Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Blend Clean engine?
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Originally Posted By: JAG
Buster, wipe the rubber seal on the oil fill cap and see if small chunks of rubber come off. Check the texture of the chunks on the dipstick. These checks will help determine if seals are shedding.
Good thought
That would seriously suck......
Buster, wipe the rubber seal on the oil fill cap and see if small chunks of rubber come off. Check the texture of the chunks on the dipstick. These checks will help determine if seals are shedding.
Good thought
Yea im not sure why or how maxlife cleans , but I can say that it does. We have a couple of customers who swore by regular vwb and wouldnt let us use anything else. I offered them maxlife at a discounted price and they agreed. 3k miles later oil comes out pitch black . Does for the next three oci. By the fourth one , oil now drains more of a darker golden/lighter brown color. I know oil color doesnt mean much , except in this case the driving conditions were similar. Only difference was the oil used.
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
Valvoline doesn't seem to get the hype or fanfare of other brands but it also doesn't seem to disappoint anyone,like an unsung hero,there when you need him but forgotten when all is well.
valvoline turns blacker quicker than any other oil we've used. however no oil has helped our engines run smoother. i too am an avid user of max life - whether it be reg, next gen, or synth
Originally Posted By: bourne
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
x2
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
x2
Originally Posted By: bourne
Yea im not sure why or how maxlife cleans , but I can say that it does. We have a couple of customers who swore by regular vwb and wouldnt let us use anything else. I offered them maxlife at a discounted price and they agreed. 3k miles later oil comes out pitch black . Does for the next three oci. By the fourth one , oil now drains more of a darker golden/lighter brown color. I know oil color doesnt mean much , except in this case the driving conditions were similar. Only difference was the oil used.
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
Yeah, but in another thread, you were identified as a Valvoline rep and I was called a Valvoline fanboy.
I agree with you in that Maxlife SB seems to be the best motor oil Valvoline offers.
It does a great job in my old BMW, both WRT reducing leaks and consumption and providing really impressive UOA results.
It also contains a nice shot of moly, which most Valvoline products lack.
Since this is only a 4 1/2 year old thread, I'm sure that the OP is still following it.
Maxlife is an API SN oil, which means it can be used in any car of any age calling for that spec.
It may be labeled a high mileage oil, but it looks like one of the better oils on the shelf, especially for the price.
Yea im not sure why or how maxlife cleans , but I can say that it does. We have a couple of customers who swore by regular vwb and wouldnt let us use anything else. I offered them maxlife at a discounted price and they agreed. 3k miles later oil comes out pitch black . Does for the next three oci. By the fourth one , oil now drains more of a darker golden/lighter brown color. I know oil color doesnt mean much , except in this case the driving conditions were similar. Only difference was the oil used.
Ive said before and ill say it again, maxlife is by far the best product in terms of value for money and performance from valvoline.
Yeah, but in another thread, you were identified as a Valvoline rep and I was called a Valvoline fanboy.
I agree with you in that Maxlife SB seems to be the best motor oil Valvoline offers.
It does a great job in my old BMW, both WRT reducing leaks and consumption and providing really impressive UOA results.
It also contains a nice shot of moly, which most Valvoline products lack.
Since this is only a 4 1/2 year old thread, I'm sure that the OP is still following it.
Maxlife is an API SN oil, which means it can be used in any car of any age calling for that spec.
It may be labeled a high mileage oil, but it looks like one of the better oils on the shelf, especially for the price.
I haven't had time to look into this any further but hopefully tomorrow I will. I am VERY curious to see what this is about, just from a purely oil geek perspective. This car has seen nothing but mostly top tier oils, so it definitely raises an eyebrow. It may be nothing, who knows....
I will be the first to admit I go OCD with this engine. I'd be willing to bet that if it was possible to prove, this engine would have ran just as well at this particular mileage on a consistent (key word) diet of one brand of oil throughout it's entire life...
My car was subjected to multiple brands of oil, including the old school and not very good Amsoil Engine Flush....and OTC O-Ring seal replacement.....Hmmm, again, anyone's guess but a rare replacement among this engine family.
I will be the first to admit I go OCD with this engine. I'd be willing to bet that if it was possible to prove, this engine would have ran just as well at this particular mileage on a consistent (key word) diet of one brand of oil throughout it's entire life...
My car was subjected to multiple brands of oil, including the old school and not very good Amsoil Engine Flush....and OTC O-Ring seal replacement.....Hmmm, again, anyone's guess but a rare replacement among this engine family.
I still believe in my theory it's just slight cleaning/conditioning of engine seals.
Let's consider what we already know:
1. M1 HM/ M1/ PU/ Amsoil etc are all high detergent oils that keep engines VERY clean.
2. The only differences are that ML has unique seal conditioners and is not your typical HM oil, AFAIK.
That leads me to believe that is what I am seeing. Again no proof, just an idea....
Let's consider what we already know:
1. M1 HM/ M1/ PU/ Amsoil etc are all high detergent oils that keep engines VERY clean.
2. The only differences are that ML has unique seal conditioners and is not your typical HM oil, AFAIK.
That leads me to believe that is what I am seeing. Again no proof, just an idea....
Originally Posted By: buster
I still believe in my theory it's just slight cleaning/conditioning of engine seals.
This is just anecdotal of course, and it was only my winter fill, but after several cycles of MaxLife 5w-30 in the winter (and HDEO in the summer), the old F-150 was ridiculously clean at rebuild time. The only thing that needed manual cleaning were the galleries, since the previous backyard rebuilder/previous owner didn't touch them.
I still believe in my theory it's just slight cleaning/conditioning of engine seals.
This is just anecdotal of course, and it was only my winter fill, but after several cycles of MaxLife 5w-30 in the winter (and HDEO in the summer), the old F-150 was ridiculously clean at rebuild time. The only thing that needed manual cleaning were the galleries, since the previous backyard rebuilder/previous owner didn't touch them.
Interesting. It's cleaning up something that is for sure. I picked up more ML 5w30 that will go in once this weather breaks...
There are possible some unique detergents in this oil. Just a guess.
I'm curious to see what the oil filter looks like.
There are possible some unique detergents in this oil. Just a guess.
I'm curious to see what the oil filter looks like.
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Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: buster
I still believe in my theory it's just slight cleaning/conditioning of engine seals.
This is just anecdotal of course, and it was only my winter fill, but after several cycles of MaxLife 5w-30 in the winter (and HDEO in the summer), the old F-150 was ridiculously clean at rebuild time. The only thing that needed manual cleaning were the galleries, since the previous backyard rebuilder/previous owner didn't touch them.
I've had the same experience with high mileage 302's run on synthetic though (without the gallery thing). Engines that have never seen maxlife.... FWIW.
Originally Posted By: buster
I still believe in my theory it's just slight cleaning/conditioning of engine seals.
This is just anecdotal of course, and it was only my winter fill, but after several cycles of MaxLife 5w-30 in the winter (and HDEO in the summer), the old F-150 was ridiculously clean at rebuild time. The only thing that needed manual cleaning were the galleries, since the previous backyard rebuilder/previous owner didn't touch them.
I've had the same experience with high mileage 302's run on synthetic though (without the gallery thing). Engines that have never seen maxlife.... FWIW.
I would be shocked if ML could clean out existing slude/varnish/deposits better than M1/PU/Amsoil etc. so I have no explanation yet as to why I am seeing this black oil. Bizarre.
However, if you read into the MaxLife line, it is a unique HM oil and using Ashland's patented chemistry. So who knows...
However, if you read into the MaxLife line, it is a unique HM oil and using Ashland's patented chemistry. So who knows...
Originally Posted By: buster
I would be shocked if ML could clean out existing slude/varnish/deposits better than M1/PU/Amsoil etc. so I have no explanation yet as to why I am seeing this black oil. Bizarre.
However, if you read into the MaxLife line, it is a unique HM oil and using Ashland's patented chemistry. So who knows...
Could it be that maxlife just goes black fastes than other oils you've tried?
Just spitballing here. I've only used valvoline a couple times in an engine when it goes on sale but i have found their tranny fluid to be excellent in every tranny I've used it in.
I would be shocked if ML could clean out existing slude/varnish/deposits better than M1/PU/Amsoil etc. so I have no explanation yet as to why I am seeing this black oil. Bizarre.
However, if you read into the MaxLife line, it is a unique HM oil and using Ashland's patented chemistry. So who knows...
Could it be that maxlife just goes black fastes than other oils you've tried?
Just spitballing here. I've only used valvoline a couple times in an engine when it goes on sale but i have found their tranny fluid to be excellent in every tranny I've used it in.
I suspect it holds stuff in suspension fine. It seemed to handle fuel dilution in my truck well, too.
buster, I would LOVE to see a run of Maxlife full syn in that Honda engine man! DO IT ! DO IT ! DO IT !
LOL I plan on it. I'm using the ML 5w30 though that now meets dexos 1. I don't see the need to use the full syn ML. It's also a bit thick for my car.
The jug I picked up did not have the new label on it, but it was bottled in November so I'm sure it's the latest formulation.
The jug I picked up did not have the new label on it, but it was bottled in November so I'm sure it's the latest formulation.
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