Did Valvoline Conventional Fail?

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Does the dipstick run through the exhaust manifold runners, and does this manifold have a catalytic converter in it? It's possible the dipstick just got too hot from that, and the engine could be OK?
 
Originally Posted by Red91
Am I the only one not seeing a problem here? It looks like used oil on a dipstick.

Nope. I would expect it to look like that at that mileage. On top of that, maybe the car has moisture issues further hastening oil degradation.

I don't care what the brand is, I would never run a conventional beyond 5k miles. Syn blend yes, but 100% conventional - nope.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by bbhero
CT8 said:
Pull the valve cover, the dip stick is an amateur move.



Rough crowd
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[/quote} Very rough.



Got that right... No quarter given
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Good to see you on here CT8... Hope that you have been staying cool out there...
 
I've owned a lot of cars over the years and never saw varnish on a dipstick in any of them. Having said that I never went more than a couple of hundred miles over my OCI, and I never looked to squeeze the last possible mile out of oil or a filter. Oil and filters are still cheap in comparison to repair costs due to neglect or pushing the limits.
 
Originally Posted by tig1
In the 41 years I have used M1 oils I have never had any varnish on any dip stick from any of my engines. 10K OCIs all.

Thank you Tig1, none of us knew that, why did you hide that fact for so long.
 
Originally Posted by SR5
Originally Posted by tig1
In the 41 years I have used M1 oils I have never had any varnish on any dip stick from any of my engines. 10K OCIs all.

Thank you Tig1, none of us knew that, why did you hide that fact for so long.


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Tis the season of full disclosure and total honesty.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I've owned a lot of cars over the years and never saw varnish on a dipstick in any of them. Having said that I never went more than a couple of hundred miles over my OCI, and I never looked to squeeze the last possible mile out of oil or a filter. Oil and filters are still cheap in comparison to repair costs due to neglect or pushing the limits.

Got 162k miles on an 09 and the ds is shiny like the day I bought it. But then again, like you I've never pushed my oil beyond 4/5k miles for a grp2/2+ or 7k for a grp3 full syn.
 
It failed in the job it was asked to do. How unfair the job it was asked to do remains to be seen. Some of us are very curious how long the OCI was, buster. Come post again and spill the beans!
 
Don't know what the second pic is, the first one is from at the top?!?

Seems that something is fractionating off - scary stuff. But I have doubts that this happened by virtue of going over by less than 2k miles.
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Red91
Am I the only one not seeing a problem here? It looks like used oil on a dipstick.

Nope. I would expect it to look like that at that mileage. On top of that, maybe the car has moisture issues further hastening oil degradation.

I don't care what the brand is, I would never run a conventional beyond 5k miles. Syn blend yes, but 100% conventional - nope.

If it's 5-20 or 5-30 it's probably a blend even if it's called conventional. VWB is undergoing a relabeling to blend as labels and bottles run out. I'm planning on running my VWB for 5k. That's enough.
 
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Originally Posted by JAG
It failed in the job it was asked to do. How unfair the job it was asked to do remains to be seen. Some of us are very curious how long the OCI was, buster. Come post again and spill the beans!
How do we know it failed? No UOA.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by JAG
It failed in the job it was asked to do. How unfair the job it was asked to do remains to be seen. Some of us are very curious how long the OCI was, buster. Come post again and spill the beans!
How do we know it failed? No UOA.


Indeed.
 
If I ask you to swim from North America to Europe and you don't make it, you failed to do what I asked you to do. Whether my request was asking too much of a human is irrelevant in the determination of successs or failure. Significant varnish formation in one OCI indicates lubricant failure to keep the engine clean.
 
Originally Posted by JAG
If I ask you to swim from North America to Europe and you don't make it, you failed to do what I asked you to do. Whether my request was asking too much of a human is irrelevant in the determination of successs or failure. Significant varnish formation in one OCI indicates lubricant failure to keep the engine clean.

I would say oil degradation (thermal breakdown, oil oxidation) is the prime culprit here but it's also possible that the oil was simply ran to long allowing insolubles to build up (soot), that increases the chances for varnish to lay down. Either way, that (conventional) oil spent too much time in the crankcase. A UOA would be telling...
 
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BITOG boyfriends just say no to VIOC for their girlfriends! Now, be a good boyfriend & hook her up with some cheap AR full synthetic, and see if the varnish disappears!
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Exactly why I change oil at 5k regardless of what a manufacture says who ultimately want to make their vehicles look lower in cost to own. Oils cheap compared to the alternatives. While I currently own an oil burning altima, I've never had an engine failure in 30 years and probably ten different cars and trucks. Why a company says to run an auto 10k on oil is beyond me.
 
Isn't an 2010 CR-V spec'd for a full synthetic? Or does the manual still state 5w20?
 
Originally Posted by D1dad
Exactly why I change oil at 5k regardless of what a manufacture says who ultimately want to make their vehicles look lower in cost to own. Oils cheap compared to the alternatives. While I currently own an oil burning altima, I've never had an engine failure in 30 years and probably ten different cars and trucks. Why a company says to run an auto 10k on oil is beyond me.


Because 10K miles isn't long. Now when you have TDI with a 3 or 4 quart sump 4K OCI'S maybe pushing the limits.
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by D1dad
Exactly why I change oil at 5k regardless of what a manufacture says who ultimately want to make their vehicles look lower in cost to own. Oils cheap compared to the alternatives. While I currently own an oil burning altima, I've never had an engine failure in 30 years and probably ten different cars and trucks. Why a company says to run an auto 10k on oil is beyond me.


Because 10K miles isn't long. Now when you have TDI with a 3 or 4 quart sump 4K OCI'S maybe pushing the limits.


I disagree except in very specific conditions like very long highway commutes, or vehicles that run all day long.
 
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