Rotella 10w30 in 2001 Accord EX V6 ( J30-A1 engine )

[tomkelso2003]

My first time posting here and looking to see opinions and what might be a better plan.

My wife has a 2001 Accord EX V6 ( engine: J30-A1 ) at 137,000 miles.
Manual calls for 5w20 oil preferred or 5w30 oil optional.
No specific API rating specified.
( previous year 2000 calls for 5w30 oil preferred 10w30 oil optional with API-SJ )
Oil change interval specified is 7500 miles with oil filter changed every other time.

My wife drove this car since new (commuting during first 7 years), then retiring
and only driven lightly last 10 years ( 3000 miles/year for 10 years ).
oil changed once per year in those lightly used years.

I am trying to come up to speed and learn a little about engine oil.
I was thing that her short trips
(1/2 mile drive to place where she walks 3 miles, and 1/2 mile back)
might be thinning the oil with gas. So, I decided to switch the 5w20 oil
to 5w30 castrol GTX high milage (there is also a slight oil leak at oil pump seal).

Anyway, I overfilled the oil a bit and used a plastic tube down the dip-stick
access to remove some oil.

The problem problem is that the plastic tube had some black sludge on the end after
pulling the tube out. Looking in the top end through the oil fill hole, shows the
engine very clean.

My wife let me drive the car some more to try and clean up the stuff (weekend driving
and using her car to commute to work some). But, the rate of cleaning using normal oil
(judging by the oil color) is very meager and could take years with the amount of driving we do.

I was thinking to use Rotella 10w30 to see if it will remove some of the sludge.
( I read somewhere that is Rotella 15w40 was put into a dirty engine, the oil would
get black in a few hundred miles).

I like that concept, and intend to try with the Rotella 10w30 and see what happens.
Hopefully, black oil in a few hundred miles, replace oil/filter when oil is black,
repeat until we get cleaner oil.
(I also read somewhere that the Rotella has more seal conditioner like a high milage oil).

Perhaps this will be a good oil to use ongoing in the low use car. (maybe 3000 mile/year usage)

Any thoughts on this plan ?

 

[SatinSilver]

The transmission is much more likely to conk out before the engine croaks. I would get some drain and fills done on the trans if it hasn't been serviced recently. How many of them have been done to this point?

 

[CT8]

I think you are worrying about stuff that doesn't need to be worried about. In a few more years it will be new car time.

 

[tomkelso2003]

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
The transmission is much more likely to conk out before the engine croaks. I would get some drain and fills done on the trans if it hasn't been serviced recently. How many of them have been done to this point?


The last transmission fluid change happened Mar 6, 2012 at 112,676 miles. (currently at 137,000 miles)

My wife is very easy on the car while driving.
I, on the other hand, sometimes rev up above 3500 rpm to activate the VTEC, and use some limited downshift engine braking just to exercise the car a bit.
I have read before about the transmission weakness, but, knock-on-wood, it is holding up.

 

[tomkelso2003]

Originally Posted by CT8
I think you are worrying about stuff that doesn't need to be worried about. In a few more years it will be new car time.

Ha, It's already new car time, we got her a 2018 Outback 3.6R (engine EZ36D), but, so far, she prefers driving the accord.
So, for now, planning to keep the accord maintained and maybe get some antique plates in seven years.

 

[ctechbob]

Originally Posted by CT8
I think you are worrying about stuff that doesn't need to be worried about. In a few more years it will be new car time.



This.

The earlier J Series motors were just near bulletproof with just minor maintenance. The gunk you pulled out of the tube is probably just oil that's been sitting around since the car was built since its basically a 'no flow' area. If the under cap area looks clean, the rest of the engine probably is as well. Run just about whatever you like in it, it won't care.

 

[BAJA_05]

Rotella T5 10W30 would surely clean it up but SN conventional oil like Super Tech, Formula Shell, Quaker State, etc. on the cheaper end would clean up things also on multiple oil changes with short oil change intervals. Super Tech oil filters are cheap also & would work well with your game plan.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Nothing wrong with T5 10w30. However, color is not a good indicator of oil condition

 

[KCJeep]

Trying to clean with oil alone, any oil, is an exercise in futility. Keeping an engine clean with oil, and cleaning an already dirty one with oil are two entirely different things.

That said I did do two runs of Castrol UltraClean 5w30 in my soon to be daughter in law's dirty neglected Cobalt. You could actually see a minor improvement after those two OCI's, but it still would have taken 100k or more to truly "clean" it if at all. Castrol UltraClean actually has more detergents in it than Rotella by the way, since I am on the topic.

Kinda a moot point here though IMO, as already mentioned I highly doubt your engine is dirty anyway.

Rotella 10w30 would do fine in your car, (at one point I had Rotella simultaneously in all 5 of the cars we owned at the time) but cold winter starts on it can be kind of slow.

 

[dave1251]

In the summer this would be a perfect oil. In the winter I recommend using a 5W30.