Took a look under the oil cap...

[Dr_No]

Well today I decided to take a flashlight and look under the oil cap. After the auto-rx treatments and chemical flushes the engine has looked like fresh metal under the oil cap.

Unfortunately I saw some carbon built up. I noticed it the area where oil pools and on some of the bolts. There isn't much oil curculation up where the oil cap is because it is just the valve springs/seals..

I believe it was the previous 6 month run on Castrol Syntec that caused it..
Why?
1. It was fresh carbon, that rubbed off onto a q-tip.
2. There was no existing carbon before hand.
3. Every other oil change had been 3 months or less

It was probably a bad idea, because the car sees many short trips under 3k a day. With 100% city driving, I would not run another 6 month OCI again.

Note that the PCV valve is fairly new, but the tubing is not.
The tubing being nearly impossible to replace, because of the tight location.


If your really curious what it looks like down there, I could try and take some pictures of it.

I'm wondering what I should try..
Solvent flush?
More auto-rx?
MMO for a full OCI?
HDEO oil like Duron 10w30?

 

[rg200amp]

SOOOO you are saying your enigne was spotless clean, you drove 540 kil. in 6 months, and you have fresh carbon build up??? And you were useing a synthetic oil?

I am sorry, but I can not see that to be the case.
Perhaps you still have junk in the motor from the Auto-rx use and it was sloshed up near the oil filler, perhaps you never had it fully clean to begin with.

But you are not getting new carbon build up from 540 kil/6 months of use with any name brand oil, let alone a synthetic.

 

[Frank]

Don't mix chemical flushes with Auto-Rx Chemistry. Suggest you drain oil and go on Auto-Rx Maintenance Plan (in your case use 4 ounces)don't add any other additives. No synthetic oil for 3000 miles. If you decide to do this please post results.

 

[Dr_No]

Let me say that differently.. I said many short trips under 3k.
Many trips, not totalling 3k.

I probably do 12k on the average work/week day.
Weekends/evenings ... Grocery store, friends house, driving friends, camping trips, etc. I put quite a few miles on the oil.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: Dr_No
Let me say that differently.. I said many short trips under 3k.
Many trips, not totalling 3k.

I probably do 12k on the average work/week day.
Weekends/evenings ... Grocery store, friends house, driving friends, camping trips, etc. I put quite a few miles on the oil.


I am sorry for getting that mixed up. Still your only at around 2100 Kil. Oil does not break down that fast and start depositing like that. It would have taken around 10,000 miles before the oil was so bad it let carbon to build up.

 

[Dr_No]

I was unable to get a picture of where the carbon was "pooling" and sorry for the low quality pic.. took picture on my blackberry

I wish I would have taken an oil sample, the oil was quite black and smelled like gas. Im on a 3 month oci right now, as seen in my sig. Maybe ill take a sample and send it away.

Is it possible the PCV system isn't circulating the gasses? When I opened the oil cap there was a vapor coming from the fill hole. Could this be an issue?

 

[rg200amp]

If it was indeed 100% for sure clean:
I think it just maybe build up left over from the Auto-rx. It got loose from another spot and just got sloshed up there.

That or you never really noticed the build up before.

As for your question, I would just stick to a quality synthetic oil. Your change interval is very good!

 

[Dr_No]

Ok, well I know an OCI before Syntec I took a bendy flashlight and had a good look in there. So it's farily new crud.

I think i'll just do a run of synthetic and see if the carbon gets worse/better and see if auto-rx is needed.

 

[greenaccord02]

I vote PP on the next OCI

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
I vote PP on the next OCI


Thats what id use.

 

[Dr_No]

Well I have access to almost any synthetic oil for 50% off.
I work in a lube shop and they give me 50% off everything.
So I may try Amsoil, or Total Quartz 5w30.

 

[rg200amp]

Thats a nice discount!!!!

 

[Dr_No]

Yeah, I will take advantage and use synthetic for the price of dino. And I can order an oil analysis from Cat Finning, but without discount. I'll probably do that when I dump the oil Jan-12