Switching from GTX HM to Forumula Shell yay or nay?

[mebanditws6]

I'm considering switching or at least trying Shell because of its apparentl ability to keep engines and even clean out sludged engines better than most any dino oil. I won't do any analysis or anything, but is this a good or bad idea? I'm pretty confident, but thought I'd run this by all the oil experts before hand.

Jason

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by mebanditws6:
I'm considering switching or at least trying Shell because of its apparentl ability to keep engines and even clean out sludged engines better than most any dino oil. I won't do any analysis or anything, but is this a good or bad idea? I'm pretty confident, but thought I'd run this by all the oil experts before hand.

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Where did you get your info that Formula Shell is so good at keeping engines clean or cleaning up a dirty engine?

 

[mebanditws6]

This is from ALJAMES in his post under "Poor Man's Flush"

"I had a similar experience with a used Honda I purchased about 6 months ago. The engine in this car had a coating of sludge when viewed from the oil fill hole in the cam cover. The existing oil had started to thicken and had not been changed for quite a while. My sludge build up was probably much less than what you have, maybe somewhere from 1/10" or 1/8" thick. Also the valve cover gasket and seals were starting to leak. My son was driving it and I couldn't trust him to keep a watch on the oil condition and level so i just changed the oil with my favorite brand of Shell Formula 10w30 with a Motorcraft filter and crossed my fingers.

He went off to school and returned mid semester with 3500 miles on the oil. To my surprise most of the sludge was removed and the oil was down 1/2 quart. I changed the oil and filter with the same Shell and Motorcraft and after an additional 2000 miles, 95% of the sludge was removed from the cam and valve area when I pulled the cam cover for a valve adjustment and gasket change to stop leaks. I was really surprised how well the oil only cleaned up the sludge in this engine. Now the varnish was not touched and a black and dark brown coating of varnish remained.

My recommendation to you is to remove the valve covers and clean out as much sludge as possible by scraping and then washing with mineral spirits or diesel fuel. Put it back together and use the Shell Formula oil of you choice of weight. Run for 500 miles, drain and clean the screen. Use the Shell oil again and check the condition after 500 miles. If the oil is black, change again. If the oil is brown then run to 1000 miles and change again. Repeat as many times as necessary."

I also think I remember seeing other experiences similar to this where Shell oil cleaned out some sludge, but don't remember who or what exactly it was about. The website also stressed the cleaning properties the most about the regular dino oil. Not sure how much merit that has, but it's more detailed I guess than saying something like, maximum protection against wear or maximum protection against thermal breakdown as Castrol GTX says.

Jason

 

[Ken2]

Shell might do that job, but any oil changed frequently and a car run 'til well warmed might do the same job.

We know nothing about the history of that car...what oil was used, what driving patterns, if the oil was ever changed. One of the requirements of the recent API-SL spec was for oil to be good with longer drain intervals. The car makers were getting so many lease-return cars where the leasee had performed little or no maintenance, and the car makers were re-warrantying these cars when sold by their dealers. The car makers needed oil that wouldn't cause so much sludge and other problems when they got these cars back.


Ken

[ February 07, 2003, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Ken2 ]

 

[Idrinkmotoroil]

I'm having great results with Castrol HM, for me it has reduced my consumption by at least 50%, and things are looking pretty clean as well. I think reduced consumption is the most redeeming quality of this oil, it seems a bit thicker (higher visc.) too. If you are just looking for an oil to keep your engine clean why not venture into a good synthetic.

 

[mebanditws6]

The 318 has 127k miles on it, and it recently got a new oil pump and a MUCH needed pan and pickup screen cleaning (so bad it sometimes lost oil pressure). It was flushed with KN flush 3 times total before the new oil pump and cleaning of the pan. I like the GTX HM, but have just heard some good things about Shell in terms of its cleaning ability.

Jason