MolaKule
Staff member
I think what you are seeing is the "agglomeration" of thicker components coming together with the darker material.
Last fall I helped my neighbor "resurrect" his Tempo after two years in storage. It's a V6 with a manual transmission; really neat little car. We put in a new battery since previous "NEW" battery had not been trickle charged.
We changed MT oil and then started to drain MO. Dark globs of sludgy material came out of it as it was draining. I told him we should drop pan and lift at least one valve cover to take a look at overall engine condition.
After looking at valve cover removal (would be a pain), we decided just to drop the oil pan, which was easier.
Engine and pan was as clean as could be expected, no sludge anywhere. Replaced gasket and pan and refilled with a synthetic.
We took a fiber optic borescope and peered inside one of the valve covers and saw no sludge whatsoever.
When the dispersants and detergents become degraded, the oil tends towards a sludgy condition and agglomerates, especially when cold.
If you think your engine is getting dirty, change oil a little more often until the crisis is past.
Last fall I helped my neighbor "resurrect" his Tempo after two years in storage. It's a V6 with a manual transmission; really neat little car. We put in a new battery since previous "NEW" battery had not been trickle charged.
We changed MT oil and then started to drain MO. Dark globs of sludgy material came out of it as it was draining. I told him we should drop pan and lift at least one valve cover to take a look at overall engine condition.
After looking at valve cover removal (would be a pain), we decided just to drop the oil pan, which was easier.
Engine and pan was as clean as could be expected, no sludge anywhere. Replaced gasket and pan and refilled with a synthetic.
We took a fiber optic borescope and peered inside one of the valve covers and saw no sludge whatsoever.
When the dispersants and detergents become degraded, the oil tends towards a sludgy condition and agglomerates, especially when cold.
If you think your engine is getting dirty, change oil a little more often until the crisis is past.
