Is it bad to change the oil now?

[zimmerDN]

I just finished with the oil change. After draining the oil in the pan and we found the magnet at the bottom.

Ewww... at first we couldn't figure out what that ball shape sludge is at the bottom of the pan. Then we realize it is the FLAT DISK magnet that has at least 1 inch high of metal build up on it.

That's pretty significant isn't that?

Btw, do I have to wait for the silcone to dry before putting the new oil in and starting to car? Right now, the pan is back on but it has no oil in it because we felt we should wait at least a few hours for the silcone to dry.

 

[zimmerDN]

Anyone care to comment on my last post?

 

[The Critic]

Well, I hope you put back the pan by now.

Usually, you're supposed to wait for the silicone to cure for a short period of time BEFORE reinstalling the pan.

The sludge is probably build-up from such a long drain interval, solution is to drop the pan and clean it more often.

Did you end up using ATF+3 or ATF+4?

 

[zimmerDN]

I ended up using ATF+3. We did let the silicone dry but after we put the pan back on. We waited 2 hours before putting oil in again.

Now we have a leak. Sigh...

How long do you let the silicone dry for and how do you know when it's ready.

 

[The Critic]

Not sure to be honest, go ask your dealer.

There's another guy on this forum who is having a similar problem.

One more reason why I'll never touch the pan on one of these Chryslers!

 

[unDummy]

The magnet had normal buildup.

You need to follow the directions on the silicone/RTV that you purchased. Each type and each brand will have different recommendations. Buy an aftermarket pan gasket or use Permatex Right Stuff!

Clicking on any of the below will show a TD-pdf link for directions the permatex products:

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers.htm

 

[mmcpeck]

Hey guys, I have a similar situation with an '87 Cherokee with 160,000 miles. ATF is real, real dark, not even red anymore, but still smells like ATF, does not smell burned at all, transmission shifts and operates fine, no problems. Just bought it an have no idea about the previous maintenance. The pan has a drain plug on it, and it's not an aftermarket add on, the pan is machined with the cut out for the drain plug, so it looks factory to me, unless the pan was replaced with one that came with a plug.

Anyway, I was going to just drop the fluid and re-fill, but now I think I'll drop the whole pan and change the filter also. My question is basically, is new fluid gonna cause me any problems? And if I re-drain again just from the plug in about 10K miles, will I start to run into any problems with any sludge loosening up? Should I wait longer before draining a second time? Thanks.

 

[mmcpeck]

 

[zimmerDN]

I patched it today with a little bit of silicone applied on the outside. It was only leaking around the edge between two bolts. It seems fine now and I will continue to monitor it.