What Should A Good Mechanic Do About Engine Sludge?

[Steve S]

I would get someone better to work on your stuff. The mechanic did not cover his rear end and did you a disservice by not informing you about a potential problem. Also, the oil should be changed more often in severe operating conditions.Sludge "Deposits" occur from not changing the oil enough.

 

[VaderSS]

We had one vehicle come in with somewhere around 25,000 miles on a Mobil 1 oil change. I figured that the sticker had just not been changed until the oil came out in chunks. We informed the customer that it he needed to have the engine dissassembled for cleaning or it was likely that chunks of sludge would clog oil passages. He declined and asked for a flush and 2 oil changes in a row. Did not matter, shortly after the second oil change, oil pressure was lost and the engine had to be dissassembled anyway.

 

[theguru]

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Originally posted by J.CARLTON:

The the oil pick-up tube and oil pump have now been replaced, but even with a heavier grade oil, it has a bad knock.

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I assume it is back on the Road, however with a back knock, doesn't sound for long.

 

[MAJA]

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Sounds more to me like an 18 yo tired engine which more or less is an failure waiting to happen.
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That statement above best describes this situation in my opinion.

I don't see how you can blame the mechanic for this, how can he predict something like this. If he did something wrong, it would have failed within a few miles. This just sounds like mere coincidence to me.

Flushing a engine that is this bad is not easy thing. Best to trash the engine before starting a major labor intensive job like this. Only way is to tear down the engine. Nothing in a can can fix this, it will never clean it out.

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155K on a Ford 300 I-6, with regular maintenance, should not be considered a failure waiting to happen. I also dont think the only way to fix it is to trash it. This a very good, stout engine, and should provide much more service than this.

From what was described, every area where major sludge could accumulate was removed. The oil pan, valve cover timing cover were all removed. Only the oil passages, oil pump/oil pickup tube were not available for sludge cleaning. In hindsight, the oil pump and pickup tube should have been replaced when the oil pan was off. But since it had good oil pressure when it went in for the first work, there probably was no thought to replace it. The oil passages should not hold much sludge. Apparently the vehicle was running adequately before the work was done, or else it would not have been sent for the preventative maintenance it had.

Has the oil pump/pickup tube been replaced, and if so, is the vehicle again running? The stop and go service this vehicle sees is probably "severe service". If it is again running, and you want to try to keep it running, try the "Auto RX clean and flush". Also try to let it get up to operating temperatures, and stay there, a little more often. Keep us informed.

 

[Jelly]

What I've done on a couple engines back home:

1. Remove valve cover and manually clean-up any sludge.

2. Drop pan, get rid of old oil, and make sure pick-up is free and clear of anything.

3. Fill with a HDEO.

Have you put a new engine in this van?

[ July 22, 2004, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: Jelly ]

 

[tpi]

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Originally posted by pooter WS6:
I can tell you what has worked for me. My dad used to own a used car lot. He bought a honda prelude with a 2.3L 4 cyl. engine. We pulled the valve cover off and to our surprise there was crystalized sludge around the perimiter of the head. We pulled the oil pan off and took a warm diswash soapy solution and poured it on top of the cams and rocker arms. We took a soft brush to lodge and stubborn sludge off of parts. We then rinsed the engine with a power washer and then blew compressed air on top of the head and to the crank. Put it all back together and filled it with oil and drove it down the road for an hour on the highway to burn out all the rest of the water. Since then the engine has had 84,000 miles put on it with no problems.

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My Goodness!

May I ask what problem required that solution?

 

[tpi]

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Originally posted by MAJA:
155K on a Ford 300 I-6, with regular maintenance, should not be considered a failure waiting to happen. I also dont think the only way to fix it is to trash it. This a very good, stout engine, and should provide much more service than this.

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155K on 18 yo engine w/ heavy sludge used in delivery stop and go conditions is an engine "used up."

 

[MolaKule]

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I remember, when I was a kid back in the early 1960s, a cousin of mine bought a used 1958 Ford convertible with a 312 ci v-8.

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I had one, White over Green Hardtop. Right bank never received enough oil.