I noticed the lobes too. Very smooth.And look at the cam lobes... Those look rather good in my opinion.
I noticed the lobes too. Very smooth.And look at the cam lobes... Those look rather good in my opinion.
Fair bit of varnish, which I suspect means the ring land area doesn't look too hot, but not unexpected for the oil used and the mileage accrued. I agree with a few of the others that suggested this would be a good time to try the HPL cleaner, see if it puts a dent in it.Family friend’s 2006 Toyota Matrix, 171k miles, says he usually takes it in for the $30 oil change specials at 5-6k miles since he bought it new. The windshield sticker says Penz conventional oil so I assume he gets conventional oil changes. Not bad for the mileage. It’s the original valve cover gasket wasn’t as brittle as I’ve seen before. Went ahead and replaced the tensioner o ring, and the spark plugs while I was in there.
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Results are ok but it would have been significantly cleaner on well formulated synthetic.
The effects of varnish are typically subtle (not noticeable without a dyno) unless it is severe.I don’t think it looks terrible given the age and mileage.
I’ll add: “if” I owned it though I would be doing shorter oil changes with a top-tier synthetic to try to at least make it somewhat cleaner visually, I don’t think any of that varnish is going to affect performance or engine longevity though.
Pictures like this, is this right after the cover was taken off and this is what you see, or is there wiping up excess oil and cleaning it up some for the picture?7,000 mile oil changes with ACEA A3/B4 lubes (135,000 total miles):View attachment 108036
There was no wiping or cleaning before pic. This was taken right after cover was removed.Pictures like this, is this right after the cover was taken off and this is what you see, or is there wiping up excess oil and cleaning it up some for the picture?
Just asking is all. I’ve never taken a valve cover off but wouldn’t mind attempting to do it when my accord gets a couple hundred thousand miles I. It just to see what it looks like
beautiful, any flushes ?7,000 mile oil changes with ACEA A3/B4 lubes (135,000 total miles):View attachment 108036
--- if cold cover is dirty, hot pistons will be covered in crap.The effects of varnish are typically subtle (not noticeable without a dyno) unless it is severe.
- Varnish causes ring sticking, which will reduce oil control effectiveness of the ring pack, as well as reduce compression. This increases blow-by and the rate at which the oil is degraded, as contaminants are introduced more quickly and in greater quantity.
- Varnish will slow the operation of hydraulic actuators like cam phasers, making them lazy, and lash adjusters. If bad enough, it can trigger a code.
Nope, just regular changes of A3/B4. The factory interval is around 15,000 miles, and I usually change at 7,000 miles.beautiful, any flushes ?
Auto-Rx? I got some dusty containers of Auto-Rx.The perfect candidate imo for a good engine cleaner.
+1. But what we are looking at is mostly varnish, not sludge. Engine will run the same if it's spotless or if there is some varnish.That doesn't look great for 5-6k intervals in my opinion.
I'll pass on that.Auto-Rx? I got some dusty containers of Auto-Rx.
Good, not sure I could find the dusty Auto-Rx after my last house moveI'll pass on that.
I'd wager that if we see visible varnish, the ring land area is significantly worse. While the engine may "run" the same, its performance is likely down a bit over an engine that was maintained with better fluids.+1. But what we are looking at is mostly varnish, not sludge. Engine will run the same if it's spotless or if there is some varnish.
Maybe but the cam lobes look in very good shape. Would you expect the ring land area to not be in good shape but the cam lobes to be in very good shape?I'd wager that if we see visible varnish, the ring land area is significantly worse. While the engine may "run" the same, its performance is likely down a bit over an engine that was maintained with better fluids.