Restore and Protect; How does it clean?

[TomYoung]

It's a solvent. The oil is the solute. The oil's adherence and affinity for the metal or other similar surface is weakened far more greatly than with other solvents.

Maybe you're an organic chemist, then you could given the full breakdown that you've seen under the microscope. But I do know thing. A surface formerly coated with oils and wiped with perc is going to be bone dry after cleaning, as if the oil was never there. I even wiped my phone clean of transmission fluid with some perc very carefully and the glass essentially had a factory finish.

Not sure that organic chemists can tell much about sludge by looking at it through a microscope. Also not sure what you are getting at on chemicals that clean up once lubricated surfaces…

 

[RDMgr]

US Patent 11,078,436 gives a good idea of what VRP is about. Specific base oils from Groups III, IV and V blended to a specific aniline point provides the solubility needed to remove deposits. A patent doesn't provide specific commercial formulas but it will give an idea of the technology behind the invention. VRP is not a solvent but it has relatively high solvency characteristics. It certainly isn't micro-abrasives which is counter to lubrication principles and best practices.

However, greases with abrasives have been used in certain industrial applications and under strict control. An example would be as a repair compound for smoothing girth gears and pinions on ball mills and similar equipment. Use of a running in compound is for short term use with final polishing being done with non-abrasive lubricants.

 

[buster]

US Patent 11,078,436 gives a good idea of what VRP is about. Specific base oils from Groups III, IV and V blended to a specific aniline point provides the solubility needed to remove deposits. A patent doesn't provide specific commercial formulas but it will give an idea of the technology behind the invention. VRP is not a solvent but it has relatively high solvency characteristics. It certainly isn't micro-abrasives which is counter to lubrication principles and best practices.

However, greases with abrasives have been used in certain industrial applications and under strict control. An example would be as a repair compound for smoothing girth gears and pinions on ball mills and similar equipment. Use of a running in compound is for short term use with final polishing being done with non-abrasive lubricants.

That's the patent for Valvoline Premium Blue Restore product. Entirely different chemistry than VRP.

 

[Faawrenchbndr]

OK but most people use pump gas, lead was taken out in the mid 70's I think here in the US. Certainly not enough of a market to matter much to Valvoline to address it with R&P.

All I’m saying is is there ARE fuels that are available for purchase that still have lead in them.

Yeah, no synthetic oil was going to have an effect on lead deposits.

 

[RDMgr]

That's the patent for Valvoline Premium Blue Restore product. Entirely different chemistry than VRP.

Subsequent Valvoline patent applications seem to use the same technology and fluids. The difference is they raised the aniline point. The original with the lower AP was a one use cleaner with an interval of about 5000 miles. Raising the AP to the higher end of the 20-115 range seems to give the same cleaning effect in multiple intervals. I may be wrong but I thinks it just a modification of the original technology.

 

[Glenda W.]

They have several variations of Premium Blue Restore with the latest being a 10w30 I believe. These are around $79 per gallon. R&P is way to cheap to be majority groups 4 and 5. Valvoline themselves in a LSJR vid said it’s an additive for what it’s worth.

 

[RobbS]

Today I filled up both cars with VRP. Both cars run perfectly. I just want to clean up any varnish or discolor inside the engines.
I purchased enough to change out fluid five times. I Purchased 5 BOSS filters for the Ford & 5 M1 EP filters for the Toyota.
I will be curious of the results.

 

[kschachn]

Back in the day, lead oxide in the engine (formed by combustion of tetraethyllead) was scavenged by the addition of dibromoethane in the gasoline. Apparently, Marvell Mystery oil got a lot of its good rep because it scavenged lead deposits quite well in aircraft engines, obviously with some type of halogenated liquid in the mix. The brominated lead products formed after scavenging reacted with moisture in the exhaust to form various lead acids which ate through the exhaust pipe and muffler.

Not a good outcome. There really is nothing good about TEL in fuel except for the increased octane rating.

 

[MolaKule]

An explanation of Analine and analine points (AP).

Post in thread 'Comparison of Aniline Points'

Sep 6, 2024

From a summary of available literature, since I am too lazy to dig out the textbooks:

Analine itself (C6H5NH2) is also called aminobenzene or phenylamine.

The aniline point is called the "aniline point temperature," which is the lowest temperature at which equal volumes of aniline (C6H5NH2) and the test oil form a single phase and are micible or 'mixable. The aniline point (AP) correlates roughly with the amount and type of aromatic hydrocarbons in an oil sample. A low AP is indicative of higher aromatics, while a high AP is indicative of lower aromatics content.

The aniline point...

• MolaKule

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[demarpaint]

All I’m saying is is there ARE fuels that are available for purchase that still have lead in them.

Yeah, no synthetic oil was going to have an effect on lead deposits.

Yes, and all I said was there was a very small market for leaded fuel and why it wasn't mentioned in V&P's advertising. I also said it might very well clean it up since it might be mixed in with other deposits it does remove. I'd give it a shot or call them and ask if you haven't already done so.

 

[MolaKule]

Lead gets into the oil and then coats parts of the engine. It was first noted in significance when they started putting synthetic oil in aircraft that ran on leaded fuel. Lawsuits followed to have engines replaced For some reason, synthetic oil does not have the ability to clean and suspend lead deposits. Aviation oil would do the cleaning for me, but those are low stress low RPM engines and I do not trust the oil made for that application.

You may be referring to these articles, but these articles have many errors and incorrect assumptions, such as misunderstanding the difference between "clearances" and "tolerances."

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/january/pilot/airframe-and-powerplant

The problem with the Mobil 1 aero oil was not the full synthetic base oil mix, but the additive chemistry. The additive chemistry did not properly scavenge and disperse lead deposits.

"..Mobil introduced its 100% synthetic AV-1 piston aircraft engine oil with great ballyhoo in connection with the 1986 round-the-world Voyager flight. It went on the market in 1987, after five years of R&D and 25,000 hours of flight testing in 23 different aircraft. Teledyne Continental enthusiastically approved AV-1 for use in all TCM engines with oil filters. It didn't take long before isolated cases of lead sludge accumulation became apparent in some (but certainly not all) engines using AV-1. Both John Frank of the Cessna Pilots Association and yours truly started advising against the use of AV-1 in low-utilization owner-flown airplanes as early as 1991. Our rationale was that 100% synthetic oil is a superb lubricant but a lousy cleanser, and that cleansing is extremely important in piston aircraft engines because of their loose tolerances and the significant blow-by that can leak past the rings and contaminate the oil. But while we suggested owners not use AV-1, we honestly didn't anticipate that the lead sludging problem could reach the severity revealed by the Gross and Eriksson teardowns..." Emphasis mine.

https://www.avweb.com/features/mobil-av-1-under-attack/

I think the bottom line is to use an oil with the proper additive chemistry for the intended application. The use of leaded fuel is an outlier to the norm. It is up to the user of leaded fuels to deal with the ramifications of such.

 

[RobbS]

I have jugs of VR&P for the two cars. I also purchased a couple of AMSOIL oil filters.
How do AMSOIL filters stack up ?I only need them to perform for 5K miles.

 

[Ayrton]

Post in thread 'Restore and Protect; How does it clean?'

Mar 6, 2025

I think there is more than one cleaning component but I think this may be the major cleaning component, an estolide:

See Page 7 of 12.

https://www.biosynthetic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2015-Brochure-E-Version.pdf

"Abstract​

Estolides are bio-based oils synthesized from fatty acids or from the reaction of fatty acids with vegetable oils. Estolides have many advantages as lubricant base oils, including excellent biodegradability and cold flow properties. Promising applications for estolides include bio-lubricant base oils and in cosmetics. In this review, the...

• MolaKule

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Interesting that this mentions a 3.3 percent fuel economy improvement, when that's something many users of Restore and Protect report.

I just wish they'd make a 40 weight.

 

[OilStainedNapkin]

Does anyone know if VRP can clean off soap scum?

 

[Spring Break '92]

I have jugs of VR&P for the two cars. I also purchased a couple of AMSOIL oil filters.
How do AMSOIL filters stack up ?I only need them to perform for 5K miles.

For what they cost anyway, I wouldn't waste them on VRP for 5K miles. I would just use cheap filters - like O'Reilly Microgard - and change them twice @ 2,500 per fill.

 

[oil pan 4]

Where do you even get leaded fuel??

Lots of places when you know where to look.

 

[RobbS]

For what they cost anyway, I wouldn't waste them on VRP for 5K miles. I would just use cheap filters - like O'Reilly Microgard - and change them twice @ 2,500 per fill.

That makes sense, thank you. I will be running 5Kmiles , hopefully with no filtration overflow issues with excessive oil deposits. Thanks again.

 

[Spring Break '92]

That makes sense, thank you. I will be running 5Kmiles , hopefully with no filtration overflow issues with excessive oil deposits. Thanks again.

That's why I suggest playing it safe and changing the filter halfway through the 5K miles each time.

 

[RobbS]

That's why I suggest playing it safe and changing the filter halfway through the 5K miles each time.

Okay I understand. I can do that. I consider my engines as pristine due to it's service history. This is my first time running VRP, so I can play it safe and swap filters at 2500 miles. Thanks.

 

[2.7ecoboostFordBronco]

You may be referring to these articles, but these articles have many errors and incorrect assumptions, such as misunderstanding the difference between "clearances" and "tolerances."

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/january/pilot/airframe-and-powerplant

The problem with the Mobil 1 aero oil was not the full synthetic base oil mix, but the additive chemistry. The additive chemistry did not properly scavenge and disperse lead deposits.

"..Mobil introduced its 100% synthetic AV-1 piston aircraft engine oil with great ballyhoo in connection with the 1986 round-the-world Voyager flight. It went on the market in 1987, after five years of R&D and 25,000 hours of flight testing in 23 different aircraft. Teledyne Continental enthusiastically approved AV-1 for use in all TCM engines with oil filters. It didn't take long before isolated cases of lead sludge accumulation became apparent in some (but certainly not all) engines using AV-1. Both John Frank of the Cessna Pilots Association and yours truly started advising against the use of AV-1 in low-utilization owner-flown airplanes as early as 1991. Our rationale was that 100% synthetic oil is a superb lubricant but a lousy cleanser, and that cleansing is extremely important in piston aircraft engines because of their loose tolerances and the significant blow-by that can leak past the rings and contaminate the oil. But while we suggested owners not use AV-1, we honestly didn't anticipate that the lead sludging problem could reach the severity revealed by the Gross and Eriksson teardowns..." Emphasis mine.

https://www.avweb.com/features/mobil-av-1-under-attack/

I think the bottom line is to use an oil with the proper additive chemistry for the intended application. The use of leaded fuel is an outlier to the norm. It is up to the user of leaded fuels to deal with the ramifications of such.

I appreciate your input in this topic, very interesting, if you have the time can you explain why this p66 rep says they won’t use synthetic base oils with leaded fuels? Is he dumbing something down for the audience? Is this marketing? I would love to use an oil that could handle 100LL and allow me to start without preheat below 10F, but that would take a synthetic, I think. The Aeroshell 50/50 blend 15W-50 seems to be the best I can get for cold temps at the moment.