4.3 is the 5.7 minus 2 cyls .
What is the best cleaning oil?
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Now Ive never done this, but a good friend of mine is an "old school" mechanic, he his done this method numerous times successfully......right before oil change, dump in 2 qrts kerosene, start vehicle let it idle until it gets to a running temp, then drain oil ssssslllloooolllyyyy, let it drip until it can drip no more
Originally Posted By: kcfx4
Now Ive never done this, but a good friend of mine is an "old school" mechanic, he his done this method numerous times successfully......right before oil change, dump in 2 qrts kerosene, start vehicle let it idle until it gets to a running temp, then drain oil ssssslllloooolllyyyy, let it drip until it can drip no more
Diesel fuel works good too . It's a risky way to flush an engine out , it may work or end poorly . I know this because many years ago I tried it in a chev p/up that had never had the oil changed and it lost it's oil pressure and siezed , the screen plugged up .
Now Ive never done this, but a good friend of mine is an "old school" mechanic, he his done this method numerous times successfully......right before oil change, dump in 2 qrts kerosene, start vehicle let it idle until it gets to a running temp, then drain oil ssssslllloooolllyyyy, let it drip until it can drip no more
Diesel fuel works good too . It's a risky way to flush an engine out , it may work or end poorly . I know this because many years ago I tried it in a chev p/up that had never had the oil changed and it lost it's oil pressure and siezed , the screen plugged up .
There are many good Syn oils that have a strong additive pack with lots of Detergents in them.
One of the keys would be to keep the OCI short at first so the detergents/dispersants are not overwhelmed by too much crud.
Mobil1, Amsoil, PP, Pennzoil Ultra all are good.
Look at UOA's and VOA's for high Calcium/Magnesium levels.
One of the keys would be to keep the OCI short at first so the detergents/dispersants are not overwhelmed by too much crud.
Mobil1, Amsoil, PP, Pennzoil Ultra all are good.
Look at UOA's and VOA's for high Calcium/Magnesium levels.
Originally Posted By: steveh
I get a laugh out of how many people lately think that mobil clean will clean out an engine any better then any other dino!!!
They wouldn't call it Mobil CLEAN if it didn't!
Seriously, I think any quality oil will do well if it's changed frequently. Without knowing just what is in any given mix, it's hard to make so much as an educated guess as to which oil will do a better or worse job. That leaves people free to choose and promote their 'pet' oil - exactly what you're seeing here.
I get a laugh out of how many people lately think that mobil clean will clean out an engine any better then any other dino!!!
They wouldn't call it Mobil CLEAN if it didn't!
Seriously, I think any quality oil will do well if it's changed frequently. Without knowing just what is in any given mix, it's hard to make so much as an educated guess as to which oil will do a better or worse job. That leaves people free to choose and promote their 'pet' oil - exactly what you're seeing here.
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Originally Posted By: ronrackley
Originally Posted By: nomochevys
... The last oil change was an eye opener for me. The filter was full of sludge and when I pulled the drain plug the oil came out in clumps to some degree...
I had exactly this sort of thing going on with a 1999 Suburban 5.7L Vortec a few years ago. It turned out to be antifreeze leaking into the oil because of a bad intake manifold gasket. A valve lifter had started making noise before I found the oil to be a mess. A quart of Marvel Mystery Oil mixed with 4 quarts of Shell Rotella 30 weight [a diesel rated oil with high levels of detergent and dispersant that make it excellent for cleaning] quieted the lifter in the first few days. Then I replaced it with the same mixture after a week and ran it another 1000 miles or so for general cleaning. I used Rotella synthetic 5w40 after than and put something like another 50,000 miles on that truck, if I remember correctly, before trading it two or three years ago. As far as I know, that engine is still running for the new owner.
I don't know this particular engine very well, but I'd definitely look into the antifreeze-in-oil issue if it were mine.
Well shoot. This is a 350 with 2 clinders choopped off. I need to get it checked out. IM sick. And you wonder why my user name. I have had nothing but bad luck with Gm cars.
I will get back to you. This just makes me sick.
Originally Posted By: nomochevys
... The last oil change was an eye opener for me. The filter was full of sludge and when I pulled the drain plug the oil came out in clumps to some degree...
I had exactly this sort of thing going on with a 1999 Suburban 5.7L Vortec a few years ago. It turned out to be antifreeze leaking into the oil because of a bad intake manifold gasket. A valve lifter had started making noise before I found the oil to be a mess. A quart of Marvel Mystery Oil mixed with 4 quarts of Shell Rotella 30 weight [a diesel rated oil with high levels of detergent and dispersant that make it excellent for cleaning] quieted the lifter in the first few days. Then I replaced it with the same mixture after a week and ran it another 1000 miles or so for general cleaning. I used Rotella synthetic 5w40 after than and put something like another 50,000 miles on that truck, if I remember correctly, before trading it two or three years ago. As far as I know, that engine is still running for the new owner.
I don't know this particular engine very well, but I'd definitely look into the antifreeze-in-oil issue if it were mine.
Well shoot. This is a 350 with 2 clinders choopped off. I need to get it checked out. IM sick. And you wonder why my user name. I have had nothing but bad luck with Gm cars.
I will get back to you. This just makes me sick.
Originally Posted By: nomochevys
Well shoot. This is a 350 with 2 clinders choopped off. I need to get it checked out. IM sick. And you wonder why my user name. I have had nothing but bad luck with Gm cars.
I will get back to you. This just makes me sick.
A cooling system pressure test by someone with the right setup should tell you if this is your problem.
Mine was pretty obvious when I "put 2 + 2 together" because I had been adding antifreeze to the overflow tank for a few weeks before the lifter started making noise. I drained the oil and found just what you described. I hesitate to say it because I doubt the cure I used will work most of the time, but I changed the antifreeze from red Dexcool that came in it to regular Green old-fashioned Prestone and did two treatments with Bar's Leaks. I figured that I didn't have much to lose because I had taken care of the lifter noise with Marvel Mystery Oil and I could spend $600 to have the intake manifold gasket replaced if the level kept dropping in the overflow tank - but it didn't. The Bar's Leaks stopped the leak and it held as long as I owned the truck.
The 5.7L Vortecs had a very serious problem with their intake manifold gaskets when Dexcool first came out, and within a few years I think many of them had either had the gaskets or engines replaced under warranty.
Well shoot. This is a 350 with 2 clinders choopped off. I need to get it checked out. IM sick. And you wonder why my user name. I have had nothing but bad luck with Gm cars.
I will get back to you. This just makes me sick.
A cooling system pressure test by someone with the right setup should tell you if this is your problem.
Mine was pretty obvious when I "put 2 + 2 together" because I had been adding antifreeze to the overflow tank for a few weeks before the lifter started making noise. I drained the oil and found just what you described. I hesitate to say it because I doubt the cure I used will work most of the time, but I changed the antifreeze from red Dexcool that came in it to regular Green old-fashioned Prestone and did two treatments with Bar's Leaks. I figured that I didn't have much to lose because I had taken care of the lifter noise with Marvel Mystery Oil and I could spend $600 to have the intake manifold gasket replaced if the level kept dropping in the overflow tank - but it didn't. The Bar's Leaks stopped the leak and it held as long as I owned the truck.
The 5.7L Vortecs had a very serious problem with their intake manifold gaskets when Dexcool first came out, and within a few years I think many of them had either had the gaskets or engines replaced under warranty.
Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Originally Posted By: steveh
I get a laugh out of how many people lately think that mobil clean will clean out an engine any better then any other dino!!!
They wouldn't call it Mobil CLEAN if it didn't!
Seriously, I think any quality oil will do well if it's changed frequently. Without knowing just what is in any given mix, it's hard to make so much as an educated guess as to which oil will do a better or worse job. That leaves people free to choose and promote their 'pet' oil - exactly what you're seeing here.
I was always under the impression it means it'll stay clean until 5000 or 7500 if you mean the blend
Originally Posted By: steveh
I get a laugh out of how many people lately think that mobil clean will clean out an engine any better then any other dino!!!
They wouldn't call it Mobil CLEAN if it didn't!
Seriously, I think any quality oil will do well if it's changed frequently. Without knowing just what is in any given mix, it's hard to make so much as an educated guess as to which oil will do a better or worse job. That leaves people free to choose and promote their 'pet' oil - exactly what you're seeing here.
I was always under the impression it means it'll stay clean until 5000 or 7500 if you mean the blend
Mobil 1 has got to be one of the best although these days I think any of the name brands are excellent. I used the 15-50 for ten years up until a couple of years ago when I moved to a much colder climate.
After 80,000 miles I had a reason to swap my intake and at roughly the same time I had a reason to pull the oil pan. Nothing in the form of sludge could be found anywhere. It was spotless inside. The oil pan and the underside of the valve covers were still shiny. The lifter valley was spotless.
Considering it is an old 70's car I drive without computer controlled anything that is pretty impressive. I am a fanatic when it comes to changing oil though with the modern cars it's not quite that big of a deal. They run considerably cleaner.
After 80,000 miles I had a reason to swap my intake and at roughly the same time I had a reason to pull the oil pan. Nothing in the form of sludge could be found anywhere. It was spotless inside. The oil pan and the underside of the valve covers were still shiny. The lifter valley was spotless.
Considering it is an old 70's car I drive without computer controlled anything that is pretty impressive. I am a fanatic when it comes to changing oil though with the modern cars it's not quite that big of a deal. They run considerably cleaner.
If this were a poll I would vote for Mobil Clean 5000 for intervals up to 6000 miles, or Mobil 1 0w for extended intervals.
Originally Posted By: Trvlr500
Mobil 1 has got to be one of the best although these days I think any of the name brands are excellent. I used the 15-50 for ten years up until a couple of years ago when I moved to a much colder climate.
After 80,000 miles I had a reason to swap my intake and at roughly the same time I had a reason to pull the oil pan. Nothing in the form of sludge could be found anywhere. It was spotless inside. The oil pan and the underside of the valve covers were still shiny. The lifter valley was spotless.
I had the same experience with M1 15w50 on extended drains. Kept things spotless for 9 years.
Mobil 1 has got to be one of the best although these days I think any of the name brands are excellent. I used the 15-50 for ten years up until a couple of years ago when I moved to a much colder climate.
After 80,000 miles I had a reason to swap my intake and at roughly the same time I had a reason to pull the oil pan. Nothing in the form of sludge could be found anywhere. It was spotless inside. The oil pan and the underside of the valve covers were still shiny. The lifter valley was spotless.
I had the same experience with M1 15w50 on extended drains. Kept things spotless for 9 years.
Originally Posted By: nomochevys
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
OK , I understand your issue now , thanks for clearing that up . I have a 1997 C/K 1500 with the 4.3 and it lives an easy life as well as it only has about 100K miles on it , probably gets about 2-3K on it each year doing some farm stuff (we have 4 horses ) like picking up hay or towing eagons a short distance with some other odds N ends it gets used for but it does get out on the hwy some for a few good runs .
As some have suggested a few short term OCI's with possable filter changes would help . If you had clumping sludge come out the with the drain I would really be concerned about the pump sump screen getting clugged with that so be careful on using any aggressive cleaners as some are suggesting , go slow and easy .
Have you thought about dropping the oil pan and doing a good cleaning ? I don't think the 4.3 is not too hard and might be something to consider at some point .
I have not considered that but thank you for the suggestion. Its all going to depend on the next oil change and how it looks. This is a 96 GMC sonoma by the way. Im going to cut the filter open again to see what it looks like. The truck is old and banged up pretty good but still runs great and is worth trying to save. Its perfect for what my folks use it for.
Even though it did not get driven many miles the lesson I learned was to change oil once a year no matter what. I take a big part of the blame here because I though it was probably ok to let it go plus it was an old truck so who cares right? Wrong. That was a mistake on my part plus I just flat out forgot and neglected it. This is so out of character for me. I have never in my life done anything like this. Im an oil change junky for the most part and the first time I pull a caper like this it comes back to bite me. I should have known I could not get away with this.
The 4.3 is a good tough engine from my understanding. Its outdated by a long shot now but pretty reliable. We have never abused it but we have used it. I hope it holds up down the road. I want to kick myself in the rear end for letting this happen. I have learned my lesson and I hope the oil Gods let me squeak by. Thank goodness it was not on a new 35K car.
I had a 1993 S-10 Blazer with the 4.3 motor. Didn't leak or burn a drop of oil. Used M1 for 190K miles. ... Also used the cheap [censored] Fram filters its whole life... I didn't have a clue how bad they were then. Sold it 3 yrs ago. But yes those 4.3's are reliable.
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
OK , I understand your issue now , thanks for clearing that up . I have a 1997 C/K 1500 with the 4.3 and it lives an easy life as well as it only has about 100K miles on it , probably gets about 2-3K on it each year doing some farm stuff (we have 4 horses ) like picking up hay or towing eagons a short distance with some other odds N ends it gets used for but it does get out on the hwy some for a few good runs .
As some have suggested a few short term OCI's with possable filter changes would help . If you had clumping sludge come out the with the drain I would really be concerned about the pump sump screen getting clugged with that so be careful on using any aggressive cleaners as some are suggesting , go slow and easy .
Have you thought about dropping the oil pan and doing a good cleaning ? I don't think the 4.3 is not too hard and might be something to consider at some point .
I have not considered that but thank you for the suggestion. Its all going to depend on the next oil change and how it looks. This is a 96 GMC sonoma by the way. Im going to cut the filter open again to see what it looks like. The truck is old and banged up pretty good but still runs great and is worth trying to save. Its perfect for what my folks use it for.
Even though it did not get driven many miles the lesson I learned was to change oil once a year no matter what. I take a big part of the blame here because I though it was probably ok to let it go plus it was an old truck so who cares right? Wrong. That was a mistake on my part plus I just flat out forgot and neglected it. This is so out of character for me. I have never in my life done anything like this. Im an oil change junky for the most part and the first time I pull a caper like this it comes back to bite me. I should have known I could not get away with this.
The 4.3 is a good tough engine from my understanding. Its outdated by a long shot now but pretty reliable. We have never abused it but we have used it. I hope it holds up down the road. I want to kick myself in the rear end for letting this happen. I have learned my lesson and I hope the oil Gods let me squeak by. Thank goodness it was not on a new 35K car.
I had a 1993 S-10 Blazer with the 4.3 motor. Didn't leak or burn a drop of oil. Used M1 for 190K miles. ... Also used the cheap [censored] Fram filters its whole life... I didn't have a clue how bad they were then. Sold it 3 yrs ago. But yes those 4.3's are reliable.
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