Tried and True Sludge Removal?

Steve

I took one like this to a Jiffy Lube. A 1972 Dodge 318 PU. They had some stuff to loosen everything. And it did. Then two oil changes to clean things up and never used oil again for 50K + miles. $75.00. Sold it at this time. Now have a new PU. Bob AZ

Wow - Some actually recommending Jiffy Lube? I stay away from those places and do my own oil, but I guess I'll stop by and see what they have to offer for sludge.

Thanks,

-Steve

Yes, motor oil.

Change your oil at 2000 mile intervals and run it long and hot, and after a few changes the sludge will go away, then you can go to a regular oil change schedule.

Ted

The 318 was a very good engine, Steve. I probably didn't have to tell you that.

Make sure the PCV system is working, and change the oil and filter frequently. I use

In my case, I was not pleased with my old favorite Quaker State oil anymore (and have never liked Pennzoil) because I saw beginnings of varnish and sludginess so I changed brands. It is too early to tell, but I think my new choice is better.

Before I made the change, I ran my vehicle about 200 miles with a half pint of Marvel Oil in the crankcase. I did not do a detailed inspection (did not remove valve covers, etc) after this change, but from the dipstick and filler cap, it appeared to help clean up.

I would not even consider synthetics for your car.

Marvel Mystery Oil or a quart of ATF will help clean it out. However, I'd probably just keep it on a steady diet of a Diesel rated oil like Shell Rotella with frequent (~1500 miles?) oil and filter changes until it cleans itself out because you don't want to break all that stuff loose too quickly, you can plug an oil passage that way and that's bad juju

good luck

nate

First I would make sure it had the proper thermostat and it was working correctly. Then an oil and filter change using a light oil such as 10W30 with a quart of Marvel mystery oil added. Of course the mystery oil is included in the normal quantity for the crankcase, not an "extra" qt on top. Make sure the engine always gets good and hot each time you run it and change the oil and filter at 1000 miles. Repeat the process and this time take it to 2000 miles, noting what comes out when you drain it. Once it looks like the sludge has pretty much been removed go back to using all regular oil and normal intervals of 3000 miles for oil changes. It will never look like new inside but the major sludge will be cleaned away.

I've used this method many times over the years with no problems in an otherwise healthy engine with the exception of minor seal leaks when the sludge was actually preventing a dry seal from leaking. This was a car that was 25 yrs old and driven maybe 100 miles a month by a little old lady and probably never saw a day on a highway.

The autos stores are filled with so many products claiming they all remove slude and are great for your engine.

Can anyone recommened a good additive or solution that really works? I just want to help keep the engine in good order as long as I can. (I've already changed the oil, filter, etc) The car is in too nice of shape to let it be a beater that you drive hard until it dies.

Thanks,

-Steve

check auto-rx.com

Personally, I think removing the sludge chemically may well cause more harm than good. The only right way to remove sludge is to tear down the engine. And, sludge typically doesn't cause any problem unless it gets really bad and clogs up an oil passage or some such. If it was my car, I'd use a good conventional oil and change the oil and filter every

Matt

Why not?

Matt

I've about come to the conclusion you have - Just frequently change the oil, and use a quality oil with good detergents, and be done with it. I drive hard and drive about 13k a year, so we will see what happens...

The engine is far from needing to be rebuilt, I just hate opening a valve cover and seeing a lot of thick black goo in there and wanted to see if I could clean up some of it without having to remove the heads.

I'll just change the oil and leave it be.

-Steve

Why not compromise and remove the valve covers and manually remove what you can? Maybe even drop the oil pan if you don't have to lift the engine off its mounts. That will remove a good bit of sludge and give your oil an easier job to clean out the rest of the engine.

good luck

nate

Steve Re> I've about come to the conclusion you have - Just frequently change the oil,

Do not use any aggressive chemicals, especially those 10-minute flushes, which are known for clogging up oil passages and making pistons leak much more than before. The safest solution is, as people have suggested, frequent oil and filter changes, but if you try transmission fluid (no more than 1 quart), remove it in 100 miles (drain oil, change filter) and remove it again 100 miles later or the engine will wear out prematurely. Never use bargain basement-quality oil, only SJ or SL rated oil, not even for those 100-mile changes.

Check the PCV system because a clogged valve or leaky hose can increase sludge a lot.

I wouldn't go synthetic, as I mentioned earlier. This car is nearly 15 years old. The clearances cannot be as tight as they once were, the gaskets not as flexible, nor the engine as clean.

At this stage you have nothing to gain in terms of wear protection from this type of oil. No reason to waste money on an engine that doesn't need it, and might actually suffer from it.

So? Synthetics have no more need for tight clearances or flexible gaskets that other auto oils.

Wear protection is the least of the reasons I use synthetic. I use it mainly for cold weather cranking and faster oil pressure rise as I live in the northeast. If I lived in a hot climate, I'd use it for its resistance to break-down from high heat.

Whether the engine needs it or not depends on a lot of factors, climate being one. It is easy to argue that no engine NEEDS synthetic. I think it has benefits so I use it. I don't know of any engine that will suffer from synthetic. You are repeating old wives' tales here.

Matt

I wholeheartedly back Ted's recommendation. Don't put ANYTHING except oil in the crankcase. Use a top quality oil (Castrol GTX conventional, Mobil 1 synthetic, etc. -see bobistheoilguy.com for ones that are currently giving the best results in oil analyses) and do short-interval changes for 10-15k miles. Change the filter at EVERY oil change, and if you're paranoid change the filter and add a quart of fresh oil halfway between changes.

So? I currently use synthetic oil (Mobil 1) in an engine with 430,000 milles, one with 207,000 miles, and one with 150,000 miles. The claim that synthetic oil will cause leaks like a sieve is just a myth. IMO, whether you want to spend for it depends on how long FROM NOW ON you plan to keep the car, not how old the car is or how many miles are on it. But also be aware that there are conventional oils now turning in metal numbers nearly as good as synthetics, and synthetic blends are also a possibility.

I've taken the advice of many folks who responded and simply changed the oil and filter. And I'll change it again in another 1500 or so miles. Oil and filters are cheap... rebuilding an engine is not!

-Steve

Steve, I hear you and Matthew.

I don't necessarily accept what you say, however.

There are old wives tales abounding, true enough. You pay your money and take your chances.