Pennzoil Ultra Platinum deposit buildup?

[The Critic]

That amount of buildup does seem excessive. Just to confirm, is this actual sludge and not additives that have fallen out of suspension? As you know, Pennzoil seems to have a real problem with additives falling out of suspension and settling at the bottom of their jugs; anyone with a few older jugs will confirm this.

 

[Shel_B]

That amount of buildup does seem excessive. Just to confirm, is this actual sludge and not additives that have fallen out of suspension? As you know, Pennzoil seems to have a real problem with additives falling out of suspension and settling at the bottom of their jugs; anyone with a few older jugs will confirm this.

If it's additives that have fallen out of suspension, would the gunk accumulate on the inside of the valve covers?

While I don't use Pennzoil now, I might at some later date, so I'm concerned about what this "sludge" really represents and how serious it is.

 

[The Critic]

If it's additives that have fallen out of suspension, would the gunk accumulate on the inside of the valve covers?

While I don't use Pennzoil now, I might at some later date, so I'm concerned about what this "sludge" really represents and how serious it is.

Heavy particles usually sink to the bottom. The Valvetrain is not the lowest point.

Pennzoil ultra platinum additive fallout

I recently filled the rig with pennzoil ultra platinum 5w30 and noticed the notorious dark stuff at the bottom of the 5 qt jug. This was a fairly new jug from amazon (less than 6 months old). Is this actually additive? And if so is the amount at the bottom of my jug enough to take away from the...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[buster]

I don't know the cause, but I would say it's highly unlikely that it is due to the oil IMO.

 

[Shel_B]

Heavy particles usually sink to the bottom. The Valvetrain is not the lowest point.

Pennzoil ultra platinum additive fallout

I recently filled the rig with pennzoil ultra platinum 5w30 and noticed the notorious dark stuff at the bottom of the 5 qt jug. This was a fairly new jug from amazon (less than 6 months old). Is this actually additive? And if so is the amount at the bottom of my jug enough to take away from the...

bobistheoilguy.com

That was my point, although perhaps clumsily made.

Thanks for bringing up that old thread. I recall reading it when it was active.

 

[DR1]

I just had my oil and filter changed yesterday and I have been using Pennzoil Plat 5w30 and Ultra Plat. 5w30 over the past few years. This thread has got me all nervous now. Like most of you of course you def love your vehicle/vehicles. Honestly the only big reason why I use Pennzoil is the price point and the Main point is because Pennzoil claims that their oil is made from natural gas and not crude oil. Thoughts?

 

[Avery4]

Seems like some type of sludge to me, although if additives are falling out at that high of a rate and not dissolving back into the oil even with as much driving as I do, I think that's also bad. Not only does it create a nasty sludge, but those additives aren't doing their job sitting at the bottom of the oil pan. I know the additives do easily drop out of this oil though, I have seen that in the bottom of the jug. I always shake up the jug before I pour it into the engine to hopefully redissolve those additives.

I wonder which additives fall out of suspension? Maybe if the detergents are falling out of suspension due to the oil's chemistry, poor oil flow around the corners of the pan, etc, that could have contributed to the buildup I saw on the head and valvetrain if the detergents were sitting at the bottom of the oil pan instead of circulating through the engine.

Whatever the case, I will probably try a different brand of oil next time and see if I notice any increase or reduction in deposits.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Anyone ever crack the mystery of what that stuff on the bottom of their containers is? Wonder if a voa would tell the tale (or has that already been done before) ?

 

[doublebase]

Good points. I can understand the buildup in the pan, that's a great point about the fins. However, I have run this engine with the valve cover removed and oil quickly gets everywhere even at idle. I would think there should be plenty of heat and oil flow/splash in the cylinder head area to prevent any real buildup?

I have worked on other engines with much more mileage and an unknown maintenance/usage history that had a cleaner head and valvetrain than mine with about 40K miles since the refresh, easy usage, and <5K mile oil changes.

My friend's almost 200K mile Cadillac CTS is a great example of this. When I changed the valve cover gaskets and replaced the cracked oil pan, that engine was pretty darn clean inside. The oil pan was definitely cleaner than mine and the head and valvetrain was somewhat cleaner than mine too. He owned it for about 2 years and did 6-7K mile oil changes with whatever synthetic was available cheapest (usually STP or a generic parts store brand), but the rest is unknown. It's totally possible things about other engines are just better for staying clean than mine, I just wonder how much the oil contributed to the buildup. Sounds like in my case the design of the engine has more to do with it than anything else.

Best bet would be to get a look at another pan and compare. Or even google 2005 Honda Civic oil pan...there might be an image to compare, those were popular cars. Or maybe post something on the Civic forum and see if anyone experienced something similar. Who knows? Maybe it is the oil, I kind of doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

 

[dblshock]

Pennzoil is real cozy with CAFE and ILSAC which is great hope everyone uses it, but on paper it's tough to beat M1 FS 0/40 for your legacy engine.

 

[Avery4]

Pennzoil is real cozy with CAFE and ILSAC which is great hope everyone uses it, but on paper it's tough to beat M1 FS 0/40 for your legacy engine.

If I remember correctly Mobil 1 0W40 is almost a thick 30 weight. Either way up to a 40 weight oil is approved for this engine, so I would have no concerns about using it. I just don't feel like I need such a thick oil, especially since I added an oil to coolant heat exchanger to regulate the oil temperature. The hottest oil temp I normally see is about 188 degrees and oil pressure is great, so I think the recommended 20 weight oil is totally adequate for my application. No point in throwing away MPG and HP unnecessarily.

I have heard that Mobil 1 0W40 has great cleaning power though, I actually considered it and may still try it. Too bad that formula isn't available in any thinner grades, it seems be a great product for the price.

 

[OVERKILL]

If I remember correctly Mobil 1 0W40 is almost a thick 30 weight. Either way up to a 40 weight oil is approved for this engine, so I would have no concerns about using it. I just don't feel like I need such a thick oil, especially since I added an oil to coolant heat exchanger to regulate the oil temperature. The hottest oil temp I normally see is about 188 degrees and oil pressure is great, so I think the recommended 20 weight oil is totally adequate for my application. No point in throwing away MPG and HP unnecessarily.

I have heard that Mobil 1 0W40 has great cleaning power though, I actually considered it and may still try it. Too bad that formula isn't available in any thinner grades, it seems be a great product for the price.

It's really not that much heavier, given you are already running a 5w-30. Could give it a shot?

 

[FZ1]

I have no idea how many miles are on this engine, I bought it used from a Japanese engine import shop. It supposedly had no more than 50K miles on it when I bought it, but I have no way to verify that. It seems to be in great condition though. It was reasonably clean, has great compression, doesn't burn a significant amount of oil, and easily gets me 45+ MPG.

Honda called for 10K mile oil changes on the conventional oils available back in the early 2000's, so their engineers must not think these engines are too hard on oil. But I think the buildup I'm seeing in the oil pan and head wouldn't be so mild if I followed their suggestion though.

Well, how many miles have you, personally, put on the engine? You could try M1 EP or AFE available at WM online. You are maintaining the engine, well. Engine seems O.K.

 

[Avery4]

Well, how many miles have you, personally, put on the engine? You could try M1 EP or AFE available at WM online. You are maintaining the engine, well. Engine seems O.K.

I swapped it at around 230K and I recently hit 270K, so I put around 40K miles on it since I bought it and refreshed it. I probably will try a different oil next time and see how it affects the buildup, perhaps Mobil 1.

 

[FZ1]

I swapped it at around 230K and I recently hit 270K, so I put around 40K miles on it since I bought it and refreshed it. I probably will try a different oil next time and see how it affects the buildup, perhaps Mobil 1.

Wow, getting good service out of your engines/car. WM online ships free, to your door, on purshases totalling over $35. Good luck with your motor.

 

[Krieg]

I echo Mobil 1 0W40. It's a great oil. Although; PUP is too!

 

[Avery4]

I echo Mobil 1 0W40. It's a great oil. Although; PUP is too!

I have heard great things about Mobil 1 FS 0W40. I have always avoided oils with such a large viscosity range because of the presumably large amount of viscosity index improvers and lack of extreme cold here in Tennessee, but then again if their 0W40 is good enough for Porsche, it's probably fine for my Hondas.

 

[Merek]

I have heard great things about Mobil 1 FS 0W40. I have always avoided oils with such a large viscosity range because of the presumably large amount of viscosity index improvers and lack of extreme cold here in Tennessee, but then again if their 0W40 is good enough for Porsche, it's probably fine for my Hondas.

It's really close to a 30w and after a bit of shearing it will soon be within that range anyways.

 

[Avery4]

It's really close to a 30w and after a bit of shearing it will soon be within that range anyways.

Yup it is. It's viscosity at 100 degrees C is 12.9, which is just over the 30W range of 9.3 to 12.4.

 

[Merek]

I have 2x Civic's but the previous gen, 97 & 99 hx's w/ d16y5 so I'd try to keep it running as long as it's still feasible to do so, they have 230k & 270k on them without any major engine work.

I mostly use Pennzoil Platinum in the 99 but currently have Valvoline Full Synthetic Maxlife in the 97, 5w30 of course.