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[msb1973]

On all my cars previous and current i've used forte engine flushes, usually just drop one in a day or so before the oil change and when you drop the oil the crap that comes out is unbelievable, somthing definatley worth doing imo, only problem you will have is if the car already has underlying probs such as oil leaks etc, the flush will highlight these sort of issues, but seriously its worth doing and even vauxhall thought so as they used forte products for along period of time

[hotel21]

On all my cars previous and current i've used forte engine flushes, usually just drop one in a day or so before the oil change and when you drop the oil the crap that comes out is unbelievable, somthing definatley worth doing imo, only problem you will have is if the car already has underlying probs such as oil leaks etc, the flush will highlight these sort of issues, but seriously its worth doing and even vauxhall thought so as they used forte products for along period of time

Not disagreeing with you but looking at the thing from another angle.

Vauxhall, in common with other manufacturers, dealerships and independant garages are out to make money.  This can be from the sale of products such as engine flush, right through the oils (how many VX garages actually use VX branded oil, by the way??) through to repairs etc when the wheel comes off the bogie...

Not dissing your logic, just being sceptical and listening to others more knowledgeable on here who recommend sub 4000 mile oil changes as that should be enough to keep an engines internals clean.

No harm in a few short time changes either, such as 500 to 1000 miles a pop.  The fresh oil has a detergent effect and is less harsh than a flush....   

[msb1973]

no probs just once again saying what works, for myself and my mechanic who seems to know his stuff and has always come through for me when it comes to coming up with the goods when it comes to maintaining and upgrading a good few cars of mine over the past few years which have always ended up in a good state of health and produced exellent dyno figures and delivered power wise on road and track, at the end of the day i know whom im trusting, a guy whos managed to build championship winning cars in the formula 1 stockcars or without being offensive a complete unknown on the end af a computer, don't get me wrong forums are always an exellent source of info but there does tend to be some who are just up for an argument thats my opinion, and experience and i'm not trying to cause offense so appologise for any taken

[Jimbob]

Flushes certainly clear out the rubbish, trouble is they can clean out so much you can be left with leaks, they can also dislodge too much gunk which can block narrow oilways, or pickup strainer.

Flushing by means of very regular oil changes, with an oil with good cleaning properties, is a lot safer and more gentle on the engine.

Each to his own, but I wont use one thats for sure.

On a new (to me) car, I change the oil at 1000 mile intervals for a few thousand miles, then increase it to 3-4000 intervals where it tends to stay.  at around £12 for an oil change using genuine VX oil, its an economical, safe serviceing regime, I find you feel the difference changing the oil at 4000 miles, so hate to think how badly they must run on really old oil.

On a car I bought in June, the oil is only just starting to be as clean / dirty as I would change it at, at just under 3000 miles.

[msb1973]

bottom line is oil is the lifeblood of your engine and no car i know of ever suffered from having to frequent oil changes, i also agree that the oil does seem to deteriorate very quickly after 4 to 5k although thats also dependant on the oil used, i am personally a big fan of millers motorsports oils, although i am sticking with vx 10/40 in the omega as it seems to be generally accepted to be the best stuff for the job in this engine/car

[greenfingers 79]

so back to the original post! yes or no seems to be the million dollar question?
taking 5.5 ltrs every oil change, changing at a 500 mile or 1k stint will be quite expensive,
might just try the flush and worry about anything else hapening later,
whats the worst that could happen?

[TheBoy]

so back to the original post! yes or no seems to be the million dollar question?
taking 5.5 ltrs every oil change, changing at a 500 mile or 1k stint will be quite expensive,
might just try the flush and worry about anything else hapening later,
whats the worst that could happen?

Worse case is a seize. Best case is no change.

Personally, I wouldn't put it in, unless there was an issue that could not be cured with regular oil changes. You will still need to do a quick oil change a couple of hundred miles later to get the rest of that solvent out...  ...then again, being the STP flush, its uselessly weak to start with.

If there is no underlying issue, just change oil, and keep repeating at 3-4k with GM's semi synth (4 x 5l = £32+VAT at TC prices). Possibly doing a quick 1k oil change if the existing oil is manky.

[feeutfo]

Would it be a case of baring in mind the cars history? I.e, if the car has had poor service history with neglected oil changes, then avoid flushing for fear washing all that gunk into the sump all at once, blocking the pick up and seizing the engine?

However if the car is well maintained with manageable gunk levels for the pick up then fire away?

There are pics of a gunked oil pic up somewhere and the resulting seizure iirc. ?

[Kevin Wood]

Would it be a case of baring in mind the cars history? I.e, if the car has had poor service history with neglected oil changes, then avoid flushing for fear washing all that gunk into the sump all at once, blocking the pick up and seizing the engine?

However if the car is well maintained with manageable gunk levels for the pick up then fire away?

There are pics of a gunked oil pic up somewhere and the resulting seizure iirc. ?

Yep, in other words, the only car it's safe to flush, is one where it's not needed.

If you flush consistently at every service it'll be fine, but if the car is being serviced  at sensible intervals it will not be necessary.

If I had a car that was bad enough that I decided to flush it, I would drop the sump and check the pickup before further use. Whereas it might be safe for other engines, we have seen a few V6s killed by this problem.

Incidentally, you can't tell the difference after an oil change if you use GM 5w30 IME. The oil doesn't come out running like water either.

Kevin

[Andy H]

Incidentally, you can't tell the difference after an oil change if you use GM 5w30 IME. The oil doesn't come out running like water either.

Kevin

Would that be a vote for or against using 5w30 oil?  :-/

[PhilRich]

I've been using VX 5W:30 for the past 10 months (because I get it gratis ) & never noticed any difference in noise levels from the engine, no change in performance, no difference in appearance when changing oil etc. :-/

[Andy B]

.....
There are pics of a gunked oil pic up somewhere and the resulting seizure iirc. ?

They'll be the pictures Daz took of the 2.6 that Josh sold to the pillock that continued to drive despite the oil pressure light being on, before he stripped & rebuilt it into a 3.0/2.6 

[Kevin Wood]

Incidentally, you can't tell the difference after an oil change if you use GM 5w30 IME. The oil doesn't come out running like water either.

Kevin

Would that be a vote for or against using 5w30 oil?  :-/

Just an observation, really. It lasts better but costs twice as much. Nothing wrong with either oil as long as a sensible oil change interval is adhered to.

Kevin

[Boditza]

from what i know if you really need to clean your engine then change your oil at 1000 miles about 3 times then you can go back to your regullar change interval. if you use engine cleaners they contain "aditives" like paint thinners wich will wash all the protective coating the oil leaves on the cylinder, makeing it abrasive. i will be like driving without oil, not to mention the gunk that could fall off and block the oil pump. it is up to everyones appreciation in how to use engine flush but this is what i know

p.s. my previous astra f 1,7 diesel had 300.000 miles on the clock with no intervention on the engine, just regullar oil changes

[Marks DTM Calib]

Never flush an engine with an unknown service history.

And if it has a good service history, there is no point anyway.

Hence no.