Which average priced synthetic oil would you run to tackle varnish?

[D1dad]

The difference at Costco is that the oil is sold in boxes, so if someone were to return the oil and they actually put it back out on the pallet you would see that the box was not sealed anymore.

This discussion is making me think twice about ever buying oil at Walmart anymore. I really don’t buy oil at Canadian Walmarts but I have bought a lot of oil over the years from the Walmart in Niagara Falls NY and it is actually in a kind of sketchy area there so I’m surprised that I haven’t been burned there before. One of the more recent times was I was there I saw an Impala in the parking lot that had no back window at all, and it was winter time View attachment 267493

That car isn’t a Niagra falls one off, it’s a Walmart in general deal. I saw a mini van just yesterday that was missing both side windows and loaded full of junk like Sanford and sons. I bought the Walmart plus membership just so I can avoid the place as much as possible.

 

[Hohn]

Here’s a couple data points for you from my 2005 Honda Odyssey. 212k on the clock. The engine is *heavily varnished. Or should I say— was.

I switched to VRP last summer.


Last August after about 1000 miles on VRP:
View attachment 261824


A month later:

View attachment 261825


Changed the oil just before Christmas. This is now the second fill of VRP:

View attachment 261826


So after just one drain of VRP and about 1000 miles into the 2nd drain, I’m already seeing considerable cleaning in an area of the engine that see very little oil flow and is notoriously hard to clean— the rocker arms. The external surface is not directly oil-wetted, yet VRP is removing some VERY heavy varnish.

Bump for a photo update.

This is as of today, having just drained the 2nd fill of VRP. Drained when OLM said 60% life remaining. I refilled (3rd go) VRP 5w30 in my van. I decided to try the Baldwin B7318 after all since it’s I’m running such short filter intervals.

The M1-110 I removed will get posted to C&P once it wicks a bit. I expect there’s nothing to see.

As you can see, the thick varnish is almost completely removed from the top of the rocker arm now. Only the side of the arm which sees almost no oil has much of a varnish left on it.

The engine is running better than it has in recent years. While there’s no consumption problem to solve, I’m pleased that I can see essentially zero consumption after 214k miles.

 

[TomYoung]

M1 HM most likely will cause leaks
Stay away

This is simply not true. Mobil 1 is an engineered, time-tested, superb brand that essentially invented the idea on mainstream synthetic oil.

 

[tired]

I don’t think any oil is going to clean varnish. I used to run my Toyota 4 Runner on every single synthetic oil I could find on sale. M1 Turbodiesel truck, M1, Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol, all of them. 5,000 mile intervals.

Still had varnish.

You’re looking for a miracle in a can, and it doesn’t exist.

The only products that might clear it up are the Valvoline and the HPL.

But the bigger question is this - does it need to be cleaned up?

If you have stopped the deposit formation, and the engine is running good oil, I would forget about the varnish and move on to the myriad of other issues with your 200,000 mile SUV.

VRP cleaned all the varnish off the dipstick of LSJ's wife's Sienna. He had been doing 10k OCIs at the dealer because of a lifetime drivetrain warranty if he did the service at the dealer. One change with VRP, and the dipstick was new.

 

[Hohn]

VRP cleaned all the varnish off the dipstick of LSJ's wife's Sienna. He had been doing 10k OCIs at the dealer because of a lifetime drivetrain warranty if he did the service at the dealer. One change with VRP, and the dipstick was new.

I’m posting compelling photographic proof that VRP removes varnish, how can someone question it at this point?

 

[tired]

I’m posting compelling photographic proof that VRP removes varnish, how can someone question it at this point?

Agree. Yours is a great example of it working, among many others here.