Where lies the line between varnish and sludge?
'02 Honda F23A1, 202K, maintenance decent but unknown.
'02 Honda F23A1, 202K, maintenance decent but unknown.
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Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Where lies the line between varnish and sludge?
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Where lies the line between varnish and sludge?
A great candidate to test flush products. 
My perspective, as well.
VML is all the flush she'll get, along with a new HG, timing belt, and ignition tune-up. If your call has a slow coolant leak... just fix it.
15-year-old Honda, about 13,500 miles a year...doing pretty well I'd say. Whatever oil or oils were used, they did not cause engine failure...Honda engineering still doing well.
Wish my pics to my 01 Civic at 168k miles in this thread still active (thanks PB) as similar valvetrain design to topic.
I'll say though I've seen worse (not much) IMO topic engine is sludged. As comparison mine looked very similar to the pic below from another Civic in a youtube about how to adjust valves.
Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Wish my pics to my 01 Civic at 168k miles in this thread still active (thanks PB) as similar valvetrain design to topic.
I'll say though I've seen worse (not much) IMO topic engine is sludged. As comparison mine looked very similar to the pic below from another Civic in a youtube about how to adjust valves.
Originally Posted By: StevieC
A great candidate to test flush products.
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: StevieC
A great candidate to test flush products.
MolaKule
Staff member
Does the crankshaft turn?
Looks like a good candidate for LCD's LC20. Pour it all over the head, let it soak overnight, scrub, re-soak, scrub.
Also, do a piston soak with this stuff using about 4 oz. per cylinder.
I brought a 454 back to life this way after a friend's daughter let the oil level get too low in his Burb. 
The only thing we had to replace was the valve stem seals. We let the hydraulic lifters soak for about three days and they worked fine.
Looks like a good candidate for LCD's LC20. Pour it all over the head, let it soak overnight, scrub, re-soak, scrub.
Also, do a piston soak with this stuff using about 4 oz. per cylinder.
I brought a 454 back to life this way after a friend's daughter let the oil level get too low in his Burb.
The only thing we had to replace was the valve stem seals. We let the hydraulic lifters soak for about three days and they worked fine.
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Any worse and I'd deem it out-and-out sludge. But, true, not close to the fail point yet - just not doing the car or the owner's wallet any favors. It'll have to run better after I get done with it, based on the deposits on these pistons. VTEC gasket screen is gummed up pretty good, too. Regular gas, most likely dino oil, lots of city driving - I wouldn't expect much better.
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Does the crankshaft turn?
Looks like a good candidate for LCD's LC20. Pour it all over the head, let it soak overnight, scrub, re-soak, scrub.
I brought a 454 back to life this way after a friend's daughter let the oil level get too low in his Burb.
The only thing we had to replace was the valve stem seals. We let the hydraulic lifters soak for about three days and they worked fine.
Looks like a good candidate for LCD's LC20. Pour it all over the head, let it soak overnight, scrub, re-soak, scrub.
I brought a 454 back to life this way after a friend's daughter let the oil level get too low in his Burb.
The only thing we had to replace was the valve stem seals. We let the hydraulic lifters soak for about three days and they worked fine. 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
...maintenance decent...
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Where lies the line between varnish and sludge?
'02 Honda F23A1, 202K, maintenance decent but unknown.
'02 Honda F23A1, 202K, maintenance decent but unknown. 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
...maintenance decent...
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
...maintenance decent...
Finished this up yesterday and it purred like a kitten. Sent the head to the local Napa machine shop - wound up taking .012" off, which involved taking the cam, etc. out, and even took out a broken exh. stud, and cleaned it up real good, all for $45! By the time it was said and done it got new timing belt kit + water pump, plugs/wires/cap/rotor, valve adjustment, and of course all related gaskets and seals (didn't dig into valve seals) and it even surprised me how well it ran afterward. I found mild sludge through the whole engine and told the owner that, whatever oil gets used, needs changed more often. 
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