Honda Accord, slight varnish

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Originally Posted By: Zedhed
Why do you feel the inside of an engine MUST be absolutely, squeeky clean?


I'd druther not have varnish. It can get thick, it forms on seals, and that's not a good thing for the seals. Also, thick varnish could reduce heat exchange from the engine.

Varnish is perhaps the sole reason I don't trust conventionals.
Blackstone can assure me of conventionals' antiwear numbers, but I want my mirror finish as well.
 
Originally Posted By: ericthepig
You AIN'T gonna clean that varnish with ANY oil or ANY oil additive. imo.

I had a heavily varnished 88 Mazda 323 - owned it for about 15 years. I blasted it over the last few years with all the usual suspects (MMO, 30 minute Amsoil flushes, long runs on M1 HM, etc) - that varnish ain't going anywhere.


Did you try LC20?
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Did you try LC20?


Nope. It saw several long runs on MMO, saw one run of Risolone, saw several long runs on Neutra 131 (Schaeffers), saw (iirc) at least one run of Seafoam, iirc one gunk flush, and at least one Ams. flush. This was over about the last five years of ownership. Varnish was thick and rich looking in valve area (and it bothered me). Varnish was thick and rich when I sold the car. No change.
 
Originally Posted By: Gator
So far I think it is pretty good, I did not notice any change in the sound or smothness of the engine but The Oil was very clear on the stick at the beginning and after a 6 hour drive 1 way and then back the oil is still clear. I used Val Synpower last time and it was brown at the 3,000 mark and fairly dark by 5,000 folks here say color does not mean anything but If this stays clear i would feel better about going 7,500. I will definately go further than 5,000 with this long trip eating up so much so soon.


If it stays clean that long it isn't doing its job
 
Originally Posted By: Zedhed


Engines are not hospital operating rooms, or aerospace clean rooms, but hot, dirty, chaotic environments that are not expected to be absolutely-perfectly clean.



He's using an oil that claims, "Nothing keeps your engine closer to factory clean," and you come down on him for testing its cleaning ability?

Maybe he's just interested in seeing if the varnish can be removed simply for the fun of it. So what?

I'll tell you something, if that varnish comes off, at least we'd have evidence of something. And, for the most part, we have evidence of nothing more than brand loyalty on this website.

It's also nice to be able to blow dry your hair, in the reflection of a cam lobe, when your out camping, forgot your mirror and "Night Fever" just came on the radio.
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Originally Posted By: ericthepig
You AIN'T gonna clean that varnish with ANY oil or ANY oil additive. imo.

I had a heavily varnished 88 Mazda 323 - owned it for about 15 years. I blasted it over the last few years with all the usual suspects (MMO, 30 minute Amsoil flushes, long runs on M1 HM, etc) - that varnish ain't going anywhere.


Did you try LC20?


Step it up a Notch!

Here is How:

1) Put 1 Can SEAFOAM in 100 miles before OC. Change Oil and Filter. SHould make oil Black. (The Black is the Varnish.)

2) Use Pennzoil Ultra, i think its perhaps the best Cleaner Oil? .. 1000 Mile OCI.

3) Ive heard bad things about the 5 to 15 minute Motor Flushes.. the SeaFoam (Which is NOT Carb Cleaner, thats just one person's Bias) at least comes out WITH the Oil Change, and CERTAINLY DOES Break up Skludge/Gum/Varnish.. People hate it because its not "Oil." (I add it to a Hot Engine.. Just seems like it will do more.)

I did it once on my Jaguar, but only for 15 miles.. next time, i may do it 50 miles before.. Then 100.. Then i can call it "Done" with SeaFoam in Crankcase, as my MaxLife oil will be Cleaning Sludge AND suspending the dirty inside at the same time.

Thanks - JosepH!!!!!!!!!
Post 3.
 
Yeah mechtech you are right 3 whole days, lets see in those 3 days compared to my normal driving. A 12 hour drive is the same as 20 days of driving to work and back or about 4 weeks. I thought that with the engine at full operating temp for such a long time it would do a better job cleaning than it would with the short trips and I would see something even if it is minor, but I didn't. The minor varnish I have is so thin that you can rub it with your fingers and it will clean off to a shine pretty easy. I am thinking that it will not clean these areas since there is not much oil coming in contact with these areas.
 
Let me qualify my "Ain't gonna happen" post.

Likely, there is varnish, and there is varnish.

I got my 88 Mazda 323 in 93 and did up to 25k (1 yr) OCIs on it (Amsoil then M1, then various HM oils in the last 7 yrs of ownership). That puppy had areas of varnish (in valve area) that looked like burned on molasses.

You might have luck if you have fairly new varnish. But if it's been burnt on for over a decade (in the valve area), then imo you'd be whistling in the wind with all these "ultra" this and "seafoam" that.

This all came up a few years ago on BITOG, and I think the consensus was - once it's good and varnished, it's varnished for good.
 
Fill it wilt 100% Seafoam and run it till it all evaporates. That stuff is the bomb and would never hurt your seals, nor thin the oil, according to the back of the bottle and anonymous internet experts.
smirk2.gif


I mean, what's more import a perfectly clean engine or intact seals?
54.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Fill it wilt 100% Seafoam and run it till it all evaporates. That stuff is the bomb and would never hurt your seals, nor thin the oil, according to the back of the bottle and anonymous internet experts.
smirk2.gif


I mean, what's more import a perfectly clean engine or intact seals?
54.gif



As opposed to anonymous internet posters that claim it's harmful, but can't supply an ounce of proof to back this claim up.
 
Originally Posted By: JCCADILLACMOBILE
1) Put 1 Can SEAFOAM in 100 miles before OC. Change Oil and Filter. SHould make oil Black. (The Black is the Varnish.)

3) Ive heard bad things about the 5 to 15 minute Motor Flushes.. the SeaFoam...


Let me get this straight....you really don't consider putting Sea Foam and driving harmful, nor do you consider Seafoam a solvent, or a flush......yet you have "heard" bad things about OTHER flush products, some which don't even advise driving the car. That's pretty interesting.
 
Here is my latest ULTRA report, it is very unusual but we have racked up the miles recently on 2 very long trips. I put Ultra in 1 month ago and just hit 3,000 miles, the varnish on the valve cover is still their, also it used 1 qt of oil at the 3,000 mile mark. I started using synthetic when new and at about 75 to 90,000 I went to conventional, I just recently changed back to synthetic and the last 2 changes it has used a quart of oil each change, but the engine did not use oil on conventional, can someone explain this and is it likely to keep using or will it eventually stop, I am at 158,000 now, and was thinking about trying the T-6 next and if it still uses oil going back to the cheap stuff.
 
I was going to post, then noticed I already posted several times in this thread - but I'll go ahead and repeat myself -

155k varnish isn't going anywhere. Throw whatever you want at it. Hope springs eternal, but that varnish is also eternal.
 
Originally Posted By: Gator
Here is my latest ULTRA report, it is very unusual but we have racked up the miles recently on 2 very long trips. I put Ultra in 1 month ago and just hit 3,000 miles, the varnish on the valve cover is still their, also it used 1 qt of oil at the 3,000 mile mark. I started using synthetic when new and at about 75 to 90,000 I went to conventional, I just recently changed back to synthetic and the last 2 changes it has used a quart of oil each change, but the engine did not use oil on conventional, can someone explain this and is it likely to keep using or will it eventually stop, I am at 158,000 now, and was thinking about trying the T-6 next and if it still uses oil going back to the cheap stuff.


Gator, I have read somewhere that on some engines, when you go from conv to synth, the engine will leak slightly. Something about the synthetic molecules being all uniform in size and slightly smaller than the conventional molecules. As far as whether it will continue or not, I don't know. Maybe someone else will chime in.
 
Thanks bigdawg, Mine is not leaking but it is sure going somewhere, seems like it used this qt on the long trip we just made. So far the oil usage on the Ultra is the same as it was with synpower.
 
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