Rotella T6 Amazing Cleaning - Before & After Pics

[TuBon_gRips]

56.5 miles ago, I poured 3qt of Rotella T6 5w40 and 1qt of Mobil 1 0w20 (to thin the mix) into my 2000 Corolla. I had the valve cover off immediately before the OC to clean and enamel it and replace the worn valve cover gasket before it started leaking. I had the valve cover off again tonight to take the cover of the VVT-i cam and peek at how dirty it was in there (more on that at the end of the post). What I saw tonight surprised me, so I grabbed the camera.

Timing chain and cylinder 1 and 2 cams
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Cylinder 3 and 4 cams
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Look at the cleaning going on here, there's just a spot of varnish left on that camshaft clamp:

Exhaust timing gear looks like new:

Check out the cleaning going on here, behind the camshaft:

And now, for the reason I took it apart to begin with; the VVT-i gear innards:

I was expecting it it be dirty as heck in there, but it's super clean! I was able to slide the outer ring half way off with ease, at which point I stopped, so the nylon seals and pressure-plates wouldn't fall into the engine, but everything was moving freely (though not rotating, since the locking pin was engaged). I put the spring back in bolted the plate back down after taking the following two photos:

VVT-i cover plate:

The locking-pin spring seems to be wearing a groove into the plate:

Look at how deep that is! It seems to function fine, so I'm not gonna worry about it for now.

Angles in the comparison shots may vary, but the lighting conditions are the same. All photos, before and after, were shot in my garage, which has 24/7 florescent lighting, while I was holding an LED flashlight against and perpendicular to the left side of the camera body.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the cleaning after only 56.5 miles! Rotella T6 is the s**t! Okay, maybe the M1 has something to do with it, or maybe I've stumbled across some magic brew here, but the oil is 75% T6 so I'm gonna give it all the credit.

This engine was clean to begin with -- now it's even cleaner!

EDIT: Camera detials: All photos shot with a Canon PowerShot SX50 HS in full manual mode. Before shots were shot at ISO1600 f5.0 with shutter speed varied to balance lighting. After shots were shot at ISO6400 f5.0 to allow for higher shutter speeds and less blur, shutter varied for light balance. The lack of yellow hue in the AFTER shots is not a result of lighting or camera settings, as lighting and white balance settings have remained constant; use the gasket-contact surface of the block for calibration, the yellow is actually gone in the AFTER shots.

 

[DragRace]

Rotella,I use it myself--good stuff man!

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: DragRace
Rotella,I use it myself--good stuff man!

So I've heard, but I had no idea...

LeakySeals, if you see this -- if T6 didn't fix the consumption in that last Corolla, you were right to say nothing short of a rebuild was gonna do it. I think these photos prove that.

Also, I do have BEFORE shots of the inside of the valve cover, but didn't bother with AFTER shots, since I cleaned it manually (I actually have shots of that, as well) in order to paint it (just the outside, of course, but I cleaned it in and out). There was a fine coat of oil but it was still clean as a whistle.

 

[RiceCake]

No offence, but it hardly looks any different to me at all. In fact it looks hardly different enough that one can figure its either the camera autoset causing minor differences and/or changing the oil just meant dirtier looking spots washed off in the time between. Either way if it is actually cleaner, its not really cleaner, just less yellowed looking. Cleaner implies better and none of that will make any difference. For all that matters, who knows if certain oil additives don't just darken the appearance of metals.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: RiceCake
camera autoset causing minor differences


I addressed that possibility:
Originally Posted By: KeMBro2012
Camera detials: All photos shot with a Canon PowerShot SX50 HS in full manual mode. Before shots were shot at ISO1600 f5.0 with shutter speed varied to balance lighting. After shots were shot at ISO6400 f5.0 to allow for higher shutter speeds and less blur, shutter varied for light balance. The lack of yellow hue in the AFTER shots is not a result of lighting or camera settings, as lighting and white balance settings have remained constant; use the gasket-contact surface of the block for calibration, the yellow is actually gone in the AFTER shots.


I wish I had looked at the BEFORE shots for reference while shooting so I could get the angles the same. Like I said, the engine was already really clean, but the difference really is night and day - it was only 2 weeks ago that I had it apart, it's still fresh in my mind.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: RiceCake
For all that matters, who knows if certain oil additives don't just darken the appearance of metals.


That may be so, but we're talking about 56.5 miles, that would not have had a chance to happen yet; there will still be a fair bit of the old add-pack clinging to the aluminum if there were any at all and it takes a couple hundred miles for ZDDP to start plating.

 

[electrolover]

Thats awesome. Thanks for posting

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
Thats awesome. Thanks for posting


Thanks! I'll be pulling the VC again at the 3k mark, then again at either 5k or 6k, depending on whether I decide to run this full for that long. I may run it to 7.5k, in which case I'll be pulling it again then. For pics, of course!

 

[HTSS_TR]

From the pictures I can say that "the after" is somewhat cleaner than "the before" Rotella T6. It looks like light vanish is gone in the after pictures.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
From the pictures I can say that "the after" is somewhat cleaner than "the before" Rotella T6. It looks like light vanish is gone in the after pictures.


This is what I was expecting after 3k, by the way. I had to run back up 4 flights of stairs to grab my camera after I pulled the VC!!

 

[sm00thpapa]

Thanks for the pics. I was turned onto Shell Rotella about a year ago. I wish all my vehicles would take the grades Shell Rotella comes in. I would use it in all my vehicles.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Thanks for the pics. I was turned onto Shell Rotella about a year ago. I wish all my vehicles would take the grades Shell Rotella comes in. I would use it in all my vehicles.


That's where mixing comes in

I did thin this 5w40 out a bit

 

[sm00thpapa]

Originally Posted By: KeMBro2012
Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Thanks for the pics. I was turned onto Shell Rotella about a year ago. I wish all my vehicles would take the grades Shell Rotella comes in. I would use it in all my vehicles.


That's where mixing comes in

I did thin this 5w40 out a bit


What grade did your Toyota call for? My vehicles call for 5W-30.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Originally Posted By: KeMBro2012
Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Thanks for the pics. I was turned onto Shell Rotella about a year ago. I wish all my vehicles would take the grades Shell Rotella comes in. I would use it in all my vehicles.


That's where mixing comes in

I did thin this 5w40 out a bit


What grade did your Toyota call for? My vehicles call for 5W-30.


5w30 here, as well. Running it 75/25 with a 0w20 or 5w20 will bring it to a heavy 5w30. I used Mobil 1 for this particular brew and seeing the results after such a short mileage, I would do it again in a heartbeat. If the current full of NextGen doesn't do anything in my wife's Civic, it's getting this treatment at the next OCI.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Originally Posted By: KeMBro2012
Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Originally Posted By: KeMBro2012
Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
Thanks for the pics. I was turned onto Shell Rotella about a year ago. I wish all my vehicles would take the grades Shell Rotella comes in. I would use it in all my vehicles.


That's where mixing comes in

I did thin this 5w40 out a bit


What grade did your Toyota call for? My vehicles call for 5W-30.


5w30 here, as well. Running it 75/25 with a 0w20 or 5w20 will bring it to a heavy 5w30. I used Mobil 1 for this particular brew and seeing the results after such a short mileage, I would do it again in a heartbeat. If the current full of NextGen doesn't do anything in my wife's Civic, it's getting this treatment at the next OCI.


My 04 Ascender takes 7 quarts. So 1 gallon of SRT6 and 3 quarts of 5W-20 should be ok. What you think?

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
My 04 Ascender takes 7 quarts. So 1 gallon of SRT6 and 3 quarts of 5W-20 should be ok. What you think?


That would be in the middle of the 5w30 range, so you'd be good. I'd swing it 1qt more toward the T6 (5:2 rather than 4:3) if you do any towing. You'll still be in the 5w30 range, but on the heavier side. In the summer, if you do a lot of towing, you can probably run it straight, but I would consult the owners manual about that. If the book says 5w40 is ok for your temperature range, it might just be worth running it straight anyway.

 

[tinmanSC]

What oil were you using before this T6/M1 brew?

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
What oil were you using before this T6/M1 brew?


Pennzoil Ultra, didn't do a whole lot in 2k miles, until I topped off with 1/2qt of MMO; it was dark as heck less than 750 miles later when I drained it. There's no way PU is shot after only 2750 miles, so it's sitting in a jug for my wife's next OCI (after a UOA, of course).

 

[JavierG]

3 quarts of 5W-20 PU or PP would be an awesome blend with the T6.

 

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: RiceCake
No offence, but it hardly looks any different to me at all. In fact it looks hardly different enough that one can figure its either the camera autoset causing minor differences and/or changing the oil just meant dirtier looking spots washed off in the time between. Either way if it is actually cleaner, its not really cleaner, just less yellowed looking. Cleaner implies better and none of that will make any difference. For all that matters, who knows if certain oil additives don't just darken the appearance of metals.


I have to agree with RiceCake as it just looks like the effects of changing the oil. If you want to mix oils it's best to stick to the same brand and oil type so there is no chance of their add packs not mixing, because some new oils are using different additives to the old classics and no one seems to have done a study on what happens when you mix them.