With the advent of Valvoline Restore and Protect, I'm seeing reports of reduced oil consumption. Assuming piston rings are being cleaned, how does this reduce oil consumption? My initial thought of a dirty piston ring is that carbon is building up, which in my mind, would improve the seal, not lessen it. How do dirty piston rings increase oil consumption?
How does cleaning piston rings reduce oil consumption?
- Thread starter himemsys
- Start date
Getting carbon buildup in the ring lands doesn't allow the rings to move and adjust to heat expansion and the cylinder wall's imperfect surface. Tolerances get looser in the middle of the stroke as miles rack up and the rings can't compensate as well, IIRC. Something along those lines.
A visual.
Man that's gnarly. Really puts into perspective what engine cleaning agents (flushes, esters/detergents etc in oil add packs) and chemicals used for piston soaks actually have to go through.
Think of windshield wipers when they're frozen or stiff (old rubber), they leave streaks or are basically useless. Fresh clean wipers can follow the surface and leave a smooth clean surface.
Oil rings that can't move properly can't wipe the cylinder. The extra oil left behind ends up in the combustion chamber to be burned.
Compression rings that can't move properly don't seal properly, so you loose combustion gasses to the crankcase, loose power and push more oil out of the crankcase. That oil is either leaked out or ends up in the intake or directly into into the combustion chamber.
Oil rings that can't move properly can't wipe the cylinder. The extra oil left behind ends up in the combustion chamber to be burned.
Compression rings that can't move properly don't seal properly, so you loose combustion gasses to the crankcase, loose power and push more oil out of the crankcase. That oil is either leaked out or ends up in the intake or directly into into the combustion chamber.
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Oil control rings are thin, somewhat flimsy rings with a spacer between-they get clogged with carbon, they can’t do their job of scraping most of the oil off the cylinde4 walls. Blue clouds & massive oil consumption result! Poor compression rings cause low power, excessive blowby & contaminate oil with combustion byproducts-but oil control rings seem to cause even more oil burning (along with worn valve guides & seals).
That looks like the oil control rings from my old Civic wagon-overheating BAKED the oil into the oil control rings. It looked like chunks of charcoal when removed.
Piston rings are kind of like caliper pins. They need to be able to move freely in order to do their job and the gunk prevents that.
FIFY
Not in my experience using it for over a decade. PP was my oil of choice until I started wondering if all that varnish wasn’t so innocuous.
The oil rings need to be clean so the oil can get through them and drain down the inside of the piston
Do you have pictures? I used it for 10 years on a car that didn't consume a drop.
Seems the gooey deposits in post #4 (GREAT PICS Glenda) can be chased along with steam.
Is there not history of engines in England being cleaner due to the often moist environment?
Oil provides the compression and clears debris with the help of steam....good stuff!
Is there not history of engines in England being cleaner due to the often moist environment?
Oil provides the compression and clears debris with the help of steam....good stuff!
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Products like VRP and/or EC30 are quite handy for a V6/V8 where the pistons are angled - or sideways boxers. Hard to get to plugs as well.
However, an I4/I6 is more ideal for a piston soak with one of several products … and then followed by a good cleaning oil …
However, an I4/I6 is more ideal for a piston soak with one of several products … and then followed by a good cleaning oil …
The picture caption should read :”One of my pistons running WM off the shelf synthetic oil with 10K mile OCI’s” … Or : “Here’s the before piston image before running VR&P”.
I never said I had consumption.
Search my name and VRP, there are pics of VRP removing what PP left behind.
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