From the many VOA done in that forum list, which means new fresh oil analysis, what oil lists the most ppm of detergents? Thats your answer. Use that one. I believe magnesium is the main detergent used these days. Maybe others.
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Which oil cleans a sludged engine the best.
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2001 RX300 I maintain had bulk Pennzoil from Lexus for 35,000 miles. Owner does short trips and started getting behind on changing oil. I used Pennzoil Platinum twice, Ultra once, and just put in Mobil 1 EP. Oil is staying cleaner after 3rd change on synthetic. It is still a low mileage engine just over 50,000 miles. Sythetic oil about every 5,000 miles seems to be working well for me, but your case sounds more severe. PCV was filthy when I changed it at 35,000 miles.
Use a diesel spec oil. They tend to have the highest detergent packs of all oils. Either Rotella T6 or Delvac.
Calcium ppm measures detergent level. Magnesium as well. I guess add the two together for total detergent level on a VOA for some idea anyway.
This is such a bad thread. The initial poster asks for advice, but also adds a statement about chemical cleaners being some kind of line that will not be crossed. Oh wait, there is also some statement about Pennzoil's ad conveying a cleanliness message that does not pass muster.
Then we move into the responses, which essentially argue one oil brand against the other.
Let's back up a second. Evern though this engine is a known "sludger," the OP tells us that the oil looks sludgy and drains slowly as a result. If this is true, not an exaggeration, a very serious situation is described, and this engine is not being lubed properly.
I think that some diagnostics and remediation are in order. The questions I would ask concern the underlying cause (PCV, Cooling system, lubrication problem in the past, excessive wear, exhaust blockage, emissions control failure etc.). If that can be determined, then fix and give some thought to whether the engine can be cleaned with oil changers or if it needs some physical disassembly.
For me, I might go with a short OCI with PYB, then another short OCI ended with a run through of Seafoam. After 1,000, do a change with the synthetic, and come back at 4000 miles and see where you are. You need to get that engine into a more normal operating condition.
Good luck
Then we move into the responses, which essentially argue one oil brand against the other.
Let's back up a second. Evern though this engine is a known "sludger," the OP tells us that the oil looks sludgy and drains slowly as a result. If this is true, not an exaggeration, a very serious situation is described, and this engine is not being lubed properly.
I think that some diagnostics and remediation are in order. The questions I would ask concern the underlying cause (PCV, Cooling system, lubrication problem in the past, excessive wear, exhaust blockage, emissions control failure etc.). If that can be determined, then fix and give some thought to whether the engine can be cleaned with oil changers or if it needs some physical disassembly.
For me, I might go with a short OCI with PYB, then another short OCI ended with a run through of Seafoam. After 1,000, do a change with the synthetic, and come back at 4000 miles and see where you are. You need to get that engine into a more normal operating condition.
Good luck
i have had good results with pennzoil for years
It seems like 99% of the posters who are trying to cure a "sludged" up engine, have never actually seen the engine.
Originally Posted By: surfstar
It seems like 99% of the posters who are trying to cure a "sludged" up engine, have never actually seen the engine.
You're right, but it's probably because we're going by the info he gave us, and he doesn't have pictures to provide.
Originally Posted By: Java123
I was given a 1999 Toyota Camry V6 from my father. I changed the oil myself, but the oil was very slow flowing and sludgy when draining. I have read that this vehicle is prone to sludge.
It seems like 99% of the posters who are trying to cure a "sludged" up engine, have never actually seen the engine.
You're right, but it's probably because we're going by the info he gave us, and he doesn't have pictures to provide.
Originally Posted By: Java123
I was given a 1999 Toyota Camry V6 from my father. I changed the oil myself, but the oil was very slow flowing and sludgy when draining. I have read that this vehicle is prone to sludge.
Originally Posted By: surfstar
It seems like 99% of the posters who are trying to cure a "sludged" up engine, have never actually seen the engine.
Right, we are geographically dispersed web site posters. How does this comment make any sense at all?
It seems like 99% of the posters who are trying to cure a "sludged" up engine, have never actually seen the engine.
Right, we are geographically dispersed web site posters. How does this comment make any sense at all?
Oil can grab sludge but you ll need to manually filter it or change oil eveey 500 mile till you are satisfied.if you change it has to be crom different corp .500 mile with m1 ,500 mile with castrol,500 mile with valvoline premium conventional 5w30
What has happened to bitog with some of these replies? Please don't expect any motor oil alone to do a significant job cleaning your engine, or do any cleaning whatsoever at that. Please don't run a short oil change interval unless you have used some sort of special cleaning product like seafoam which could contaminate your oil.
I remember years ago when I was more active on bitog, a product called auto-rx was pretty popular, you might want to look into that.
http://www.auto-rx.com/
I remember years ago when I was more active on bitog, a product called auto-rx was pretty popular, you might want to look into that.
http://www.auto-rx.com/
Originally Posted By: sasha
yellow pennzoil bottle every 500 miles OCI should clean it up. And a new pcv.
Why only 500 miles? Does PYB stop working after that?
yellow pennzoil bottle every 500 miles OCI should clean it up. And a new pcv.
Why only 500 miles? Does PYB stop working after that?
Originally Posted By: sxg6
What has happened to bitog with some of these replies? Please don't expect any motor oil alone to do a significant job cleaning your engine, or do any cleaning whatsoever at that. Please don't run a short oil change interval unless you have used some sort of special cleaning product like seafoam which could contaminate your oil.
Exactly. This stuff is still just motor oil, not cleaning solvent.
What has happened to bitog with some of these replies? Please don't expect any motor oil alone to do a significant job cleaning your engine, or do any cleaning whatsoever at that. Please don't run a short oil change interval unless you have used some sort of special cleaning product like seafoam which could contaminate your oil.
Exactly. This stuff is still just motor oil, not cleaning solvent.
Originally Posted By: Java123
Thanks for your reply... I believe my father was using Penzoil Yellow Bottle oil with 3k to 4k oil changes since new. He changed the oil himself. That's why I'm thinking, that a synthetic oil is needed in this application due to excessive heat that this engine produces. Regarding the PCV - I went to Toyota dealer and bought a factory OEM PCV. Am having my local mechanic install it.
During this era, Toyota had sludge problems from lack of heat, not the other way round. People in the U.S., more than most other places, tend to short trip their cars. Toyotas had a sludge problem because people were not getting the vehicles up to temperature often enough, which is likely what the OP's father was doing.
Part of Toyota's solution seemed to be to decrease the amount of oil in the sump, so that it got up to temperature quicker. My '00 4runner 3.4 holds 6 quarts, my '05 Tacoma 4.0 only holds 5 quarts.
Thanks for your reply... I believe my father was using Penzoil Yellow Bottle oil with 3k to 4k oil changes since new. He changed the oil himself. That's why I'm thinking, that a synthetic oil is needed in this application due to excessive heat that this engine produces. Regarding the PCV - I went to Toyota dealer and bought a factory OEM PCV. Am having my local mechanic install it.
During this era, Toyota had sludge problems from lack of heat, not the other way round. People in the U.S., more than most other places, tend to short trip their cars. Toyotas had a sludge problem because people were not getting the vehicles up to temperature often enough, which is likely what the OP's father was doing.
Part of Toyota's solution seemed to be to decrease the amount of oil in the sump, so that it got up to temperature quicker. My '00 4runner 3.4 holds 6 quarts, my '05 Tacoma 4.0 only holds 5 quarts.
I'd go with either one of the Pennzoil synthetics or with Mobil 1. Neither one is heads above the other, they're both good. In fact a lot of the lower-market-tier blends and conventional oils from both companies are quite good too (Mobil Clean 5000, Pennzoil yellow bottle). But I agree, on a notorious severe sludge-making engine like this, pulling a valve cover to physically remove as much gunk as possible is a good idea. Maybe even drop the pan as well.
And fix the problem that causes it, which is an ineffective PCV system. The best oil in the world will generate sludge until the design flaw that puts so much moisture and combustion contaminants into the oil is fixed. Not being a Toyota guy, I don't know what the service bulletins they issued on these engines actually say to do to address the problem, or if uprated parts that do a better job of evacuating the blow-by out of the crankcase were made available as they were on some other brands that had similar issues. If you're serious about keeping the car, I'd find out and get the specified upgrades done.
And fix the problem that causes it, which is an ineffective PCV system. The best oil in the world will generate sludge until the design flaw that puts so much moisture and combustion contaminants into the oil is fixed. Not being a Toyota guy, I don't know what the service bulletins they issued on these engines actually say to do to address the problem, or if uprated parts that do a better job of evacuating the blow-by out of the crankcase were made available as they were on some other brands that had similar issues. If you're serious about keeping the car, I'd find out and get the specified upgrades done.
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: Java123
Thanks for your reply... I believe my father was using Penzoil Yellow Bottle oil with 3k to 4k oil changes since new. He changed the oil himself. That's why I'm thinking, that a synthetic oil is needed in this application due to excessive heat that this engine produces. Regarding the PCV - I went to Toyota dealer and bought a factory OEM PCV. Am having my local mechanic install it.
During this era, Toyota had sludge problems from lack of heat, not the other way round. People in the U.S., more than most other places, tend to short trip their cars. Toyotas had a sludge problem because people were not getting the vehicles up to temperature often enough, which is likely what the OP's father was doing.
Part of Toyota's solution seemed to be to decrease the amount of oil in the sump, so that it got up to temperature quicker. My '00 4runner 3.4 holds 6 quarts, my '05 Tacoma 4.0 only holds 5 quarts.
I believe it was actually due to an inadequate PCV system causing the sludge in these.
Originally Posted By: Java123
Thanks for your reply... I believe my father was using Penzoil Yellow Bottle oil with 3k to 4k oil changes since new. He changed the oil himself. That's why I'm thinking, that a synthetic oil is needed in this application due to excessive heat that this engine produces. Regarding the PCV - I went to Toyota dealer and bought a factory OEM PCV. Am having my local mechanic install it.
During this era, Toyota had sludge problems from lack of heat, not the other way round. People in the U.S., more than most other places, tend to short trip their cars. Toyotas had a sludge problem because people were not getting the vehicles up to temperature often enough, which is likely what the OP's father was doing.
Part of Toyota's solution seemed to be to decrease the amount of oil in the sump, so that it got up to temperature quicker. My '00 4runner 3.4 holds 6 quarts, my '05 Tacoma 4.0 only holds 5 quarts.
I believe it was actually due to an inadequate PCV system causing the sludge in these.
Marvel Mystery Oil has been around for 80 years. It is good stuff. Follow the directions on your next oil change by adding 20% MMO, drain after 1500 miles and reevaluate.
Originally Posted By: Java123
Hi,
I was given a 1999 Toyota Camry V6 from my father.
This is a well known sludger. If you don't want to pull a cover i would seek out a pro to determine exactly what your dealing with.
Some of these engines are so bad they need to manually cleaned, nothing you put in the oil or any oil itself will clean them.
The last thing in the world you need is for the pick up screen to get plugged. There is a way to use a solvent in the pan without running the engine and the solvent touching any gasket or seal.
This might be a good alternative route to at least getting the pan a pick up relatively clean then running the oil to get the rest.
I would run very short 1K OCI with PYB and new filter for about 5K before going to the Mobil 1 or PP.
Edit: Any advice is going to be hit or miss, we don't even know what your dealing with.
Is it just dirty or an all out sludge monster?
Hi,
I was given a 1999 Toyota Camry V6 from my father.
This is a well known sludger. If you don't want to pull a cover i would seek out a pro to determine exactly what your dealing with.
Some of these engines are so bad they need to manually cleaned, nothing you put in the oil or any oil itself will clean them.
The last thing in the world you need is for the pick up screen to get plugged. There is a way to use a solvent in the pan without running the engine and the solvent touching any gasket or seal.
This might be a good alternative route to at least getting the pan a pick up relatively clean then running the oil to get the rest.
I would run very short 1K OCI with PYB and new filter for about 5K before going to the Mobil 1 or PP.
Edit: Any advice is going to be hit or miss, we don't even know what your dealing with.
Is it just dirty or an all out sludge monster?
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Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
And fix the problem that causes it, which is an ineffective PCV system. The best oil in the world will generate sludge until the design flaw that puts so much moisture and combustion contaminants into the oil is fixed. Not being a Toyota guy, I don't know what the service bulletins they issued on these engines actually say to do to address the problem, or if uprated parts that do a better job of evacuating the blow-by out of the crankcase were made available as they were on some other brands that had similar issues. If you're serious about keeping the car, I'd find out and get the specified upgrades done.
There is a redesigned valve cover and it looks like this. It has a different baffle in it and the PCV valve is metal, screws into the cover, and has a much larger orifice in the opening. Here are pics of the upgraded cover and the old cover for a 1MZ-FE, only the rear cover was redesigned. Besides the PCV problem on this engine the rear bank is directly over the exhaust manifold and heat gets trapped in the confined space towards the back of the engine.
I changed this one out on my Sienna:
And fix the problem that causes it, which is an ineffective PCV system. The best oil in the world will generate sludge until the design flaw that puts so much moisture and combustion contaminants into the oil is fixed. Not being a Toyota guy, I don't know what the service bulletins they issued on these engines actually say to do to address the problem, or if uprated parts that do a better job of evacuating the blow-by out of the crankcase were made available as they were on some other brands that had similar issues. If you're serious about keeping the car, I'd find out and get the specified upgrades done.
There is a redesigned valve cover and it looks like this. It has a different baffle in it and the PCV valve is metal, screws into the cover, and has a much larger orifice in the opening. Here are pics of the upgraded cover and the old cover for a 1MZ-FE, only the rear cover was redesigned. Besides the PCV problem on this engine the rear bank is directly over the exhaust manifold and heat gets trapped in the confined space towards the back of the engine.
I changed this one out on my Sienna:
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: sasha
yellow pennzoil bottle every 500 miles OCI should clean it up. And a new pcv.
Why only 500 miles? Does PYB stop working after that?
The idea is to clean a little bit at a time, without overwhelming any of the components: oil, filter, screens, passages with 'dirt'. So short oci are called for, 500, 1k, 2k, to gradually clean the alleged dirty engine.
Originally Posted By: sasha
yellow pennzoil bottle every 500 miles OCI should clean it up. And a new pcv.
Why only 500 miles? Does PYB stop working after that?
The idea is to clean a little bit at a time, without overwhelming any of the components: oil, filter, screens, passages with 'dirt'. So short oci are called for, 500, 1k, 2k, to gradually clean the alleged dirty engine.
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