one who never likes to spend more money than I have to and believe that modern synthetics can be trusted out to 10k miles in most engines when their driving habits allow. I also generally trust the Maintenance Minder and Honda engineers. I've seen people's valve covers off after forgetting 1 OCI and they are usually in no worse shape since it was a 1-time thing. However, this video gave me pause to rethink that paradigm of thinking if we are running our oils to the edge like that in our 1.5Ts on the MM.

One thing that makes me feel a little better is the fact that this is a slightly older model CRV, I think in the video the mechanic mentions that it is 6 years old with only 18k on it and was therefore short-tripped a lot which I know can cause engine oils to degrade faster. used oil analysis of the Honda MM seem to show that it is pretty conservative in its estimation of oil life as well, with not much looking amiss besides oil dilution in some cases.

I end with this: Is short-tripping that much of a catalyst for sludge buildup? Or is the factory fill perhaps not full synthetic? Are we really running our oils to the tipping point on the Honda MM? Or is there something else at play here?

Just thought this would be a little discussion for a Sunday afternoon!

Link to the video here:
(Link removed- profanity)
Click to expand...
Yes
Short tripping is nasty for any engine
 
50yr Street Mech said:
This will blow you're mind. 13' CRV AWD EXL / 70k / Took to the dealer to replace the VTC valve. Mechanic says " you know, there's A LOT of sludge build up in that engine..." I was like WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!! I did OCI every 3k. Original owner. Good synthetic oil with a good filter. Combo of highway and city driving. Yeh, something smells fishy in Denmark. I think BIG OIL is pullin the wool over our eyes !
Click to expand...
Big Oil OR Dealership?
 
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