Removing Sludge to Prevent Engine Failure?
- Thread starter 04CorCar
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No miracle in a can is going clean an engine if it's this bad.
![[Linked Image from fototime.com]](http://www.fototime.com/81B9B095C8360DD/large.jpg "[Linked Image from fototime.com]")
You need to manually remove the sludge with qtips, tweezers, paper towels, picks and solvent. And of course 12 hours of your time (both V6 heads and under timing chain cover) to get it looking like,
![[Linked Image from fototime.com]](http://www.fototime.com/A4E15121D3D35E5/large.jpg "[Linked Image from fototime.com]")
In your case, it's a cheaper older car. If it's running fine now, don't worry about it too much. Just change the oil regularly and it should easily go another 100K without issue even with some sludge inside.
You need to manually remove the sludge with qtips, tweezers, paper towels, picks and solvent. And of course 12 hours of your time (both V6 heads and under timing chain cover) to get it looking like,
In your case, it's a cheaper older car. If it's running fine now, don't worry about it too much. Just change the oil regularly and it should easily go another 100K without issue even with some sludge inside.
Another vote for not messing with it if it runs good. Plus I think these have an oil baffle right under the oil fill cap and they almost always look crusty.
I would at the very least drive it for the next several thousand miles and see how the car performs. See if it burns any oil, monitor gas mileage etc. This should give you an idea of the health of this engine.
If it is truly sludged up, cleaning just the top will not exactly fix anything, the bottom has to be cleaned as well.
I would at the very least drive it for the next several thousand miles and see how the car performs. See if it burns any oil, monitor gas mileage etc. This should give you an idea of the health of this engine.
If it is truly sludged up, cleaning just the top will not exactly fix anything, the bottom has to be cleaned as well.
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I am pretty much in agreement. You run the chance of dislodging something that might cause damage. What kind of oil and service interval for that engine?
In the good old days people would drain the oil and put in x number quarts of kerosene and let the engine idle for a long time. That was back in the days when you would dust Ajax into the intake if chrome rings would not seat in. No telling what that did to valve guides and stems.
I would just leave it alone.
In the good old days people would drain the oil and put in x number quarts of kerosene and let the engine idle for a long time. That was back in the days when you would dust Ajax into the intake if chrome rings would not seat in. No telling what that did to valve guides and stems.
I would just leave it alone.
Originally Posted by borgward
I am pretty much in agreement. You run the chance of dislodging something that might cause damage. What kind of oil and service interval for that engine?
In the good old days people would drain the oil and put in x number quarts of kerosene and let the engine idle for a long time. That was back in the days when you would dust Ajax into the intake if chrome rings would not seat in. No telling what that did to valve guides and stems.
I would just leave it alone.
I heard Comet worked better than Ajax.
I am pretty much in agreement. You run the chance of dislodging something that might cause damage. What kind of oil and service interval for that engine?
In the good old days people would drain the oil and put in x number quarts of kerosene and let the engine idle for a long time. That was back in the days when you would dust Ajax into the intake if chrome rings would not seat in. No telling what that did to valve guides and stems.
I would just leave it alone.
I heard Comet worked better than Ajax.
2007 here with over 225K miles. Just use PUP 5w-30 for 5,000 mile OCI and those sludges will be gone in about 4-5 OCI. No need to use third party flushing products in your engine.
be careful what you wish for.
https://youtu.be/zf27FQsh3Nc?t=44
if you want to clean it up put a bottle of zmax in it 1000 miles before every oil change and change oil and filter every 3000 and cut open filter to see what is really going on in there.
https://youtu.be/zf27FQsh3Nc?t=44
if you want to clean it up put a bottle of zmax in it 1000 miles before every oil change and change oil and filter every 3000 and cut open filter to see what is really going on in there.
Under the oil cap will look worse than under the valve cover because of the baffle. IMO 95% you don't have sludge.
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
I am of the opinion that sludge not circulating does not hurt a thing. If you disturb it, then you can block things.
In extreme cases of sludge build up it can effect oil pressure, cause the pump to prematurely fail and cause excessive wear due to oil starvation. Now again this is extreme...but all you need to do to avoid this, is change your oil/filter on time and regularly.
I am of the opinion that sludge not circulating does not hurt a thing. If you disturb it, then you can block things.
In extreme cases of sludge build up it can effect oil pressure, cause the pump to prematurely fail and cause excessive wear due to oil starvation. Now again this is extreme...but all you need to do to avoid this, is change your oil/filter on time and regularly.
Originally Posted by 04CorCar
Hello,
I recently purchased a 2004 Toyota Corolla with only 85,000 miles on it. I bought it for a good price sight unseen and it runs great. I replaced the spark plugs, water pump, thermostat, coolant, brake pads, rotors, etc. My goal for this car is to have a reliable gas saver as my only car.
Here is the problem, when I went to change the oil and took off the fill cap, I noticed some sludge. When changing the oil, it came out very dark, pretty much black. I have no idea what kind of oil it was but I'm assuming cheap stuff. So I put in Penzoil High Mileage 5W-30.
So what I've decided is to pull the valve cover and oil pan, clean it as best as I can by hand and do an oil change after about 100 miles, then maybe 500 miles, etc?
The question is, with all of the above considered, what would be the best way to go about removing the sludge? I'm driving to move cross country at the end of the year and then will be using the car to get to and from work.
Thank you!
If the spark plugs looked OK and the rest of the car is in good condition, I would not bother with a high mileage oil. My Tacoma has 155k miles and runs like new (no leaks and no oil consumption), so I don't plan on using a high mileage oil until I have good reason.
About potential engine sludge, I would keep an eye on the first oil change and if the dipstick gets dark quickly, go ahead and change it early (3k miles or so?). Some will say to just change the oil filter and leave the oil, which you can do also because most of the "bad stuff" will get caught in the filter. Just be sure to top off the oil after replacing the filter. I still think it's a better idea to do the full service with fresh oil and filter. I don't think you would need to short change the oil more than once, again assuming the spark plugs and everything else looks fine. Good luck.
Hello,
I recently purchased a 2004 Toyota Corolla with only 85,000 miles on it. I bought it for a good price sight unseen and it runs great. I replaced the spark plugs, water pump, thermostat, coolant, brake pads, rotors, etc. My goal for this car is to have a reliable gas saver as my only car.
Here is the problem, when I went to change the oil and took off the fill cap, I noticed some sludge. When changing the oil, it came out very dark, pretty much black. I have no idea what kind of oil it was but I'm assuming cheap stuff. So I put in Penzoil High Mileage 5W-30.
So what I've decided is to pull the valve cover and oil pan, clean it as best as I can by hand and do an oil change after about 100 miles, then maybe 500 miles, etc?
The question is, with all of the above considered, what would be the best way to go about removing the sludge? I'm driving to move cross country at the end of the year and then will be using the car to get to and from work.
Thank you!
If the spark plugs looked OK and the rest of the car is in good condition, I would not bother with a high mileage oil. My Tacoma has 155k miles and runs like new (no leaks and no oil consumption), so I don't plan on using a high mileage oil until I have good reason.
About potential engine sludge, I would keep an eye on the first oil change and if the dipstick gets dark quickly, go ahead and change it early (3k miles or so?). Some will say to just change the oil filter and leave the oil, which you can do also because most of the "bad stuff" will get caught in the filter. Just be sure to top off the oil after replacing the filter. I still think it's a better idea to do the full service with fresh oil and filter. I don't think you would need to short change the oil more than once, again assuming the spark plugs and everything else looks fine. Good luck.
HM oil is fine, they have to meet the API spec too so they can't be too strong or cause more harm than good (they may be less fuel efficient by like 0.5% but at this point it is not a big deal).
You clean it the same way you clean dirty laundry: wash it twice or change your oil more frequently. You can wipe some off gently but you won't be able to get to the worst part of it at the rings. Just more frequent oil and filter change, HDEO oil, long trip to keep the engine warm, fix any problem that cause it to run rich or overheat, fix any possible head gasket leak, that's pretty much all you can do.
You clean it the same way you clean dirty laundry: wash it twice or change your oil more frequently. You can wipe some off gently but you won't be able to get to the worst part of it at the rings. Just more frequent oil and filter change, HDEO oil, long trip to keep the engine warm, fix any problem that cause it to run rich or overheat, fix any possible head gasket leak, that's pretty much all you can do.
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