Conventional oils and varnish

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Originally Posted by ka9mnx
Originally Posted by demarpaint

It's no big deal to admit you're wrong, in fact a lot can be learned from being wrong.

My father told me you will never learn unless you make mistakes. He was right. I've learned more by my mistakes than by doing it right the first time.

Your father is a very wise man. I learned more from being wrong too.
wink.gif
One of the hardest things to do is admit being wrong, it gets easier after you've done it a few times.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by dave1251
There is a lot of assumptions and general statements here. German engines in particular are among the least reliable engines during warranty in the industry this is not do to having engines which do not varnish. Dispite having larger sumps and tougher ACEA specs European engines fail at a higher rate than contemporaries. Sorry Trav this is the truth.


I don't see German roads littered with broken down cars or the dealers overloaded with engine replacement jobs. I have seen a lot of engines with all sorts of issues over the years including Euro engines but also plenty US and Asian engines. There are some Euro engines that really stand out and are a bear to repair but its not the norm as far as I cant tell for most daily drivers.

I agree 100% if you mean specific engine like some high output V6 and V8's used in small bodied models but then again forced induction usually in the form of turbo's has been common place for decades. IMO once these type of small displacement high output engines become more common with other manufacturers similar types of failures will probably occur.

One more point is the type of oil used, in US owners manuals they spec 5w30 but did not say A3/B4 in the quick reference section so many owners just bought 5w30 at Walmart and thought they were fine. I don't know if this is still true today.

Littered roadways with a few hundred thousand units sold with a nearly 4% engine failure rate is a strawman but the fact is a German make is 50% as likely to have an engine failure compared to its contemporaries.
 
It is no strawman. Most cars in Germany are Euro cars where do you get this 4% failure number for German cars sold in Germany. Sorry I don't agree with your conclusions especially the 50% number. Where did you get these numbers, please post a link.
Compared to what? Hyundia and Kia with blown bottom ends, Nissans that suck the broken cat into the cylinders, GM V6 timing chain issues, Ford spark plug issues, GM LIM failures, GM V8 with failed oil pickup o ring and have low oil pressure, Subaru HG issues, Toyota sludge, Honda VCM and ring issues, etc, etc. They are all engine failures and every company has them to some extent, some defects are just worse than others.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm usually at my folks a couple times a week for dinner to keep tabs on my dad as his health is getting worse by the day. (He sleeps frequently now)


(Alarm Bell Sounding).... There are several different types of Leukemia. Get your Dad tested asap.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm usually at my folks a couple times a week for dinner to keep tabs on my dad as his health is getting worse by the day. (He sleeps frequently now)


(Alarm Bell Sounding).... There are several different types of Leukemia. Get your Dad tested asap.

My dad has cancer and has for the past 6 years. We are aware of it and he is in the end stages...
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm usually at my folks a couple times a week for dinner to keep tabs on my dad as his health is getting worse by the day. (He sleeps frequently now)


(Alarm Bell Sounding).... There are several different types of Leukemia. Get your Dad tested asap.

My dad has cancer and has for the past 6 years. We are aware of it and he is in the end stages...


Sorry to hear that, prayers sent.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Sorry to hear that. Best wishes and prayers for your dad.

Thank you as well. Also Happy Birthday. I didn't notice until this morning.
 
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Sorry to hear that ... BiL (I have mentioned did 400k on 5.3L GM on bulk Mobil) has that and 2019 looks like his last year ... he's only 58 ...
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
Sorry to hear that ... BiL (I have mentioned did 400k on 5.3L GM on bulk Mobil) has that and 2019 looks like his last year ... he's only 58 ...

All the best to your BiL 4WD. It's a nasty disease that took all of his brothers except 1 and he has been battling it for 6 years but sadly I think 2019 might be his last. It will most likely affect my brother and I as well so we get screened regularly.
cheers3.gif


Sorry OP, didn't mean to take the thread off topic.
 
Originally Posted by jongies3
This may come as a shock to some, but while less likely, varnish can still build up in engines using synthetic oil. Synthetic is not the cure all for everything. While it does run a lot cleaner, it's not an absolute cure all. PYB is hard to beat in the cleaning department, using that at 5k intervals and your engine will be spotless for thousands of miles.

When I removed the valve covers on my parent's Sienna with the 3.3L 3MZ-FE Toyota V6, there was some varnish. The car saw mostly M1/PP with some QSGB/Chevron Supreme/PYB on 5K OCIs. The car isn't using any oil and no VVT-i clatter. OTOH, my Prius saw mostly M1/PP/Castrol Edge and it's drinking oil - less so now with repeated MMO pre-OCI treatments and a BG EPR flush. The rings and oil return holes on 2000s era Toyota I4s are a weak point - the Corolla guys are seeing a lot of stuck rings on the 1ZZ-FEs. Toyota issued a warranty extension and remediation on certain Camrys and the Prius guys are seeing the same issue on the 3rd gen cars.

Oh and happy birthday Trav.
 
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Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm usually at my folks a couple times a week for dinner to keep tabs on my dad as his health is getting worse by the day. (He sleeps frequently now)


(Alarm Bell Sounding).... There are several different types of Leukemia. Get your Dad tested asap.

My dad has cancer and has for the past 6 years. We are aware of it and he is in the end stages...

It's a hard time for you, you're doing a good thing. The most important thing is that you're at his side and doing whatever you can to make him comfortable.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Here we go again, only 7 more pages to go.


You called it!
smile.gif


Happy Birthday Trav! Hope you enjoy a good birthday meal.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
My dad has cancer and has for the past 6 years. We are aware of it and he is in the end stages...


Very sorry to hear and prayers sent your way Stevie. Here's a very good book that helped me get through a tough time when my dad passed from cancer.

Link
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Originally Posted by Trav
Here we go again, only 7 more pages to go.


You called it!
smile.gif


Happy Birthday Trav! Hope you enjoy a good birthday meal.


Thanks much to you and the other guys. I will go out later with the wife and get a good steak and a beer.
cheers3.gif
 
It took me almost an hour to thoroughly go through this thread and I happen to have both BMW S54 and a Honda J35A4, by the way.

My question is if there is varnished already developed, do I run shorter OCI and hope the detergent takes it away or does the engine need taking apart in order to service it?
 
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