Ok guys. You may remember, in January of 2004, I dumped the Pennzoil that was used in my GM 3.1L V6 (1992) engine by its previous owner (I had just received the car), and installed Esso XD-3 0W-30 full synth. That was 55,000 km ago, and I haven't changed the oil since. I think some people even called me a lunatic here that I'd consider not using a more traditional interval, even with a synthetic.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that there was some gel-like material accumulating on my oil cap. I discovered it was coolant. Fine, GM 3.1's are notorious for bad lower intake gaskets, so I bought a gasket set, and went to work.
To my amazement, after 55,000km without an oil change, once the valve covers were off, they were shiny as new with a simple wiping of a rag. The 'sludge' that had formed was clear, the product of antifreeze mixing with the oil, but the oil itself had not formed an emulsion with the oil (as many others with the GM coolant leak have complained of). Since Esso claims on the datasheet for XD-3 "excellent performance in the presence of coolant", I was astonished that the deposits consisted solely of gelled antifreeze, and did not accumulate on any of the oiled machinery inside the engine.
I wish I had taken pictures (kinda not pleasant to get the digital camera out when your hands are all greasy), but basically:
1) XD-3 0W-30 full synth can easily run in excess of 55,000km / 4.5 years in a GM 3.1L V6. Without coolant leaks, a single oil change of XD-3 0W-30 probably would be good for at least twice that. (1mi = 1.6km)
2) If you do get a coolant leak, XD-3's claim that it performs extremely well in the presence of coolant may very well save your motor from damage. The only evidence of coolant in the oil accumulated on the covers to the valvetrain/pushrod gallery. Not on the dipstick, which means that the oil was able to reject most of the coolant.
This is a miracle product. It costs half as much as Mobil1, is made by a subsidiary of the ExxonMobil Corporation (Imperial Oil Canada), and can be used in both petrol and diesel engines.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that there was some gel-like material accumulating on my oil cap. I discovered it was coolant. Fine, GM 3.1's are notorious for bad lower intake gaskets, so I bought a gasket set, and went to work.
To my amazement, after 55,000km without an oil change, once the valve covers were off, they were shiny as new with a simple wiping of a rag. The 'sludge' that had formed was clear, the product of antifreeze mixing with the oil, but the oil itself had not formed an emulsion with the oil (as many others with the GM coolant leak have complained of). Since Esso claims on the datasheet for XD-3 "excellent performance in the presence of coolant", I was astonished that the deposits consisted solely of gelled antifreeze, and did not accumulate on any of the oiled machinery inside the engine.
I wish I had taken pictures (kinda not pleasant to get the digital camera out when your hands are all greasy), but basically:
1) XD-3 0W-30 full synth can easily run in excess of 55,000km / 4.5 years in a GM 3.1L V6. Without coolant leaks, a single oil change of XD-3 0W-30 probably would be good for at least twice that. (1mi = 1.6km)
2) If you do get a coolant leak, XD-3's claim that it performs extremely well in the presence of coolant may very well save your motor from damage. The only evidence of coolant in the oil accumulated on the covers to the valvetrain/pushrod gallery. Not on the dipstick, which means that the oil was able to reject most of the coolant.
This is a miracle product. It costs half as much as Mobil1, is made by a subsidiary of the ExxonMobil Corporation (Imperial Oil Canada), and can be used in both petrol and diesel engines.
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