Cleaning sump of deposits.

[Bodensee]

I can't find thread for my post on sludge, but a reply said it's too difficult to remove sump on some cars. So here is what I have done to clean sump and oil pump intake, when cross beam in the way etc:

1/ Buy or find a used plug for sump.
2/ Drill big hole through it and use hardware store brass fitting to connect hole to hose long enough to allow a funnel that can be held up high.
3/ Drain oil and then screw in new modified sump plug.
Safety: Disconnect battery, earth car and NO SMOKING as fumes in engine are explosive!
4/ Hold funnel up high and add a few litres of solvent (Acetone works) after you calculate how much will be enough to cover pump intake screen, but never touch the sump gasket. Check engine plans for any O rings that might be damaged by solvents if engine has oil level gauge.
5/ Leave for a while (Lunch break), but put out no smoking signs.
6/ Lower hose and place in container to drain sump, passing through old sock to filter out sludge, then lift up, fit funnel and pour in solvents again.
7/ If bad change solvent and do the flush again.
8/ Drain and then remove traces of solvent by adding several litres of cheap oil, then draining again. That will remove all traces of power solvents.
9/ Put back original plug and fit new filter (Removed after initial drain)
10/ Throw away oily socks and dispose of solvent correctly.

 

[demarpaint]

Sounds interesting, I'll be sticking with Kreen or MMO though.

 

[Clevy]

Sound way too much like work.
I think I like dermapaint's suggestion.

 

[toneydoc]

If the sump is that dirty, how about the rest of the engine? How you gonna clean it out?

 

[Mystic]

Is there really that many cars where you can't remove the oil pan? I would remove the oil pan if at all possible, clean it, clean whatever else I could, get a new seal, and reinstall the pan.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
Is there really that many cars where you can't remove the oil pan? I would remove the oil pan if at all possible, clean it, clean whatever else I could, get a new seal, and reinstall the pan.


IIRC it was about 4 hours to remove the oil pan in my Aerostar. A job I'd avoid doing unless I had no choice.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
Is there really that many cars where you can't remove the oil pan? I would remove the oil pan if at all possible, clean it, clean whatever else I could, get a new seal, and reinstall the pan.


Lots of them are near impossible to remove the pan without either removing the engine or the cradle.
No need for all the drama of drilling drain bolts and all that go round.
Just fill the pan with solvent through the dipstick tube if you don't want to pour in through the valve cover.

 

[Bodensee]

Sorry should have said this is for engines where you can't pour solvents down into sump without them contaminating other parts. I would not want strong acetone to touch anything apart from sump, with some you can push the tube down the dipstick to bottom and feed in solvent.
The great trick is that I can flow in the solvent and drain quickly just by raising and lowering tube. Making mod plug does not take long.
If you have to run the solvent through the sump and sock 10 times, it might result in a lot of parts below oil fill getting taken back to bare metal and seal leak from sump gasket in particular because solvent hits cam shaft and other engine parts then some flows around side of sump to bottom. I'm not going to risk neat Acetone toushing anything but the sump, but pushing hose down fill point could be tried. I've done that before, but it takes longer to do multiple fill and drains because hose size is often quite small.

 

[Bodensee]

Originally Posted By: toneydoc
If the sump is that dirty, how about the rest of the engine? How you gonna clean it out?

To answer other poster question about cleaners for top end. If you can't or won't do job correctly, then you must at least clean the turbo feed lines of dark varnish if you have a bad build up. Turbo failure is next big risk after blocked oil pump.
I don't think any detergents will remove baked on varnish in feed line, it's an advertising lie I think. You have to use strong solvents to dissolve it.
Using good high detergent/dispersant oil will get rid of most sludge from top end without risk from adds dissolving protective AW/EP deposits or causing oil leaks with old engines, but must change oil and filter often because of blocked filter and heavy oil contaminants risk.
If you want to gamble with old oil seals then an idle flush from major oil company (Castrol?)can help, but it must contain solvents not just detergents or it won't work any better than just changing oil. I do use idle flush if friend says not interesting in cleaning top end correctly, but diesel engine seals are better than gas engine in many cases. Still risk of false varnish assisted oil seal and gasket leaks. If engine has no leaks then I am less concerned, but many older engines do leak, so no good idea for them. Just clean turbo lines and keep changing oil and filter best.

These extra cleaning adds made in USA mostly, they are big risk to warranty and can cause much wear in modern engines even before increasing oil leaks risk I think.
Not legal to let vehicle leave garage forecourt with anything in it that is not an approved fluid for many German companies, due insurance policy and dealer terms and conditions regulations.
Can't even use flammable cleaners inside some places!

 

[demarpaint]

Bodensee, you remind me of a former member.

 

[FoxS]

Idle flushes, oil cleaning as well as detergent additives, warranties, German laws on maintenance, turbo lines, false varnish, statements that additives are a US phenomenon, and a mention of Castrol.

He's even got Mystic, Trav and demarpaint in his thread!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Bodensee, you remind me of a former member.


More than a little!!!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Bodensee, you remind me of a former member.


More than a little!!!


I was trying to be nice. LOL It didn't take long for anyone to figure out who he was.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: FoxS
Idle flushes, oil cleaning as well as detergent additives, warranties, German laws on maintenance, turbo lines, false varnish, statements that additives are a US phenomenon, and a mention of Castrol.

He's even got Mystic, Trav and demarpaint in his thread!


Changing location from PA to SF Bay area and profession from mechanic to investor along with using terms like "on offer" a German term and "torch" an English term sounds like someone else also.
Someone from SF that spent time in Germany and England. Mori perhaps?

We all know who this poster is.

 

[sprintman]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: FoxS
Idle flushes, oil cleaning as well as detergent additives, warranties, German laws on maintenance, turbo lines, false varnish, statements that additives are a US phenomenon, and a mention of Castrol.

He's even got Mystic, Trav and demarpaint in his thread!


Changing location from PA to SF Bay area and profession from mechanic to investor along with using terms like "on offer" a German term and "torch" an English term sounds like someone else also.
Someone from SF that spent time in Germany and England. Mori perhaps?

We all know who this poster is.


Does it matter? It's a good thread

 

[Trav]

It only matters because he decided to expose someone who came back for no reason other than to cause problems and stir the pot a little as usual.
The pot calling the kettle black. Yes its a good thread.

 

[sprintman]

Originally Posted By: Trav
It only matters because he decided to expose someone who came back for no reason other than to cause problems and stir the pot a little as usual.
The pot calling the kettle black. Yes its a good thread.


Expose someone?

 

[Mystic]

Well, if Bodensee may be a former member who has come back with a different user name, I would much prefer that person coming back than Mori. Mori had nothing to offer at this website-all he did was attack other people and try to show how smart he was.

So far this is an interesting post.

 

[Mystic]

So Bodensee are you from the Lake Constance (Bodensee) area? Looks like a really beautiful area judging from the photographs.

 

[FoxS]

Originally Posted By: Trav
It only matters because he decided to expose someone who came back for no reason other than to cause problems and stir the pot a little as usual.
The pot calling the kettle black. Yes its a good thread.

Got out of the wrong side of bed this morning Trav?

Where to start?

I'm stirring the pot and am a pot? So I'm stirring myself? Mixing metaphors again Trav?

"Expose"? I actually don't know for sure if he's skyship. I was drawing parallels with what he says and what skyship said. Your fanboy, demarpaint, in the post before mine said he reminded him of someone else also. Then he said it didn't take anyone long to figure out who he was. Sounds like your best friend was the one exposing him, not me.

I'm not Mori. I know me saying that will only make you believe it more so I repeat I am not Mori, I am not Mori, I am not Mori. I even went back to read some of his posts and am puzzled by how you reached that conclusion.

I have spent time, a lot of time, in England. I have visited Germany on several occasions and worked with Germans a lot. But I've visited many other countries and worked with people from other countries a lot also. So my vocabulary is very varied and will enable you to draw any conclusion you wish to believe. Watch out for your own biases.

Trav, you are a competent mechanic, no one doubts that. But this part time sleuth thing just isn't working out for ya.