SLUDGE!!! Need some oil experts...

Pennzoil motor oil
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Oh man - no wonder why it sounded okay - with all the sound absorbent materials packed in there.

Crankcase cleaner additive
Short OCIs
Filter on every change
New PCV valve
Keep at it...

I'd almost be afraid of loosening to much to fast with a strong cleaner additive plugging the filter. If it's running good, then maybe a less potent mix to be gradual over a longer term with short OCIs. Maybe a MMO job over a period of time - and keep an eye/ear on things. New PCV.

I haven't seen one like that in years. There could be some harder crunchy material under the softer surface. Check the head drain too.
 
If the Jeep is running "fine" i'd just change the oil with a cheap dino and do a few short intervals of 500-1,000 miles to remove some of the major bits of sludge.

I wouldn't worry too much about cleaning the engine if the truck is your winter beater like you said.
 
WOW what a mess, get whatever brand covnentional in there for some short oil changes. Stock up on Supertech oversize filters at wally I think they are the 1a. change filter at200 miles and cut open to see if it is cleaning. repeat.
 
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, they sound like good advice. Here's another suggestion I've received:

Quote:
2 quarts cheap oil, 3 quarts diesel fuel. Just idle the engine, you may have to place a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to get the temperature up. Run it for a couple of hours, MABEY drive it around the neighborhood but just baby it. Don't go over 2500 rpm. Do this, change the oil filter and do it again. Don't use a cheap oil filter, use a wix or name brand. You want to catch as much as you can with the filter.

The diesel fuel will be fine as long as it's not straight. Don't drive the [censored] out of it. You will be amazed how clean it will be after a couple of times. After you do this, you will have to remove the oil pan to make sure the oil pump pick up tube is not packed with sludge


Any comments on this idea?

One issue I can foresee is driving the necessary 500-1k miles between oil changes. I have a few vehicles, so no one vehicle gets a lot of miles. To give you an idea, the two vehicles I primarily drive ('02 VW Jetta and '02 Mazda B3000 extended cab) managed 5k and 4k miles respectively since last December. I guess I can make an effort to drive the Jeep more, at least back and forth to work (7 miles each way) three days a week. But its going to take work to build up miles in a reasonable amount of time!
 
Quote:
I wonder if the Thermostat is stuck open or missing?


Any reason you ask?
 
About 20 years ago I bought a wrecked Chevy Malibu for the engine and it had sludge in the valve covers at least as bad as this one... Sooo I pulled the pan and found it clean as a new engine, didn't make any sense till I found the thermostat was stuck open and the engine had been running cold...

On that one I used a old vacuum cleaner that was destined to be curb fodder to suck out as much of the sludge as I could get, it ran for approx seven years without issue and I'd still see it around town for the next four five years after I sold it...
 
Quote:
Sooo I pulled the pan and found it clean as a new engine, didn't make any sense till I found the thermostat was stuck open and the engine had been running cold...


I haven't checked the thermostat, but I have been watching the temp gauge while driving. Its never gotten above around 180* or so, but I have been very easy on Jeep (most I've driven at one time was around 15-20 miles). Oil pressure fluctuates between 35-80, depending on whether I'm on the gas or not.
 
Originally Posted By: Jason280
No smoking, ticking, knocks or other noises from the engine. It just purrs along!


Ah so the previous owner chose a quiet oil.
crazy2.gif
lol.gif


Sorry couldn't resist. Order two bottles of Amsoil engine flush. Get 4 or 5 low cost filters. Set aside a day to start. If you can drop the pan, great if not, then don't lose sleep. Get the big hunks out of the top end. Do the MMO thing with 25% MMO and HDEO 15w40 but fast idle only. Drain, change filters, do 20% MMO and drive it for awhile. Repeat and go 1000 miles. Then do the Amsoil flush (idle only) in the used oil. Repeat the Amsoil flush with fresh oil (fast idle only).....then go back to MMO and HDEO for 1000 miles. Take the valve covers off and post pictures....
 
Hi.

If you want a quicker way to get rid of it than short oil change intervals with something like Pennzoil Conventional, you should look into a solvent-based engine flush. It's hard to argue with their effectiveness. However,like all flushes, you will risk clearing stuff that have masked the problems. When they are cleared up, you MAY end up with what you started out with.

Or like the above posts, scraping and a bunch of oil changes could do the trick too. But solvent-based flushes have their place. At least that's my opinion.
 
Originally Posted By: Jason280
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, they sound like good advice. Here's another suggestion I've received:

Quote:
2 quarts cheap oil, 3 quarts diesel fuel. Just idle the engine, you may have to place a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to get the temperature up. Run it for a couple of hours, MABEY drive it around the neighborhood but just baby it. Don't go over 2500 rpm. Do this, change the oil filter and do it again. Don't use a cheap oil filter, use a wix or name brand. You want to catch as much as you can with the filter.

The diesel fuel will be fine as long as it's not straight. Don't drive the [censored] out of it. You will be amazed how clean it will be after a couple of times. After you do this, you will have to remove the oil pan to make sure the oil pump pick up tube is not packed with sludge


Any comments on this idea?

One issue I can foresee is driving the necessary 500-1k miles between oil changes. I have a few vehicles, so no one vehicle gets a lot of miles. To give you an idea, the two vehicles I primarily drive ('02 VW Jetta and '02 Mazda B3000 extended cab) managed 5k and 4k miles respectively since last December. I guess I can make an effort to drive the Jeep more, at least back and forth to work (7 miles each way) three days a week. But its going to take work to build up miles in a reasonable amount of time!


I'd pass on that idea personally. This problem (BTW folks, the jeep runs FINE no need to rebuild it) did not happen overnight and you are not going to fix it over night.

Lets get to the basics. Coolant leak? PCV issues? Check and MAKE SURE that they are in working order.

Once you get those checked I'd do what I suggested above. 7 mile trips are not good. Take it out on your days off for hour here and there just driving along. 50 miles here and there you'll make 200-300 miles for the first oil filter change quickly.

Bill
 
I think the problem needs to be addressed as well, coolant leak as Bill suggested, PCV, also the thermostat may be bad causing the engine to not reach operating temp.

I have soaked engines in Kerosene with no problems, however no to the extent this will need... I'm in the verge here

1 I would fill the sucker up with kerosene let soak 24 hours as suggested, drain, fill with low cost oil.. and here low cost oil could be Rotella or another type heavy duty engine oil purchased in 5 gallon pails, it does not have to be no name brand oil. Do this fill with low cost oil, run for a while, then drain, fill again then drive around to bring up to operating temp, no high rpm etc... ( don't want to suck the sump dry if there is a problem there) I would do this 3 times then drive as normal changing oil 3k with MMO using conventional for a year. Pull valve cover to check

On the other hand I would just clean what I could out of the top, use a quality name brand conventional, and use a dose of MMO at ever oil change following the manufactures OCI, drive it to something happens, then purchase a engine from scrap yard to replace it with... You can purchase a used engine, with inspection time, low mileage pretty darn cheap when you start looking at all the pan dropping etc.. also soaking the engine in Diesel or Kerosene is not the best on the gaskets, but I would not worry about that in the above.. just stating that a used engine is not that much money when you look at the amount of work involved.

Oil did not cause this problem, something did cause the oil to sludge up... If you could correct the problem be it PCV, thermostat, coolant leak, whatever... chances are the engine may clean itself up over time with little to no help a great deal.. granted it probably wouldn't be spotless... but all that sludge is not doing a whole lot of harm unless it comes off in chunks plugging oil passages, pick up screen etc.
 
Don't try to clean this with any kind of oil changes or engine cleaners. You may ruin the engine if you do. Manually clean the valve train and flush the sludge into the pan. Then remove the pan and clean it up, checking the oil pump pickup screen, to make sure it isn't clogged. After all that I would go with Mobil 1 5w30 High Mileage and replace the filter at 500 miles or less. Next filter, I would replace it at 1000 mile. I would run this for another 2000 miles, then do a complete oil change.
 
Why M1 High Mileage ?

On edit before M1 war starts to take this thread to the pits... honest question.. does M1 have an unusual high amount of cleaning additives.. I would say detergents, however I think oils are made with cleaning power from several different ways..
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: rclint
Why M1 High Mileage ?


I know it's a little pricy.($24.50 for 5 qt. jug at WM) After manually cleaning the engine as best that can be done, I believe the HM will continue the cleaning process, and give outstanding wear protection for an older engine as this is an SL oil. Also the seal protection will help as well.
 
Most likely your engine already has irreversible damage due to oil starvation. Any real oil expert would advise to sell asap while it sill 'purrs along'...
 
Originally Posted By: Jason280
Quote:
I wonder if the Thermostat is stuck open or missing?


Any reason you ask?


If that were so the motors not getting up to temperature causing major fuel dilution, among other things.
 
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