I have a 1964 Ford Galaxie with the 352 and 4 barrel. It has around 80,000 original miles and is basically a show car/ weekend cruiser. I have owned it for about 5 years. Anyway, the car runs great, but the one issue I have is that there's significant sludge in the engine.
When I first got the car, I took off the valve covers to find sludge along with gel, fir needles, and various other junk in the oil valleys. I painstakingly cleaned it all out. One thing to know about these cars is that removing the oil pan is not an option without at least partially pulling the engine. There's a frame cross member that sits right below the pan.
Having done some research on sludge, I opted for a slow approach to cleaning in fear of clogging the oil pickup. For the last 5 years, I have run Mobile 1 10w - 40 full synthetic high mileage oil in combination with the Mobile 1 filter and ZDDP additive. The idea being that frequent oil changes with a high detergent oil would slowly and safely clean the engine of the sludge.
So, I have done six oil changes at 500-mile intervals for the 5 years I've owned it. Even now, the oil turns absolutely black within a 100 miles or so. I do realize that the color of the oil isn't an indicator of viscosity etc. and in some respects, it shows that the detergents are doing the intended job. This regiment is obviously getting expensive.
Here's my question(s): Should I just continue doing what I've been doing (If it's not broke don't fix it.)? Or, should I try something more aggressive like MMO, Seafoam, or some other engine flush to help speed up the process?
I realize that pulling the engine would be the best bet, but I have plenty of other cars and projects that I need to dedicate my time and money toward. I'm leaning toward a more aggressive approach mainly because it bugs me to see thick black oil within a 100 miles or so, but I could be talked out it. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
When I first got the car, I took off the valve covers to find sludge along with gel, fir needles, and various other junk in the oil valleys. I painstakingly cleaned it all out. One thing to know about these cars is that removing the oil pan is not an option without at least partially pulling the engine. There's a frame cross member that sits right below the pan.
Having done some research on sludge, I opted for a slow approach to cleaning in fear of clogging the oil pickup. For the last 5 years, I have run Mobile 1 10w - 40 full synthetic high mileage oil in combination with the Mobile 1 filter and ZDDP additive. The idea being that frequent oil changes with a high detergent oil would slowly and safely clean the engine of the sludge.
So, I have done six oil changes at 500-mile intervals for the 5 years I've owned it. Even now, the oil turns absolutely black within a 100 miles or so. I do realize that the color of the oil isn't an indicator of viscosity etc. and in some respects, it shows that the detergents are doing the intended job. This regiment is obviously getting expensive.
Here's my question(s): Should I just continue doing what I've been doing (If it's not broke don't fix it.)? Or, should I try something more aggressive like MMO, Seafoam, or some other engine flush to help speed up the process?
I realize that pulling the engine would be the best bet, but I have plenty of other cars and projects that I need to dedicate my time and money toward. I'm leaning toward a more aggressive approach mainly because it bugs me to see thick black oil within a 100 miles or so, but I could be talked out it. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!