Will seafoam save me?

How, exactly, would ATF “soften the gumbo”?

What does modern (not whale oil) ATF clean?

You want cleaning? Find something with an ester base, which, prior to 1960, was ATF, which had whale oil in it. Now, it’s some oils, but only a very few. Valvoline Restore and Protect and High Performance Lubricants come to mind.

https://www.advlubrication.com/collections/automotive-lubricants

Short of killing Moby ****, skip the ATF. SeaFoam wouldn’t be my first choice, either. Solvent breaks that up into big chunks, that can cause lots of problems.

1 quart of HPL Engine cleaner, which is designed to clean up engines like this, with 4 quarts of your favorite oil, and run it. Dissolve it slowly.
HPL Engine cleaner
HPL Engine cleaner

Autzone? Walmart? Never seen the stuff on the shelf, and I've given up with scamazon
 
If you have it open like that, just use something like brake cleaner or equivalent?
And a good brush?

It is still expensive, though.
I'm must going to dump old diesel through the pan opening and call it good.

As I said, I parked it like this. Can't be that bad!
 
HPL Engine cleaner

Autzone? Walmart? Never seen the stuff on the shelf, and I've given up with scamazon
I provided you a link. No scam.

You’re new here, and clearly didn’t bother to research this at all, so let me summarize:
  • Small American Business
  • Focused on racing
  • Outstanding products - best ingredients
  • Dr. Leslie Rudnick consults on formulation
  • Owner is a great guy
  • He caters to the folks on this site
  • He offers a discount if you use the promo code BITOG15
His engine cleaner was developed for precisely your case.

It works.
 
I thought the 318 was worn out in my 79 Dodge pickup because it burned a little oil and leaked a lot. Wow, your 318 has served you well from the looks of it!
Everyone has been impressed. I started with new plugs/rotor/wires, and decided to poke at the chain after peeking at it with a new fuel pump.

I guess 40 years is the average timing chain expectation.

Might set a new 2 barrel on it as well.

Unfortunately, running without a thermostat, heavy (20w-50) and cheap oils, and at angry roudy moments of pulling/pushing material/scrap junk so hard so long the manifolds would glow red, has really broken down the oils and caused some slight cleanliness issues.

I remember fighting a junk car through some deep mud under a couple feet of snow uphill. It was a battle.

I know I burned 5 gallons to go 300ft.
 
Sludge looks ugly but if it's not blocking the proper flow of oil then it's not hurting anything, you just don't want it to get worse. Nor come off in big chunks and clog oil galleys.

Walmart synthetic oil and change filter often.

You don't want to add solvents to the oil.

No MMO or Seafoam.
 
I'm must going to dump old diesel through the pan opening and call it good.

As I said, I parked it like this. Can't be that bad!
Gasoline cleans much better than diesel. I'd probably just clean the pan and run some short OCI and see how it cleans up.
 
Updated opinion. Someone mentioned above that seafoam doesn’t work - in my personal experience with a lifetime of used vehicles would disagree - it can help it certain instances. It absolutely fixed, over 15k miles of driving, oil consumption issues for instance in a 100k used Volvo I had.

However, I’ll gladly submit to the HPL recommendations as superior, based on other people’s experiences here. I’ve never used it and have been fortunate to work my way into newer (or newer used) vehicles over the last decade which just need oil.
 
I'd give Rislone Engine Treatment a shot, easy to find, not too much money, and it works. IIRC you can run two 16.9 oz bottles in your oil for 100 miles, dump the oil and filter, fresh oil and then one bottle for a shortened OCI. Repeat a few times.
 
Hey check this - it’s right on topic!

 
Heavy heavy crud. Neglected abd mistreated for 40 years.

Planned to run seafoam and dump oil every 10 hours of hard use. And new filter every change.

I can't drop the pan, the engine needs to be pulled to make clearance.

Think seafoam is going to save the day?

View attachment 270691

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Save the money on the seafoam and use it to put towards the cherry picker. That thing is so done you’d bend the fork checking it…
 
what is that engine? and what is it in?
1969 Dodge 318LA. It had 100K+ miles on it back in 1980 when it was stuffed into this Hough 50 series.

IMG_20250326_110611.webp
 
1969 Dodge 318LA. It had 100K+ miles on it back in 1980 when it was stuffed into this Hough 50 series.

View attachment 270848
Very cool.

Those things run forever. We had a 318 in my work van years ago, Dodge Tradesman van, good power, better than the GM 305 of the same vintage, van to my knowledge had 400k on it when it died.

Anyway, as to the topic at hand..........if it were me, I would use some HPL Cleaner as per the suggestions of several here. In fact, I am running some now in two different vehicles. It evidently is a pretty good product, coming from a company that that cannot afford to mess up, and stay in business. I would get a few quarts, and run the cheapest 10w40 you can like ST, and a few filters is key. They suggest to monitor the filter, which I look at like change the thing.

I can say that after maybe 300 miles on a nasty 4.0 Jeep engine, there are already noticeable results under the valve cover.

below I have linked to a cheap good filter, I have several of this brand running as we speak.......identical to AC Delco filters, for the 318


https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...dPevH+2OqQakZQJ4W1zoJU52pEV37CaiXzBpRotWt/C6x
 
Hey check this - it’s right on topic!

oh man. I'm almost in that boat. I know i'm paddling right next to it....

I just can't drop the pan easily. I need to raise the engine, which could be done easily without separating it from the accessory drive, since it's just two hoses and one short drive shaft going to the transmission/splitter. But i think i need to pull the hydraulic tank, and disconnect all the plumbing so i have clearance ontop of the accessory drive to go up with the engine. :/ That's before welding some channel iron onto the frame to lift all this chaos. I'ts not in a building, or parked under a good tree branch. I don't dare unmate the engine from the machine's original accessory drive, i have no idea how that's been put together. I don't even know if it's running a dodge flywheel. It's using the original International 6cylinder gasser starter, into a custom bellhousing out of 3/8" plate, sitting on the passenger side with an oil filter remote plate installed.

Alternative is to raise the machine and disconnect the steer axle, but the pivot pin right in the middle of the machine is above the differential/below the oil pan.

I mean. it's bad build up, but it's not that terrible bad. I think if i manage to clean up what's behind the front cover, and under the valve covers, i don't think i'll be sitting all that bad. All the little gobs that stick to everything smear apart and are soft. I'm sure with fresh oil and a light dose of solvent will slowly have things fall apart and dissolve.
 
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