Sludge under oil cap (picture). How bad is it?

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I'm trying to decide if this is fixable, or I should walk away despite potentially a good deal (auction).

The car in question is 2006 Toyota Matrix with 1ZZ-FE, about 100,000 miles and this appears to be the only major problem I can see.

There was also some sludge on a dipstick and inside PCV pipe. Not sure if this is a tip of the iceberg.

IMG_20141212_081539_zpsbfc01e64.jpg
 
Full of sand too??! That does not look good at all..I wouldnt bother with it..unless you are looking for a project (like possibly taking the engine apart) and you are willing to gamble on this car..you are taking big chances on it.

How much is it?
 
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RUN and don't look back.. that is the worst i have EVER seen. Pile of dog $hit and not far from [censored] all over who ever buys that junker.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Full of sand too??! That does not look good at all..I wouldnt bother with it..unless you are looking for a project (like possibly taking the engine apart) and you are willing to gamble on this car..you are taking big chances on it.

How much is it?


Well, the idea was a project car for my son, and not a daily driver (yet), so I wouldn't mind to take the top and bottom off to do some cleaning. It's an auction, so who knows how much it'll sell for. I was hoping to get it about $2000, but I can see how out of state bidders can bid higher not being aware of sludge.

Edit: sounds like the consensus is as bad as it gets. Good to know. I never saw sludge firsthand before that.
 
Originally Posted By: Poohbah
Previous owner definitely not a BITOG member.


For sure. The weirdest thing is the exhaust pipe is squeaky clean and no obvious sign of oil burning.
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: Poohbah
Previous owner definitely not a BITOG member.


For sure. The weirdest thing is the exhaust pipe is squeaky clean and no obvious sign of oil burning.


That makes me even more suspicious of a bad head gasket/warped head, the exhaust pipe is getting steam cleaned by the coolant!
 
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wow that is really bad. I love a good project but I hate headaches. You are going to have all kinds of problems as a result of the terrible maintenance of that engine.

Poohbah - LOL!
 
The sludge looked dark and not milky like you have with water/coolant. Besides 1ZZ-FE is not known to blow a HG.
I'm thinking this is just a regular neglect or the "normal sludge" per GM:

leaking_5_3L_head.jpg
 
Have you looked at the transmission. How abut the coolant and radiator. And the brake fluid.

Oh, and what about the fuel filter and the fuel system.

I'd speculate that the survey says, run don't walk away from this vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Have you looked at the transmission. How abut the coolant and radiator. And the brake fluid.


They are fine. I was actually surprised how clean they looked.
 
This could simply be a case of of an engine that sat too long without a change and needs a manual cleaning/break-down before regular use again. IF the other areas truly checked out and the head-gasket is indeed fine.

You say this vehicle was up for auction?

Guess how many oil changes it had while sitting since then. You can start with any number less than 1 and above negative.

Is that not unreasonable to see a ton of gunk with that being the case?

Maybe remove the valve cover???

However, the engine may have been run to the point it never had an oil change or hasn't in some time; which would be the worst case(assuming headgasket fine)...

At that point, an extensive manual cleaning could get things back in shape, but at that point if it were that severe(caked on, well past serviceable oil use and driven tens of thousands of miles since it needed a change yes bad buy), if it is doable manual cleaning for you from just sitting too long with an oil change in say 2-3 years? Who knows...a risk indeed.
 
Is that saw dust on the under side of the oil cap?
I'm sure the saw dust mixed in with the oil would stop oil leaks and head gasket blow-by but what a project.
See if they will pay you 2,000.00 to take it off the lot.
 
Originally Posted By: Electrajoe
How do you spell FLOOD?

Don't waste your time.


Clarification please. Are you implying this vehicle has been flooded?
 
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