Engine Oil Cleaner?
1998 Plymouth Voyager Minivan, 2WD
I'm taking a short trip up north this weekend (400-600 miles) and figured it would be a good time to get up to date on all my maintenance. Smog check passed without problem. I went and got an oil change as well, and the tech said that I had a fair bit of oil sludge in there. I realized that I probably haven't gotten an oil change in a good 10,000 miles. He recommended that an engine cleaner be run through it as well (something that can apparently only be done during the oil change) for $30 extra. I declined at the time, simply because I was only planning to be there for 15 minutes before work.
After doing some research, I had a few questions.
Is this 'during oil change' cleaning process the only way to remove sludge?
I've read that using these cleaners like this can actually be bad because it may dislodge chunks and clog up lines. Is this a valid concern?
Will synthetic oils and more regular changes eventually resolve the sludge issue regardless?
My minivan currently runs more or less perfectly, for being 13 years old. Is there anything I should keep in mind with sludge and oil maintenance practices?
1998 Plymouth Voyager Minivan, 2WD
I'm taking a short trip up north this weekend (400-600 miles) and figured it would be a good time to get up to date on all my maintenance. Smog check passed without problem. I went and got an oil change as well, and the tech said that I had a fair bit of oil sludge in there. I realized that I probably haven't gotten an oil change in a good 10,000 miles. He recommended that an engine cleaner be run through it as well (something that can apparently only be done during the oil change) for $30 extra. I declined at the time, simply because I was only planning to be there for 15 minutes before work.
After doing some research, I had a few questions.
Is this 'during oil change' cleaning process the only way to remove sludge?
I've read that using these cleaners like this can actually be bad because it may dislodge chunks and clog up lines. Is this a valid concern?
Will synthetic oils and more regular changes eventually resolve the sludge issue regardless?
My minivan currently runs more or less perfectly, for being 13 years old. Is there anything I should keep in mind with sludge and oil maintenance practices?
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