Supertech HM as a cleaner oil?

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SilverFusion2010

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2001 Chevy Malibu with 81k miles. 3.1L v6 Some sludgy stuff on the fill cap. Just changed oil and filled with Supertech HM 10w-30 and Fram extra guard filter. I suspect the car was mostly short tripped, and egr valve doesn't work. I'm not sure how long the egr has been non-functional.

The oil I drained wasn't the worst I've seen, certainly wasn't the best. I got a plop or two that seemed like it may have been a bit of sludge or perhaps squirrel droppings. Oil was black fwiw.

I'm planning on sticking with the Supertech HM in 10w-30 and the Fram for several 1000mi oci and see how the drains look. Car will be seeing a 25mi mixed commute, mostly hwy with a bit of city so 2x a day it will get good and hot and activate the additive pack.

I live in Florida. Cold cranking is a non-issue.

I'm not looking to spend a ton of money cleaning this engine out as it runs pretty well, so 3 short changes and then I'm switching to 5k with a synthetic. I want to get the most cleaning for my dollar however so please share your thoughts on the "best cleaning" $20 oil change. 5qt jugs preferred
smile.gif
 
Sludgy stuff could be coolant contamination, which is pretty common in that engine of I remember correctly. Might need intake manifold gaskets.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Sludgy stuff could be coolant contamination, which is pretty common in that engine of I remember correctly. Might need intake manifold gaskets.

You do,a uoa should tell you about any coolant decontamination.
 
Originally Posted By: Skid
If you have a coolant leak as suggested above, ain't no oil in the world gonna last 5000 miles. Prolly not even 2000.


If you do have a coolant leak from the LIM gasket, which is likely, I'd put some Barsleak tabs in it until you get around to replacing the gasket.
 
LIM? The spark plugs are due so the intake manifold is going to come off at some point soonish and I was already planning on changing the gasket. I'm at a loss though to understand how that gasket is letting coolant into the oil. I've never seen an intake manifold that had coolant circulating in it.... They are basically fancy air pipes
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
How about a gallon of Supertech 15w40 with MMO as the final quart?

There is no evidence that MMO does anything. This is a relatively new engine, with some specific problem, most likely. The owner would do best to change the oil and determine the mechanical issue. MMO doesn't help anything.
 
Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
LIM? The spark plugs are due so the intake manifold is going to come off at some point soonish and I was already planning on changing the gasket. I'm at a loss though to understand how that gasket is letting coolant into the oil. I've never seen an intake manifold that had coolant circulating in it.... They are basically fancy air pipes


I just did the LIM on my 3.4 (lots of talk of this engine family today!) It was sludgy under the valve covers too but I suspect that was from a lifetime of big city stop and go traffic with short trips and intermittent oil changes with who knows what oil. The PCV was clogged too. I cleaned it out by hand and let it sit overnight with cleaner and did an oil change with another one due up soon. If you do it, check on the throttle body too and the overall health of the intake and hoses. Have an oil analysis done and check the coolant reservoir (mine looked like a chocolate milkshake with oil having gotten into the coolant).
 
The Bars Leaks tabs will fix the coolant leak - if it's even leaking. Lat time I was in Walmart they had the tube of Bars Leaks powder - same stuff - for less than $2. I'd run your ST HM at least 2k miles once or twice - after that go 5k and you'll be fine. Just keep it topped off. The 3.1L is hard to kill if you keep it full of oil. I had a 92 Lumina with 192k on the clock and it was running strong when I sold it.
 
It was losing coolant but I replaced the pressure cap and the loss has basically stopped. No coolant in oil, wasn't milky when drained, just black. It's not my car so I'll pass the gasket info along to the owner and dump some bars stop leak in the radiator in the meantime. If he chooses to replace the gasket I'll help him with the labor I guess. He's not really mechanical and fairly impatient so turning him loose on a complex repair would probably be the end of the car. Knowing him though I suspect he'll just run it with the bars until it dies.

So a couple votes for rotella, pass on the MMO. No disrespect I just don't believe in adding anything but oil to the crankcase. Staying on the cheap side of things what about the Supertech full syn? I think it meets dexos spec.

Again, not looking to put a lot of money in this car, I'm not worried about making the internals spotless, time and quality oil will eventually get most of it. I just want to get the worst of the goop out and make sure that all the oil channels and galleries and whatnot are flowing well enough that the engine won't self-destruct and leave this guy in a no transportation bind.
 
You ain't gonna see like 0.5%, 1% coolant contamination (takes much much more than that to become milky), but it will drastically shorten oil life, cause varnish, sludge, etc.
 
What oil would best resist coolant contamination? I put a bottle of bars in the coolant today but it will take a while for it to work through and do its thing.

Should I stay with a HM oil for the seal conditioners?

Would a thicker grade help the oil last longer with coolant contamination?
 
Before you do anything.... don't ask another question. Take an oil sample and send it to the lab to confirm/deny you have a coolant leak. Only then look for an appropriate response.
 
Originally Posted By: KevinP
Before you do anything.... don't ask another question. Take an oil sample and send it to the lab to confirm/deny you have a coolant leak. Only then look for an appropriate response.


With all respect sir, I will ask as many questions as I feel I need to. Are you offering to pay for the UOA? I need to operate this vehicle until my next paycheck which happens to be over a month. At that time I will take a sample and get the UOA done. I can't sell this guy on a UOA. I tried to explain the concept and got, "the look". I can however tell him to buy a cheap jug of 20w-50 if that will make the car run longer between changes.

Your "advice" while well intentioned I'm sure, came off rude to me. Please consider how your posts might be read, regardless of how they are intended.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: TomYoung
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
How about a gallon of Supertech 15w40 with MMO as the final quart?

There is no evidence that MMO does anything. This is a relatively new engine, with some specific problem, most likely. The owner would do best to change the oil and determine the mechanical issue. MMO doesn't help anything.


Relatively new engine? It's a 2001.

I've personally had decent luck with MMO cleaning things up. Plus, OP wanted something that could clean and be easy on the wallet. A jug of ST 15w40 with some MMO fits the bill. The MMO would also thin down the 40 weight too if they'd prefer to not run something so thick.
 
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