Is 0w-30 the correct course?

[ncirish]

I have posted about this engine several times but here goes again. 2000 Trooper, 70k, 3.5l DOHC engine. Uses a hair over 1qt of oil per 3k. On my Trooper forum the reason has been discussed ad infinitum and has been determined to be oil drain holes in the rings that are too small and too few in number. The oils stays on the pistons and "cooks", thereby gumming up the ring packs. Well I Auto-Rx'd the engine and in the rinse phase it started running better, power, response, etc. But then it started to go back to it's evil ways using oil, etc. Well my contention is that the 5w-30 Havoline cooked up on the rings after the Rx had cleaned them. A self exacerbating problem if you will. I plan on a 2nd A-Rx treatment but I have an idea. Would M1 0w-30 which is thin on start and at temp drain back better? It used less on M1 5w-30 than anything before. I went the thickening route (4 qt 10-30 1 qt 15-50) and it hated that. It drinks dino like Ted Kennedy drinks scotch so I dont like that approach but did it for the A-Rx. What does the collective wisdom of the board say?

 

[KW]

If it uses less oil when using thin oil you might try M1 0W20. It's just a little thinner than a 30wt. The 5W30 you are using is just above a 20wt. It might help a little more.

 

[427Z06]

I believe what you're after is an oil with very low "Volatility" and high "Oxidation Resistance" to combat your problem. Further, you want to do this during the rinse cycle so that the rings don't gum up again while your trying to rinse, but yet it has to be compatible with AutoRX. The thing that pops into my head would be a high quality predominantly Group III formulation, with good Volatility and Oxidation Resistance properties.

I'm guessing that a good "Group III type syn" like some of the HDEO 5w40s might fill the bill.

A better idea is to employ the services of a professional such as Terry . He would be much better informed as to what oil formulation would help solve your problem.

Hope that helps.

P.S. I'll just add that LC might be something to look into too. I'm not sure if one of it's strengths apply here, but it's worth a shot.

[ January 26, 2005, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: 427Z06 ]

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by 427Z06:
I believe what you're after is an oil with very low "Volatility" and high "Oxidation Resistance" to combat your problem. Further, you want to do this during the rinse cycle so that the rings don't gum up again while your trying to rinse, but yet it has to be compatible with AutoRX. The thing that pops into my head would be a high quality predominantly Group III formulation, with good Volatility and Oxidation Resistance properties.

I'm guessing that a good "Group III type syn" like some of the HDEO 5w40s might fill the bill.

A better idea is to employ the services of a professional such as Terry . He would be much better informed as to what oil formulation would help solve your problem.
P.S. I'll just add that LC might be something to look into too. I'm not sure if one of it's strengths apply here, but it's worth a shot.

---

Good points..but I would think that the PAO Mobil 1 would be better than the Group III . I know that Pennzoil has claimed that "their" Group III had better high temp properties than PAO..but..I doubt it. Like I said good post.

 

[427Z06]

I agree Al, but I was devising a tactic for the next AutoRX clean cycle. A PAO and some LC might do it afterwards, but I think Terry would have the intimate formulation and specification knowledge to devise a long term strategy.

 

[Dr. T]

What does "it hated that" mean?? Put in a whole crankcase full of Syntec 5-50...and then report back on the consumption!

1qt./3k isn't bad though....so it may be all you're getting!

 

[ncirish]

Thanks for the input guys!

Dr T, "hated it" means what it says. It sucked that down faster than straight 10w or 5w-30 M1, to the tune of 1.5 quarts per 3k. 5w-50 Syntec? That is absurd in this engine. Please do not respond to a legitimate issue with such sarcasm and blatant disregard for the parameters of the discussion.

 

[moribundman]

I don't think Dr. T's suggestion of trying 5W-50 was absurd, but reasonable instead. You may also want to try a 0W-30, 0W-40, or 5w-40 oil. Unless you try them out you really won't be able to draw any conclusions.

 

[427Z06]

FWIW, I used Syntec 5w50 to solve a consumption problem in one of my engines. It may not be the best course, but it did work for many miles. I'm currently looking for an alternative (less expensive) solution. We'll see how it goes.