Jump to content

advice on sludge removal techniques..


nicolaselias

Recommended Posts

Hi all, while doing some engine work on my 97 EX I decided to take the valve cover off and take a look at the inside of the engine.. While it is not the worst sludge I have ever seen, it was definitely worse than I expected.. Since I got the car (hand me down) 2 years ago I have taken excellent care of it, but I suspect my family members before me would have been doing 10,000+ mile oil changes on synth blend oil, never changing pcv valve etc.. I can only assume that this is the reason for the sludging.. Now, I have to deal with DE-sludging the engine..

In my mind, it is not bad enough to justify something as extreme as seafoam, I would prefer a slower and less risky method. Do any of you believe that simply accelerating my oil change schedule will help to slowly break down the sludge? I know this can protect it from extra being formed, but I am not sure about removing what is already there.

If so, which of the popular oil brands do you consider to have the most and best detergent and composition for this purpose?

 

Another option I was considering in addition to that mentioned above, was using Auto-RX. I have done a lot of research on this using reputable sites such as www.bobistheoilguy.com but I cannot really get a conclusive oppinion about 1. If it works

2. the risks attached to using it..

 

Do any of you have any recommendations on the use of the product and its effectiveness? I am not expecting to make my 13 yr old 160+k mile engine back to squeaky clean, but I would like to make some sort of difference to its condition...

 

Thanks in advance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well thats the thing, i dont think my engine is so badly off to go as drastic as seafoam, i dont really want to risk dislodging all the sludge at one and clogging my oil passageways..

 

Also im not 100% sure of what effect seafoam will have on my 13 yr old seals..

 

what about running a flushing oil, say a 0w-20 for a few minutes.. any of you have experience with this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

seafoam would be your best bet. it doesn't dislodge everything at once. it works like a dream though

 

i ran seafoam through my 19 year old jeep and it was fine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

seafoam isn't that bad. when i used it in my oil it dissolved the gunk slowly into fine particles that wont get stuck anywhere. put it in 3k mile old oil which wasn't really dirty at all, drove it a couple hundred miles, and when i changed it it looked like coffee. no chunks, no grainy texture, the oil itself was just dark. if you've never used it as a fuel treatment then do it, you will notice an improvement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

cant both cut thru my seals like hot butter as well? im quite worried about that and dont want to try anything so drastic.. i'll cry if I end up with a rear main seal leak or something like that..

 

im not in a rush to clean it out quickly, i just want it to happen eventually which is why i was focussing on slower methods..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

cant both cut thru my seals like hot butter as well? im quite worried about that and dont want to try anything so drastic.. i'll cry if I end up with a rear main seal leak or something like that..

 

im not in a rush to clean it out quickly, i just want it to happen eventually which is why i was focussing on slower methods..

Don't know, never used it with the head on the car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

cant both cut thru my seals like hot butter as well? im quite worried about that and dont want to try anything so drastic.. i'll cry if I end up with a rear main seal leak or something like that..

 

im not in a rush to clean it out quickly, i just want it to happen eventually which is why i was focussing on slower methods..

just use a small amount over a longer period of time. says to use an once per quart of oil. i used four cap fulls in my car and it cleaned it up pretty well. try just using 1 cap full within the last 300ish miles of a couple oil changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.