Oil gets dirty very quick

[StumblingElk]

I have an 02 suburban with the 5.3 that has ~220k miles on it.

I've owned it for 5 or 6 years and always do regular maintenance. No idea what previous owner did concerning oil changes but there is definitely some sludge.

I used a product like Motor Flush, or some such, out of curiosity about 18 months ago. Ever since then, my oil gets dirty much faster. I thought this would be temporary as things get "flushed" out in a change or 2.

However, since using the product as directed, I have been changing the oil every 700-1k miles. I am at like 6? oil changes now totaling maybe 5k -6k miles.

Before I get blasted for being excessive or paranoid, be aware that lifter tick at start up happens after 500 - 1k miles now on the oil. An oil change fixes this.

The oil drain plug also has sludge all over it when changing the oil. And the oil gets dark....fast. Never used to be like this.

Good grief! how much longer can this possibly go on? Lol.

Anyway, just an observation/cautionary tale

 

[kschachn]

I'd say there is something pretty seriously wrong with that engine. One wonders how the Motor Flush may have contributed to the problem.

 

[Brian123]

I have an 02 suburban with the 5.3 that has ~220k miles on it.

I've owned it for 5 or 6 years and always do regular maintenance. No idea what previous owner did concerning oil changes but there is definitely some sludge.

I used a product like Motor Flush, or some such, out of curiosity about 18 months ago. Ever since then, my oil gets dirty much faster. I thought this would be temporary as things get "flushed" out in a change or 2.

However, since using the product as directed, I have been changing the oil every 700-1k miles. I am at like 6? oil changes now totaling maybe 5k -6k miles.

Before I get blasted for being excessive or paranoid, be aware that lifter tick at start up happens after 500 - 1k miles now on the oil. An oil change fixes this.

The oil drain plug also has sludge all over it when changing the oil. And the oil gets dark....fast. Never used to be like this.

Good grief! how much longer can this possibly go on? Lol.

Anyway, just an observation/cautionary tale

You will not get blasted by me, you got a car where the other owner used junky oil or just changed the oil whenever they wanted 2 change the oil.

How many miles were on the car when you bought it?

 

[redhat]

Have you ever replaced the pickup tube o-ring? That could be contributing to your lifter tick.

 

[spasm3]

I

The oil drain plug also has sludge all over it when changing the oil. And the oil gets dark....fast. Never used to be like this.

Good grief! how much longer can this possibly go on? Lol.

Anyway, just an observation/cautionary tale

I'd do a uoa to check for coolant.

 

[tnt_motorsports]

If you are concerned about sludge it might be worth pulling the valve covers. This will give you an indication of how bad it might be.

Just my $0.02

 

[ripcord]

Did you use the MotorMedic 5 Minute engine flush product? The kind that you add before an oil change and idle the engine for 5 minutes before changing the oil?

 

[StumblingElk]

Did you use the MotorMedic 5 Minute engine flush product? The kind that you add before an oil change and idle the engine for 5 minutes before changing the oil?

Yep. That's the stuff.

 

[StumblingElk]

If you are concerned about sludge it might be worth pulling the valve covers. This will give you an indication of how bad it might be.

Just my $0.02

I had them off about 2 years ago. There was definitely some buildup. But nothing extreme.

 

[StumblingElk]

I'd do a uoa to check for coolant.

I checked the coolant for combustion gasses and that came back all clear.

Perhaps there is some coolant mixing in but in just very small amounts the combustion check wouldn't catch?

 

[StumblingElk]

You will not get blasted by me, you got a car where the other owner used junky oil or just changed the oil whenever they wanted 2 change the oil.

How many miles were on the car when you bought it?

Probably 180k~200k. It doesn't get driven a whole lot on a consistent basis.

 

[StumblingElk]

Have you ever replaced the pickup tube o-ring? That could be contributing to your lifter tick.

I have had the best intentions to do this....but haven't been able to bring myself to do it, yet. Replacing it looks like a pain. It is on my short list, though.

 

[dumkid]

I would try some marvel mystery oil. It cleans a tiny bit and can help with lifter tick and mild sludge. I don't add as much as the bottle says to because it's kinda thin.

 

[oldhp]

Bite the bullet pull the oil pan and see how "stuff" is in it. Install new pickup O-ring while your there.

 

[Brian123]

I would try some marvel mystery oil. It cleans a tiny bit and can help with lifter tick and mild sludge. I don't add as much as the bottle says to because it's kinda thin.

Well MMO, add the whole bottle and use 15W-40 and report back!

 

[redhat]

Your truck might be a good candidate for the BG treatment. I've seen it used with some decent results.

BG Engine Flush Kit

 

[billt460]

If you don't want to start wrenching on it, I would keep using the MMO and engine cleaners that go in the oil. And continue with very frequent oil changes. You can be the judge of when, by how dirty it looks. If it's bothering you, go ahead and change it.

I would use a conventional oil for these frequent changes from a cost standpoint. Havoline or Castrol conventional oils are both good. Sooner or later you should notice improvement as things clean up.

It probably wouldn't hurt to drain and flush the cooling system as well. These are cheap, easy tasks to accomplish. That BG Engine Flush Kit looks pretty good, but it's costly. I would keep doing what you're doing. If there is no marked improvement, I'd then go with the BG kit.

 

[BAJA_05]

Not to hijack your thread -- my 2000 Ram 5.2L would always make the oil really dark at 1000 miles. Did not matter what oil and filter combo I would use. Bought this truck off original owner back in 2011 with 64K on it. Right from the get go I used Mobil One 5W30 High Mileage and a Mopar Filter. Since then, PUP/PP/QSHM -- with Fram Ultras -- did not matter -- always dirty looking by 1K. I personally believe some engines just have more combustion going on internally than others??? I also changed the PCV with OEM multiple times -- no difference.

 

[Marcozi]

Dirty oil Doesn't mean the oil can't do it's job of lubricating the engine. I def recommend a UOA.

 

[StumblingElk]

Dirty oil Doesn't mean the oil can't do it's job of lubricating the engine. I def recommend a UOA.

The color of the oil isn't the issue. It's the amount of gunk it's picking up in such a short time coupled with lifter noise.

I poured in 1/3 bottle of ceratec last night with my fresh oil. Curious to see if that makes any difference.

I'm not expecting anything from the ceratec.

I will say that with the fresh oil, the engine ran much quieter and smoother. Very noticeable difference .

I'll probably pull the heads And do the lifters when I finish my other car project in a couple weeks or so. But, in the meantime, I'll play around with some oil additives. Simply out of curiosity.