Zen and the art of maintaining it

ssjr0498 · 10th November 2009, 22:25

@dev: Sorry to say but dang!! what the hell is that!! How on earth did that happen. I own a 2001 model zen vxi and from the past 3 yrs it is on the jacks for majority of the year (as I am in blr and the car is in kolkata, no one to drive it around) but even then, I have never ever seen such a sludge formation.

@Santosh: Dude, when was the last time you got your car serviced, look at that sludge formation.

Now that I have looked at your snaps, I am confused, what is causing this sludge formation?? Do you guys not service your cars regularly?

Btw, Santosh, that 210psi static compression is cool, I have seen the new model zens (not the estilo) having compression pressure's of 180-190psi! Also, did the mech open your head cuz without that he cant change your head gasket! Do you mean the gasket on your valve cover??

Cheers
Shrey

black12rr · 10th November 2009, 22:36

@ dev , car is running fine for now ,little smoother , will add the OWS 360 petrol treatment in the next fill and check out .
What is engine stress test ?

@ssjr , vtec boy , thats the car i bought recently .I did a engine flush that should have taken care of below the piston part . I plan to remove the head cover, next week some time my self and clean up the junk .
Yes ,only the head cover was removed , the valve cover was replaced ,the head was not removed . Head gasket was wrong term

.
Regarding dev's engine , he also got the car recently , hence hes also confused .

Since i have the car now it will be in top shape here onwards .

Jaggu · 10th November 2009, 23:14

@black12rr: Dont bother with cleaning of head, its not really worth it (head cover you can for a feel good factor

). Instead as i mentioned earlier do an early oil change.

devrajman · 11th November 2009, 08:46

Guys, I was shocked too when I saw the sludge!

I bought the car 2 months back. This is my first service. Previous owner showed me 2 prior service at every 5K kms at UM Cars, Airport road. Not sure why UM Cars didnt do anything!

I have the car now. I want to get it back in shape.

Any known good BKMs for removing most of it (not all of it) in next 5-10K Kms. Like additives, auto cleaning, manual cleaning, etc, etc.

Let me know your suggestions. Thanks.

Jaggu · 11th November 2009, 09:58

Best would be manual cleaning after stripping the head. But if your car is running alright dont bother. Do oil changes at slightly shorter period of say 3500-4000 kms and let it be.

nitrous · 11th November 2009, 15:19

I would suggest a good synthetic oil and an oil filter change @ the 5000km and 10000km mark.
The detergents in the synthetic oil will go to work and will gradually clean out the sludge.
The Zen should need ~ 3 litres of engine oil and you can source Shell Helix Ultra @ 650 per litre.
Bosch oil filter is recommended.

devrajman · 11th November 2009, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

I would suggest a good synthetic oil and an oil filter change @ the 5000km and 10000km mark.
The detergents in the synthetic oil will go to work and will gradually clean out the sludge.
The Zen should need ~ 3 litres of engine oil and you can source Shell Helix Ultra @ 650 per litre.
Bosch oil filter is recommended.

Currently I have put Castrol Magnetec with 3M engine oil additive. Technician told me to do this totally twice to see a difference.

How does this sludge effect engine?

nitrous · 11th November 2009, 15:43

Quote:

Currently I have put Castrol Magnetec with 3M engine oil additive. Technician told me to do this totally twice to see a difference.

Instead of this "additive", the synthetic would go a long way in treating the sludge.
I reckon the synthetic oil would have costed only a few hundreds more compared to this Magnatec + 3M additive combo.
At the 5,000 km mark, move to the synthetic as I've recommended.
Cheers

black12rr · 11th November 2009, 15:46

How is Bosch oil filter compared to MGO oil filter which is 79 Rs .
How much is bosh filter for zen ?

devrajman · 11th November 2009, 15:49

@nitrous, thanks. I will change the synthetic engine oil every 4K kms as even if kms run would be less but engine life would be more due to idling and start/stop traffic in Bangalore.

I wasnt aware of the sludge till cover was opened at MASS for tappet adjustment after oil change.

Can engine flush help? How abt seaform? Do we have this in India>

Jaggu · 11th November 2009, 17:14

How much has your car run so far? Reading on the odo? If its more than 70-80k kms better avoid the shift to synthetic. A semi-synthetic like Magnatec is equally good.

AkhileshDalia · 12th November 2009, 08:58

My Zen LXi has covered 32K KM so far. Some times I feel problem in shifting the gears. Do I have to change transmission oil at this stage?

Jaggu · 12th November 2009, 10:04

Transmission oil is changed every 20k kms, check when was it last changed, the shift issue might be a badly adjusted clutch cable.

devrajman · 12th November 2009, 10:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

How much has your car run so far? Reading on the odo? If its more than 70-80k kms better avoid the shift to synthetic. A semi-synthetic like Magnatec is equally good.

its run 81K kms on odo. is 3M good or should I use any different engine oil additive?

Also I have noticed one more thing, after gear oil change. Gear shift is a little hard and some times for reverse I hear a "kkkrrrrr...." sound. Any idea why?

Jaggu · 12th November 2009, 10:09

Try the additives but please note that they are not miracle cure for sludge formation, OWS is another good product. Do a search here and you will see the feedbacks.

If the oil level is correct, the sound might be more due to synchornising issues (normal since rear gear is not synchro). If you see any hesitance while engaging reverse, just slot it to first and move the car an inch and then slot back in reverse.

10th November 2009, 22:25	#61
ssjr0498 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Blr-Ccu Posts: 860 Thanked: 516 Times View My Garage	@dev: Sorry to say but dang!! what the hell is that!! How on earth did that happen. I own a 2001 model zen vxi and from the past 3 yrs it is on the jacks for majority of the year (as I am in blr and the car is in kolkata, no one to drive it around) but even then, I have never ever seen such a sludge formation. @Santosh: Dude, when was the last time you got your car serviced, look at that sludge formation. Now that I have looked at your snaps, I am confused, what is causing this sludge formation?? Do you guys not service your cars regularly? Btw, Santosh, that 210psi static compression is cool, I have seen the new model zens (not the estilo) having compression pressure's of 180-190psi! Also, did the mech open your head cuz without that he cant change your head gasket! Do you mean the gasket on your valve cover?? Cheers Shrey Last edited by ssjr0498 : 10th November 2009 at 22:26.
	() Thanks

10th November 2009, 22:36	#62
black12rr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ridin earth now Posts: 1,278 Thanked: 339 Times	@ dev , car is running fine for now ,little smoother , will add the OWS 360 petrol treatment in the next fill and check out . What is engine stress test ? @ssjr , vtec boy , thats the car i bought recently .I did a engine flush that should have taken care of below the piston part . I plan to remove the head cover, next week some time my self and clean up the junk . Yes ,only the head cover was removed , the valve cover was replaced ,the head was not removed . Head gasket was wrong term . Regarding dev's engine , he also got the car recently , hence hes also confused . Since i have the car now it will be in top shape here onwards . Last edited by black12rr : 10th November 2009 at 22:38.
	() Thanks

10th November 2009, 23:14	#63
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	@black12rr: Dont bother with cleaning of head, its not really worth it (head cover you can for a feel good factor ). Instead as i mentioned earlier do an early oil change.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 08:46	#64
devrajman BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 505 Thanked: 118 Times View My Garage	Guys, I was shocked too when I saw the sludge! I bought the car 2 months back. This is my first service. Previous owner showed me 2 prior service at every 5K kms at UM Cars, Airport road. Not sure why UM Cars didnt do anything! I have the car now. I want to get it back in shape. Any known good BKMs for removing most of it (not all of it) in next 5-10K Kms. Like additives, auto cleaning, manual cleaning, etc, etc. Let me know your suggestions. Thanks.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 09:58	#65
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Best would be manual cleaning after stripping the head. But if your car is running alright dont bother. Do oil changes at slightly shorter period of say 3500-4000 kms and let it be.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 15:19	#66
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	I would suggest a good synthetic oil and an oil filter change @ the 5000km and 10000km mark. The detergents in the synthetic oil will go to work and will gradually clean out the sludge. The Zen should need ~ 3 litres of engine oil and you can source Shell Helix Ultra @ 650 per litre. Bosch oil filter is recommended.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 15:46	#69
black12rr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ridin earth now Posts: 1,278 Thanked: 339 Times	How is Bosch oil filter compared to MGO oil filter which is 79 Rs . How much is bosh filter for zen ?
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 15:49	#70
devrajman BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 505 Thanked: 118 Times View My Garage	@nitrous, thanks. I will change the synthetic engine oil every 4K kms as even if kms run would be less but engine life would be more due to idling and start/stop traffic in Bangalore. I wasnt aware of the sludge till cover was opened at MASS for tappet adjustment after oil change. Can engine flush help? How abt seaform? Do we have this in India>
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 17:14	#71
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	How much has your car run so far? Reading on the odo? If its more than 70-80k kms better avoid the shift to synthetic. A semi-synthetic like Magnatec is equally good.
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 08:58	#72
AkhileshDalia Newbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SURAT Posts: 12 Thanked: 0 Times	My Zen LXi has covered 32K KM so far. Some times I feel problem in shifting the gears. Do I have to change transmission oil at this stage?
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 10:04	#73
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Transmission oil is changed every 20k kms, check when was it last changed, the shift issue might be a badly adjusted clutch cable.
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 10:09	#75
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Try the additives but please note that they are not miracle cure for sludge formation, OWS is another good product. Do a search here and you will see the feedbacks. If the oil level is correct, the sound might be more due to synchornising issues (normal since rear gear is not synchro). If you see any hesitance while engaging reverse, just slot it to first and move the car an inch and then slot back in reverse.
	() Thanks