"Jellyfish" in my oil pan

[RS700L]

I didn't think to get a picture before I cleaned it out, but I think I can describe it pretty well. Also, I'd say this is technically a heavy equipment topic, but it could apply to any vehicle and I'll probably get more responses here.

So I have an antique Allis Chalmers tractor, which has been giving me some attitude lately. It had been sitting outside for quite a while, and it occurred to me that there may be rain water in the engine. I figured I ought to change the oil before I try to fire it up. Upon draining the oil, I got the classic milky gray/coffee watery oil, along with these horrifying BLOBS of [censored] that looked like chopped up jellyfish, or snot or eyeballs with snot, or jello or something like that. I immediately pulled down the oil pan and found about 2 inches of this jelly in the bottom of it.

I was not really alarmed at its presence, and though I knew it had to be something to do with rain water and engine oil (as opposed to blood, guts, bugs, jellyfish, rotten food, etc.), the mere sight of it nearly caused me to gag. However, it was pretty easy to remove; most of it rolled out of the oil pan, the rest I removed with a plastic scraper and finished it off with a shower of brake cleaner.

What on earth causes such a thing?

A friend told me today that he experienced a similar thing in a gas tank of a car. He explained it as if the rain water got in it and subsequently turned the gas to jelly. Why would that happen? Is he onto something, or was this just a case of engine sludge like I have never seen before??

I don't have a real problem to solve here; I've flushed the engine out properly, but I'm extremely curious as to what that junk was! Has anyone seen this before?

 

[Loobed]

I think it is a type of bacteria that feeds off oil. When I was in the manufacturing business the water soluble coolant would grow a very nasty jelly fish snot type thing. It was really slimey. It also smelled like rotten eggs. It grows in the water and feeds off the oil. It hate oxygen.

 

[Stelth]

Have you ever used STP in this machine?

 

[RS700L]

Originally Posted By: Stelth
Have you ever used STP in this machine?


I never used it, but it's anyone's guess what has been dumped in it for the last half century.

Originally Posted By: Loobed


I think it is a type of bacteria that feeds off oil. When I was in the manufacturing business the water soluble coolant would grow a very nasty jelly fish snot type thing. It was really slimey. It also smelled like rotten eggs. It grows in the water and feeds off the oil. It hate oxygen.


That's kind of what my friend was saying.

 

[freezing1]

Moisture + chances are very good this tractor was maintained with non-detergent oil in the past. You did the right thing dropping the oil pan.

Your tractor has the same engine as the RC, C, CA, and B, in addition to being used as power on Allis implements such as round balers AND was used to power midway rides up until about 15 years ago. I had an RC as a kid. It used to get straight 10W in the winter and 30W in the summer.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: freezing1
Moisture + chances are very good this tractor was maintained with non-detergent oil in the past. You did the right thing dropping the oil pan.

Your tractor has the same engine as the RC, C, CA, and B, in addition to being used as power on Allis implements such as round balers AND was used to power midway rides up until about 15 years ago. I had an RC as a kid. It used to get straight 10W in the winter and 30W in the summer.




I've also got an Allis Chalmers C on a buzz saw. You are right about that engine, including the part about it powering carnival rides. It's a tough little engine that probably more than doubled or tripled the factory horsepower as the factory evolved it. To the OP, remember to use the correct OEM oil filter on these engines. Some of the aftermarket imitation filters will cause this engine to lose (or never maintain) oil pressure. Bacteria has been known to feed on old diesel fuel, so who knows if there is bacteria growing in the old engine oil?

 

[Noey]

Anyone who describes their oil as 'éye balls with snot' deserves a response from me. +1

What you're seeing is a nasty combo of old oil, the sludge it dissolved and now emulsified, and water..perhaps from normal condensation. Add the usual effluvia that result from old diesel combustion that blows past the rings and 'Viola'! Goo.

You did the right thing by dropping the pan and cleaning everything. Run a good hi det oil (Delo, Rotella T), and let her warm up real good to dissolve the crud and the evaporate the H2O and you should be golden.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: Noey
Add the usual effluvia that result from old diesel combustion that blows past the rings and 'Viola'! Goo.


My previous post sounded like this engine was a diesel, but the goo that this engine has is not from diesel fuel as it's gasoline powered. As you posted, it's probably a mixture of condensation and old oil. Old farmers are really tight with their money.

 

[eagle23]

I have to wonder how many of these engines and others like them have had the same jelly in the oil from the same condensation process for many decades.

The farmer fired it up and eventually the engine warmed up and the condensation eventually burnt off. Whether that dissolved the jelly-goo may remain a mystery to science.

Be sure the thermostat is working---it might have been removed or be too cool a temp to begin with. Given the longevity of the ancient design this may have been "normal" for innumerable tractors of whatever makes.

Having said all that, yes, I'd change the oil like you did, you betcha

Using a HDEO going forward will help, as was suggested.

 

[Buick8]

This "jellyfish' stuff will grow in cooling systems of old industrial engines which used only plain water with maybe a corrosion inhibitor, if the system was not properly maintained. They would get so bad it would impede the coolant flow. Bacteria is right. Usualy does not happen with glycol coolant, and I suppose is possible in the crankcase, because I know bacterial will do the same thing in gas pipelines, and their waste is acidic and will corrode the pipe from the inside. Old engines which were simple could take a lot of abuse and still run. The new stuff has to be about perfect.

 

[RS700L]

Thanks everyone.

I do intend to run Rotella T-1. I found a filter that fits it at NAPA (7011), is that right? It had the same (NAPA) one on it when I got ahold of it. An interesting filter, by the way. I cut it open and intend to show everyone in the filters forum.

Originally Posted By: Noey
Anyone who describes their oil as 'éye balls with snot' deserves a response from me. +1


Thanks, man.