Oil for our other cars

[BruceK]

We all own cars besides our Minis, and they need maintenance too. I watch a YouTube channel called the Motor Oil Geek and learned about a new synthetic oil from Valvoline called "Restore & Protect". It is claimed to reduce internal engine  varnish and deposits using a proprietary process that does not just involve adding more detergent in the motor oil. So I decided to give it a try. 

Eight months ago I bought my 2014 Tacoma with a little over 150,000 miles. That's a lot, but it is a Toyota, and the Carfax documented that the previous owner had oil changes done every 5000 miles like clockwork so I had confidence that it was taken care of.  But I think all of those oil changes were with conventional oil, not synthetic. Time to give it the good stuff.

Valvoline claims "With continuous use, Restore & Protect Motor Oil removes up to 100% of deposits and prevents future deposit formation, restoring engines to run like factory clean. Piston deposit removal when used as directed for four or more consecutive oil changes at standard maintenance intervals based on adapted sequence IIIH testing."

My primary concern is wanting piston rings that are functioning properly - not stuck to the pistons - so the engine will not burn any oil.  Plus, I want all the oil passages to not be obstructed. 

I am only 5000 miles in, and Valvoline indicates it may take three or four oil changes to get the desired results, but please look at the photos below showing deposits on the dipstick before the oil change and after 5000 miles.

The photos on the engine cover are the original, and the ones with the paper towel underneath are the most recent. So, some progress, but still some deposits on one side of the dipstick. But the other side is now spotless.  So I can only assume the engine internals are getting clean too.

I decided to use this oil in my Land Cruiser (with about 125,000 miles) because I don't know the history of that vehicle in Japan before I got it. And I also decided to use this oil in my R53 Cooper S (with about 145,000 ) which I've owned since new and has only ever tasted high quality synthetic. I figured it can't hurt. 

Oh, I should mention the reason Valvoline says it takes three or four oil changes to clean the engine is they do not want to overwhelm the oil filter with contaminants that have been loosened. So this means the cleaning takes place relatively slowly using regular oil change intervals.

[ve9aa]

The oil in my 2009 MINI COOPER (BINI?) always looks mint.  The trick?  Get a car that habitually burns and leaks so much oil that you're always adding fresh oil to it.  I could almost skip all oil changes!

Not to change the subject (and what I wrote is true!)

 Not sure what the PO did to this engine but if there were still self serve pumps around like in the 1970's I could "almost" pull in and say "check the gas and add a quart of oil" (almost).  Bought it in 2012 (58,000 kms) and it's always burned the stuff like crazy.  I have >300k (kms, not miles) on the clock and still get 46mpg (imp not us) with studded winter tyres and a non-MINI roof rack with b/a light on it.

Please excuse the totally off topic remark.  I'll slink back into the corner.  Guess I was bored.  The AI bots over on the MM site weren't very interesting in their spam posts today Bruce!

;-)

[ve9aa]

p.s.-wifes car, a new 2012 bini we bought new in 2012 has 270,000kms on it and has had loud piston slap for years, but burns probably what I'd consider a "normal amount of oil" (I put a 1/2-1 liter in it every 3-4 months and we put on lots of miles as we live pretty far from town.) I probably put a liter (or more) in mine every month or two.

WEIRD !   

[BruceK]

A lot of Youtubers have videos about this Valvoline oil. And if you look at the comments on those videos, a lot of people have commented that they have  had good luck reducing oil consumption by using it. Sometimes dramatically. Might be worth a try. 

I guess I'm really lucky in that my 2002 first generation MINI with the Tritec engine is not leaking oil, and it's not burning oil either at 145,000 miles. Of course I'm only driving about 4000 miles a year these days.  But the oil level stays constant between annual oil change changes 

[MiniDave]

Can't hurt.....

Since I can usually get it on sale at Wally World I run Mobil 1 in everything except the classic Mini.

At 120K the Blue MINI looked like new under the valve cover, so I think it must do a pretty good job.

[ADRay]

The oil in my 2009 MINI COOPER (BINI?) always looks mint.  The trick?  Get a car that habitually burns and leaks so much oil that you're always adding fresh oil to it.  I could almost skip all oil changes!

my '15 Subaru is on that program!

[Dan Moffet]

Not oil for my "other car" but oil from one of my past cars: Quaker State 10W30 IMPERIAL quart in a METAL can. I think it was for my 1975 Fiat X-1/9 so the can is at least 46 years old.

I also have a can of Texaco Marfak No 1 grease, manufactured by McColl-Frontenac Company. Good old-fashioned "string grease": when you pull some out of the can it has a stringy texture. Great for wheel bearings on trailers etc. It belonged to my grandfather, who died around 1960, so that gives an idea of how old that is. 

[ve9aa]

Not oil for my "other car" but oil from one of my past cars: Quaker State 10W30 IMPERIAL quart in a METAL can. I think it was for my 1975 Fiat X-1/9 so the can is at least 46 years old.

I also have a can of Texaco Marfak No 1 grease, manufactured by McColl-Frontenac Company. Good old-fashioned "string grease": when you pull some out of the can it has a stringy texture. Great for wheel bearings on trailers etc. It belonged to my grandfather, who died around 1960, so that gives an idea of how old that is. 

When I was a wee lad pumping gas here locally in ~1981 we were just barely transitioning from metal cans to metal/cardboardy type cans(and fully plastic after I left being a pump jockey) . What a mess if you got a weak (cardboardy)_ one and was too rough inserting the spout,   LOL!

String grease? What a concept. Nice to keep your granpa's memories alive Dan.

[BruceK]

Not oil for my "other car" but oil from one of my past cars: Quaker State 10W30 IMPERIAL quart in a METAL can. I think it was for my 1975 Fiat X-1/9 so the can is at least 46 years old.

I also have a can of Texaco Marfak No 1 grease, manufactured by McColl-Frontenac Company. Good old-fashioned "string grease": when you pull some out of the can it has a stringy texture. Great for wheel bearings on trailers etc. It belonged to my grandfather, who died around 1960, so that gives an idea of how old that is. 

I still remember the sound of the metal spout piecing the top of the metal quart of oil.  It made a nice sound sort of like the sharpening a knife. And of course, if no good spout was available a Phillips screwdriver hit with the heel of my hand would make a bunch of holes on one side of the can along with a vent hole on the opposite side.

This photo is of a US quart, but I imagine the imperial quart had similar packaging.  Iconic.

[Dan Moffet]

Not oil for my "other car" but oil from one of my past cars: Quaker State 10W30 IMPERIAL quart in a METAL can. I think it was for my 1975 Fiat X-1/9 so the can is at least 46 years old.

I also have a can of Texaco Marfak No 1 grease, manufactured by McColl-Frontenac Company. Good old-fashioned "string grease": when you pull some out of the can it has a stringy texture. Great for wheel bearings on trailers etc. It belonged to my grandfather, who died around 1960, so that gives an idea of how old that is. 

I still remember the sound of the metal spout piecing the top of the metal quart of oil.  It made a nice sound sort of like the sharpening a knife. And of course, if no good spout was available a Phillips screwdriver hit with the heel of my hand would make a bunch of holes on one side of the can along with a vent hole on the opposite side.

This photo is of a US quart, but I imagine the imperial quart had similar packaging.  Iconic.

Yes! the sound of a proper spout going into a metal can! And yes, the cardboardy one were crap. As for the screwdriver trick. I was taught to use a larger flat screwdriver. (In Canada, we avoid Phillips screws like the plague they are.)  You'd punch the top of the can right at the edge seam, then lever away from the seam to produce a decent-sized square hole that poured smoothly and completely. Of course a smaller vent hole would be made at the far side.

I just checked my toolbox. In the third drawer from the bottom, on the right is.... my personal oil spout! A deluxe version with a yellow rubber coating (real rubber back then), that has not deteriorated.  Vintage: circa 1972 when I bought my first car, a 1968 Mini countryman, of course!

[MiniDave]

Yep, I have one of those spouts too - can't imagine I will ever use it again. And if I show it to one of my grandsons (25-30 y/o) they'll have no idea what it is or what it was for.....