Need advise on my sister's 95 Eclipse

[DrDusty86]

My sister has a RAGGED out Mitsu Eclipse NA 4 cyl. it was over 2 quarts low when I checked it and it was FULL of sludge. I asked her when the last time she changed her oil was and she pulled a receipt from over 18,000 miles ago from a quick lube.
I'm thinking I should have her buy a few STP filters and Castrol GTX. I could change my RP early and run it in the car around the bock then change it.
I can get 5 qts of Pennzoil conventional at work for cost..and go to parts store for a few cheap filters..
What would you guys do?
Dusty

 

[Rand]

I wouldnt touch it.. if it dies it will be your fault.

 

[cp3]

If you don't go Rand's route, I'd go with the Pennzoil conventional idea and a few short OCIs. I wouldn't take a chance with the STP filters if they are an E-core for this though. If it is gummy in there I would want a solidly built filter, just in case.

 

[The_Jeff]

Does this have the dodge neon motor? Those at least take monster filters.

I *would* change the oil but not get aggressive. OTOH a walmart bulk oil special would shift the liability from you if things hit the fan.

As for the 18k mile receipt, it could have been changed since then and everyone forgot.

 

[DrDusty86]

Nope..the receipt is it...She said it has been atleast since june of 2011..which is what the receipt has on it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have a friend who is on 20k milees on an oil change of just top it off every other week.

Luckily, the car leaks about a quart every 1000 miles and I threw on a few new filters over the past 18 months.

 

[donnyj08]

Pull the pan off, pull the valve over off, take the cams out, clean the top of the head out, screw driver and carb cleaner, or oven cleaner and a pressure sprayer ( cover paint and electric parts if you do this). Clean out the pan and replace the pickup tube. After both are pretty clean, put it back together and run a good oil for a couple 2-3k oci and use good filters.

No solvents or oil will safely remove heavy sludge. Take it apart.
Follow these steps and ill bet it will still last a long time with good maintenance practices. It's a good idea to put on a new timing belt while you have it apart

- donny

 

[cmorr]

Originally Posted By: Rand
I wouldnt touch it.. if it dies it will be your fault.


To the OP, this is a valid concern and necessitates a serious conversation with your sister.

To do nothing would require here to understand and prepare for the cost of replacing the car, timeframe TBD

Taking action may cause some risks and potentially accelerate replacement but there is an opportunity/chance for improvement.

If it were me, assuming the car has no other issues and she accepts liability I would confirm the cars PCV system was functional and begin short OCI with Pennzoil Conventional and a good filter. I would not use anything overly aggressive and I would open the filters at each change. If possible I would consider dropping the pan, cleaning out any accumulated sludge and ensure the pickup is not clogged

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Does this have the dodge neon motor? Those at least take monster filters.

I *would* change the oil but not get aggressive. OTOH a walmart bulk oil special would shift the liability from you if things hit the fan.

As for the 18k mile receipt, it could have been changed since then and everyone forgot.


No Eclipse ever shared the Neon motor.. This car probably has the 4G63 which was in the Talon/Laser, but never the Neon (a Chrysler made engine)

I would just try to start doing regular OCI's on it, if it were mine. Nothing fancy. It's still running now, you'd only be doing it a favour if you gave it 3-5K OCI's with a good conventional.

 

[clarklawnscape]

id fill it up the rest of the way w kerosene or mmo, let it idle a couple hours and change it oil & filter. then fill it w mobil non synthetic and a new filter, change it in 1000 miles and repeat the oil change a couple times. let her know if anything happens its due to her negligence. id also check other things, pcv, transmission fluid, a/f, etc

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Pull the pan off, pull the valve over off, take the cams out, clean the top of the head out, screw driver and carb cleaner, or oven cleaner and a pressure sprayer ( cover paint and electric parts if you do this). Clean out the pan and replace the pickup tube. After both are pretty clean, put it back together and run a good oil for a couple 2-3k oci and use good filters.

No solvents or oil will safely remove heavy sludge. Take it apart.
Follow these steps and ill bet it will still last a long time with good maintenance practices. It's a good idea to put on a new timing belt while you have it apart


By the initial description of the car, do you honestly think it would be wise to throw that much money into this car? FWIW, we are talking about a car that is still OBD1. The cost of what you describe is about twice the value of this car.

 

[PhillyJoe]

If you have the opportunity, I would pull the valve cover and pan and clean out what I can by hand, then a few $20 DIY oil changes 1,000 miles apart. Or just change the filter at 1,000 mile intervals and top off. Looks like you have nothing to lose and you might just save the engine. As long as she is aware you trying to fix a problem that was not your doing.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Pull the pan off, pull the valve over off, take the cams out, clean the top of the head out, screw driver and carb cleaner, or oven cleaner and a pressure sprayer ( cover paint and electric parts if you do this). Clean out the pan and replace the pickup tube. After both are pretty clean, put it back together and run a good oil for a couple 2-3k oci and use good filters.

No solvents or oil will safely remove heavy sludge. Take it apart.
Follow these steps and ill bet it will still last a long time with good maintenance practices. It's a good idea to put on a new timing belt while you have it apart


By the initial description of the car, do you honestly think it would be wise to throw that much money into this car? FWIW, we are talking about a car that is still OBD1. The cost of what you describe is about twice the value of this car.


+1 and we don't even know if there's sludge. It's plausible that it's running on liquid oil.

 

[donnyj08]

The op stated the engine has sludge.

 

[accent2012]

At least the sludge is probably helping the engine from crank walking... ;-)

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
I could change my RP early and run it in the car around the bock then change it.


Thats an awesome idea. I would go more than a block though. Drive it around at least two weeks, and some out on the highway. Thats a great use for any premium synthetic. Won't hurt the car at all, and it will help flush out and clean some.

 

[fdcg27]

You could run the used RP, but why?
When it comes to the kind of gross cleaning this thing apparently needs, conventional is as good as any syn, and fresh conventional will clean pretty effectively, from what I've observed.
2K changes on Pennzoil Conventional, Quaker State Conventional or Maxlife until things look better.
After that, you could maybe try Kreen.
Tell your sister just how dire you think things are, and ask her if she wants to try to save the engine, knowing that it may already be past saving.
Don't let her think that the engine is just fine as it is, although it might run many more miles even with plenty of sludge.
This is a beater car that may have some miles left in it with a little help and may not.

 

[salv]

As of 1995:

The turbocharged engine option continued as the 4G63, but was modified for more power as compared to the previous generation (210 hp vs 195 hp). The non-turbo equipped car had two different engines depending on the market they were produced for. The US version engines were producing 140 hp, found only in the hardtop RS and GS trims, was a modified version of the Chrysler Neon engine, manufactured by Chrysler and delivered to and installed at the Diamond Star Motors facility. The Europe version engines were naturally aspirated 4G63 with 141 hp.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
You could run the used RP, but why?


The synthetic RP would be a great initial flush, and start the cleaning process while it would otherwise be dumped. Like you said, "its a beater" so what is there to lose by flushing with RP?

 

[fdcg27]

There isn't much to lose but there also isn't much to gain.
I think that an oil with fresh detergents and dispersants would be a better bet for this application.
Remeber that there is nothing inferior about conventional oil.
It just doesn't hold up in service as long as a synthetic can, although not all synthetic oils hold up for all that many miles either.