Engine flush

[stangyellow]

I was curious if anyone has ever used the Liqi-Moly brand engine flush? Were there any noticable "deposits" in the oil, or has anyone ever gone as far as cutting the filter open to see what's been removed? I'm sure this applies to any engine flush additive, I just happened to see the Liqui-Moly brand. Vehicle is an '08 F150, 5.4L 94K miles. Oil used is Cam2 Pro Max synthetic blend 5w20.

Any experiences with this brand?

 

[skyship]

Yes I used it and it does work, it is safe to use, BUT if you have a sludge problem you should first clean out the sump AND the filter screen for the oil pump in particular.
Never use any type of flush additive that is not used at idle only just prior to an oil change and make sure the next OCI is half of the normal figure as a precaution.
In reality just switching to a good oil that is high in Calcium based detergents like LM Synthoil, Castrol Edge or Mobil 1 will clean the engine just as well but take longer. If your engine is on its last legs then an High Mileage oil will also help, BUT don't forget the oil pump screen as that is the big potential problem from a potential Black death case.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: skyship
Yes I used it and it does work, it is safe to use, BUT if you have a sludge problem you should first clean out the sump AND the filter screen for the oil pump in particular.
Never use any type of flush additive that is not used at idle only just prior to an oil change and make sure the next OCI is half of the normal figure as a precaution.
In reality just switching to a good oil that is high in Calcium based detergents like LM Synthoil, Castrol Edge or Mobil 1 will clean the engine just as well but take longer. If your engine is on its last legs then an High Mileage oil will also help, BUT don't forget the oil pump screen as that is the big potential problem from a potential Black death case.


Good advice. I'm a fan of simply running a high-detergent oil and changing more frequently than what caused the issue that is being resolved. If a good oil has always been run at a normal interval, then a flush or shortened interval is not needed.

 

[Donald]

I would use something slow like a good synthetic oil or Auto-Rx.
Some like Kreen. The list is short for engine flushes.

 

[stangyellow]

I do not have a sludge problem, but I am unaware of the previous owners OCI's. The engine has 0 problems, just looking for preventive maintenance. My oil is changed every 3Kish miles due to the fact that I drive it less than 10K a year. I buy the higher end full synthetic oils for my 2 "fun cars" but not for my truck.

While this thread is fresh, does anyone use or have information on Cam2 Super Pro Max, synthetic blend, GF-5 rating? That's what I have been using for awhile now

 

[stangyellow]

I actually did purchase the Auto-Rx for my last F150. I didn't go as far as checking the valvetrain before and after, but I did notice the oil filter was considerably heavier after first application. I'm assuming its all the deposits it removed from the internals.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: skyship
Yes I used it and it does work, it is safe to use, BUT if you have a sludge problem you should first clean out the sump AND the filter screen for the oil pump in particular.
Never use any type of flush additive that is not used at idle only just prior to an oil change and make sure the next OCI is half of the normal figure as a precaution.
In reality just switching to a good oil that is high in Calcium based detergents like LM Synthoil, Castrol Edge or Mobil 1 will clean the engine just as well but take longer. If your engine is on its last legs then an High Mileage oil will also help, BUT don't forget the oil pump screen as that is the big potential problem from a potential Black death case.


Good advice. I'm a fan of simply running a high-detergent oil and changing more frequently than what caused the issue that is being resolved. If a good oil has always been run at a normal interval, then a flush or shortened interval is not needed.


+1 I would run something like Pennzoil conventional for a few 3k oil changes with a cheap filter and that should safely help clean up the sluge. If that doesn';t work then I would resort to chemical flushes

 

[Blokey]

I'm running CAM2 dexos1 5w30 in my Pontiac G8 GT and it runs beautifully. Glad to see another CAM2 user! Scarce as hen's teeth - can't find it locally and I've only been able to find one place online to buy it.

 

[skyship]

If your engine is in good order, why are you changing oil every 3K miles? Even the folks I know that drive mostly in the big cities and spend a lot of time at slow speed in traffic do 10K km OCI's.

If you are not spending time in traffic or off roading, then if you use a top quality oil filter and a good major brand synthetic oil, 95% of cars or trucks are good for a 10K mile OCI, BUT it is worth checking with a few used oil analysis that all is well. In most cases even a basic conventional oil is good for a 10K OCI.

The 3K mile OCI is one very wasteful American habit and makes no sense at all in either economic or engine life terms. The oil filter for example is at its least efficient when new and the additives from the residual old oil react with the new, resulting in the new detergents damaging the protective anti wear coatings for a while. In most 10K mile OCI's UOA results have shown that more wear occurs during the first few thousand miles than the last few.

The problem with the 3K OCI myth is that all the marketing folks for the quick lube and engine oil companies keep shouting out the 3K song and that combines with a habit some folks have a thinking an oil change sticker stuck next to the engine that repeats the 3K lie is some kind of law that must be obeyed. The latest German Audi has an OCI of 50K km and it just uses Castrol Edge or Liqui Moly Synthoil, nothing from NASA lube corp.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Blanket recommendations do no one any service here. Due to wildly different usage no one oil change interval suits everyone.

My car is factory specified for a 3000 mile oil change on synthetic oil. It's due to fuel dilution issues that many engines have, and easy driving only exacerbates it.

If you haven't done an oil analysis then you just don't know.