My 1994 Ford E150 Club Wagon 5.8L has 288K on it. It has always had 3k mi Oil changes. Most of those miles I used 5w30 mineral based oils while they were still available; Castrol GTX, Chevron Supreme and Wix filters. The past year or two I've gone to Valvoline High Mileage blend. That actually helped with the small leak around my Oil pan. The engine runs smooth and doesn't burn oil. I'm getting pulled in by all the hype around Valvoline Restore & Protect. I am not very mech savvy, so these might be dumb questions. If the Restore and Protect cleans out "up to" 100% of deposits, could those deposits actually be acting as a kind of seal around worn engine parts like the pistons? Also, are there any components in the R&P that will act to preserve gaskets like the High Mileage Valvoline has? This would be the first time in the engines life that it has seem all synthetic oil, can I go back to using Valvoline high mileage blend after the 4 oil changes with Restore and Protect?
is cleaning always a good idea on high mileage engine?
- Thread starter cadjak
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That's kind of to be expected with obsessions, they don't make sense.
Obsession or not, I find it fascinating, as I'm sure others do too.
And It's not like we're the only weirdos either. The people at these big oil companies researching, engineering, testing, and marketing this stuff likely feel the same way.
Shouldn't be an issue using the R&P in my opinion. Your not burning any oil, so, really, the question is, do you have to?
Can you look in the fill hole and see anything of worry? Maybe it is clean enough already?
I think a lot of people misconstrue the words "deposits" with sludge. VRP specifically claims that their product will clean carbon deposits from pistons and ring pack areas. I've never seen a claim that it will remove deposits from, say, under valve covers or in the rocker area of the heads.
I'm not saying that it might not clean those areas, but I don't read the ads as being this product's main purpose.
I'm not saying that it might not clean those areas, but I don't read the ads as being this product's main purpose.
It seems oil consumption through the rings is almost always reduced with clean rings, so I think only leaky gaskets benefit from oil deposits? I wouldn't do any flushes or additives for a cleaner engine though, since you have no problems, and don't make a problem, just do it gradually with oil changes.
The "obsession" makes sense if you are having issues with your vehicle's engine for sure especially w/r to stuck rings. I'm not one to talk...I use HPL and have used my share of Liquimoly engine flush haha.
Glad you fessed up --- you have used ALOT of Liquimoly Engine Flush over the years. Lol
If its not burning oil or sludged I would not.
I continue to run conventional or semi syn in my 400K mile Xterra. Under Valve cover pics in my sig.
I continue to run conventional or semi syn in my 400K mile Xterra. Under Valve cover pics in my sig.
This far into the vehicles life, i would not change regimes now.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
Agreed.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
If you were changing the conventional oil every 5-7K miles I'd expect everything to already be clean. Since you were changing it every 3000 miles (more than often enough) I'm sure it's already clean inside. Just keep using same oil you've already been using.
Switching to a full syn now might cause oil leaks and possibly less oil pressure too. Full syn would defineately cost more for no benefit, IMO.
Switching to a full syn now might cause oil leaks and possibly less oil pressure too. Full syn would defineately cost more for no benefit, IMO.
No
If the VRP caused a problem (for any reason but I doubt it will), is it something that screws you over if the Ford has to go to the shop? I guess I'm asking, do you have another vehicle just in case? I honestly believe you have nothing to worry about.
That's been a limiting factor for me, only having the one car that my wife and I both need for work.
I’d bet your engine is pretty clean. Without stuck rings and oil consumption I’d stick to what your currently doing.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
Cleaning has risks. If cleaning loosens carbon deposits enough to break loose and circulate in the oil, than can cause problem. A chunk of carbon deposit in a non-critical area might relocate to someplace critical, such as clogging an oil passage or going through the bearings.
For example, an old mechanic friend told me that when he was a kid, detergent motor oil was a new thing. His dad switch the family car from Valvoline non-detergent motor oil to Valvoline detergent motor oil because his dad wanted to clean the engine. A week later their family left WA State to drive to CA on vacation. They made it to Oregon and then their car started making wierd noises that kept getting louder until eventually the car broke down.
A later autopsy of the engine revealed some carbon deposits had broken loose from somewhere and circulated through the oil until they got stuck in the engine bearings where they remained. The bearings were ground up.
Cleaning is not always a good thing.
With that story in mind, if I switch to a higher detergent oil, I change the filter at the time of oil change and change filter again 200-250 miles later. That said, I'm not obsessed with cleaning. I have no reason to go higher detergent than a common modern oil already has.
For example, an old mechanic friend told me that when he was a kid, detergent motor oil was a new thing. His dad switch the family car from Valvoline non-detergent motor oil to Valvoline detergent motor oil because his dad wanted to clean the engine. A week later their family left WA State to drive to CA on vacation. They made it to Oregon and then their car started making wierd noises that kept getting louder until eventually the car broke down.
A later autopsy of the engine revealed some carbon deposits had broken loose from somewhere and circulated through the oil until they got stuck in the engine bearings where they remained. The bearings were ground up.
Cleaning is not always a good thing.
With that story in mind, if I switch to a higher detergent oil, I change the filter at the time of oil change and change filter again 200-250 miles later. That said, I'm not obsessed with cleaning. I have no reason to go higher detergent than a common modern oil already has.
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Don’t fix what’s not broken. Almost 300k and barely consumes oil? Keep feeding her the same diet and let her live happy, it’s not worth the risk imo
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