Weird soft varnish on oil filter (pictures)

[friendly_jacek]

Filter is Baldwin. Car is 2003 Corolla with minor case of oil consumption. Oil was Maxlife synthetic 5W30 SL, 5,500 miles. I topped the oil with 250 CC of MMO 1000 miles before the end of OCI. Kreen piston soak done 9 miles before the oil change.

The warmish is soft and can be wiped out easily:

I used MMO and kreen piston soaks before, but never had this weird varnish.
I used Maxlife synthetic for the first time.
Has anyone seen this before?
Is the entire engine coated with this?

 

[dparm]

What was the car's oil change history like prior to this?

 

[friendly_jacek]

Every 6 months at 4,000-5,000 miles. I'm the only owner. I pulled valve cover several months ago to check valve clearance and to replace gasket at 85,000 miles. The engine was clean. The car has about 91,000 miles now.

See here:

 

[Boomer]

Probalbly some gorp the Kreen dissolved and put into the system. Do a straight oil change next time and re-examine.

 

[friendly_jacek]

The only thing I did differently this time, I drove the car some (total of 9 miles) between piston soak and oil change. I basically followed Kreen instruction on the can, although falling short of the prescribed half hour driving. Before that, it was Kreen soak followed by several minutes of idling only, and then oil change.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Your cleaning treatment must have removed some deposits somewhere. I'd cut that filter open and inspect what's caught in the pleats.

 

[hisilver]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Your cleaning treatment must have removed some deposits somewhere. I'd cut that filter open and inspect what's caught in the pleats.


+1. Open up the filter. If there is goop in it, maybe that's a good sign. If it looks normal....I dunno.

 

[dparm]

I'd just monitor it over the next change interval. Probably some residual deposits that have been removed.

 

[spasm3]

Open it , i'd wonder if it was running in bypass.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Open it , i'd wonder if it was running in bypass.


I wasn't going to do it as the metal is fairly thick and I have a primitive hacksaw.

But I did it due to popular request.

The bottom and spring has some more of the soft sludge, that can be easily wiped. The filtering medium itself looks fine.

Looks like the junk deposited on horizontal surfaces only. I bet there is a lot of it in the oil pan. Looks like the oil/MMO/Kreen combo could not keep all the junk in suspension.

I knew this engine was hard on any oil, but this oils seems to be the worst from all the various oils I used in this car (dino and synthetics).

The good thing is metal particles on the magnetic plug were in normal amounts (much less than the previous OCI with QS Qadvance), so no abnormal wear.

 

[hisilver]

Wow. Thanks for cutting her open. Looks like mmo/kreen did something. Looks very dirty. I wonder how quickly your new fill of oil will turn black.

 

[Errtt]

Looks like residue from the cleaning. Would be worth cutting next filter to.

 

[David1]

Do you use the Max Life Syn Blend or the Max Life 100% Synthetic?

There are 2 types?

 

[901Memphis]

There are three types if you count nextgen maxlife.


I would use a high calcium oil and be careful with the additives now that you see what you disturbed. PYB, PU, Synpower or something of the sorts.

I would be worried about the pan and pickup after seeing the filter.

 

[KCJeep]

Definitely got some cleaning going on.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Definitely got some cleaning going on.


Sure, but this engine is getting dirty faster than I can clean it. Looks like 5,000 mile interval is too long in this engine with my daughter's driving. Too bad, I put Castrol Edge in it and was hoping to extend OCI for the first time.

 

[friendly_jacek]

As I stated in the OP, it was Maxlife synthetic whatever it means.

 

[MDS]

Had trouble with my Blazer getting intermittent hi oil press readings until engine warmed up this past winter. Had QS full syn in for first time. Changed oil filter, same problem. So just dumped the oil and refilled with QS full syn. I cut the 1st oil filter open, it looked the same as your pics, full of soft gunk, could wipe it with my finger. Deposited on the side of the filter (it sits horizontal) plus a layer on the bottom under the spring. Oil had weird look also to it. My guess just gunk coming out from cleaning and filter doing its job. I bet same on yours.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: MDS
Had QS full syn in for first time. Changed oil filter, same problem. So just dumped the oil and refilled with QS full syn. I cut the 1st oil filter open, it looked the same as your pics, full of soft gunk, could wipe it with my finger. Deposited on the side of the filter (it sits horizontal) plus a layer on the bottom under the spring. Oil had weird look also to it. My guess just gunk coming out from cleaning and filter doing its job. I bet same on yours.


Funny coincidence, I also used QS fully synthetic just before the Maxlife synth. I hope this is not cleaning AFTER the QS.
To be honest, I was not impressed with QS. The magnetic plug collected way more than average amounts of metal. I'm talking 2-3x normal. There was nothing unusual otherwise about that OCI.

 

[MDS]

Yeah, don't know. Bought the Blazer with 117K on it, always 5K oil/filter changes since I've owned it with whatever brand name oil was on sale at the time. First time run of QSUD. When I changed the oil haven't had the hi press readings since then. Got about 4k on the oil now, plan on changing about 5K going into winter. Last run though was a lot of short trips in the winter then I started noticing the hi press readings, I was wondering if the oil was getting a lot of fuel dilution. Little over 5 mile run to work and it sits outside in MN...