Crusty Oil Residue -- Clean Up

[Phishin]

I just bought 1990 Chevy K1500 with 5.7L TBI engine with 157,000 miles. No idea of the maintance history on this truck.

I was surprised when I put some oil in it the first time, I noticed a lot of "gunk" or sludge in there. I ran my finger along the rock arm and it was very gritty, like black sand. When I rub the grit between my fingers, it did break up and kind of dissolve.

So, I took off the valve covers and clean all the [censored] on the underside. I also plugged all the oil return holes and the big holes between the lifter rods and cleaned the valve train up the best I could with brake cleaner and lot of rags.

Then I did an oil change. But when I looked beneath the valve train, that crusty black stuff was all over the rods and whatever else I could see.

A month ago, I was putting MMO in the oil and quickly my oil gauge started bouncing all over the place. Temporarily falling to zero....then flying back up to 40psi. Maybe I broke some crud loose?

Any recommendations on how to handle this situation? I was going to run M1 10w-40HM in it from now on. Good idea?

Thanks.

 

[spasm3]

I would use a good low cost conventional like pyb and change filters at 1k. The oil pressure sender is probably bad. unless you have good pressure cold and not much pressure hot, this would be bad main bearings. Pennzoil yellow bottle , change filters at 500miles or 1000 miles depending how how bad the dirt in the motor is. Make sure the air intake does not leak past the filter.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Kreen er up

 

[LeakySeals]

M1 HM is a cleaner oil on its own. The Camry in my signature was a bad sludger, here's what I did. 2X M1 HM 5w30 @5k OCI. During the cleanup phase I used the Fram Xtended Guard Filter, has a large capacity. After 2 OC's the loose sludge was basically gone so on the 3rd OC I used Kreen from Kano labs the last 1k of a 6k OC. That dug into a newly exposed layer of varnish and goop.

75k later all is good. 7k OCI's with a regular Purolator classic, some Kreen every 20k.

The oil and filter choices were based on price from walmart. The Kreen has to be purchased online. You can read about it on here, popular solvent.

 

[123Saab]

Pennzoil ultra......and MMO

change your air filter too

 

[Knox]

Did anyone think about the PVC valve?

I'd change the oil to 10w30 rotella and stick with 3k mile oil changes for awhile. The oil pressure maybe fluctuating because the pick up screen is clogged. I'd double check your gauge like spasm mentioned. If you have no oil pressure then, it wouldn't be a good idea to drive it that way. You may have to tear it down, worst case scenario.

 

[Phishin]

I'm gonna buy some Kreen and check that stuff out. Sounds promising.

I already have changed the air filter and PCV valve. When I recently cleaned up the valve covers, the hose coming off the PCV was plugged, so I cleaned that out of course.

My oil pressure gauge become erratic occassionally. Sometimes when the engine is cold at start up. Sometimes when it's hot going down the road. It usually at 40psi when cold. 25psi when hot. And then occassionally, the bottom drops out of the gauge....it's either reads zero and my "check gauges" light comes on, or it's like 5psi or so. It will stay down there for up to a mintue, and then come rocketing back up to 25-40psi....sometimes it does this a few times. Then it can go weeks without doing it again. Probably just a bad gauge. What you think?

 

[Phishin]

One last question.....everyone on here says to use cheap dino oil anytime we are cleaning or doing a treatment. Wouldn't a good synthetic be better at carrying away all the crud we are breaking loose?

I know ARX states to use dino oil....but since I've been reading this forum for the past few years, and watching the violent rabid support of experts for this engine treatment, I'm convinced that it is a scam. Maybe not a scam, but it surely isn't the miracle everyone supposedly claims.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
One last question.....everyone on here says to use cheap dino oil anytime we are cleaning or doing a treatment. Wouldn't a good synthetic be better at carrying away all the crud we are breaking loose?

I know ARX states to use dino oil....but since I've been reading this forum for the past few years, and watching the violent rabid support of experts for this engine treatment, I'm convinced that it is a scam. Maybe not a scam, but it surely isn't the miracle everyone supposedly claims.



synthetic does clean well. but for the first few changes, its a waste. You need a few short ocis and syn is a waste. Perhaps the third one. Syn will clean but why use it to do the initial short oci's?

 

[Propflux01]

Main use of using Dino for cleaning runs is cost of such short change intervals. Most I've seen do the short initial "get the big crud out" changes on Dino, then use synthetic for the longer, late phase cleaning. I know it seems some oils are better "cleaners" than others, but all meet a certain SAE standard for what they can have, I'm guessing some are using other additives that are more abrasive (hence the more cleaning" than others.

 

[mechtech2]

I'd use MMO and a cheap dino, unless you are going to tear her down .
Remember, a lot of MMO will make the oil thin, and maybe too thin.
[It's no big deal if you compensate for it.]

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
One last question.....everyone on here says to use cheap dino oil anytime we are cleaning or doing a treatment. Wouldn't a good synthetic be better at carrying away all the crud we are breaking loose?
I didn't say that! I recommended you use M1 HM with Kreen in my other reply. Run the M1 HM for 4-5k, then add Kreen for another 1k, dump the oil. Kreen is scary stuff, worry about it with regular dino. Better safe than sorry I guess. M1 HM is a full synthetic, has extra wear additives and seal conditioners in addition to its own extra cleaners. So when the Kreen goes in its a sturdy base.

 

[JGW]

Either PYB at short intervals, 1k at most, with a small amount of kreen added. After about the 3rd or 4th change try rotella T6, or PU for 3k miles with no kreen. Then check the status, and go from there.

 

[LeakySeals]

PS: The M1 HM oil is a excellent cleaner on its own. Gets the crud loose. After 4-5k slam the Kreen in as an additional cleaner and emulsifier. Then dump the mess after another 1k.

That last 1k is where the M1 HM shines. Running that polluted mess for 1k miles, is that good for it? Nope. But you need to run with if for the cleaner to do its job. So you want to run that polluted mess on cheap dino? I wouldn't.

But for a rinse after, I would use the cheap dino.

 

[Greg L]

I also like the idea of cleaning with the M1 & Kreen.

Currently using Mobil 1 on my Sierra 5.7 GM 350 engine, and it has 165,000 miles. No leak issues or bad seals thus far. I also noticed that the first couple of times I did the OCI with M1, the oil got black real quick...which tells me that it was doing the job.


The M1 now currently has stayed much cleaner for longer. My 2 cents, FWIW.


GL

 

[artificialist]

I prefer to make several short oil changes with basic oil. In some very dirty engines, if you use an extremely fast acting cleaner, all that garbage piles up on the oil pump pickup, then you get no oil flow, and the engine quickly gets destroyed.