Is this engine sludged up or am I been ripped off?

[Lewis]

Got back from the mechanic, after a basic oil and filter change a few weeks back (would normally do it myself but with my back problems I can't atm).

The car is a Suzuki Swift 2006 with a M15A engine with just over a 100K Miles.

He told me that he is concerned about the amount of sludge in the rocker cover of my engine. Apparently it's so bad that my timing chain and cams are going to wear if I don't get it cleaned out.

It's been worrying me for weeks now, the car was bought used and has no history of oil changes so wouldn't surprise me if it was really bad. Today I took the rocker cover off (it's only a few 10mm bolts really easy to do) and it looks alright I think. The rocker cover itself is stained a golden yellow color but the engine looks alright . Would you be worried looking at the photo's?

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

He's full of [censored].

 

[Lubener]

Get a new mechanic. He's trying to rip you off. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Alfred_B]

Looks clean

 

[bdcardinal]

That looks like a bit of varnish, but no sludge. Totally normal for an engine to have that.

 

[Chris142]

LoL. Nothing to see here.

 

[maineiac]

That looks absolutely a-ok. Run Forest, run (from that mechanic). Don't do business with people who try to steal from you.

 

[loneryder]

Is this a joke??

 

[JeffKeryk]

Sludge? We ain't got no stinkin' sludge!

 

[GMguy84]

Only thing that's "sludged up" is your mechanic



Dave

 

[ET16]

As noted, he's full of sludge.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Very (and I mean very) light varnish--nothing there to be concerned about. Sludge is heavy and can be creamy goo or crusty baked on gunk.

These are sludged engines:

 

[DweezilAZ]

Looks almost antiseptic in comparison to an actually sludged up engine.

Just a search for sludged engine images would have quelled your fears immediately.
2015_PSD just supplied one as I was typing.

Your mechanic is a lying fear monger trying to sell a flush of some sort.

 

[supton]

Would I be worried? Nope. My car engine looked worse when I took the valve cover off. I wonder how he came up with that diagnosis, if it was from just looking at the oil fill, or if opened up the oil filter.

That said, timing chains can and do wear. What OCI are you running? It's clearly not long enough to "damage" the oil, but over here there is no end to the discussion about the link between thin oils and timing chain wear and long OCI's (as in, if there is a link or not).

 

[Lewis]

I've only had the car for about a year. Have no idea about OCI for the previous owner. It came with no service history.etc I travel about a thousand miles a month and change it every 4 months or so. I usually do it myself with 5W-30 Shell Helix which I get cheap from work

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Lewis
I've only had the car for about a year. Have no idea about OCI for the previous owner. It came with no service history.etc I travel about a thousand miles a month and change it every 4 months or so. I usually do it myself with 5W-30 Shell Helix which I get cheap from work

As long as the oil meets or exceeds what the OEM wants, I see nothing wrong with this plan of action. If anything it's conservative, but if it's not too expensive for you, then I'd just keep doing that.

 

[ragtoplvr]

That sort of thing makes me write the state attorney general.

They do not like dishonest merchants

Rod

 

[slacktide_bitog]

That engine looks good

HERE is an example of sludge

 

[Leo99]

Looks great! Hope your back feels better, soon.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Lubener
Get a new mechanic. He's trying to rip you off. Nothing to worry about.

Said what I was going to say. This mechanic presumed the OP would take him at his word and not check for himself.