Originally Posted By: simple
If this topic has been covered, please direct me, as I didn't see any in my search.
I've read (not on this site) how some people say that using pennzoil will create a waxy build up in the engine or valves. Any truth to this? If false, which I'm sure it is, why do people make claims like this?
I'm surprised you didn't find anything in the search; this gets covered here quite often. But the Search feature isn't the greatest, so no harm done.
Some months ago, I posted here a bunch of posts I found on "other" automotive forums. Some good reading there! I reposted them below. These were from just three forums!
QUOTE: yes penzoil sucks major! my buddy with a 3.1 when we took it apart to rebuild it the person before him used penzoil and there was like little chuncks of oil in the gaps of the heads.... it looked horrible....
QUOTE: Pennzoil is a parafin based oil, or wax basically. That stuff is totally ghey. My uncle bought a brand new car, changed oil with pennzoil every 2500 miles, and by the time it hit 70k, it was burning more oil than gas. Not to mention when my dad bought the car as a beater, he switched it to normal conventional, and within 6 months, rod bearings were going out. Bought drive like they are 80, so abuse was not to blame.; Coincedence, I don't know, but I learned to stay way far away!
QUOTE: it has wax or somthing in it im not sure but them and pennzoil were bad for vehicles because of that but i think that has changed now
QUOTE: I always used to get Pennzoil for my first couple of oil changes, but then I was told by a Jiffy Lube techie that Pennz gums up your engine really badly
QUOTE: its pensoil (not even worth spelling correctly) and
queerstate that i had always heard and seen was the worst, you can tell when either one of those was used because of all the engine sludge and ----.
QUOTE: looks typical of high milage engines that i've torn down that ran on parfin based oils (quaker state, penzoil)
QUOTE: If you're gonna switch to conventional for your engines sake dont use penzoil. its ----.
QUOTE: cause Pennzoil and Quaker State turn to black mashed potatoes when exposed to heat for any long time. I wont use either even in a lawnmower, but its ok for things like door hinges. However, it is fine to use for oiling down gravel driveways
QUOTE: the engines that people used pensoil in had a lot of sludge built up in them from the high concentration of parifin wax.
QUOTE: From reading around on websites about oil (yes I was bored lol).... I have heard penzoil is parafin based and can cause build up.
QUOTE: i was always told by the old timers that pensoil will sludge up your engine like concrete, and now that is whi i'll never use it. its BAD!!
QUOTE: I've also heard that Pennzoil (and Quaker State) use a paraffin base, and can 'sludge up' your engine.
QUOTE: I haven't toorn down a lot of engines but I can say in the early years I used only Penzoil on one. When I found all the sludge and ---- inside the valve cover, I switched to Castrol and sometimes Valvoline.
QUOTE: I may be young but im not stupid. Both me and my dad have used pennzoil in the past in our racecars (4 cyl. cars), and both of us ended up with oil that looked like vomit when we changed it
QUOTE: penzoil used to be good until quaker state bought the company about 5 years ago and ruined it, its quaker state that is garbage, the old penzoil formula is what they use in quaker state oil now, which is why it says New and Improved
QUOTE: Anyway, after chatting about the condition of the car we stopped at the auto parts store to get some fresh oil. He said Kendall is the best on the market and Quaker state should be illegal! ...And that Quaker State turned to molases at average temps.
QUOTE: Thats a typical Quaker State OR Penzoil engine. (comes from same place) It crudes up like that because of the high parafin content.
QUOTE: Wait till you see inside an uncared for V-6 that used Pennzoil : barf :
QUOTE: I opened up a 2.8 once that obviously has been very poorly maintained and worse yet, they used Pennzoil which "coats" & cakes on to things. The inside in the valvetrain area had a super thick goo like substance that covered EVERYTHING to the point you couldnt even see the pushrods. After hours of scraping the stuff out, you would come to a hard brittle version of it that needed to be chiseled out !!??? It was like they never changed oil since it was born & it burnt itself to everything. After hours in a parts washer, thay made it to the sand-blaster to get the black burn residue off.
QUOTE: Apprently Penzoil uses Paraffin in thier oils still; Which would cause the nasty build up your talkin about..
QUOTE: The oil wars come every few months. Ive known people that used Pennzoil and Quaker State that changed oil EVERY 3000 miles that were totally sludged up.