Direct Injection and Carbon deposits

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Is there a synthetic motor oil out on the market that is the best in small 4 cylinder direct injection engines.I plan on buying this some a Ford Escape with the 2.0L Ecoboost engine.On one site a Ford mechanic recommends Pennzoil Platinum.I also noticed that a lot of these cars have transmissions that you don't replace the filter but can do a fluid change every 30K.Any insight would help.Joe
 
Ford just reccomends 5w30. Nothing too special.

As you can see in my sig(2013 Ford Escape with the 2.0T) I too am using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum.
 
A few oil engineers have said that the noack numbers don't matter for GDI intake valve deposits. Me? I think an oil that scores well on the test test is a better metric to look at. Castrol Edge with Titanium FST has half the the total deposit weight compared to Pennzoil Ultra.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
A few oil engineers have said that the noack numbers don't matter for GDI intake valve deposits. Me? I think an oil that scores well on the test test is a better metric to look at. Castrol Edge with Titanium FST has half the the total deposit weight compared to Pennzoil Ultra.


TEOST test...

2013 AMSOIL test which includes TEOST:
http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g3115.pdf
 
There is also a study by the SAE that cautions against high Calcium oils in T-GDI applications due to LSPI:
http://papers.sae.org/2014-32-0092/

Who really knows though, lots of theories out there. Then you have the guy who just uses whatever bulk the dealer puts in and runs fine for one million miles without a care. Oblivious to whatever direct injection is.
 
Then you have the Lubrizol study that claims low SAPS oils help reduce DI deposits.
smile.gif
 
If you need a receipts for a 30 grade, I'd use one of these or equivalent.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil_1_ESP_Formula_5W-30.aspx

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAXXENPVLMOMobil_1_ESP_X1_0W-30.aspx

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/mo...etic-motor-oil/

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=142&pcid=21

Pennzoil Euro-L 5w-30

Castrol 5w30 OE, LL, C3, or 0w30...

SOPUS and BP can learn a thing or two about website available data.

Turbo...stick with premium fuel and synthetic

If it were mine, I'd use a 0w40 from Mobil, RoyalPurple, Amsoil, Redline, Pennzoil, Castrol...

No best oil. But, I would not want my engine to be a guinea pig for the eco-engineering and cost cutting mixture.

If the transmission takes Mercon LV, it is a good ATF. Service fully at 30k and then whenever if ever again. If AWD, don't forget the back diff...
 
I think everyone can agree that there needs to be more information / studies available and also that the valve deposit issue is likely not as a big an issue as it was once claimed on here and elsewhere.

I don't think you can say that there's a monolithic "Direct Injection" engine when some are normally aspirated and some are turbo'd...some have older designs and some have newer designs... and some may react differently to everything from metallic additives to calcium in forming deposits. Some designs might generate more of a slurry than others, etc., etc.

I would go with the low NOACK/TEOST/SAPS option myself but I wouldn't doubt that there will be a study in the future saying that continually lugging the engine w/ a manual transmission is the biggest predictor of deposits, etc.
 
I agree. I'm more concerned over which oils protect the turbo in my 2.0T more than the ubiquitous intake valve deposit 'issue' anymore.
 
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Well you can see in my signature what my preference is. I will be switching to 0w-40 GC in the F150 as it gets some hard duty work from time to time. My Focus in not Eco-Boost but is GDI, spec'd for 5w-20 so that is what it is getting now.

I'd go with 0w-30 GC or BC if you can find it, otherwise the 5w-30 Castrol Edge would be solid for recommended OCI's.

A monthly "Italian Tune-Up" will do a lot to reduce the intake valve deposits.
 
My 1.2 Turbo direct injection motor uses a VW 504 spec 5w30, maybe try VW 504 spec oil? Right now I am using mobil 1 esp 5w30 which meets that spec.
 
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The deposit problems mostly don't occur in Europe where there is both a culture of better adherence to manufacturers' recommendations in terms of oil change longevity (ie: they don't do the 3k mile nonsense like plenty do in North America), as well as adherence to the proper recommended spec of oil.

In a meta analysis I did a couple years back on a huge discussion forum where people were complaining of the problem, a) not one poster adhered to the manual, and b) there was little quality control over the actual oil used. Dealers cannot be necessarily trusted to use the expensive spec oil when the $1/quart bulk 5W-30 gives them another $20-$30 of profit per OCI.

Quote:
A monthly "Italian Tune-Up" will do a lot to reduce the intake valve deposits.


Is there any evidence for this? Remember, its the intake we're talking about here, which is not really exposed to much in terms of exhaust gas products.
 
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Originally Posted By: pitzel


Quote:
A monthly "Italian Tune-Up" will do a lot to reduce the intake valve deposits.


Is there any evidence for this? Remember, its the intake we're talking about here, which is not really exposed to much in terms of exhaust gas products.


Yes the intake valves, because running the engine at high RPM for a 10-15 stretch will increase the combustion chamber temperatures. This will heat up the valves, including the stems through conduction and help burn off some of the deposits (if there are any).

There are lots of forums that discuss this, a simple Google search will find pages upon pages of discussions on GDI engines and the effects of Italian Tune-Ups.

Have I seen before and after pictures...no. Have I done Italian Tune-Ups on my own GDI vehicles that I have owned...yes, and I found the vehicles idle smoother afterwards in a similar way I found port fuel injection vehicles idle smoother after running a quality fuel treatment through them. Since doing an Italian Tune-Up doesn't hurt anything if done properly and I personally feel a difference afterwards, then I believe it works...and I am far from alone on this.
 
Originally Posted By: pitzel
The deposit problems mostly don't occur in Europe


It isn't a problem here. It's a perceived widespread issue do to the previous generation's application of the technology. Mostly VW, Audi and BMW.
 
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I did a couple of things to hopefully slow down carbon deposits, especially on the backside of the intake valves.

1. Installed a Moroso catch can in series with the PCV valve. Mounted it up front for max airflow, but not interfering with the intercooler.
2. Installed another Moroso catch can in series on the L/S breather hose, on the opposite side of the other one.

These really work, especially in the winter time. I empty them both after every fill up. It's really amazing how much oil, water and fuel you catch with these cans. The PCV side catches the most, with the breather side catching smaller amounts.

It wasn't the cheapest way to go, but has been effective. The Moroso universal catch cans were $125 each and the hoses, fittings and clamps were close to another $80. I also bought the factory PCV hose and fittings, along with the breather hose and fittings so if I had to I could just swap them out.

With really no way to keep the intake deposits from the PCV system off the intake valves, It really does the job.

I also switched from Motorcraft 5w30 Full synthetic to 0w40 Mobil 1. I don't really think that this has really anything to do with intake deposits, but it will be interesting to see the Blackstone report differences between the two.
 
Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: pitzel
The deposit problems mostly don't occur in Europe


It isn't a problem here. It's a perceived widespread issue do to the previous generation's application of the technology. Mostly VW, Audi and BMW.


A classic case of Internet amplification. We have to watch that as we obsess over details that many have no idea about...
 
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