3.4 fourrunner sludged and smoking, now whats(includes pics)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 23, 2003
Messages
16
Location
Huntersville N.C.
76k miles, oils changed w/ penzoil 10/30 every 5k
now it smokes but it comes and goes from nothing to
too bad for words
 -


1056488380sludgey.jpg


[ June 24, 2003, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: Charged up ]
 
wow, that sucks man. seems like there's some other issue going on with that engine.


what year

[ June 24, 2003, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: Greg ]
 
I didn't hear of any sludge problems involving the 4runner, I only heard of possible sludge problems for Toyota cars like the Corolla and Camry and Toyota vans.

Have you heard of anybody else who owns a 4runner having problems like this?
 
Not a peep from the 4Runner crew on 4x4wire.com. I've honestly never heard sludge issues for this motor. Is this the original owner posting these pics?
 
If you search on the net there was some sort of a head gasket campaign on early 5VZ's for leaks. Are you the original owner of the '96 since new?
 
Welcome to SEVERE Toyo sludge. This engine may be a disaster about to happen.


Heres what I would do without regard to brand or cost; Buy 3 or 4 bottles of Auto-RX. This is the only product that will safely clean this engine on the fly. After RX you can use a Nuetra or LC but not before as a chunk is going to come loose and ruin this engine, if it hasn't already. When I say chunk it could be very small and ruin this thing.

Manually clean as much of the top of the heads and valve covers as you can. Clean and replace the PCV valve and tubing as it has got to be blocked off with sludge. Make sure nothing is plugged in the oil journals and returns on the heads.


Change the oil add a bottle of RX and fresh filter for 250 miles, change filter and top up with oil, go another 500 miles. Change oil and filter again add another bottle of RX, run 500 miles change filter, run another 500 miles.

Change oil and filter use 3rd bottle of RX for 2000 miles.

Then I would use Redline 5w-30 and go 3000 miles and change oil and filter. Run Redline 5w-30 for 5000 mile interval and at end of that interval run another bottle of RX in the used Redline before change with a fresh filter and it should be clean.

I would stick with the Redline 5w-30 or at that point ask us here to doctor you a oil regime to eliminate this happening again.

The other alternative is to teardown the engine and manually clean but you could still damage something like a bearing or burn a piston or valve.

And honestly it may have already happened.

Call Toyota's sludge hotline and get them to help. 1 888 802 9436 tell them Terry Dyson said to call from Dyson Analysis.

If you have a coolant leak you would have noticed it by 36,000 miles by the need to add coolant. If thats what happened Toyota will not cover you.

If you choose to clean with the regimen above sample the used oil and post here for us to look at. That way you'll know if something is seriously damaged without going through the whole cleaning process.

[ June 24, 2003, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: Terry ]
 
quote:

Originally posted by Mystic:
I didn't hear of any sludge problems involving the 4runner, I only heard of possible sludge problems for Toyota cars like the Corolla and Camry and Toyota vans.

Have you heard of anybody else who owns a 4runner having problems like this?


Take a look at the gear-driven cam. That's the culprit that causes the sludging problem in the other Toyota engines, and it's obviously the source here.

One thing's for sure: 5000 mile changes on regular oil ain't gonna get it in these engines.
 
I can hardly even stand to look at those photographs. That sludge is awful-it looks like some kind of cancer.

But is there a problem with 4Runners in general, or just some kind of problem with just this one vehicle?
 
It is not the gear drive on the cam there are many engines with gear drives that do not have a sludge problem G man II . How often was the oil changed by the previous owner ? I sure hope my p/u engine looks better than this . I guess you could try the auto rx or spring for a new engine in my experince a new motor usually is better than a rebuilt . How is the trans oil or the differential oil, this as a way of checking an previous maintenance.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Steve S:
It is not the gear drive on the cam there are many engines with gear drives that do not have a sludge problem G man II.

You need to read up on the Toyota sludge issue. The gear driven cams have been ID'd as the root cause of the problem. The helical cut gears chew the oil up, shearing the VI improver. The problem is compounded, it seems, by rather high head temps in these engines, and possible poor PCV design. Any one of these items may not be enough ALONE to create a sludge monster. But put them all together, and you get what you see in these pics.
 
Back in 1981 I used to work in a machine shop.....only engines that ever came close to that were running Penzoil( I never touch the stuff) That is amazing that your engine is even running still! ...And I thought my wifes car was bad...HA!
pat.gif
 
Pennzoil now is a whole new ballgame IMO. Maybe it wasn't good before but the new basestocks etc changed everything. and that is one bad looking engine. If Auto-Rx can clean this it's worth every cent and more!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top