Filthy oil, noisy lifters - cleaning procedure?

[NSC]

To save space I will be very concise - please don't mistake this for rudeness!

Picked up a Chevy Tracker for my daughter, sweet deal. 130k, engine runs ok.

PROBLEMS

Excessive blow by, low power. Oil is dirty despite being changed < 2k miles ago. A clicking from under the valve cover, seems isolated to one cylinder, most forums attribute it to a known bulletin 00-06-01-006C for "lifter bleed down".

HAVE ALREADY CHECKED

Compressions: 160+ across the board, plugs look amazing despite being a few years old.
Vacuum is good at 22.
New PCV, checked all hoses.

Before I tear off the valve cover and spend $200 on new lifters, unless someone screams 'no', I think my next step is to run some excellent flush in the crankcase, clean that baby out, and refill with new oil plus an additive.

The advice I'm asking for is: recommendations for the best flush product and procedure, then the best additive to leave in for say 1k miles before another change.

Eagerly awaiting a flood of expertise!

 

[badtlc]

I don't recommend any flushes but rislone engine concentrate would be safe/good to use in the crank for the next OCI.

If this engine is not aluminum, i'd highly recommend Auto-RX, too.

 

[suspiciousmind]

It's time to run an oci of Rotella T6!

 

[3800Series]

Rotella OR Delo 400 both are cheap and great cleaning oils. Throw in some MMO (if you think it works or not) you really have nothing to lose. Rislone would also work.


Avoid the flush. Its dangerous and typically doesn't do a lot expectially in a dirty motor.

 

[05LGTLtd]

Rotella T5 and Rislone sounds like a decent plan.

I'd throw a bit of MMO in for a hundred miles or so before the change as well. (But I'm the kind of guy that thinks if one flush is good, two must be better!)

 

[demarpaint]

MMO and a little patience would be my first choice. Add a pint the last 1,000-1,500 miles of the OCI. Drain the oil, change the filter and fill with your favorite oil, less 20% oil, for 20% MMO. Run it for 3,000-4,000 miles then change the oil and filter. You should be GTG. Or try a bottle of the Rislone concentrate, or Kreen and follow the directions.

 

[JHZR2]

I had a noisy lifter that had a startup tick. Quiet under hot use, but always ticking at cold start. Had tried everything, Kreen, MMO, HDEO, etc. I had always run synthetics which were changed regularly, thus clean engine...

I was about to give up and replace the lifter. I decided to try one thing...

Put in Berryman B-12 chemtool, and idled it, no practical load, the only use was moving from one end of the driveway to the other. Turned the car off, dumped the oil, replaced with an appropriate oil with a 4cyl dose of Restore oil additive. This add is known in the Jeep 4.0 forums as an add to quiet lifters.

This worked out perfect. Been through a winter and a half, no noises whatsoever. I don't run the restore any longer either (though may add a bit at some point just for the heck of it).

Id not use B-12 normally, but I was about to change the lifter, so this was last ditch. Knowing what I do now, Id probably just go right to the B-12, given its cost and availability, and call it a day.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I had a noisy lifter that had a startup tick. Quiet under hot use, but always ticking at cold start. Had tried everything, Kreen, MMO, HDEO, etc. I had always run synthetics which were changed regularly, thus clean engine...

I was about to give up and replace the lifter. I decided to try one thing...

Put in Berryman B-12 chemtool, and idled it, no practical load, the only use was moving from one end of the driveway to the other. Turned the car off, dumped the oil, replaced with an appropriate oil with a 4cyl dose of Restore oil additive. This add is known in the Jeep 4.0 forums as an add to quiet lifters.

This worked out perfect. Been through a winter and a half, no noises whatsoever. I don't run the restore any longer either (though may add a bit at some point just for the heck of it).

Id not use B-12 normally, but I was about to change the lifter, so this was last ditch. Knowing what I do now, Id probably just go right to the B-12, given its cost and availability, and call it a day.


I've been meaning to give that a shot, but I don't have a test mule that needs cleaning. I tried it in an old line trimmer and chain saw I had laying around to clean up the carbs and get them running again. Preliminary results were a bit disappointing but the weather got cold, and back on the shelf they went. Once the weather breaks I will give it a try again.

 

[dlundblad]

Use a quality high detergent oil and put some highway miles on the engine.

 

[NSC]

I've had good luck with B12 on various other small engines. However just know it'll destroy rubber in an instant. It's great on all metal, just keep it away from orings, etc.

 

[NSC]

Thanks for all the good replies, aside from a little variance almost everyone seems to agree. Final decision will be based on what's on the shelf at my corner auto store! (Not sure they have Rislone, but know they have MMO and Rotella).

 

[bigt61]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Use a quality high detergent oil and put some highway miles on the engine.

+1 Good compression is the most important. I'd run PYB for a few short 3k OCIs and see what you've got. That oil has a ton of cleaning power all on it's own. Skip the supplements.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: NSC
Thanks for all the good replies, aside from a little variance almost everyone seems to agree. Final decision will be based on what's on the shelf at my corner auto store! (Not sure they have Rislone, but know they have MMO and Rotella).



Sounds like a good combo to me. I have a car that was given to me by my father, and I mentioned it quite a few times here. It was very well maintained from day one with nothing but short Dino OCI's. In fact I think the longest the oil was in the sump was well under 4,000 miles. Most changes were done right around every 3K miles. PYB was used quite often. Then engine had somewhere around 80K miles when I got it and was loaded with varnish. There were no mechanical issues what so ever. That just tells me that short runs on dino oil to clean an engine are hit or miss at best.

 

[Trav]

Run a can of Berrymans in the oil for 20 min before changing the oil. Do this on a cold engine, you will notice a difference.

 

[fredfactory]

... maybe a NAPA autoparts store can order this for you since they carry those parts.

Also, here on this forum there is Click Here Linkee Thingee : ....... And Walmart has Seafoam, leave it in for a 100 or so miles before using the Liqui Moly Lifter stuff or Hyperlube ZRA or Rislone.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Run a can of Berrymans in the oil for 20 min before changing the oil. Do this on a cold engine, you will notice a difference.


Next test mule I come across I'm giving it a try!

 

[Rob_Roy]

Kreen.

 

[fdcg27]

Let us know what you use and how it all works out.
It would be nice to hear that you had sucessful results with no more than a can of magic.
I'm always interested in hearing about effective additives for specific problems.
Might need a can of magic myself for one of our engines one of these days, so it would be nice to hear about what works and what doesn't.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Put in Berryman B-12 chemtool, and idled it, no practical load, the only use was moving from one end of the driveway to the other.


B-12 carburetor cleaner in the oil? How much you put in?

 

[NYSteve]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
I don't recommend any flushes but rislone engine concentrate would be safe/good to use in the crank for the next OCI.

If this engine is not aluminum, i'd highly recommend Auto-RX, too.


What's the issue with Auto-Rx and Aluminum?