Varnish in engines?

[Panzerman]

I hear alot about Varnish in Engines, especially assoicated with Motorcraft and Castrol. Is varnish really hurting anything though, when i hear varnish, I think more of a "stained brown look". Ive seen alot of varnished engines with a variety of oils but I never really thought that was bad, Ive seen sludge too, that was bad. Whats your opinions on Varnish in a engine, I think it shows some oil stayed on the parts and veiw it as anything else as OK in moderation.

 

[XPR]

Yes its bad and should be avoided.

 

[ProfPS]

This is a good topic for discussion. Which brands are more prone to vanishing and which are not?

 

[Panzerman]

Why is it bad? What harm is a golden brown stain on parts, Thats too broad. So far it seems Castrol and MC are as popular for varnish as Pennzoil and QS for sludge. Both reputations I think are for oils that were made in the 70s.

 

[ProfPS]

In my '06 Malibu I have used Havoline (SM) and Chevron Supreme since it was new. The bottom of the engine oil cap has a slight varnish on it that could lead to thicker varnish or sludge if I don't take care of it. I see this as a sign of what's going on under the valve covers.

I plan to switch to Havoline DS for the next OC to see if it cleans it up.

 

[Dr_No]

You guys could read the interesting article forum.. they have a thread on varnish.

 

[XPR]

If you knew why you go varnish, you would know why.

 

[paulo57509]

Quote:

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Why is it bad? What harm is a golden brown stain on parts, Thats too broad. So far it seems Castrol and MC are as popular for varnish as Pennzoil and QS for sludge. Both reputations I think are for oils that were made in the 70s.

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Varnish as described by Panzerman as reference.....

My 382K mile '87 Legend has an engine full of varnish. My 138k mile '92 Lumina has varnish. I really can't tell through the filler hole, but I'd bet that my 85k mile '87 IROC has varnish too.

Curiously, my '98 LS400 only has varnish in the oil fill "elbow". Looking down the fill hole to the engine proper, I can't see any varnish. Being the second owner, I wish I knew what kind of oil that's been in this engine.

 

[paulo57509]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Why is it bad? What harm is a golden brown stain on parts, Thats too broad. So far it seems Castrol and MC are as popular for varnish as Pennzoil and QS for sludge. Both reputations I think are for oils that were made in the 70s.

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Varnish as described by Panzerman as reference.....

My 382K mile '87 Legend has an engine full of varnish. My 138k mile '92 Lumina has varnish. I really can't tell through the filler hole, but I'd bet that my 85k mile '87 IROC has varnish too.

Curiously, my '98 LS400 only has varnish in the oil fill "elbow". Looking down the fill hole to the engine proper, I can't see any varnish. Being the second owner, I wish I knew what kind of oil that's been in this engine.

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Forgot...38k miles on the LS400.

Where was the post editing work-around?

 

[buster]

Quote:

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I hear alot about Varnish in Engines, especially assoicated with Motorcraft and Castrol

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Where are you hearing that Motorcraft and Castrol cause varnish?

 

[Merkava_4]

Rodbuckler:

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The varnish is not just cosmetic. It is an acidic deposit of finite thickness that is very damaging to an engine. It will ruin the gaskets and seals in an engine by not allowing oil to condition these essential parts. It will also make critical parts such as hydraulic lifters, lash adjusters, and chain tensioners malfunction. It is very difficult to get the varnish out of these parts because of the low oil flow and minimal movement across the critical surfaces.

So avoid varnishing an engine. Also, it wipes off readily onto an ammonia soaked paper towel or swab if you have the chance to do a little internal cleaning

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Link to Thread


That pretty much sums it up.

 

[buster]

No API SM oil should produce varnish/sludge under normal driving conditions. IMO.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Quote:

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Where was the post editing work-around?

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1) Hit the reply button on the post you want to edit
2) Go to the link at the top of the page and change "newreply.php" to "editpost.php"

Bill

 

[sw99]

Motorcraft had my 2000 5.4L trition engine looking brand new inside with over 75K...

 

[Dr_No]

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...ge=0#Post959506

Hope that you guys are strong enough to click that link..

I had to spoon feed you this thread btw