engine flush or just syn motor oil?

[barkingspider]

My 02 s10 4.3L had the dreaded head gasket leak at 102k miles. Coolant did not get in the oil, it jus leaked on the garage floor. I pulled the top off and this what was there. It was kinda hard crusty type sludge. I wished I took more photos but I wanted to complete the repair before the end of the day. I cleaned the gasket surfaces and used the metal felpro replacement gaskets and rtv, buttoned it back up and let the etc dry over night. I drained and filled w syn blend 5w30 from my oil stash and a new purolator classic. It's been about a 1000 miles since this repair and no leaks, the engine is running very smooth, oil pressure is normal. Because everything appears to be running normal, I figure I should just change the oil regularly and be done with it. Do u think I need to do a cleaning regiment, like a flush, or mmo, or short OCI, or hdeo

 

[askani79705]

Doesn't seem to be hurting anything as it is,maybe Mobil 1 HM.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Everyone will have an opinion on this, but I would go with synthetic oil and change it every 3K miles for about 4 oil changes then extend from there. I feel that will clean it gradually. The HM oil is a good idea and will help the seals swell better when the nastiness slowly begins to come off.

Jeff

 

[Pontual]

How this engine was run, would be a good feedback. OCI, type, weight and brand of engine oil ... Just for us to know what was going on ...

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Everyone will have an opinion on this, but I would go with synthetic oil and change it every 3K miles for about 4 oil changes then extend from there. I feel that will clean it gradually. The HM oil is a good idea and will help the seals swell better when the nastiness slowly begins to come off.

Jeff




Why bother. If the engines performance is unaffected I wouldn't worry about it.
Exactly what harm will come from leaving it alone?
Leave it. Pick your favorite synthetic and run with it. Because you've got a lot of accumulation the tbn will drop quickly so you'll need to shorten the interval.
Since your in California I suggest using a conventional hdeo at a 5000 mile interval. An hdeo will hold the contaminants better as well as clean quicker.
A 10w-30 would be my first pick but if that's not available use a 15w-40. I'm pretty sure a 15w-40 is fine til freezing,so consider what your lowest ambient temps will be at start up,then pick your flavour(grade).
Because of the deposits present using a synthetic won't be cost effective because of not knowing when tbn is depleted.
A conventional hdeo will be inexpensive and the tbn should easily hold out for 5000 miles. I don't know for sure if a conventional pcmo's tbn will

 

[brandini]

I'd do the one, initial flush, then a few short runs then business as usual.

One thing I'd change going forward is see if you can up-size the filter any depending on clearance and available room.

 

[barkingspider]

The truck went 4 miles to and from work 6 days a week. My dad said he would change the oil maybe once a year w cheap dino. He never really did the air filter though. There is a larger oil filter from AC delco I can use. I'm gonna do an initial flush, rotella 10w30 w a short OCI, and then normal synthetic oil changes.

 

[01rangerxl]

I would be WAY more concerned about the color of the water jackets, which looks like the common 4.3 "Dexmud" color. 4.3s, especially in the S-Series, need frequent, regular coolant changes to keep the cooling system clean. Something about these trucks and Dexcool does not get along, at least if run for a long time.

The oil sludge crust looks bad, but it's not going to put the truck on the side of the road like a cooling system failure will.

 

[barkingspider]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I would be WAY more concerned about the color of the water jackets, which looks like the common 4.3 "Dexmud" color. 4.3s, especially in the S-Series, need frequent, regular coolant changes to keep the cooling system clean. Something about these trucks and Dexcool does not get along, at least if run for a long time.

The oil sludge crust looks bad, but it's not going to put the truck on the side of the road like a cooling system failure will.


I already flushed the coolant system and cleaned all the dexmud as best I can. I did drain and fill (with distilled water only) once a week for 6 weeks. I am now using all makes all models coolant and plan on doing yearly drain and refill. I replaced the thermo and the truck temps are normal.

 

[fdcg27]

Head gasket or intake manifold gasket?
You've not removed the head in the picture you've posted.
That really doesn't look too awful for a twelve year old engine after 102K that almost certainly has had some coolant in the oil.
Such is the nature of the classic LIM leak.
Run any oil you'd like on reasonable drain intervals.
The brown shoe polish will go away now that you've gotten the intake manifold gaskets tight again.
No need for a flush or a syn oil, which may not clean any better than a conventional despite the hype.

 

[Bud_One]

I'd run 10w30 PYB and 3k OCI with a good cheap filter a few intervals.

 

[GSCJR]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Head gasket or intake manifold gasket?


Beat me to it. Wondering this also.

 

[anndel]

Mobil 1 High Mileage from now on and change it regularly, say every 6 months or 5,000 miles. No need for engine flush as the HM has higher detergent content and seal conditioners as well.

 

[barkingspider]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Head gasket or intake manifold gasket?
You've not removed the head in the picture you've posted.
That really doesn't look too awful for a twelve year old engine after 102K that almost certainly has had some coolant in the oil.
Such is the nature of the classic LIM leak.
Run any oil you'd like on reasonable drain intervals.
The brown shoe polish will go away now that you've gotten the intake manifold gaskets tight again.
No need for a flush or a syn oil, which may not clean any better than a conventional despite the hype.


I stand corrected. Intake manifold gasket

 

[splinter]

Your balance shaft has certainly remained clean!

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Everyone will have an opinion on this, but I would go with synthetic oil and change it every 3K miles for about 4 oil changes then extend from there. I feel that will clean it gradually. The HM oil is a good idea and will help the seals swell better when the nastiness slowly begins to come off.

Jeff




Why bother. If the engines performance is unaffected I wouldn't worry about it.
Exactly what harm will come from leaving it alone?
Leave it. Pick your favorite synthetic and run with it. Because you've got a lot of accumulation the tbn will drop quickly so you'll need to shorten the interval.
Since your in California I suggest using a conventional hdeo at a 5000 mile interval. An hdeo will hold the contaminants better as well as clean quicker.
A 10w-30 would be my first pick but if that's not available use a 15w-40. I'm pretty sure a 15w-40 is fine til freezing,so consider what your lowest ambient temps will be at start up,then pick your flavour(grade).
Because of the deposits present using a synthetic won't be cost effective because of not knowing when tbn is depleted.
A conventional hdeo will be inexpensive and the tbn should easily hold out for 5000 miles. I don't know for sure if a conventional pcmo's tbn will


Because I would want my engine as clean as possible. Thats just me. If it aint broke dont fix it, I get it, and to each their own, but that is one reason why I use synthetics in every car I have ever had, even the beaters. To keep the engines clean. Blame my OCD. haha

Jeff

 

[Oro_O]

I would certainly implement a regimen to clean it up. The usage in the past was not friendly to it. I have a vehicle that has an issue with coking the oil control rings. Here's what I have done to clean it up:

1) used HDEO (15w-40 dino Delvac in my case; there are others)
2) soaked rings to clean (not applicable to you)
3) one day before oil change, top up with ATF

Now that I have it burning little oil, I am switching to a pricier synthetic next change, like M1 HM or Pennzoil Plantinum, to continue the cleaning.

Recently I switched a high-mileage Lexus ES300 to M1 HM. The oil would be pretty clean on dino after 5k. The M1HM was getting dark after 500 - it was really cleaning and you could look at the oil weekly and see the cleaning going on, unlike with quality dino oils.