Need Guidance re (hopefully) Non-Synthetic Motor Oil for a '99 Camry L4 (5SFE) Sludge-Prone Engine
- Thread starter Cdn17Sport6MT
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You misunderstood what I said. Initial FF was Agip Sint 2000; I did not start up the engine on that; I put in Mobil1 FS (by memory, 10W-50). Seal leaked like a sieve. Immediately switched to Castrol 20W-50 conventional. Seal immediately stopped leaking,
Odd. Immediately you say?
Within 5 or 10 mins... Yes, amazingly so. I could hardly believe it.
That it was specifically Castrol had nothing to do with it. Doing a couple oil changes and having oil cycle through the engine just by running it is going to get dry seals to start absorbing some oil and swell, which slow down and can eventually stop leaks.
You are attributing magic alchemy to a specific oil instead of positive results happening due to basic vehicle maintenance.
No, not a couple of oil changes... No, not basic vehicle maintenance. No, it was not "eventually". And no I am not intimating that specifically Castrol (as opposed to a conventional, in general) was responsible for the leak having sealing itself up. I directly experienced what I experienced.
In life you run into people who cast their conjecture and theories as fact. Your theory, about a dry seal merits consideration but don't cast it as fact.
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Sounds like someone I recently interacted with.
Back in the 70’s I worked Kenny Toyota in Seattle as a mechanic. They had two oil change stations. One Pennzoil and the other Quaker State.
When opening the valve cover on a 100,000 mile car with Pennzoil the valve train would have a sludge buildup of what looked like black tar coal. When adjusting the valves on a Quaker State car it was clean kind of a golden color. Quaker State engines would regularly run over 200k. Never saw that with Pennzoil.
Its funny how these "so-and-so oil causes sludge" stories always start out with a car which somehow magically always had a steady diet of said oil. Magically. There were never any other brands.
And the "other" brand is so magically good.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Where I have heard this story lately?
And 50 years later….
Usage pattern obvious impacts sludging... but @MacClancy doesn't say it was a specific two cars, but implies it was at least a few running one oil versus the other...
I had a BMW motorcycle that I filled with the first Mobil 1 oil when it came out. Immediately leaked oil from the seals. I don't think I ran it more than a week or two then went back to some conventional oil and it dried right up. I do not remember how many years later I tried Mobil 1 again, but only in a car, not a motorcycle. No leaks in any car since then.
Ali
Ali
I have a 1992 camry also with the 5sfe. 323'000kms. I'm the second owner as of a few months ago and the car also had oil changes every once a year. I inadvertently resealed everything between doing a timing belt and clutch. I borescoped the cylinders when I replaced the factory plugs and there were indeed worn and in turn the car burns a little oil but surprisingly less than a litre every 5000kms. I exclusively run (insert cheapest name brand oil as the time of needing an oil change) 0w-30 to 10w-30 synthetic. Looking into the engine from every angle, there is plently of black varnish but no sludge. If the car runs fine then just grab your favourite named oil and carry on. Trust me, the 5sfe will be fine
I c an't even tell you what a "synthetic" oil is any more.
Mobil 1 (And all synthetic oils) have entirely different additives and properties than they did 40 years ago. Current synthetic oils do not cause seal shrinkage as the old formulations could. Stop living in the past. Try the Valvoline Restore and Protect. I am running it in my 280k Subaru Outback. It isn’t getting darker than the synthetic it replaced, and I really don’t think I have sludge in that engine despite the miles. I would be surprised if you have much sludge to worry about.
You're the first person I've heard say that! OK then! I've been running (at least) semi synthetic in the Camry all the while (thinking it was conventional 'cuz it was not called-out as a semi synthetic) and I've had no seal leaks in the car.
And now I remember all the specifics of the Guzzi (some 31 years ago): FF was Agip Sint 2000 (semi synthetic). Dropped that oil before starting the engine (it was a "boxed-up" brand new '85... and it was Oct '93 when I unboxed it). So, I put in Castrol 20W-50 conventional as the oil I ran in it for a few miles. Then I got to thinking that this (solely) air cooled bike (no oil cooler) ran pretty hot, and that a full synthetic would benefit it. I changed to Mobil1 (10W-50??? if memory serves). Rear main seal leaked a lot. Immediately dropped the Mobil1... and almost instantaneously the seal quit leaking. Like magic... So that informed my opinion... at least with that bike (and its oil seal formulation of the day and with synthetics of the day... at least Mobil1)
Of course I run full synthetic in my '17 Mazda6... 0W-20? if memory serves...
Thank you for clarifying matters.
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