Will seafoam save me?

[chorty]

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?

 

[Kira]

Seafoam won't take the slack out of that t-chain.
That's what Marvel Mystery Oil is for.

Seriously, how long has that rig set idle?

 

[meep]

Yeah man! Replace the t-chain and sprockets while you are in there. Scrape that stuff out. Might pop and manually clean everything you can under the valve covers too. Then button it up and run seafoam or MMO and just use it. I typically only use half can if the engine is going to do some work, and might run a grade up in oil thickness.

 

[jetman]

Seafoam won't take the slack out of that t-chain.
That's what Marvel Mystery Oil is for.

 

[ripcord]

Will seafoam save me?

That sounds like a religious question.

All joking aside, just change the oil frequently and save your money in the seafoam. It'll just dilute the additives in the oil.

 

[chorty]

Parked it 7 years ago.

2nd timing gear and chain installed in 1982. 40+ years of hard hard work. 3rd set tomorrow. Bone stock everything else. . This used engine had 120k miles in 1982 before the swap.

Proof a 1968 318LA is an absolute brute.

Curious if seafoam will clean it up.

I'm fascinated it ran and drove sloppy like that. The crank will turn over a tooth and a half before the cam even budges!

 

[chorty]

Seafoam won't take the slack out of that t-chain.
That's what Marvel Mystery Oil is for.

Seriously, how long has that rig set idle?

I didn't ask about the timing chain. The slop is to show this engine actually has some work hours on it versus some of these 2017 chargers the new kids show off how clean seafoam made their valve train after picking up grandma and groceries.

Real men use tooth brushes to clean their repairs,
, and no oil pressure gauges. 40 years never hooked up, and I personally pumped 80 gallons of fuel a DAY through this engine.

And parked it.

 

[JavierH19]

Not really. Although it'd suck to drop the pan because there's no clearance without lifting it I think it's worth lifting up sp scrape the junk out and clean the inside which would help a lot.

 

[chorty]

Not really. Although it'd suck to drop the pan because there's no clearance without lifting it I think it's worth lifting up sp scrape the junk out and clean the inside which would help a lot.

nope. i already have it mapped out in my mind.

seafoam softens gumbo
oil pump grinds it up smaller.
oil filter catches floaties.

repeat. no oil pan removal required.

 

[frankbee3]

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

View attachment 270692

View attachment 270693

View attachment 270694

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!

 

[skyactiv]

I didn't ask about the timing chain. The slop is to show this engine actually has some work hours on it versus some of these 2017 chargers the new kids show off how clean seafoam made their valve train after picking up grandma and groceries.

Real men use tooth brushes to clean their repairs,
, and no oil pressure gauges. 40 years never hooked up, and I personally pumped 80 gallons of fuel a DAY through this engine.

And parked it.

View attachment 270702

You're sharing some weird opinions.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Seafoam won't do anything for you. (or anyone) It's just pale oil with a splash of isopropyl alcohol and light naphtha. The only thing it does well is separate you from your money.

Without knowing the history of the engine, I'm going to assume it's not seized and will crank up and run.

Replace that timing set. While you're at it, pull the distributor and check the gear.

Use this combination for oil.

4 quarts - Mobil 1 Delvac ESP 5W-40 (or similar HDMO that still has >1000 ppm ZDDP)
1 quart - High Performance Lubricants Engine Cleaner SAE 30

The HPL EC is a fully formulated, ester-based oil with an HDMO add pack and fairly high ZDDP. It's designed to slowly dissolve sludge and deposits. (as opposed to breaking it loose quickly and potentially clogging things) Given the severity, I'd run this about 5 hours and change it, but ensure the engine sees full operating temperature for much of that time. Don't do it in 5-10 min increments without ever getting the oil hot. Hot oil is happy oil. You want it up in the 210-230°F range to clean well while not being so hot as to cause a problem.

Run that same combination again 2 more times, changing it at 10 hours each. Change the filter with each change as well. You should gradually see that sludge clean out.

 

[Chris142]

What is the engine powering? I think you should change the oil more often.

 

[chorty]

What is the engine powering? I think you should change the oil more often.

10 Ton wheel loader.

I promise its been neglected. 20w-50 to slow past the seals. STP as well.


I guess the highly spoken Seafoam is quiet now.

Gosh darn it. I had high hopes.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Parked it 7 years ago.

2nd timing gear and chain installed in 1982. 40+ years of hard hard work. 3rd set tomorrow. Bone stock everything else. . This used engine had 120k miles in 1982 before the swap.

Proof a 1968 318LA is an absolute brute.

Curious if seafoam will clean it up.

I'm fascinated it ran and drove sloppy like that. The crank will turn over a tooth and a half before the cam even budges!

I know about those bullet proof Dodge La series engines.

SO: What about steam cleaning after spray down & good soak with "super citrus" cleaner before even touching it? Appears you got some serious clean up before you even pick up the tools. It is truly amazing what some engines can do.

 

[chorty]

Seafoam won't do anything for you. (or anyone) It's just pale oil with a splash of isopropyl alcohol and light naphtha. The only thing it does well is separate you from your money.

Without knowing the history of the engine, I'm going to assume it's not seized and will crank up and run.

Replace that timing set. While you're at it, pull the distributor and check the gear.

Use this combination for oil.

4 quarts - Mobil 1 Delvac ESP 5W-40 (or similar HDMO that still has >1000 ppm ZDDP)
1 quart - High Performance Lubricants Engine Cleaner SAE 30

The HPL EC is a fully formulated, ester-based oil with an HDMO add pack and fairly high ZDDP. It's designed to slowly dissolve sludge and deposits. (as opposed to breaking it loose quickly and potentially clogging things) Given the severity, I'd run this about 5 hours and change it, but ensure the engine sees full operating temperature for much of that time. Don't do it in 5-10 min increments without ever getting the oil hot. Hot oil is happy oil. You want it up in the 210-230°F range to clean well while not being so hot as to cause a problem.

Run that same combination again 2 more times, changing it at 10 hours each. Change the filter with each change as well. You should gradually see that sludge clean out.

I was going to keep a quart of ATF in it to slowly soften the gumbo. Maybe even some diesel fuel.


Fingers crossed it'll clear the screen, the pump will grind it up, and filter will catch it

 

[JMJNet]

If you have it open like that, just use something like brake cleaner or equivalent?
And a good brush?

It is still expensive, though.

 

[Astro14]

I was going to keep a quart of ATF in it to slowly soften the gumbo. Maybe even some diesel fuel.


Fingers crossed it'll clear the screen, the pump will grind it up, and filter will catch it

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.

 

[OVERKILL]

I was going to keep a quart of ATF in it to slowly soften the gumbo. Maybe even some diesel fuel.


Fingers crossed it'll clear the screen, the pump will grind it up, and filter will catch it

ATF isn't a cleaner, it's the same base oils as engine oil, just with far less detergent, because it doesn't have to deal with combustion byproducts.

Since you have access down the front of the pan with the timing cover off, using something like B12 or a solvent with the drain plug out to wash off the timing cover area and see what comes out of the pan might be an idea. You could also soak the pickup in B12 if you put the plug back in for a bit. You could do this until it runs clean.

Then, after you button it back up, follow @RDY4WAR's plan.

You don't want solvent circulating through that engine, it's going to break off large chunks of stuff that will likely cause damage, but I don't see a problem cleaning off visible areas and flushing the pan with some.

 

[Jetronic]

I didn't ask about the timing chain. The slop is to show this engine actually has some work hours on it versus some of these 2017 chargers the new kids show off how clean seafoam made their valve train after picking up grandma and groceries.

Real men use tooth brushes to clean their repairs,
, and no oil pressure gauges. 40 years never hooked up, and I personally pumped 80 gallons of fuel a DAY through this engine.

And parked it.

View attachment 270702

yes but even after 20 years of marriage my wife gets angry if I use her toothbrush. But if there's a better way to clean crud off engine parts I'd like to know!