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engine oil

hi just bought the misses a ford fiesta 1.1, the car is in generally good condition, the tappets were a tad noisey so took the rocker cover off to inspect, when the cover came off , i was surprised at the amount of sludge around the tappets/rockers. how should this be cleaned? i was told using engine flush could result in the sludge blocking the oil ways, or should i try to remove as much of the sludge as possible,then use an engine flush ?any advice would be a help thanks in advance

Reply to
paul
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The only time an engine flush got me in trouble was when I "removed as much as possible first". That makes chunks. A GOOD flush does not. Then again, how hard is it to remove the pan on the Fiesta??? Scrape, wash, flush, drop the pan, clean ot the crap and clean the pickup screen.

Reply to
nospam.clare.nce

I would suggest you try to remove as much of the sludge as possible, with the help of a shop vac, then change the oil and use one quart of ATF in place of one quart of oil. Then change oil and filter every 2,000 miles till things clear up

mike hunt

paul wrote:

Reply to
MelvinGibson

If the drain holes in the head are clear I would leave it be. Put it back together, chainge the oil and filter and maybe put a product like "lifter free" in it.

Reply to
Scott M

paul opined in news:4165b00c$0$29936$ snipped-for-privacy@news.dial.pipex.com:

My 2p...

DONT touch that sludge!!!!

If the engine is in otherwise good condition, take the slow and sure route.

Oil is the blood of the engine... and, as with a biological, sudden drastic changes in either the chemistry or intervention to correct a plaque buildup can have bad results.

Use Mobil 1 synthetic of the proper weight and a good but not real expensive filter.. change the filter at 500 1000 and 2000 then the oil and filter at

3000 at the latest.

Next change the filter at 4000... and from that point on use the regular intervals based on your driving habits.

My bet, after 10,000 or so, the engine will be nearly clean. especially if you drive the car for extended periods of 20 minutes or more.. the sludge was likely the result of only being used for short trips.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

BTW...forgot your main point!

that tapping should ease off after a while, as well.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

Paul,

While you are working on cleaning the sludge issue, check the thermostat for the proper temperature and function.

Removing the sludge is part of the problem, look for, and correct the cause of the sludge. Short trips around town will not allow your engine to raise and maintain the correct engine operating temp to burn off moisture in the crankcase. Excess moisture contributes to the sludge problem.

Frank

Reply to
Frank from Deeeetroit

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