Warning: Valve train pics after using cheap oil!

[Astro14]

I just pulled the valve cover on the Corolla to measure valve clearance. Engine has 93K on it... Here's what happens when you use cheap oil (oil bought on sale...Valvoline, Pennzoil, Mobil, Toyota, and lately Castrol.). I've never paid over $3.00/qt.
What should I do....U

 

[antiqueshell]

First you need to post those pics.

Then we'll tell u wat to do.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Astro14

What should I do....

You should post the pictures.

 

[Astro14]

Yeah.... They're on my iPhone...thought I could embed them...how do I do that??

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah.... They're on my iPhone...thought I could embed them...how do I do that??

You can't. You need to upload the images to an image hosting site, and then provide a link to them in your post.

 

[Astro14]

Rats...

 

[aquariuscsm]

Use tinypic.com

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I just pulled the valve cover on the Corolla to measure valve clearance. Engine has 93K on it... Here's what happens when you use cheap oil (oil bought on sale...Valvoline, Pennzoil, Mobil, Toyota, and lately Castrol.). I've never paid over $3.00/qt.
What should I do....U


I wouldn't consider any of the oils you have mentioned to be "cheap oil." Cheap oil should be labeled for the Warrens, Supertechs and house brands of the oil world. What you mentioned were all top notch motor oils. Maybe the length of oil changes and lack of quality oil filter would cause issues but certainly not any of the oils mentioned.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I agree, I wouldn't consider any of those "cheap oil", and I wouldn't consider a 2006 Corolla's 1ZZ-FE engine to be particularly hard or taxing on oil. The missing data point here is the oil change interval. Cheap oil can be great changed every 1,000 miles, and expensive oil can go sour if left in for 30,000 miles.

Very interested to see what it looks like inside.

 

[Astro14]

Yeah Jason - It was tongue-in-cheek

...thought of you guys as I pulled the valve cover, knowing that I don't really care about brand "X" vs. brand "Y"...and change brands all the time...

Now that I've created the account, here it is...would have been more funny if I had the picture to begin with...

cheers,
Astro

 

[Cristobal]

You Rick-rolled all of us, you dastardly troll!

And I was expecting to see an engine buried in creeping crud so I could laugh...

 

[tommygunn]

Whats actually funny is I'm sure there are people out there who would tell you to run MMO, Kreen, AutoRX, flush the engine or whatever and start running PU to "clean that thing up" even after looking at your pictures

 

[beast3300]

Of course the engine is clean!!!! A BITOGER doesn't ride dirty, lol.

 

[shadow7]

Nice, just curious what was your OCI?

 

[dave1251]

How dare you not use synthetic? Your engine has a slight pools of oil where conventional mineral oils can not drain. If you use synthetic you would not have that problem.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

The leftover oil is very DARK color. I wonder what the bottom end looks like. Cam lobes are way too smooth. M1 must've polished the metal. I bet the crosshatch on the cylinder walls is gone as well.

At the very least I would try a flush with Texaco kerosine, followed by a 50/50 mix of Kreen and B-12 Chemtool.

Run Toyota's break-in oil afterwards, it is loaded with moly and unobtanium.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Whats actually funny is I'm sure there are people out there who would tell you to run MMO, Kreen, AutoRX, flush the engine or whatever and start running PU to "clean that thing up" even after looking at your pictures


No kidding! The internet is OCD's best enabler.

 

[Cristobal]

All cars that do not use synthetic oil eventually become wrecked, rusted, or obsolete.

 

[Astro14]

I know! Look at the top of those bolts ... Oh wait... That cleaned up with a rag and would have splashed out in a few seconds of running with fresh oil.

The car sees only city driving and teenage operators. So, with that kind of service, and with the intent of training them to pay attention to the "Service needed" reminder, I change it every 5K. I could go longer with what I've run, but the lesson is important.

Tommy gun...you kill me!

I actually replaced the oil Pan gasket last year (thus proving that synthetic causes leaks?) and the bottom end looked equally "dirty". I should have taken pics, but that was pre iPhone...

After checking clearances (in spec). This oil was changed, using some 5w30 Edge bought on sale ($2.98/qt), and a Pure One filter.

 

[Propflux01]

Yes, but how clean are those piston skirts? I mean really... How clean? You will now be up late every night wondering because you really, really don't know! You must now go out and tear that engine down and take boatloads of pics! That dastardly cheap oil your using surely has got brown stains all over it! Would you really want your mechanic seeing those dirty skirt stains when he looks up your oil drain hole? Didn't your mama tell you about changing your underwear in case you had to go to the hospital when you were a kid? Just think how embarrassed your engine will be with those brown stained piston skirts from using those cheap non-boutique oils!!! Shame on you!!!