Valve CoverJob and the Sludge call

[potomacduck]

Think about it.

A fuel treatment won't do a thing to remove sludge that is inside the oil passages in an engine.

If you really want to remove the sludge, pull the heads and have them cleaned at a shop that machines heads. Most shops will put it in a bath and it will be a clean as new. It will cost less than you think.

While I like the idea of putting something in the engine to clean it, you have to ask yourself if the little chunks of released sludge will clog tiny engine oil passage...the answer is yes.

 

[jjf8]

Think about it.

A fuel treatment won't do a thing to remove sludge that is inside the oil passages in an engine.

If you really want to remove the sludge, pull the heads and have them cleaned at a shop that machines heads. Most shops will put it in a bath and it will be a clean as new. It will cost less than you think.

While I like the idea of putting something in the engine to clean it, you have to ask yourself if the little chunks of released sludge will clog tiny engine oil passage...the answer is yes.

That is something that is def worth considering. Body is straight, Interior is in amazing shape, rather spend $ to save this engine then take a chance on a pull or JDM . MY biggest concern is that some of this will break loose and then its a major $$ expense. Again Thank you to all that chimed in to give advise,

 

[BamaDrewski]

So I have had the 2002 SR5 for about a year, 82K. Always kept an eye on the oil, changed it twice, It was always clean, never black. Took it in for Valve Cover job as I do not have the resources and space to do the work. Got the dreaded "sludge" call.

I have read all the posts for the last few days about the pros and cons of the various methods of possibly cleaning it. Dealer says not to add any additives.

On the fence on what to do. Drive it as is, rebuild it, take it out back,,,,,,, sell it with disclosure

It was dealer bought, one owner, a lot of dealer maintenance done prior to sale at trade in , Tie rods, charcoal Filter, brakes etc. $2600 in dealer cost service, I was told it was serviced privately by the owner by the dealer. That should have been my walking out moment but it was not, so I am now facing the consequences of a bad decision.

Truck seems to run fine and has up to now and the oil remains clean.

Just looking for a fresh perspective as a lot of the threads I read were older.

Thanx of all the info on this board, may not participate much, but I read it quite often,

If I were in your shoes, I would replace one quart of new oil with a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) at each oil change and probably shorten the miles between changes. I would also upgrade to a good quality full-synthetic.

MMO is not an aggressive cleaner. It will work over time and not being aggressive, probably won't free up so much debris that it clogs your oil pump. I have 267K+ miles on my rig and the engine (under the valve covers) is pristine. I bought her with 89K on it and immediately started with Mobil1 5W-30. Mobil1 at WalMart in this area is $22 for a 5 quart jug and a quart of MMO is about $4.30.

There are much more aggressive cleaners out there like KANO LABS "Kreen" but I would be afraid it would work "too effectively" and you would be faced with replacing the oil pump.

 

[T4R2014]

IMO, keep it simple. Synthetic oil and drive. This engine isn't dying anytime soon. If it ran well without knowing about the sludge then what's the point of worrying and rushing about cleaning it? You're more likely to dislodge a chunk of sludge and seize it up if you add anything more than just plain oil.

 

[BamaDrewski]

Swapping to a high-quality synthetic and substituting one quart with a quart of MMO will give you a constant and slow clean on every mile you drive. I know some folks on here think MMO is snake oil but 267K+ miles and still kicking is a pretty good testament. It's almost like "set it and forget it" because once it is in the engine, you know it is working and not so aggressive as to create new problems.....

 

[T4R2014]

I guess, but there are cars with more miles than that have never used it, right? Do what you like OP.

 

[kgbdonkey]

I use rotella t to help clean out my engine. Diesel oil contains more detergents from what i have read.

 

[KidVermicious]

IMO, keep it simple. Synthetic oil and drive. This engine isn't dying anytime soon. If it ran well without knowing about the sludge then what's the point of worrying and rushing about cleaning it? You're more likely to dislodge a chunk of sludge and seize it up if you add anything more than just plain oil.

This.

Also this:

IMO, keep it simple. Synthetic oil and drive. This engine isn't dying anytime soon. If it ran well without knowing about the sludge then what's the point of worrying and rushing about cleaning it? You're more likely to dislodge a chunk of sludge and seize it up if you add anything more than just plain oil.

And this.

IMO, keep it simple. Synthetic oil and drive. This engine isn't dying anytime soon. If it ran well without knowing about the sludge then what's the point of worrying and rushing about cleaning it? You're more likely to dislodge a chunk of sludge and seize it up if you add anything more than just plain oil.

You can spend money on the snake oil but it isn't necessary and could possibly make it worse. It's running fine, so just use the top shelf motor oil of your preference and move to a decreased oil change interval. It'll be fine.

 

[Ghostrider]

Saw some of the replies to quickly put covers back on. why would you not scrape out the sludge you see there? All the suggestions deal with "dissolving" sludge but it seems like removing some of it first would be a good idea

 

[DiggerT4R]

When I bought my 96 it had 138k on it and was also gunked up. Im now at 149k and have done nothing but 2000mi oil changes with Rotella T6. It has cleaned up nicely in 11k miles of this routine. Cleaning the engine is not something you want to do in a day, its a long drawn out process so start now with using synthetic oil and slowly but surely itll start to clean up. Yours is worse than mine was but not by too much. The engines are strong so dont go overboard trying to fix this problem. Marathon, not a sprint.

 

[MandAtaco]

Saw some of the replies to quickly put covers back on. why would you not scrape out the sludge you see there? All the suggestions deal with "dissolving" sludge but it seems like removing some of it first would be a good idea

The problem is once you start chipping at that stuff and breaking it loose, it's going to start getting into the engine oil system. The oil pump will pick it up and either clog the pump up (starving the engine for oil), or send small chunks through the oil galleys and mess junk up.

Yea, routine oil changes and run it till it actually becomes an issue. IMO.

 

[jjf8]

When I bought my 96 it had 138k on it and was also gunked up. Im now at 149k and have done nothing but 2000mi oil changes with Rotella T6. It has cleaned up nicely in 11k miles of this routine. Cleaning the engine is not something you want to do in a day, its a long drawn out process so start now with using synthetic oil and slowly but surely itll start to clean up. Yours is worse than mine was but not by too much. The engines are strong so dont go overboard trying to fix this problem. Marathon, not a sprint.

Thanx for all the advice, looks as if good oil and a more frequent oil change routine is the way to go. Hope for the best and drive ..and change the PVC valve... Thanx all

 

[Jivewalker]

What did you end up doing and how did it turn out?

 

[T4R2014]

Sludge is just a marketing term put out by Castrol to scare guys on forums when they take their valve covers off. Change your oil and it will dissolve over time.

 

[jbeebe]

What did you end up doing and how did it turn out?

x2

I'd love to see an after picture nearly a year later after frequent syn. oil changes

 

[rzgkane]

The problem is once you start chipping at that stuff and breaking it loose, it's going to start getting into the engine oil system. The oil pump will pick it up and either clog the pump up (starving the engine for oil), or send small chunks through the oil galleys and mess junk up.

Yea, routine oil changes and run it till it actually becomes an issue. IMO.

Clog the pump pickup screen? Maybe. Distribute "chunks" past the oil filter and into the oil passages. Doubtful.

Routine oil changes and run it until it becomes an issue? Yep.

 

[YouInTheShirt]

My worry wouldn't be the sludge but how long the idiot previous owner let it go without an oil change. Seems to me with that level of sludge build-up, they let it go pretty damn far to the point that the oil degraded and lost a lot of it's lubricating properties. And, with that sort of engine abuse, I think you can safely assume other areas of the vehicle were neglected. Did they ever change the trans fluid, differential fluids, transfer case fluid during it's life. Did they ever replace the coolant? Did they ever grease the zerk fittings on the driveshafts? These would be the questions I'd be asking myself seeing that sort of neglect.

There's no doubt in my mind that the lifespan of your engine was shortened due to the neglect of the previous owner. Could you get a pretty long life out of that engine? Maybe, but then again, maybe not.

Like everyone said more frequent oils changes is your best bet. With only having 82k you should have no worry about any other fluids not being replaced. I purchased mine with 144k and just changed out my rear differential at 218k and fluid still looked new. As long as fluids are kept at the proper amounts, the engine sludge should be your only worry. Worse case is you can pick up a new motor if this one ever gives out prematurely due to the sludge.

 

[jjf8]

still going

12000 miles later, still running, oil never gets black, not sure if thats a good thing, but no leaks or burning oil, changing every 4K using regular oil. When spring comes around, gonna pull off one valve covers and take a look. Put off the TB , but I think I am just going to go ahead and do that.

Had the tranny flushed and that was a apprehensive moment when I picked it up, but its been fine for 4K miles. Back story on that is the dealer told me to come get it and before I could get home, I got a call to come back, they forgot to do it, but of course did not forget to charge me. Done with dealer, thats as the last straw after they try to double repair my E brake cable on 2 different visits, I was like really, lets look in the glove compartment and take a look at the invoice for the last visit and I can show you you fixed it then. WTF,

Have local garage for large for the big stuff and I can take on the minor,

 

[huntsonora]

12000 miles later, still running, oil never gets black, not sure if thats a good thing, but no leaks or burning oil, changing every 4K using regular oil. When spring comes around, gonna pull off one valve covers and take a look. Put off the TB , but I think I am just going to go ahead and do that.

Had the tranny flushed and that was a apprehensive moment when I picked it up, but its been fine for 4K miles. Back story on that is the dealer told me to come get it and before I could get home, I got a call to come back, they forgot to do it, but of course did not forget to charge me. Done with dealer, thats as the last straw after they try to double repair my E brake cable on 2 different visits, I was like really, lets look in the glove compartment and take a look at the invoice for the last visit and I can show you you fixed it then. WTF,

Have local garage for large for the big stuff and I can take on the minor,

I’m just here to see the difference once you pull the valve covers

 

[jjf8]

off to the farm

Well, as good as she was running, I was about to do the TB and some new shocks , discovered that she was rusting badly from the inside out around the rear control arm and a long crack had begun its ugly run. Looked up the shock towers and not pretty there as well. Daylight was peaking in. Decide to forgo the work, put it up for sale with full disclosure and pics and moved on. Sold it quickly and I thinks its second life as a farm truck will be its retirement plan.

Not to be discouraged by not knowing enough on what to look for on a used runner (did not about this site at that time) and a dealer that was not very upfront and not very nice, I jumped right back in and picked up a 2000 Desert Dune in much better shape at a good price, tho the private seller "forgot" to mention a few minor things. Always living and learning,,

So far so good, a few bucks in preventive repairs later and the mechanics good to go approval, back in the saddle again.

This is the new one, No plastic Dip, wheels and front were rhino lined extremely well. I really want to put some Sport wheels on this,,,,, on the hunt,

Thanx for all the input and suggestions.