Dirty Oil at 1000 miles - change early?

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hyde244

Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
673
Location
Ohio
My girlfriend's car is a hand-me-down 2.7L Sebring that has had a fair amount of automotive neglect, leading to oil consumption, catalytic converter failure, etc.

We recently did some basic steps to get the car back on the right repair path:


  • Replaced the PCV Valve
  • 5w30 M1 HM with PureOne Filter
  • Coolant Flush


Her car is now 1000 miles into this OCI, and the oil has noticeably darkened up, much quick than I was anticipating. I was fully expecting this, given years and years of questionable service, and am glad to see that the oil is at least picking up plenty of sludge and grime.

Originally I had conceived that we would run a 5K OCI, but because of the quick dirty-ing of the oil - would it be better to consider a shorter 3K OCI?

If yes, a sidebar question - would you replace the PureOne filter under such a short OCI?
 
Last edited:
You kind of answered your question with your suspicion that the engine is dirty due to neglect. So yes, I would do the 3000 OCI and just use a less expensive filter. Yes, change the filter as well. You may consider using Pennzoil Platinum for 3-4 OCI's and see what happens. I have had great results cleaning used engines with that oil. If you suspect a real dirt monster then throw in a bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil at 2500 to help it along.
 
Last edited:
i would say the filter would need replaced because it will be collecting the sludge/grime.

i would probably change the filter at 3k and run the oil out to 5-6k im sure after a few OCI of that it will be cleaning up nicely.

i probably wouldn't use and additive/solvent in the oil, however. let the HM oil clean it out slowly. you do not want to clean it to fast and end up with a clogged pick-up tube. if that happens you could starve the engine for oil.
 
Last edited:
Due to the unknown history I'd just stick with a High mileage oil and a 3,000 mile OCI.

What year are we talking about?
Some of these are real sludge monsters. I forget the years/engine type, but there are a few still out there.
 
Maybe adding an engine flush before the next oil change would be beneficial here? Think about it.
 
Oil turns black as it gets used. I would not use a visual inspection as evidence of an oil changed being needed.

With oil and filters being so cheap and easy to change, I'd just run it out to 3k and change it, then stick with a more normal 5k interval.
 
Originally Posted By: Tomek
Maybe adding an engine flush before the next oil change would be beneficial here? Think about it.




i would be careful here. as i mentioned above cleaning it out too fast is risky. the last thing he wants is to clog the pick-up tube up with a bunch of sludge.

its easy to want to see results fast with strong solvents, but the safest way is generally a slow natural clean with good oil. other than a tear down of course.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456
What year are we talking about?
Some of these are real sludge monsters. I forget the years/engine type, but there are a few still out there.

Sorry, this is a 2003 Sebring 2-Door Convertible. These Sebrings came with either a 2.4L or 2.7L, with our Sebring being the later. I have heard that they are sludge monsters, which I'd be inclined to believe given the state of the oil.

Originally Posted By: Tomek
Maybe adding an engine flush before the next oil change would be beneficial here? Think about it.

I have wondered about possible engine flush vs. shortened HM oil OCIs. Usually I steer clear of oil additives and the such, but would there be a benefit of doing an additive right before the oil change so as to "free up" even more gunk?

Like donnyj says, I have heard plenty of success with long term HM oil use, which I'd imagine involves less risk/cost. For now, the tentative plan is just going 5K OCIs with HM oil - unless of course we are seeing a lot of dirt in the oil.
 
Last edited:
If you are really itching for some kind of additive check out the Oil Additive section.
Lots of good information there.

However, there is nothing wrong with going slow with short OCI's and High Mileage oils.
 
If you don't want to go synthetic (cost) then try Pennzoil HM or even YB and a Walmart purolator filter every 3000.
 
high mileage oil--even SuperTech-- and a Purolator Classic (the white one) or other low cost filter. Oil & filter change every 3K miles for 5 times. As you grow more confident you are cleaning out the sludge, MMO can be added 1500 miles before the next change is due. It is not a super powerful solvent--it just helps things along a little faster. I have used MMO since
1975ish and it is an excellent product
 
Originally Posted By: Hyde244


Sorry, this is a 2003 Sebring 2-Door Convertible. These Sebrings came with either a 2.4L or 2.7L, with our Sebring being the later. I have heard that they are sludge monsters, which I'd be inclined to believe given the state of the oil.


Yes the 2.7 can be a sludger. If it were my vehicle, I'd change the oil & filter now, then start extending 500 or 1000 per change until I got to 5000. Filter change each time since it's collecting the gunk. Maybe a UOA after the next change.
 
Keep an eye on the coolant level while you are doing your cleaning routine. If you have a coolant leak or a leaking fuel injector,your oil will go black quickly.
 
Also for cleanups recommend the classic vs the PureOne. Save the high efficiency filters for the 3rd and subsequent OCI's. Prevents the filter from prematurely clogging and going into bypass. Fram Ultra is also an excellent cleanup filter because of its dirt trapping capacity combined with efficiency (99).

Sludge issue "could" be caused by coolant mixing because of the odd design in early 2k years. Odd being a block design where the only thing that separates the coolant and oil is the waterpump seal. Bad WP seal can slowly weep coolant into the oil undetected. A UOA is the best way to tell. Do that after the third OCI, a UOA during cleanup can be misleading. Watch for coolant loss.
 
Last edited:
I'd make sure I had a good filter(read NO Classic), and make the first change at 3K or so, change and repeat for a couple more intervals... IF dirtying the oil slows then extend the interval...
 
I agree with what just about everyone has said. Go with a 3000 mile interval with a HM oil and a less expensive filter. The Supertech HM oil or Mobil HM oil and a Purolator filter are really low priced at Walmart. Just me, but I would dump that 1000 mile oil and change the filter just to get that crud out fast and then see how long the oil goes before getting real dark.
 
Originally Posted By: TFB1
I'd make sure I had a good filter(read NO Classic), and make the first change at 3K or so, change and repeat for a couple more intervals... IF dirtying the oil slows then extend the interval...


The only thing not "good" about the Classic is the nitrile ABDV. Given that the temp is warming up and he's doing short OCIs, there's nothing wrong with them in this application.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
High Mileage Mazda 3, Engine clean, oil for long term
2 3
Replies
52
Views
2K
twX
D
Rebuilt and sort of re-engineered Dirty Hands Splitter
Replies
10
Views
150
donbrownzd
R
2025 -- (up to 4/30/2025) YTD Totals: "Post your latest oil change"
Replies
5
Views
2K
perkz
Z
98 LeSabre 3,000 miles oil change pics!
Replies
4
Views
2K
MuzzleFlash40
B
New car - 2023 Mazda 3 2.5, same old questions.
2 3
Replies
41
Views
9K
Fred E
Back
Top Bottom