Results with leaks stopping with high mileage oil

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I was curious what brand of high mileage oil you have had success with in this regard? Leaks/burning oil slowing down or coming to a complete halt. A lot of the maxlife love I see in searches is from 2010-2013 posts. Seems like they changed their add pack towards the tail end of then. Mobil 1 and Pennzoil HM I keep hearing good things about in this regard. I have noticed some improvement on oil burning/loss of oil but still seeing drips with GTX HM 10w30. Thinking of going up to 10w40 or giving something else a try. I've ran GTX HM for about 4500-5000 miles. I've seen some people post about switching brands & having success. Some from maxlife to gtx hm or vice-versa. Guess every engine/seal is different. In the end I may just end up having it replaced but would like to give the HM oil more time.
 
Here's what I got:
Jeep XJ:
Valvoline Maxlife (used for 2 OCIs) - still leaked, used maybe an extra 2 quarts per OCI (4000 miles)
Pennzoil HM (used for 3+ OCIs) - slowed down, maybe 1 quart per OCI
STP HM (used because everyone was out of Pennzoil HM locally): About like Pennzoil HM so far
Jeep KJ:
Castrol HM (1 OCI): No leaks for the first 1k miles, then it leaked
Valvoline Maxlife (3-4OCI): Leaked more the Castrol (about 2 quarts per OCI)
Pennzoil HM (just started this OCI): Seems better

Land Rover LR3:
Castrol GTX or VWB: Maybe a half quart per 6k mile OCI if that, usually no top offs
Valvoline Maxlife: About 3k into an OCI and it's taken a half court and is leaving oil puddles. Not saying it's the oils fault but you'd think a HM oil would help leaks.
 
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So would you say it just seems to keep getting better over time using various HM oils between OCIs? Pennzoil seems to be giving you good results. Maxlife seems to be doing the least for the leaking. I haven't been able to tell much of a difference in the dripping with GTX HM so far. But my truck isn't driven a lot. Maybe 6000 miles in two years. Maybe no enough driving for the oil to do it's work. Or the seal is beyond reconditioning.

Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
Here's what I got:
Jeep XJ:
Valvoline Maxlife (used for 2 OCIs) - still leaked, used maybe an extra 2 quarts per OCI (4000 miles)
Pennzoil HM (used for 3+ OCIs) - slowed down, maybe 1 quart per OCI
STP HM (used because everyone was out of Pennzoil HM locally): About like Pennzoil HM so far
Jeep KJ:
Castrol HM (1 OCI): No leaks for the first 1k miles, then it leaked
Valvoline Maxlife (3-4OCI): Leaked more the Castrol (about 2 quarts per OCI)
Pennzoil HM (just started this OCI): Seems better

Land Rover LR3:
Castrol GTX or VWB: Maybe a half quart per 6k mile OCI if that, usually no top offs
Valvoline Maxlife: About 3k into an OCI and it's taken a half court and is leaving oil puddles. Not saying it's the oils fault but you'd think a HM oil would help leaks.
 
I'd have to say as it stands now, I'd go Pennzoil, but Castrol might work given a chance.

Maxlife is a great oil, but I think it's less "high mileage-y" than other high mileage oils.
 
I read another instance where someone ran some Pennzoil HM after trying another HM oil & it worked for him. Sounding better & better. Especially with a sample size like you had. Or I could wing it longer with Castrol GTX HM & see how it goes. Maxlife might have lost some luster after 2012-2013 time frame. Before that all you can find is BITOG posts raving about it. Then it goes dead it seems like.
Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
I'd have to say as it stands now, I'd go Pennzoil, but Castrol might work given a chance.

Maxlife is a great oil, but I think it's less "high mileage-y" than other high mileage oils.
 
MaxLife used to be non gf5 and on the thicker end of grade. When it went SN and GF5 it lost some viscosity, and that shows in reduced performance.

M1 HM 10w-30 is where it’s at for a leaker/burner
 
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Oil can't fix all leaks.just some and they usually come back worse.

I used Maxlife before and it slowed down a RMS leak by half.
I went up to 10-40 and that helped.
 
I put M1 HM in my Tahoe 5.3 once and it slowed oil consumption to one quart per 7000 mile OCI. I had some leftover AFE 0W-30 and went back to that with our below zero mornings and I’ve had to add 1.75 qts in 6000 miles. So, for my usage, in this vehicle with 125,000 miles on the clock, it seems that M1HM has at least cut consumption in half. I’m going back to it and hoping that 2 changes in a row will improve it further.
 
I've used MaxLife for many years in my Dodge truck and it worked pretty well initially but, after the last couple fills, it seems to be leaking more now. I didn't think about changes to the formula, but that could be the case. May need to change on the next one.
 
I don't know why people just don't fix it right the first time. I mean, unless you plan to dump the vehicle soon for another, why not replace the seals and be done with it? I know most engines need to be pulled to do this, but, probably be money ahead in the long run. Plus you can do other things while in there like check tolerances in the crank bearings and replace if needed, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: jongies3
I don't know why people just don't fix it right the first time. I mean, unless you plan to dump the vehicle soon for another, why not replace the seals and be done with it? I know most engines need to be pulled to do this, but, probably be money ahead in the long run. Plus you can do other things while in there like check tolerances in the crank bearings and replace if needed, etc.


Most people think if the vehicle turns on and drives, all is well and it's perfect.

Tell someone they need to pull their engine to reseal it, and most think the car is junk.

Kind of a shame, an engine pull and reseal is cheaper than a new car and would add years to the vehicle.

Oh well. Lol
 
Originally Posted By: jongies3
I don't know why people just don't fix it right the first time. I mean, unless you plan to dump the vehicle soon for another, why not replace the seals and be done with it? I know most engines need to be pulled to do this, but, probably be money ahead in the long run. Plus you can do other things while in there like check tolerances in the crank bearings and replace if needed, etc.


Most people, as in MOST PEOPLE don't have the ability to do this themselves. It looks like average cost of a RMS job is around $1000, so spend $1K or mess around with oils and cross your fingers... on a low value car I know what I'm doing.
 
If the HM oil route doesn’t work, try adding Liqui-Moly Oil Saver. Great product from respected German manufacturer solved my leak issue when HM oil alone didn’t. After an initial treatment at the recommended level I found 1/4 the amount in subsequent oil changes kept the leak completely in check.
 
2005 5.3 Chevy 194,000 miles using VWB most of it’s life.. A few years ago I used PP for 1 OCI. I noticed oil spots on the garage floor after a couple of thousand miles from the RMS. The next OCI went with Maxlife 10w30 and drip stopped and I’ve used Maxlife 10w30 since. It uses about 1/2 qt between OCI going by the OLM.
 
My dad's 1991 integra (with 318,000 miles) consumes 1 quart of oil every 500 miles. That is with conventional or synthetic. I tried Mobil1 high mileage 5w30 and it burned at the same rate. I tried Maxlife 5w30 and it burned 1 quart every 1,000 miles. It still burns a lot of oil no matter what gets used.

My 1998 accord normally burns half a quart of oil every 3,000 miles. High mileage oil doesn't change the consumption.
 
Yep, boat I'm in. I plan on keeping s10 but need an AC more than RMS fix. Also got to replace the Purge Valve Canister, both fuel gauge senders, driver door window motor on another vehicle. RMS replacement might be in budget next year for S10. I think I am going to give Pennzoil HM a shot this weekend and hope I have better results with RMS this year using it instead of GTX HM.


Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Originally Posted By: jongies3
I don't know why people just don't fix it right the first time. I mean, unless you plan to dump the vehicle soon for another, why not replace the seals and be done with it? I know most engines need to be pulled to do this, but, probably be money ahead in the long run. Plus you can do other things while in there like check tolerances in the crank bearings and replace if needed, etc.


Most people, as in MOST PEOPLE don't have the ability to do this themselves. It looks like average cost of a RMS job is around $1000, so spend $1K or mess around with oils and cross your fingers... on a low value car I know what I'm doing.
 
This past weekend I put in some Pennzoil HM 10w30 with Fram Ultraguard. Will report back on results compared to GTX HM. Hoping for a change for the better. I feel better about the add pack in the Pennzoil. If after a couple OCI no benefits I may switch over to Mobil1 HM like others suggested as well.

Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
Here's what I got:
Jeep XJ:
Valvoline Maxlife (used for 2 OCIs) - still leaked, used maybe an extra 2 quarts per OCI (4000 miles)
Pennzoil HM (used for 3+ OCIs) - slowed down, maybe 1 quart per OCI
STP HM (used because everyone was out of Pennzoil HM locally): About like Pennzoil HM so far
Jeep KJ:
Castrol HM (1 OCI): No leaks for the first 1k miles, then it leaked
Valvoline Maxlife (3-4OCI): Leaked more the Castrol (about 2 quarts per OCI)
Pennzoil HM (just started this OCI): Seems better

Land Rover LR3:
Castrol GTX or VWB: Maybe a half quart per 6k mile OCI if that, usually no top offs
Valvoline Maxlife: About 3k into an OCI and it's taken a half court and is leaving oil puddles. Not saying it's the oils fault but you'd think a HM oil would help leaks.
 
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