Kreen experiment: '05 Mercury Mariner w/ oil consumption issue.

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Oct 31, 2003
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Location
NJ
Vehicle is our 2005 Mercury Mariner 3.0L V6 at 201K miles. It was bought new, I ran Motorcraft syn blend 5W-20 for the first ~120K miles at 5K OCIs, it developed a valvetrain tick on cylinder 6 (transverse mounted engine, front right cylinder left exhaust valve lash adjuster) at operating temps, so I switched to Mobil-1 High Mileage, then PU which finally stopped the noise, then PPHM or Valvoline synth HM after PU was discontinued. This was when I noticed oil consumption becoming an issue, so I switched to conventional PYBHM 5W-30 this year (2 OCIs thus far) which did not improve consumption. Hot valvetrain tick came back at some point, however it appears intermittently.

Problem: Consumes about 1/4 quart every two weeks at ~200 miles of commuting, the drive is 10 miles one way. It leaks a small amount at the front crank seal, possibly the oil pan also...but not nearly enough to account for the volume of oil loss. I replaced the PCV valve with a new Ford piece last year, no change in oil consumption. There were and still are indications of excessive crankcase pressure such as oil residue around the outside of the PCV seal. I verified the PCV tube and vent tube were both unobstructed and no cracks/breaks during the PCV valve change last year.

Current fill of PYBHM 5W-30 is at 3,800 miles, I added 16oz of Kreen and ran it up to temp on a vigorous drive. Wife will continue commuting in it, I'll monitor oil consumption as usual, and I'll change the oil at 5K as usual.

The other 16oz Kreen will go in at ~2.5K miles on that OCI (unless there's a case to be made for adding it immediately, I'm open to feedback).

My thinking is that Kreen treatment will confirm or rule out stuck rings and/or clogged piston oil drain passages. At 201K it's very possible that the rings are just plain worn. No visible oil smoke on cold startup, coasting downhill, or accelerating uphill.
 
I bought an 08 Escape V6 with over 200K and then sold it to my coworkers daughter about 20K miles later. It also had excessive oil consumption. I did disclose the oil consumption to the buyer lol and we have since tried various brands and viscosities of oils and nothing helped. Changing the PCV valve did improve it a little bit, from like 1 quart per 1000 miles to about half that. No external leaks and no exhaust smoke. Engine is still very quiet - no noises.

I am interested how your experiment goes. If it helps we'll try it too.
 
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Conv. Valvoline really a syn-blend has worked the best in my experience for oil consumption. I'd try that next in the 5w30 variety. Report back the results. I'd give it a few intervals. After that try out Valvoline Maxlife red bottle syn-blend 5w30.

Currently running PU 5w20 and it's used a half quart over 5k miles. Previous oil changes were with the above and it didn't use any measurable amount. It's possible after a few intervals that there wouldn't be consumption but PU isn't widely available or the price is too high.
 
Subscribed.........Out of all the "Snake-oils" out there, I'm a true believer in Kreen.
Keep us informed on the outcome.
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I had a similar engine in a Mazda van. I used Lubro moly motor oil saver.
 
Thanks folks, Valvoline it will be. I see on their website that neither the Daily Protection conventional nor MaxLife synth blend are D1G2 certified, just SN+. The engine is DOHC fixed timing, no VVT but it has a long timing chain.

I assume the lack of D1G2 cert is just a cost avoidance measure on Valvoline's part, and not an indication that their oils don't adequately minimize timing chain wear...any thoughts?
 
Adding kreen to crank case for stuck rings? Or gas tank?

Kreen is the real deal, but it is an aggressive treat. Put that in crank case and you might clean some stuff too quickly for the engines liking. Alternatively, adding it to the gas tank might not be as good as adding a PEA cleaner. If I was worried about stuck rings I think I'd look at running sea foam through vac lines or si_1 through gas tank, or both.
 
If you wanted to commit to kreen maybe pull the plugs and do a piston top soak, maybe use a turkey baster or something and drop in on piston tops.
 
Update: in the 4 days of commuting (~80 miles) since adding Kreen, the oil on the dipstick went from dark brown and translucent to black and opaque. Surprising given the maintenance and use of synthetic oils. Maybe not surprising given the short commute.

Piston soak suggestion is appreciated, but that will be after the next OCI. Accessing the rear spark plugs involves removing the intake manifold and that will wait until warmer temps. For now I'll let the Kreen do it's thing in the crankcase, then change to Valvoline MaxLife synth blend red bottle and monitor oil consumption. 2nd dose of Kreen near the end of that OCI if needed.

If oil consumption continues to be a problem, it'll be Spring by then and better conditions to disassemble the intake manifold.
 
Kreen is old school and really works if your consumption issues are from carbon build up. A bit in the fuel cleans the cylinder head and the entire PCV system benefits as the vapors flash off when the engine heats up.

I have used it with great success on a bunch of oil burners, it is an amazingly effective product. No piston soaking needed, just repeat as needed...
 
Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
Kreen is old school and really works if your consumption issues are from carbon build up. A bit in the fuel cleans the cylinder head and the entire PCV system benefits as the vapors flash off when the engine heats up.

I have used it with great success on a bunch of oil burners, it is an amazingly effective product. No piston soaking needed, just repeat as needed...


Spoken for truth. The KREEN in the oil and gas is majorly slowing my oil consumption in a 3,400 mile oci
 
Update: the Pennzoil HM + Kreen has been drained, Valvoline MaxLife synth blend 5W-20 is in along with a Wix oil filter (Motorcraft FL-820S interchange part#). 6 quarts put the oil level halfway between Full and Add marks as usual, we'll see how it does. I've never used this oil in the vehicle, so there are two variables in play: the Kreen effect from prior oil fill, and the new oil. More to come as she puts on miles...
 
Update: MaxLife 5W-20 went in at 200,826 miles. It's now at 202,557 miles (1731 miles) and has lost ~1/3 quart of oil as measured on the dipstick. Oil level was ~1mm above the ADD mark when I checked. 1/3 of a quart bottle brought it back to halfway between ADD and FULL, where I put it during the oil change refill.

Initial impressions are that the Kreen in the prior oil fill, and the new PCV and hose, had no effect on the engine's oil consumption.

I'm playing the long game here and will continue to monitor, it's an entertaining experiment. I'll use the other 16oz of Kreen toward the end of this OCI and see what happens.
 
Remember to note the maxlife will continue to clean if that is what is needed.

Kreen is often used in engines that have issues not related to cleaning. In those cases it can do little.
 
Thanks and advice well taken. We've had the Mercury since new and it's been maintained diligently, albeit with Motorcraft syn blend for the first ~100K miles before switching to "synthetic" oils when it developed a valvetrain tick at hot idle.

I'm aware of leakage at the front crank seal, and possibly the oil pan at the front as well. It leaves a dime-sized spot wherever it's parked overnight, and there's more oil grunge aft of the engine. Not a big enough problem to warrant the work needed to remedy in this case. If I can't talk the missus into trading it this Fall, there's always 2021.

Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
Remember to note the maxlife will continue to clean if that is what is needed.

Kreen is often used in engines that have issues not related to cleaning. In those cases it can do little.
 
Originally Posted by crainholio
Update: MaxLife 5W-20 went in at 200,826 miles. It's now at 202,557 miles (1731 miles) and has lost ~1/3 quart of oil as measured on the dipstick. Oil level was ~1mm above the ADD mark when I checked. 1/3 of a quart bottle brought it back to halfway between ADD and FULL, where I put it during the oil change refill.

Initial impressions are that the Kreen in the prior oil fill, and the new PCV and hose, had no effect on the engine's oil consumption.

I'm playing the long game here and will continue to monitor, it's an entertaining experiment. I'll use the other 16oz of Kreen toward the end of this OCI and see what happens.

It might take another OCI or two to see an improvement. Having said that if parts are worn, or defective all bets are off. I would do a couple of short OCI's with an HDEO, or something known for good cleaning and hope for the best. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted by crainholio
Update: MaxLife 5W-20 went in at 200,826 miles. It's now at 202,557 miles (1731 miles) and has lost ~1/3 quart of oil as measured on the dipstick. Oil level was ~1mm above the ADD mark when I checked. 1/3 of a quart bottle brought it back to halfway between ADD and FULL, where I put it during the oil change refill.

Initial impressions are that the Kreen in the prior oil fill, and the new PCV and hose, had no effect on the engine's oil consumption.

I'm playing the long game here and will continue to monitor, it's an entertaining experiment. I'll use the other 16oz of Kreen toward the end of this OCI and see what happens.


Time to do a leak down test, I would suspect its more about worn rings. Nothing in a can is fixing that.
 
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