Alright, I know how to change my oil..... Question I have, is, is there a way to clean the internals between the change? All the crappy oil is still coating the parts, and when new clean oil is added, it just dirties it up. Is there a flush product, or should i just be less OCD about my oil? thanks

 

You should fill the engine up with soap and water after you drain the oil and drive around for a bit. That'll clean it right up.






























I'm kidding...

 

I don't quite think that soapy water is best, lol. If you keep up on your oil changes and use good oil (which depends on who you ask) you'll be fine, as will your car. I've taken apart motors with 200k+ miles on them that look absolutely spotless that've never had more than a normal oil changes at reasonable intervals. If you're really worried about sludge buildup, you can use an engine flush before you change your oil, but clean the pan afterwards or you could clog the pickup. As long as you're good about keeping up with oil changes, I wouldn't worry about it so much. The biggest cause of sludge most of the time is people pulling 8-10k between oil changes.

 

LOL, hes probably on his way to the supermarket right now.

 

If you change your oil about every 5k miles you should be fine. Some people swear by synthetic but I use either Castrol, Valvoline or Havoline.

 

I completely agree. I use Castrol GTX 5W30 every 5k. Synthetic is superior in every way/shape/form, but unnecessary for a Maxima. The factory doesn't fill it with such. Marginal cost far exceeds marginal benefit. The VQ is going to go 200+, is there any proof it'll go further with synth? Nope, no empirical evidence. Porsche? MB? Yes, continue to use Mobil 1. BMW? Yes, continue to use Castrol synth. Nissan? Anything will do, Castrol GTX is more than good enough.

 

There was some good information about different oils a while back. Someone had run some test on different ones. The best non-synthetic I believe was Castrol. I think Valvoline was the one to stay away from. I will see if I can dig up that info........

 

I seem to use half a quart of new oil to flush out all of the old oil. I know when to stop b/c the oil dripping down turns a lighter color. on Castrol.

 

I'm going to venture a guess that your method simply wastes 1/2 quart of oil. It's not a flush imho. Sure, you can do what you say with brake fluid. Example, if you say drain your crankcase overnight, you can pour clean oil in the filler and all it does is run out the drain plug. Of course it is clear, it's just come out of a bottle! You're simply wasting new oil.

Close the plug, fill up the crankcase, run the motor, then check the dipstick a little later. The oil wont be clear despite draining overnight.

 

auto-rx.com

 

I've heard for dino oil Chevron Supreme is pretty good as well (Look over at Bobistheoilguy forums). Also you can't beat the price of a buck a quart at your local costco. Now if you are really obsessive about clean oil I've heard of people doing a oil change and then taking the car for a quick spin to move the oil around and then change it again in the same day to get as much of the gunk out. Kind of like a "flush" for the system. I personally think that is a bit much. Not to mention the huge waste of oil.

 

If I really want to get the inside clean I just speed up the neext oil change, like 500 or 1000 miles. Not the same day like the last post, but it gives the filter a chance to trap the remaining junk. Really, oil and a filter are cheap.

 

I am with konak85. autoRX is some good stuff.

I bought my maxima with 165,000 on it. Who know how well it was maintained. I had some odd noises when it was cold and idled a little rough. Ran a treatment of auto RX. Runs beautiful.

I you are worried about it. Get some. It will at least let you sleep better at night.

 

They sell motor flush at most auto places and wallmart, just add to a cold engine before oil change. 5 minutes after "motor flush" and you drain the oil just like you normally would.

 

Most good mechnics will tell you not to use motor flush. If it dislodges anything, it could end up clogging the filter and causing oil starvation or get into a bearing and screwing up your engine. I would just shorten the interval for a coulpe of changes. Then go with 3,000-5,000 mile intervals. A lot of miles in a short time is better than a few miles over a long time. That's when you usually get sludge build up.

BTW I just got through rebuilding the engine in my Nissan truck and the oil already gets dark in just a few miles.

 

Dont do a motor flush. There are alot of hidden dangers involved in that. If you want to clean out your motor, just switch to Mobil 1 synthetic oil and bring your oil changes a bit closer together. You will see a dramatic change within a year

-matt

 

^
i use that one. oil still looks new. I change oil every 3 months or 5k miles which ever comes first to avoid sludge.

 

He's not that dumb. Some people on here are, though, and that's the sad reality