German Castrol 0W-30 has let me down!!!

[dkryan]

Dave,

Yep! I've always believed the VQ30 (and maybe VQ35) series has a soft bearing overlay. A proactive owner can perform only so much corrective and preventive maintenance in order to "bring the numbers in line" before one throws their hands in the air in disgust and uses what oil they deem best.

And I have to agree, M-1 it ain't! While I have nothing against this oil, it's as you said, "just not appropriate for my engine." Plus, unless you're buying a 5-quart jug of 10w30 HM at Wal-Mart, the retail price is not worth it for this engine.

With 73k miles and 6.5 years on this car, when the numbers don't come back exactly the way I'd hoped, your comment is right on target, "does it really matter in the end?"

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Small update. I'm preparing for my sparkplug change, just pulled out the front plugs and compared to the new ones. They look good, no?

What is this rust around the top of the porcelain?

 

[ThirdeYe]

It's normal:

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Thirdye,

Your electrode looks more worn than mine. How many miles on those plugs?

 

[ThirdeYe]

30k exactly.

 

[Pablo]

I don't think it's rust, looks like combustion materials...as in not a perfect porcelain insulator seal.

 

[Hammer]

Quote:

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I don't think it's rust, looks like combustion materials...as in not a perfect porcelain insulator seal.

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Yes, you are correct. That is why I like Denso iridium plugs over NGK Iridium plugs. The higher cost of the Denso pays for the better construction and internal sealing.

http://www.globaldenso.com/PLUG/basic_knowledge/construction/index.html

Hammer

 

[Bowser]

This one is almost Urban Myth!

There's no blow by or combustion leakage around the insulators of those plugs. This is somewhat normal and will not cause any deterioration or performance of the plugs.

The discoloration is generally called "Corona Stain" and is caused by energized or charged oil particles, charged by the spark plug's energy field, in the air around the insulator surface that adhere to the insulators surface giving it the stain appearance.

This varies from vehicle to vehicle on the design of spark plug pocket, boot design, and the quality of air around the plug itself. It has nothing to do with using Denso vs NGK or any other manufacture.

Bowser

 

[ThirdeYe]

I changed my spark plug wires from OEM to NGK Blues at the same time of changing the spark plugs (again with the NGK Honda OEM's) and I'll see if that makes any difference when I pull them again in 22k. I also just changed my spark plug gaskets a week ago. Oh, and when I changed the wires/plugs, I also added some spark plug boot lubricant this time (for easy boot removal) and anti-sieze to the threads.

 

[Dave H]

Commenting on the "corona stain", mine has it, too. But mine only have it on the front bank's plugs (#1,3,5). My rear bank's are completely spotless in that area. My fronts have the stain about as bad as 2002 Maxima SE's. These were NGK G-Power (coppers) in a '97 Maxima. They had approximately 25,000 miles when changed.
Because this happens on only one bank of mine, I'm inclined to believe it's not a plug manufacturer issue. Like Bowser said, it could be an air issue around the plug, caused from a leak allowing "oily" air from the valve area to surround the plug's porcelain. Could this be caused from bad spark plug tube gaskets? And what are the odds of 3 on one bank to go bad, but none on the other?

Dave

 

[ekpolk]

Quote:

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You know, GC just may not work well with fuel dilution. Check out this UOA, with high fuel dilution in a turbo VW with Maxlife syn 5w-30. Great report!

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It seems to work OK in my Prius with fuel dilution in the 2.5-3% range.

I don't think this is an oil problem. I'd think that if the stuff was failing in some major way, you'd see elevations across the board, not just with the lead. I think this calls for more analysis, not the drawing of global conclusions from a single, one-time sample. Just a good particle in a bearing might have caused this. I definitely agree with the others who recommend a consult with Terry. Just do it; it's worth it.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Quote:

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Commenting on the "corona stain", mine has it, too. But mine only have it on the front bank's plugs (#1,3,5). My rear bank's are completely spotless in that area. My fronts have the stain about as bad as 2002 Maxima SE's. These were NGK G-Power (coppers) in a '97 Maxima. They had approximately 25,000 miles when changed.
Because this happens on only one bank of mine, I'm inclined to believe it's not a plug manufacturer issue. Like Bowser said, it could be an air issue around the plug, caused from a leak allowing "oily" air from the valve area to surround the plug's porcelain. Could this be caused from bad spark plug tube gaskets? And what are the odds of 3 on one bank to go bad, but none on the other?

Dave

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I'd be willing to bet that it's feasible. My gaskets leaked at different paces, etc. For example, only cylinder number 4 was slowly leaking at the time. The other two must've had such a slow leak that it wasn't even noticable, except for the slight varnish on the inside of the cylinder (didn't notice any actual oil though) but I replaced them all at the same time as a precaution.