Sludge in engine

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Can you see in the oil fill hole? If so, tell us what you see. If not, then I'm curious as to how the shop arrived at their conclusion.


On these engines, there's a mettle plate/baffle directly under the oil fill. So you can't see any valve-train.

So I too, would wonder how they know it's "sludged."

 

[Texan4Life]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Can you see in the oil fill hole? If so, tell us what you see. If not, then I'm curious as to how the shop arrived at their conclusion.


+1 that was my very first thought... how in the world does he know it has sludge?

Did they even do an emissions test? if so did you get a print out of the test results? This will show you why your vehicle failed.

Is the check engine light on?

something smells fishy to me.

 

[meep]

the best way to clean it? chemicals take months and I have never seen one do a complete job.

Pull valve cover. Scrape it all out with a screwdriver and a shop vac and lots of rags. take your time, be meticulous. Scrape out any passages that might lead to vents.

Agree- inspect PCV hoses, orifices, and valve. replace/clean as needed.

I have never seen sludge buildup in an oil pan, though people say it can happen. Best removal would be disassembly.

I'm not sold on the idea that your mechanic is correct. I wouldn't ditch a good vehicle because of a sludge issue. I'd clean it. And I'm not sure what special tools they are referring to unless they mean to dip the block in hot solvent.

good luck.