Did a Motorflush with GUNK motorflush and change oil WOW!

[JFP in PA]

Got to agree with Brad on this one, Mobil 1 products have been going downhill since Exxon bought them in 1999; and the slide accelerated about 4-5 years back after they lost their legal battle over the rights to the “full synthetic” terminology and began reformulating Mobil 1. Group IV products became Group III+, then Group III and so on. Several of their Mobil 1 grades lost their ACEA ratings entirely, others just fell off a cliff in their UOA results. What used to be an industry leading product has become a cash cow for Exxon……………

[chitowndad]

Question for Lil Bastard,

So is the recommended procedure the following:

1.) Drain current oil
2.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

3.) run for 10-30 minutes, drain

4.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

5.) drive for 500 miles

6.) replace with Castrol and a new filter

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by chitowndad

Question for Lil Bastard,

So is the recommended procedure the following:

1.) Drain current oil
2.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

3.) run for 10-30 minutes, drain

4.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

5.) drive for 500 miles

6.) replace with Castrol and a new filter

Be sure not to let it cool off much between shutting it down and draining it so the accumulated gunk (no pun intended) doesn't have a chance to fall out of suspension.

I would not run it any more than 10 min. with the flush in the system, whatever's not going to come out in 10 min. isn't gonna come out after 30 min. and running with the flush in the system can put a serious dent in the oil's lubricating abilities.

I would drive the car no more than 500 mi. on the interim oil, but I'd probably swap it closer to 200-300 mi. since 500 mi. for me would be a month or more, be sure to include a new filter at each swap.

one very important thing to remember is, every time you change your oil, you've got air in your system..metal parts prefer oil. Sometimes impossible to do, but remember to re-install your oil filter with oil in it. I also like to pour about a quart of oil in my crank with the oil plug off, just to kind of "flush" any remaining gunk.

Originally Posted by chitowndad

Question for Lil Bastard,

So is the recommended procedure the following:

1.) Drain current oil
2.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

3.) run for 10-30 minutes, drain

4.) replace with cheap oil and a new filter

5.) drive for 500 miles

6.) replace with Castrol and a new filter

[Cloudsurfer]

Not to fuel the oil debate, but as far as I'm concerned, the best stuff you can put in your car is either Redline or Motul.

I would also absolutely get that 10W30 out of your car, both since it's too thin, and since it is diluted with solvents.

[bigborian]

Just picked up 2, 5 quart jugs of Castrol Syntec Full Synthetic from Walmart $21 woo! And picking up an STP oil filter from Autozone on monday. Gonna change oil again this Friday only ran about 200 miles on it so far by friday maybe 250 miles so it should be good to go I'll report on how it feels after the 2nd oil change.

[rob76turbo]

LB...

When you say cheap oil, what are we talking about? Synth oil is pricey and we are talking about running it 30 minutes max. And I have not seen many "dino" oils that are either 0W-40 or 5W-40. So do think it is okay to run a Penzoil, Quaker State type oil for that short cycle?

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by rob76turbo

LB...

When you say cheap oil, what are we talking about? Synth oil is pricey and we are talking about running it 30 minutes max. And I have not seen many "dino" oils that are either 0W-40 or 5W-40. So do think it is okay to run a Penzoil, Quaker State type oil for that short cycle?

OK... I think a little clarification is in order before I get to your specific question.

I do not advocate flushing the motor as scheduled maintenance or a preventative measure, and I don't want to give the impression that everyone s/b running out and buying motor flush for their cars. Anytime you run solvents through the engine there are risks.

Risks of excess wear, risks of causing leaky seals (because the 'crud' often aids the seals), risks that some of the dislodged deposits would block vital oil passages, etc. And, it is expensive (relatively so with all the oil/filters used etc.).

So, only if the engine needs it - is very high mileage and tired would I personally flush it.

It is not a cure-all and a well maintained engine with proper, regular oil changes using a quality oil won't usually require it. I mean that's one of the main functions of the oil - to capture combustion byproducts and hold them in suspension til the next oil change, something it actually does pretty well.

To just go and do it on the theory that "it couldn't hurt" is a false cost/benefit and the money might well yield more benefit if say it were spent on new plugs, or a coolant change.

All that said, to answer your direct question; if your car meet the criteria, and/or you are willing to assume the costs and risks of performing the flush, then I would say that you want a quality interim oil. Afterall, it's still flowing through your precious M96. 30 min. may not seem like a lot of time, but it takes just a fraction of that to starve a bearing or create permanent wear. When added up, this is a fairly costly procedure, no getting around that, and I cannot tell you what oil you should put in your car.

OTOH, you can always take a sample of the interim oil and run it through a coffee filter to see how much gunk is in it, and if satisfied, always reuse the interim oil in a less cherished (and possibly more robust) daily driver, your lawn mower (probably a lifetime supply given the quantity), etc.

[Brucelee]

When I buy any car with an older engine and/or I am not sure of the service history, I will do a few quick interval oil changes right out of the gate.

In you case, you might go to Wal Mart and get their syn oil. Run it 3000 miles three times. Assuming you drive a decent amount of miles, this will perform a safe "flush" without the risk of your engine detonating.

I do the same with auto trans. I am NOT a believer in the flush. I simply drain and refill more frequently than the manual says. This also seems to work well.

As Lil said, flushing is NOT without its risks.

[bigborian]

i bought my car from a used car dealership and when we got it we were thinking of doing a short interval oil change, It had 76k miles on it. We drove it maybe 500 miles and decided to change the oil and it was black. It seems the dealership hadn't changed the oil in a very long time. We put 10W-30 in it then mobil 1 full synthetic.

When we changed the oil just a few days ago the oil still looked good nice golden brown color. We drained a quart then put in the motor flush, idled, then drained the rest of the oil out and the oil turned black. We put in 10W-30 Mobil 1 full synthetic for high mileage vehicles and that's where we are at now. We are going to change the oil out this friday with Castrol Syntec full synthetic 10w-40 and an STP filter I'll let u know when i'm done. I'll also note the color and the look of the oil at the final oil change.

Walmart has an abundance of good oils at a reasonable price if you're going to do this i reccommned shopping there. They had more than Castrol brand 10w-40 but i decided to go with Castrol.

[bigborian]

update on motorflush. Just did my short interval oil change at 400 miles. I drained the almost new mobil 1 high mileage synthetic 10w-30 and it still looked new. Still viscous and still yellow-brown color but that's what i was expecting anyways. Took off the filter and the same thing there still looked brand new but changed it all anyways.

A few things i did notice after the motorflush and 10w-30 was the engine temp after coming off the highway and sitting in traffic temps got to about a little over 210 maybe around 215-220 but still within good range.

I drained it all and changed to 10w-40 Castrol Syntec Full Synthetic motor oil, Changed the oil filter and all. Feels just as good however i did notice temps were cooler after coming off of the highway or driving it hard. Feels pretty smooth i like it! This was my experience with motorflush, i guess it's not that popular but if you've got a car that you don't trust was taken care of properly this might be one way to consider to clean your engine.

[releese78]

I decided to take a chance and do it as well. Ran for 10 minutes with the flush on previously clean oil, and it came out black! I'm on my interval oil as we speak (only driven about 20 miles so far).

[yimmy149]

It's common for the front radiators on the boxster to get filled up with crap. And dead animals.

Unfortunately, to do it right, you need to remove the front bumper cover - because the "radiators" you can see from the outside are actually for the aircon. (I think...)

I've had my car about 4 months, but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, but my temp stays pretty close to 180.

-james

[bigborian]

Originally Posted by yimmy149

It's common for the front radiators on the boxster to get filled up with crap. And dead animals.

Unfortunately, to do it right, you need to remove the front bumper cover - because the "radiators" you can see from the outside are actually for the aircon. (I think...)

I've had my car about 4 months, but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, but my temp stays pretty close to 180.

-james

Ah sorry mate this post is refering to Motorflush for the engine not a radiator flush hehe.

[yimmy149]

Originally Posted by bigborian

Ah sorry mate this post is refering to Motorflush for the engine not a radiator flush hehe.

I was responding to your engine temp comments - 210 is too high.

[bigborian]

Originally Posted by yimmy149

I was responding to your engine temp comments - 210 is too high.

Temp stays close to 180 after switching to 10w-40, the issue wasn't the radiator it was light weight oil with solvents in it breaking down the oil

[coreseller]

Dumb question on a month old thread.....out of curiousity, did you only put in ONE quart of Gunk motor flush? If so, how did you drain out only one quart of oil?

[FTD]

My first thought is "10W/30"!?!? Yikes. Isn't that risky? Doesn't the engine require 0 - 5W/40 - 50, even if for a short interval? Don't know, that's why I'm asking. Just seems kinda risky.

[mptoledo]

Originally Posted by coreseller

Dumb question on a month old thread.....out of curiousity, did you only put in ONE quart of Gunk motor flush? If so, how did you drain out only one quart of oil?

You have to drain all the oil out (complete change). Preferably while its still hot as when oil cools it allows the "gunk" to settle out of the oil (not good). You will probably also need to change your oil in another 500 to 1000 miles to get any residuals out of it, just to be safe. I have been considering this, but I have just changed my oil with expensive castro syntech. I will probably use a cheaper 5w40 oil for the 500 to 1000 miles as It will be immediately wasted. Then I will put some castro back in and change it every year or 5k miles.

After all that, it will still be cheaper than going to a "stealership" for their $150 coffee.

Lubro Moly has a motor flush, which is supposedly designed for German cars since they are a German chemical company, so take that for what it's worth.

Due to the amount of and effectiveness of the solvents in this products, it's a pretty good idea to follow the flush with a short interval oil change to avoid the long term problems of running with a thinned lubricant.