How well do synthetic oils clean engines?

[KrisZ]

50,000k on M1? Please, according to BITOG lore all it takes for a good synthetic is one or two OCIs for a spotless engine

Basically most on here that automatically recommend Pennzoil conventional, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, Mobil 1 etc. for all engine cleanliness questions, mindlessly repeat what is written on the bottle by the marketing departments.

 

[ronp]

As far as I can tell,just about any sn oil will clean fine. Synthetics simply do not break down as fast therefore typically enable the driver to run extended change interval.

I would suppose Pennzoil Conventional or any other quality conventional at a reasonable interval will get you to the same place as far as cleanliness goes. I like conventional oil for 5k and dump it. I think changing the oil often does more to remove smaller particles 10 or less than filtration will ever get ya. Jmo

 

[mongo161]

IMHO....HDEO/Diesel, with all fleet applications, will also help clean up a dirty engine. Only if the engine can run some of these 10w30 or 15w40 should this be attempted and also if the vehicle is not covered under warranty.

IMHO.....The strong detergent add packs in some of the Rotella, Delo, Delvac as well as other HDEO's are responsible for contributing to the clean up of many neglected engines. These Heavy Duty oils can also aid the clean up process by holding small particulate matter, not caught by the filter, in suspension until the oil is changed.

After a few runs and filter changes with HDEO......then, it is on to step II.....start running Pennzoil conventional for reasonable intervals.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Is varnish ALWAYS a precursor to sludge? Some will say varnish is much-to-do-about-nothing and other's will opine it's a sign of coming troubles. I think, depending on the engine platform and maintenance history, the answer falls somewhere in the middle.


Varnish means the oil is either getting cooked, or it's been in there too long.

 

[Brad_C]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Nobody said that Pennzoil Conventional is available all over the world. The OP is in the US, so he received a US-based answer. If we only had to stick to products that are available all over the world, the options would be very limited. If you would like to ask what these options should be in Australia, you are most welcome to start your own thread.


Sorry about that. My bad. I actually entirely missed the first page of the thread and therefore read Shannow's post as the OP. I'll pull my head in.

 

[Quattro Pete]

No worries. Sorry about my harsh response.

 

[Arctic388]

oil filter cut open after using Z-Max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf27FQsh3Nc

not trying to make any claims just know what results i got when cutting open all my filters. they were trending to the cleaner side then i used z-max and got this mess.

I am currently running Z-Max in my Malibu and it has never had bad filters and can hardly wait to see what happens on next filter change.

 

[skaughtz]

Originally Posted By: Arctic388
oil filter cut open after using Z-Max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf27FQsh3Nc

not trying to make any claims just know what results i got when cutting open all my filters. they were trending to the cleaner side then i used z-max and got this mess.

I am currently running Z-Max in my Malibu and it has never had bad filters and can hardly wait to see what happens on next filter change.


Wow. If Z-Max loosened all of that I'm not sure if I would just rather have it stay where it already is. What Year/Make/Model/Miles/OCI history/etc.?

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Brad_C

Why is it any time someone mentions the word "clean" someone else goes " Pennzoil Conventional", like it's the universal solution to engine cleaning and obviously available all over the world?

Nobody said that Pennzoil Conventional is available all over the world. The OP is in the US, so he received a US-based answer. If we only had to stick to products that are available all over the world, the options would be very limited. If you would like to ask what these options should be in Australia, you are most welcome to start your own thread.




I suspect that Shell Helix syn-blend is pretty close to Pennzoil conventional here.

 

[Snoman002]

Originally Posted By: Arctic388
oil filter cut open after using Z-Max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf27FQsh3Nc

not trying to make any claims just know what results i got when cutting open all my filters. they were trending to the cleaner side then i used z-max and got this mess.

I am currently running Z-Max in my Malibu and it has never had bad filters and can hardly wait to see what happens on next filter change.


IDK, does this prove zmax cleaned the engine? Or that zmax turned into sludge?

Some claim Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra cleaned their engine because it came out dark. Did it clean, or does it just turn black very easily?

I would certainly love to know what cleans an engine, both my cars were purchased used and have an unknown history. I'm thinking the only way to know for sure though is to pull a valave cover and take a look.

 

[GenaFishbeck]

Originally Posted By: skaughtz
When I purchased my '07 Camry it had about 60k miles on it and a sticker from a lube shop stating it had conventional oil in it. The specs for the car call for 0/5W-20 full synthetic, so I changed out the oil and put in Pennzoil Platinum 0w20. I had read that PP is supposedly a great oil for cleaning out your engine of varnish. Recently I did a pre-vacation trip tune up on the car and replaced the oil with Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 again after a 4,200 mile OCI (the first since I originally replaced with PP). What came out looked exactly like conventional oil. Slightly thick and black.

As I just can't justify spending $30+ dollars on an oil filter cutter, I'm assuming the filter did its job. I'm also assuming that for the majority of the 60k miles prior to me having the car, conventional was being used. What I am curious about is if anyone else has seen how well synthetics clean out engines in a similar state over a longer period of time than my short OCI. Also, if there is a specific synthetic that I may want to try to help clean it up a bit. I'm not really concerned about any damage (so the conventional vs. synthetic debate doesn't need to be had), but I do like seeing clean fluid going in and coming out. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling.


Actually skaughtz, the oil coming out of your engine should have looked dark and contaminated - that’s an indication of the Pennzoil Platinum motor oil you’re using doing its job of removing any dirt, debris etc. from your engine. In fact, we’ve seen the PurePlus Technology inside of Pennzoil Platinum clean up to 40% of engine sludge in the 1st oil change. We recommend that you continue to use Pennzoil Platinum since it’s built to keep your engine cleaner than any leading synthetic oil – see the proof here: http://synthetics.pennzoil.com/#cleanest-pistons – The Pennzoil Team