No oil burn either.
Engine Cleaning Oils and Additives are Snake Oil..
- Thread starter midnightlaundry
- Start date
Actually for the age, it doesn't look bad. But I can see why you'd expect it to be cleaner. Michigan winters and short trips could have a hand in this. I calculated this to average 5650 miles per year, so short trips could definitely play a part. As others have said most oils work to prevent sludge and varnish, not clean existing. If I were you, I'd probably try Valvoline Restore and Protect, but not a necessity. What I would do is increase the OCI to 3000 miles IF this is short trip vehicle.
Throw Valvoline Restore and Protect in and don't look back. Get the oil hot and let it do its thing going forward. That's what I would do. Or purchase Valvoline Premium Blue Restore for one interval then move on to Valvoline Restore and Protect.
BG also makes an additive for this type of buildup. BG Dynamic Engine Cleaner.
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-dynamic-engine-cleaner/#Specificationsins_tab
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BG also makes an additive for this type of buildup. BG Dynamic Engine Cleaner.
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-dynamic-engine-cleaner/#Specificationsins_tab
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dnewton3
Staff member
I am in 100% disagreement with the thread title; it leads one to conclude that all products are incapable of cleaning.
I have used ARX (many years ago) with excellent results regarding stuck piston rings.
I have seen exemplary evidence of various HPL products cleaning engine internals.
No product is perfect, and no situation is immune from concerns. And to be fair, there certainly are some products out in the market that are shady scams; I'll not deny that. But to imply (or outwardly state) that all cleaning products are "snake oil" is very far from the truth.
I have used ARX (many years ago) with excellent results regarding stuck piston rings.
I have seen exemplary evidence of various HPL products cleaning engine internals.
No product is perfect, and no situation is immune from concerns. And to be fair, there certainly are some products out in the market that are shady scams; I'll not deny that. But to imply (or outwardly state) that all cleaning products are "snake oil" is very far from the truth.
That is sparkly clean but also the 1GR-FE is pretty hardy and not hard on oil. It can leak though…
very similar to my van then. No burning or oil loss, but loaded with varnish up top.
Valvoline Restore and Protect worked a small miracle. And while it never really burned oil, I definitely see better engine running and higher MPG after the Valvoline Restore and Protect experiment cleaned it out.
Patman
Staff member
Well said! I have also used Auto RX in the past with great results and more recently have used Valvoline Restore and Protect with great results. Just because the auto parts stores are full of cleaning products that do very little doesn’t mean there aren’t a few out there that actually make a difference
The guy you responded to had the 2015 Tacoma that looks brand new inside.
An engine that dirty needs a slow and less aggressive cleaning approach like HPL or Valvoline Restore and Protect in my view.
The most aggressive product I'd consider would be Liqui-Moly flush or something. There are many products that can clean *some* deposits. The question is how well they work and over what timeframe and at what potential risk to the engine from having the deposits removed?
To me, deposits that accumulated slowly should be removed slowly. Valvoline Restore and Protect and HPL seem to be the way to go in this regard with the edge going to Valvoline Restore and Protect for efficacy and cost of cleaning is the main focus.
What drain intervals were you running? PP has never been that great. Its oxidation resistance was never even close to that of Mobil 1 Extended Performance.
One of the above-mentioned methods of cleaning up the engine should be worth a shot.
I'm thinking of heavy one time flush first, then move to gradual. Maybe you're right though.
That's what the BG Dynamic Engine cleaner is for. He'd have to do a quick drain though to avoid filter overfill.
Understandable. I've always been a bit skeptical of BG myself. @The Critic
I believe the fuel system cleaner is highly regarded. Keep in mind I’ve been out of the game for decades. Also some engines are so dirty like you posted, probably not many other choices.
The liqui-moly would be the way I'd go. Right before draining the oil, dump it in and let it warm high idle for 20 min, then drain all the oil.
I've seen it to pretty well in that situation.
That engine looks good for the year and mileage. Remember seeing multiple pictures through the years with lots and lots more varnish all over then present in your engine. Keep up the good work!
I’m currently running Valvoline Restore and Protect in my sons 01 F150 5.4L. The last 8 years of its life was never really taken cared of. Mother in law had it after my father in law passed. 1100 oci on the Valvoline Restore and Protect and the oil looked dark with a slight transparency. Next spring I’ll do its third round.
I am a great believer in Mobil 1 5w30 snake oil. Our '06 TSX, with 240K, has had a steady diet of this snake juice at about 4500 OCIs. The K24 internals are spotless and she does not go through a drop between services.
Here are a couple of pictures of the valve train on a 98 Z3 with the M52 engine. I replaced the valve cover gasket in 05/2021 @98k miles and the pictures are prior to any dabbing/wiping/cleaning of the exposed areas. No oil conditioners etc. used back then. Since about 43K miles in 2009, I have used Shell Rotella T6, Pennzoil Platinum Ultra Euro 5W-40 and Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W-30 for the most part. Presently running Mobil 1 Euro 0W-40 for the past few changes; also have used LiquiMoly MoS2 with the past few changes.
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