90's Quaker State 4x4 oil wax film

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
953
Location
Rio Rancho, NM
Does anyone recall Quaker State 4x4 oil from the mid 1990's? I used it for a long time in my 94 Montero. Where ever the oil didn't heat up, I could peal it away. I only bring this up because of the varnish I have inside my engine. I remember reading about this particular oil concerning this is in a magazine, prior to the internet.



Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
Yep. Western Auto was big back then and Havoline could be found. That was before the big boys auto parts stores went national.

Was the wax issue only with the 4x4 oil? I thought it was a Quaker State thing? I had a friend who had the oil gel up. QS had a huge pr issue but fortunately it was before the internet really took off. Otherwise it would have ruined that brand.
 
I had used it back then and never had an issue. I liked the clear bottles it came in. Wish more oils would do that.
grin2.gif
 
I’ve heard so many horror stories about “Quaker Sludge”. Someone used it back 25-35 years ago and it blew their engine, etc... It’s definitely not like that now. My wife bought a van last year with QS 5W-30 from Firestone in it. It was about 5K since the fill, and it came out at normal thickness. The filter was just oily, no sludge.
 
Last edited:
My dad & I used plenty of on sale Pennzoil & Quaker State in the 70's & 80's, and I used up the last of his stash in the early 90's after he passed away in 1986. We never saw any dludge, but we always bought & used straight weight SAE 30 - my dad had no use for multigrade motor oils. I think he was a wise man at the time.
 
My dad had little use for monogrades, but with our climate, it's not a big wonder.
wink.gif
We used a lot of Quaker State in the taxis in the 1970s to 1990s with no concerns, all conventional 10w-30.
 
I think I saw SAE 30 once on the farm over the years, Rotella, and that was probably a freebie from his brother who ran a Shell station. That's when it was still in cans, and I used it in the garden tractor, and almost got paddled for it, until I showed him it was sufficient by specification and temperature for the application. I was 12 or younger then, and still paid attention to the owner's manual.
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
I think I saw SAE 30 once on the farm over the years, Rotella, and that was probably a freebie from his brother who ran a Shell station. That's when it was still in cans, and I used it in the garden tractor, and almost got paddled for it, until I showed him it was sufficient by specification and temperature for the application. I was 12 or younger then, and still paid attention to the owner's manual.
wink.gif


You're not a real BITOGer until you almost get paddled for putting the wrong brand of oil in daddy's tractor.
 
Last edited:
Well, it wasn't the "wrong" one, but he had words for monogrades that wouldn't get past the swear filter here.
wink.gif
"That thick [cussword]," he called it. It was a lawn tractor that never was used in anything colder than 55 F, so a monograde really was never a concern.
 
Sir,

Negative on sludge. I have varnish in my rig. I really like Pennzoil oils, my pops used them. Unfortunately, PUP sheared in my application. I'm trying to puzzle out, how my Montero developed varnish and when. I really never exploited the oil filler cap, until BITOG.



Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
It was a myth. I worked for a quick-lube that used Quaker State in the 90's and never ever saw such a thing. The 4X4 oil was a syn blend and the "sludge" myth/legend stuff came from earlier incarnations of QS oil from when they were still in Pennsylvania. I have no idea as to if there were issues with crude refined from PA. But by the 90's, QS had moved to Texas and diversified their base stocks and were little different from most blenders at the time. Not sure when, but they merged with Pennzoil in the early 90's prior to Shell taking over them.

If you had an issue with varnish (which I personally think is a complete nonissue you waste time worrying about), it was probably more the SG-SH era of oils in general...
 
I don't think Quaker or Pennzoil were known for quality until after the Shell acquisition in what, the mid 00's? Now they are some of the best PCMO's available and I'm in love with their products! However, I'd never consider running them prior to Shell picking them up. An oil advertised as a 4x4 oil sounds like snake oil to me, if you use 2x4 oil, does it void your warranty?
lol.gif
 
They were fine back then, too. If you look around, there were stories about every brand of oil out there, and you could go to any parts store in the day and be regaled with tales of sludge from any brand on the shelf, depending who walked around the corner when you grabbed a bottle.
 
Originally Posted By: jongies3
I don't think Quaker or Pennzoil were known for quality until after the Shell acquisition in what, the mid 00's? Now they are some of the best PCMO's available and I'm in love with their products! However, I'd never consider running them prior to Shell picking them up. An oil advertised as a 4x4 oil sounds like snake oil to me, if you use 2x4 oil, does it void your warranty?
lol.gif



That's the biggest load of bull caca I ever heard!
 
Why is everyone debating "sludge" when I asked about "varnish"? Most postings I read get off topic and members start bickering among themselves.



Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top