Valvoline Restore & Protect

It appears VRP could potentially have an effect on the coating of the black type Toyota OEM crusher washers. I have both the black and blue types on hand so I will be doing more testing. First time this has happened and it’s the first run of VRP for reference.

As I’ve said before, I think VRP is an intriguing product, but we still don’t know what we don’t know yet.

Maybe u could run an experiment and soak the washers in heated VRP? Measure the thickness 1st using a set of calipers.
 
It appears VRP could potentially have an effect on the coating of the black type Toyota OEM crusher washers. I have both the black and blue types on hand so I will be doing more testing. First time this has happened and it’s the first run of VRP for reference.

As I’ve said before, I think VRP is an intriguing product, but we still don’t know what we don’t know yet.

Thanks for crossposting here.

I use the blue felt one personally: part # 90430-12031
 
Maybe u could run an experiment and soak the washers in heated VRP? Measure the thickness 1st using a set of calipers.
Why though?

1) Already doing an experiment just driving the vehicle and doing oil changes with said items. Field testing > bench testing. 2) the coating coming off is clearly visible so why take measurements for it?

Left: new black type washer. Middle: used black washer with VRP. Right: new blue type washer.

IMG_7910.webp
 
These are owned by an American company and are a separate entity from the Valvoline lubricants company which is owned by the Saudi state owned company Aramco.
Good thing I suppose. Those type of places are good for entry level young folks who think they may eventually want to be wrench pullers. Tough work for not much pay but a good way for some to "break in" without any real experience or formal training. It is unfortunate that we do not have near as much shop/skill/trade training in the high schools like we once had near everywhere. Even at that, real go getters who want to learn have lots of opportunities if they just look around. There are "help wanted - free training - sign on bonus" signs I see all over the place. I know several young men who started out that way. Some decided it was not for them and ended up in trade schools or other places to follow other career paths and they are doing well. A few are now dealership technicians and love it (except for the long hours) because with all the benefits and good pay the places still have lots of turn over. Also being American owned , the money maybe? is staying in our economy instead of ending up elsewhere.(y)
 
Why though?

1) Already doing an experiment just driving the vehicle and doing oil changes with said items. Field testing > bench testing. 2) the coating coming off is clearly visible so why take measurements for it?

Left: new black type washer. Middle: used black washer with VRP. Right: new blue type washer.

View attachment 277298
To speed up the test and determine if VRP actually softens the black coating. With the drain plug installed the black coating is torque to specification which may lead to softening of the material.
 
Certainly sounds like VRP IS in fact removing "?somethings-goops?" from inside the engines or oil pans...?
I do not think we have heard much or anything folks are suspecting about leaking oil from VRP use which is a good thing. Well with over 119 pages I could have missed a lot of VRP talk.
 
I usually put a very light coating of new oil on the washer to keep it from sticking to pan. Similar to the approach with oil filter gaskets. Haven’t had this issue before VRP.
Ah ok. I haven't done that before. Even after waiting a while, there's still usually a very slow dribble out the hole in my experience so the drain plug gets oil on the threads and keeps it from seizing, and gasket is easy enough to get off. Interesting finding. Maybe the wonder detergent they discovered breaks down the coating.

As already mentioned, at least no major reports of oil leaks in those running this oil, but probably would have caused quite the panic if you posted this a year ago haha.
 
Ah ok. I haven't done that before. Even after waiting a while, there's still usually a very slow dribble out the hole in my experience so the drain plug gets oil on the threads and keeps it from seizing, and gasket is easy enough to get off. Interesting finding. Maybe the wonder detergent they discovered breaks down the coating.

As already mentioned, at least no major reports of oil leaks in those running this oil, but probably would have caused quite the panic if you posted this a year ago haha.
I only do it with this vehicle as the OEM washers have a tendency to stick to the pan.

This could be something to watch out for with known leaks. Maybe VRP gets on something external and starts eroding it. If it happens again I will continue with further exploration. If it doesn’t then I’ll just consider it a random anomaly and move on.
 
I only do it with this vehicle as the OEM washers have a tendency to stick to the pan.

This could be something to watch out for with known leaks. Maybe VRP gets on something external and starts eroding it. If it happens again I will continue with further exploration. If it doesn’t then I’ll just consider it a random anomaly and move on.
I assume that blue coating is the same as I have on some Toyota washers...it appears to be some sort of a fabric that is stuck to the metal washer. It wouldn't surprise me if it is glued on with something. On a Camry I used to have, a couple of times that blue material would separate from the underlying metal washer...come to think of it, that may have been when HPL was used. It had Pennzoil Ultra Platinum most of it's life, but I ran a couple of OCI's with HPL. Wow...wish I would have paid more attention. I just shrugged it off at the time. Now I wonder if oils that have superior cleaning abilities might be affecting the fabric-over-metal Toyota washers. It never leaked nor oozed, it simply separated when removed...certainly wouldn't reuse one of those!
 
I assume that blue coating is the same as I have on some Toyota washers...it appears to be some sort of a fabric that is stuck to the metal washer. It wouldn't surprise me if it is glued on with something. On a Camry I used to have, a couple of times that blue material would separate from the underlying metal washer...come to think of it, that may have been when HPL was used. It had Pennzoil Ultra Platinum most of its life, but I ran a couple of OCI's with HPL. Wow...wish I would have paid more attention. I just shrugged it off at the time. Now I wonder if oils that have superior cleaning abilities might be affecting the fabric-over-metal Toyota washers. It never leaked nor oozed, it simply separated when removed...certainly wouldn't reuse one of those!
Yeah, the blues ones seem to have a fabric of some sort and the black ones more of a plastic. It was hard to not notice as the washer material stuck to the bolt and pan. If I wasn’t paying attention I could have easily left material behind. Do that enough times and I imagine it could cause a leak.
 
Yeah, the blues ones seem to have a fabric of some sort and the black ones more of a plastic. It was hard to not notice as the washer material stuck to the bolt and pan. If I wasn’t paying attention I could have easily left material behind. Do that enough times and I imagine it could cause a leak.
I stopped using those fabric coated Toyota drain plug gaskets and just got some aluminum drain plug washers that can be used many times over with no ill effects.
 
I stopped using those fabric coated Toyota drain plug gaskets and just got some aluminum drain plug washers that can be used many times over with no ill effects.
The dealership provides the black gaskets with the filters so I use those. But if this issue persists I may opt for a metal useable gasket altogether. Is this potential issue the end of the world? No. Could it potentially cause a leak if one is not careful? I think so.
 
My guess is that VRP is affecting the adhesive that holds the coating to the washer. It dissolves petroleum varnish and deposits and adhesives are often derived from petroleum. Just a guess.

I think it shouldn't leak during use as it is torqued tight. Just need to clean the oil pan surface to be sure the gasket material is not stuck on there before putting on a new washer.
 
My guess is that VRP is affecting the adhesive that holds the coating to the washer. It dissolves petroleum varnish and deposits and adhesives are often derived from petroleum. Just a guess.

I think it shouldn't leak during use as it is torqued tight. Just need to clean the oil pan surface to be sure the gasket material is not stuck on there before putting on a new washer.
I think VRP is doing something. But time will tell. I’m just passing along my findings to hopefully help others. What people do or don’t do with that info is up to them.
 
My Sienna with 279k miles had an oil leaking issue about 2 years ago that was fixed with a change to Maxlife blend. My major concern with trying the VRP was that it would start back up again. Well into the second OCI now and no leaking at all. Also, I'm using the same copper drain plug washer that was on the vehicle when I bought it about five years ago. Its never leaked so I keep on with it.
 
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