I might have to try this on one of my vehicles...
I looked in the oil fill hole of both my vehicles, something I have never done before. The 2008 Civic (1.8 liter, 97K miles) looked spotless - no varnish or sludge, and I could see the timing chain and into the valve train. It has had a steady diet of M1 since new, and the last few years it has averaged around 9K mile OCI. I will probably decrease this in the future unless I am using M1 EP (which is slated for the next oil change, I have the jug in my garage).
The 2005 Sienna (3.3 liter V6, 147K miles), on the other hand, has a layer of grainy sludge on some sort of "shelf" just under the oil fill cap. It is a thin layer, but it is there. I cannot see inside past this shelf since the clearances around this shelf that would allow oil to drain down into the valve train are quite small, too small for a flathead screwdriver to fit. I am left to wonder what it looks like inside - is it all like this, or is it just this spot where oil likely cannot splash onto from the valve train when the engine is running? The valve cover gasket was replaced a couple of months ago, and the mechanic made no mention of a dirty valve train. I'll call the shop, but at this point the mechanic who did it likely won't remember. I would think if it were really bad they would have offered a service at cost to clean it. They did clean off the oil that had leaked out onto the head and the block, and that wasn't all that extensive.
It has averaged about 8,700 mi OCI in recent years. I used M1 since it was new until a few years ago when there was no M1 5W-30 on the shelf at Wallies when I bought oil (I typically don't stock up, and buy when I need oil), so I got PP and have used it since then. My Wallies rarely has M1 5W-30 for some reason, but it always has PP.
After the warranties expired I have used Fram Ultra and more recently Fram Endurance in both vehicles, replacing the filter at each oil change. Neither car is driven hard, though the ratio of short to long trips does change from time to time.
I looked in the oil fill hole of both my vehicles, something I have never done before. The 2008 Civic (1.8 liter, 97K miles) looked spotless - no varnish or sludge, and I could see the timing chain and into the valve train. It has had a steady diet of M1 since new, and the last few years it has averaged around 9K mile OCI. I will probably decrease this in the future unless I am using M1 EP (which is slated for the next oil change, I have the jug in my garage).
The 2005 Sienna (3.3 liter V6, 147K miles), on the other hand, has a layer of grainy sludge on some sort of "shelf" just under the oil fill cap. It is a thin layer, but it is there. I cannot see inside past this shelf since the clearances around this shelf that would allow oil to drain down into the valve train are quite small, too small for a flathead screwdriver to fit. I am left to wonder what it looks like inside - is it all like this, or is it just this spot where oil likely cannot splash onto from the valve train when the engine is running? The valve cover gasket was replaced a couple of months ago, and the mechanic made no mention of a dirty valve train. I'll call the shop, but at this point the mechanic who did it likely won't remember. I would think if it were really bad they would have offered a service at cost to clean it. They did clean off the oil that had leaked out onto the head and the block, and that wasn't all that extensive.
It has averaged about 8,700 mi OCI in recent years. I used M1 since it was new until a few years ago when there was no M1 5W-30 on the shelf at Wallies when I bought oil (I typically don't stock up, and buy when I need oil), so I got PP and have used it since then. My Wallies rarely has M1 5W-30 for some reason, but it always has PP.
After the warranties expired I have used Fram Ultra and more recently Fram Endurance in both vehicles, replacing the filter at each oil change. Neither car is driven hard, though the ratio of short to long trips does change from time to time.
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