Castrol

 

I just sent an email off to Castrol with the details of this dilema. Let's see what they say!

 

Can you make sure when you trade in your car, you let the dealer know this type of abuse is happening.. LOL!!

My goodness.. Wouldnt ya like to be that used car buyer..

Don_w---She runs great... Buyer---Gee thanks Mr. W its my first Mustang, did you race alot... Don_w-- No not at all.. Kept her garaged pretty much every winter... LOL!!


This is why you dont buy used Mustangs... Don_W is a perfect example to always by new... That poor kid!

Atleast he is changing the oil every 2500 miles.. Thats gotta help it out.. I still would hate to chance it..

 

lets put it this way ford says the tranny fluid is good for 100k...does that mean you will wait till you hit that kinda milage..i wont...when the car comes out from it`s winter rest..i going to change it....i have always change my oil at 3k and tranny fluid and filter every year...never had engine or tranny problems...and the oil is always clean.....

 

Have used nothing but Motorcraft oil in every car I have owned since 1984, typically change my oil every 4-5000 miles and have never had anything remotely resembling sludge in any of my cars. No oil related failures either.

 

im a quaker state man...

 

Here is my blackstone report from my 97 Camry, no sludge in my engine.
[attachmentid=39023]

I intend to use the same Castrol Syntec in my Mustang and have it tested at least once a year. You can guess all you want about how your oil is performing but without test results you're guessing. The report also will show how your filters are working.

Greg

 

I don't know why so many people are opposed to Motorcraft oil. It's good oil, made by Conoco. No deposits in the bottom of the oil cans. I have seen the crap in the bottom of Castrol cans and other brands too.

 

Okay, I just received the reply from Castrol...here it is:

"Without inspection of the engine or analysis of the oil, it is difficult
to determine a cause. This 'sludge' in the engine could mean possible
mechanical concerns. For example, antifreeze, if allowed to combine
with the crankcase oil, can cause problems in an engine including oil
thickening and sludging and can result in engine failure. The possible
mechanical concerns for a coolant leak should be investigated. Oil
should also be changed regularly at an interval of 3000 miles or 3
months.

Castrol Consumer Relations."

There is no obvious signs of coolant in the crankcase. What do you guys think of this response?

 

Here's an indirect thread related to the Toyota oil/sluge issue. In this case it is related to engine design. It is widely known and was admitted to by Toyota.

http://forums.noria.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/...027/r/908101097

I don't think any decent oil today should sludge by itself, assuming regluar change intervals. There has to be a problem or design issue that would cause it to take place

 

Anyone here try LucasOil synthetic oil?

 

Greg is right. Just go to Blackstone labs online and get their free sample kit. Take a sample of your oil now and send it in. You Can't easily see anit-freeze in your oil, unless it's a lot, then you'll see it on the dip stick. I sent my oil sample to Balckstone Labs and also had it analyzed by Terry Dyson. I'm now changing my maintenance routine.
Each & Every sample is different. Even the same make & model. The only True way to know how your engine is running, is from the Inside.

My report...

Dave...

 

Dave/Greg - Thanks for that but I could not read the report as posted. Did you ask for the report due to sludge or just to check the condition of your oil? Did they find anything unusual about the oil?
Thanks!
JSCB

 

Here are some of the comments from my F350 truck and 97 Camry. I'm checking the truck because I wanted to baseline the engine wear. I did find that I had some fuel in the oil after a long trip at high altitude running a powerstroke +60 HP program.

On the Camry I was concerned about the sludge problem but everything is fine because I never let it go more than ~ 5K between changes.

EQUIPMENT MAKE: Navistar
EQUIPMENT MODEL: 7.3L Power Stroke
FUEL TYPE: Diesel
OIL USE INTERVAL: 2,567 Miles
OIL TYPE & GRADE: Shell Rotella T 15W/40
MAKE-UP OIL ADDED: 0 qts
OIL REPORT
GREG: We see a lot of Power Stroke engine oil samples here, but we hardly ever see one that wears
as nicely as yours. Universal averages show typical wear metals for an oil from this type of engine
after about 5,090 miles run on the oil. Your oil was in use far fewer miles, and we found all wear quite
low, showing all normal mechanical parts inside. Air and oil filtration appear normal. This was 15W/40
diesel-use engine oil with no fuel, moisture or anti-freeze in it. The oil could have stayed in use longer.
Try 5,000 miles for the next sample. The large oil sump makes a difference.

EQUIPMENT MAKE: Navistar
EQUIPMENT MODEL: 7.3L Power Stroke
FUEL TYPE: Diesel
OIL USE INTERVAL: 3,595 Miles
OIL TYPE & GRADE: Shell Rotella T 15W/40
MAKE-UP OIL ADDED: 1 qts
GREG: Fuel dilution was present in this oil at 2.0%, possibly enough to show a fuel system problem,
though maybe not. In-town driving can cause it The viscosity was still normal for a 15W/40 and the oil
additives do not show much dilution, so we aren't sure if it's a problem or not. All wear was perfectly
normal for this type of engine showing no significant changes since last sample after a 3,595 mile oil
use run. No moisture or coolant found. At 67,999 miles, we suspect this engine is okay, though you
may want to resample to monitor the fuel contamination.


EQUIPMENT MAKE: Toyota
EQUIPMENT MODEL: 3.0L V6
FUEL TYPE: Gasoline (Unleaded)
OIL USE INTERVAL: 5,268 Miles
OIL TYPE & GRADE: Castrol Syntec 5W/30 (gas)
MAKE-UP OIL ADDED: 0 qts
OIL REPORT
GREG: We hate to mark a metal at only 4-ppm, but they all looked so perfect after the 5,268 mile oil
use run, we had to do something. Universal averages show typical wear metals for an oil from this type
of engine after about 4,805 miles run on the oil. We found all wear in your oil at around average levels
and in the correct balance to show normal mechanical parts inside. Air and oil filtration appear normal.
This oil was a little light in viscosity for a 5W/30 but had no gas or anti-freeze in it. The oil could have
stayed in use longer. Try 5,500 miles for the next sample.

 

John, I'm having my oil analyzed, just to see how she's doing, from the Inside. I'm **** about the care / maintenance of my cars! Every car is different, so no two reports will be the same. So, after having my GT checked out, I got some good advice from Terry Dyson. The advice he gives me, may not be the same for you. Everything from temperature where you live, altitude, geographic location, driving styles, etc... will effect your car different than mine. But I will say this, I was very surprised by the oil Terry wants Me to go to! If you want some really good reading (if your into this stuff, I like to learn as much as I can) go here: http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi Here, you can find more information than you may want! For a Clear reading of my UOA (used oil analysis), click here: http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultima...ic;f=3;t=003050

Dave...

 

Thanks very much guys...that's great advice. I'll be taking some oil samples soon and well before my warranty is up. My biggest concern is that anti-freeze comment from Castrol , or maybe they're just deflecting the blame? It would be great to see more GT results posted up here.

 

I work at the NA facility that manufactures Mobil1 and we also blend oils for other companies as well. Last time I checked, we blend oil for Motorcraft (as well as Honda, Toyota, and Mopar). The Motorcraft oil is probably blended under contract by several manufacturers, not just Conoco.

 

John, don't forget, if you think you may have a problem, I'd take a sample Now! Just remove the drain plug for a few seconds, then using the Blackstone sample bottle, grap some oil and replace the plug. Sure, you'll get messy doing it, but you shouldn't lose more than 1/2 quart getting the sample. Just replace what you've taken out. I wouldn't wait until my next oil change, if I thought I had a problem. If you've got a problem, it won't matter if the current oil only has a few miles on it. Anything like fuel or anti-freeze in your oil will still show up. Heck, for the cheap cost of oil & filter, just change it anyway, while taking your sample? If the filter is that new, just leave it on. Let me know how you make out! I hope you don't have a real engine problem!

Dave...