Before the market was flooded with fuel additives, Berryman B-12 was the go-to for unsticking piston rings, trickled down carb throats. Quick and dirty usually isn't the way to go, but if you're pressed for time....
Oil for maximum cleaning?
- Thread starter Elkins45
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OVERKILL
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What these guys said. Oils are not designed to clean, they are designed to keep engines clean (despite the marketing). Contact @High Performance Lubricants if you want an actual cleaner product that can be mixed in with your oil and then please share your filter cut-open pictures in the filter section so we can see how it is working.
If the consumption is caused by oil coking due to the evaporation of inferior oils around the rings, causing the rings to stick in their grooves and not seal properly, then using a good cleaning oil can help clean up those deposits and free up the rings. If this happens and consumption slows or stops, then continued use of a better oil will help prevent it from coming back. If you return to the inferior oil that caused the coking/stiction, then it may come back. Some engines are more prone to this than others, but a good oil with low volatility and high in anti-oxidants will help prevent it in any case.
That's IF this is the issue. One way you can tell is oil coking usually won't be isolated to just one cylinder. If you pull the spark plugs and notice oil deposits on all of the plugs, then this is a probably cause. If you pull the plugs and find oil deposits heavily on just 1 plug with the others looking clean, then it's more likely a mechanical issue isolated to that one cylinder.
We also can't rule out the possibility of a valve seal leak. If that is the issue, then the HPL cleaning oil can still help as esters will condition seals and make them more pliable which could slow such a leak.
PCV valve first came to mind. Or pull the plugs and do a compression test, dry test then wet. If you follow the investigation and of course inspect the plugs and want to try a good detergent/dispersant oil Pennzoil Ultra Platinum has a good dose. Like above stated the valve seals are one of those not looked at. They would cause IVD. What oil do you have in there now? Suppose you put high mileage oil in your car and went back to regular oil, that would caused seals to shrink.
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It’s the oil control rings. It’s not the PCV (I replaced it) and it’s not the valve guides. I already know these things. I just want to know what’s a good oil to keep it clean or maybe clean it up a little more.
Love that camera. Nice for IVD look. The wet compression test would prove the rings bad.
But that’s likely not the case….the engine series in this car has a historical issue with the oil control rings…
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Give the HPL Engine Cleaner a try with some Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, and if that does not work then the Pistons will need to be taken out. I believe there is a video where a guy dipped his pistons into a bucket of B-12 chemtool cleaner. After the oil consumption is taken care of use either PUP or Mobil 1 ESP.
I have an 08 2AZ Scion Tc, when i got it it burned about a quart every 1k miles through 3 OCI's of whatever the previous owner put in(was fresh and full when i inspected car) and 2 OCI of Valvoline High mileage FS 0w-20. I did a very brief engine flush with berrymans engine flush(NOT the chemtool) with about a 125ml of the stuff (1/4 bottle) for 5-10 mins before my current OC.
I then filled it with Mobil 1 FS 0w-40 (the euro stuff). I am nearing the end of this OCI and check the consumption every 250-500 miles or so. The first check the rate was about 1 quart every 1.25k miles, a decent improvement. It got incrementally better and has improved to 1 quart per 1.7k miles now at 3.5k miles on this OCI.
I am not sure if this was due to the brief engine flush or the switch in oil. I think it may just be the new oil, seeing as how its improved every time I've checked this OCI. I am debating doing the next OCI with Valvoline again to test that, but since its still gradually improving I kind of want to stick with the 0w-40 M1 and see how much it improves(if at all) from here. I got the idea to use M1 0w-40 in the first place by a few threads on here and other forums claiming very good results on the 2az, and i have been seeing them.
Many people say the problem is unfixable without changing the pistons, my experience and other anecdotes say while it rarely gets fully fixed(to near zero consumption) it can certainly be improved, some anecdotes claim to the point were it doesnt really matter at a 5k interval(ie it doesnt lose a quart before 5k miles). I think the 2az equipped cars that get it bad had a combination of constant low RPM driving and low quality/long interval oil changes that is ubiquitous on american owned cars. Short OCI with high quality oil until consumption is acceptable, then 5k interval with high quality oil seems to be the ticket from my research and first hand experience. These engines, especially the post 2007 models with the head stud problem solved, seem to run forever if theres enough oil in the sump.
I then filled it with Mobil 1 FS 0w-40 (the euro stuff). I am nearing the end of this OCI and check the consumption every 250-500 miles or so. The first check the rate was about 1 quart every 1.25k miles, a decent improvement. It got incrementally better and has improved to 1 quart per 1.7k miles now at 3.5k miles on this OCI.
I am not sure if this was due to the brief engine flush or the switch in oil. I think it may just be the new oil, seeing as how its improved every time I've checked this OCI. I am debating doing the next OCI with Valvoline again to test that, but since its still gradually improving I kind of want to stick with the 0w-40 M1 and see how much it improves(if at all) from here. I got the idea to use M1 0w-40 in the first place by a few threads on here and other forums claiming very good results on the 2az, and i have been seeing them.
Many people say the problem is unfixable without changing the pistons, my experience and other anecdotes say while it rarely gets fully fixed(to near zero consumption) it can certainly be improved, some anecdotes claim to the point were it doesnt really matter at a 5k interval(ie it doesnt lose a quart before 5k miles). I think the 2az equipped cars that get it bad had a combination of constant low RPM driving and low quality/long interval oil changes that is ubiquitous on american owned cars. Short OCI with high quality oil until consumption is acceptable, then 5k interval with high quality oil seems to be the ticket from my research and first hand experience. These engines, especially the post 2007 models with the head stud problem solved, seem to run forever if theres enough oil in the sump.
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How bout seafoam treatment then following a 3-5k oil change using whatever you can get priced right
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Seafoam is not a great cleaner. It's mostly a light pale oil with mineral spirits. It flashes off very quickly. A dedicated cleaner producing that uses esters is more effective and much lower risk.
DITTO!!!!!
What about using Valvoline Heavy Duty Maxlife 15w40 SynBlend?
I made a longer post above, but specifically to the last part of your post try Mobil 1 0w-40 ECF. I have spent countless hours researching oil, still dont know a tenth of knowledgeable members on here, but going euro oil with porsche A40 etc spec seems to be a fairly idiot proof way of ensuring you are getting a very high quality oil that will keep your engine clean on the inside among other benefits for the majority of applications.
I like the concept of the HPL Engine Cleaner. Put it in for 1-2k miles for a slow, gradual clean instead of the alternative.
Shel_B
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What cleaning agents does the oil have that a) will clean an already dirty, contaminated engine and b) that other oils don't have? What do you mean when you say it "is a very stout oil." What makes it more "stout" than other oils?
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