Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Kreen is still much, much cheaper than the Valvoline Premium Blue Restore, and if all you are looking for is unsticking piston rings, it's undoubtably a much more targeted approach. You pull the spark plugs, dump 1oz of kreen down each hole, spin the engine over for 10 seconds, then stick the plugs back in overnight. Dump a pint of it in the crankcase, and the next morning check each hole to make sure the cylinder isn't still full, tighten the plugs up, and drive normally. Everything will be freed up by the time you dump the oil in 1k miles. Then if things aren't clean enough for your liking, pour the other pint in with your next oil change.
Trav and Friendly_jacek both have threads with great results using Kreen. I used it on my Fusion that has seen only Pennzoil synthetics for over 100k miles halfway thru an OCI, and after 1,000 mi the oil was so darn dark I went ahead and changed it. And this was with under the valvecover being spotless with not even a hint of varnish when it started. I didn't really notice any changes in performance, which I attest more to the engine not needing a deep cleaning after Pennzoil than to Kreen not working as promised. It cleaned up a good bit of the varnish under the valvecover on my 06 Odyssey, which saw nothing but low-dollar conventional quickchanges for the first 10 years and 135k of its life. I'd use 3 quarts of Kreen in my ride before I paid for one gallon of the Valvoline, as good as it may be.
Adam, sorry for drifting OT a little. Either oil will serve your engine just fine, and with how often you change oil brands, why not buy them both, flip a coin, and do one this time and the other next?
If I was choosing, I'd pick Valvoline. But it's been 20 years since either Valvoline or Castrol have been in any of my personal sumps... but I have no problem recommending either one to friends, especially Maxlife products.
Ya know I knew you are a PUP/PP guy after all :^)
I'm seriously considering PUP 5w30 since I can get it on wal mart com. You're UOA and Platinum filter I hacked looked darn stout. I know SOPUS lubes clean
Off topic: dad said I could maybe try Rotella 10w30 conventional as I do see some varnish crud thru fill hole. Anyone here use or like the Rotella?