what would you do??

[T4Running4Fun]

Humm...sounds like something my engine would benifit from. Do you know where I might find more info about it online?

It sounds kind of like the Bilstein Engine Flush System just from a quick search I did. Any experience with this specifically? Is this what a shop uses?

 

[T4Running4Fun]

After a little searching, found this...What do you think about these comments...?:

found at http://autotechrepair.suite101.com/article.cfm/040206

Flush machines do what they say; they force high pressure cleaning solvents back through the engine and transmission and clean out some of the accumulated junk that has formed. Now engines have small passages and galleries through which oil or automatic transmission fluid flow and there are one-way valves that keep the fluids from backtracking for whatever reason. By using an aggressive cleaning procedure like flushing, large chunks of accumulated sludge are broken off and forced backwards through these galleries and valves and, more often than not, lodge tightly and block them. This cuts off the normal flow of the fluid and causes lack of lubrication in an engine and abnormal or no shifting in a transmission. The results are expensive repairs, or more often, engine or transmission replacement.

If you have neglected regular oil changes (which is obviously the case of what I have acquired) and you want to do some interior engine cleaning, get the oil and filter changed and replace one quart of motor oil for one quart of transmission fluid. The transmission fluid has a high detergent content that will clean the engine without damaging it. Do this every 3,000 miles and you will clean the inside of the engine slowly and gently.

...So would doing a solvent type engine flush over the pressure machine type be safer? OR should I not even bother and just drive it how it is?

 

[Charlee78]

Hi guys, this is one of my first post, I've been looking around here for a long time now. I'm a tech at a toyota dealer and I've already seen horrors like that, most of the time in the 3.0L. 2 years ago I made a test in one, I knew I was rebuiding it a couple of weeks later so I said, What do I have to loose? I added 1 litre of DEX and let the customer go with that. When I opened the engine, there was at least half of the amount of sludge than the first time I removed the valve cover. What I would do in your situation, I would add 1 litre of DEX, run the engine in neutral at 2500 RPM for 20 minutes. Drain everything, fill up with new engine oil less 1 liter, add 1 liter of DEX, drive for 1 or 2 days, drain everything again, fill up without DEX, drive for 2 or 3 days and check oil color, if it's black like charcoal, take everything again from the start.

Sure you can have debris giving you problems but your engine is already condamned. I think you should try to clean it ASAP!

 

[spongerx]

YIKES

My GOODNESS! I've never even heard of anything so bad. Is this simply the result of not changing the oil?

 

[Even Steven]

Humm...sounds like something my engine would benifit from. Do you know where I might find more info about it online?

It sounds kind of like the Bilstein Engine Flush System just from a quick search I did. Any experience with this specifically? Is this what a shop uses?

I'm not familiar with the Bilstein machine, but it might be similar to the machine we had in our shop.

 

[Even Steven]

...So would doing a solvent type engine flush over the pressure machine type be safer? OR should I not even bother and just drive it how it is?

Again, the machine we used didn't flush reverse through the engine, so I don't think there is much possibility of that happening. I'll see if I can find more info on the machine that we used. In all my years working as a mechanic, I never heard of the machine causing a problem on any vehicle.

 

[toytech76]

The bg product I mentioned is easy enough to do at home and wouldnt need a shop to do it. If you did the flush kits I would say after doing them, change the oil every 1000 mi for 5 times or so then go to your normal 3000K. I personally use castrol 5-30. I personally think any kind of flush machine usually does more harm than good. Let me know what you are gonna do and if I can give you any more advise about it. Ive been in the business for about 10-11 years now so I may have a few ideas for you. lol

 

[T4Running4Fun]

Hi guys, this is one of my first post, I've been looking around here for a long time now. I'm a tech at a toyota dealer and I've already seen horrors like that, most of the time in the 3.0L. 2 years ago I made a test in one, I knew I was rebuiding it a couple of weeks later so I said, What do I have to loose? I added 1 litre of DEX and let the customer go with that. When I opened the engine, there was at least half of the amount of sludge than the first time I removed the valve cover. What I would do in your situation, I would add 1 litre of DEX, run the engine in neutral at 2500 RPM for 20 minutes. Drain everything, fill up with new engine oil less 1 liter, add 1 liter of DEX, drive for 1 or 2 days, drain everything again, fill up without DEX, drive for 2 or 3 days and check oil color, if it's black like charcoal, take everything again from the start.

Sure you can have debris giving you problems but your engine is already condamned. I think you should try to clean it ASAP!

Welcome to the forums...I'm newer on here and am so greatful for all the help and new info I have been getting!! And I'm hoping as I learn more I will be able to offer more contributions to help others rather than just posting for help with my own! =)

That is cool you were able to test the technique that way, and the results were positive. I will for sure keep that option in mind.

Do you have any experience with the pressure engine flush at your shop?

 

[T4Running4Fun]

So just got the 4runner back from the shop today. I've had all this talk with nothing to show for it, so I thought I would pass on a pic of what I've fallen in love with. Toyota took care of leaking valve cover gaskets, leaking power steering rack, and timing belt/water pump/seals. Its driving just fine for now. Since I havent had it long enough to really check the mi/gal yet I'll be keeping an eye on that and the fuel gage...as I've read about some issues with that.

I'm going to have my boyfriend help this coming week with doing something like Charlee78 suggested and/or using some BG product like toytech brought up. I'll let you know how that goes. Thanks guys for all the advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[Charlee78]

Nice ride, looks very clean!!!

Keep us updated!

For your question about the flush machine, we don't use that at our shop, I've never worked with something like that, sorry.

 

[suprdtydvr]

You know given the long life and inherent reliability of these trucks I would do what is required to correct the problem with your existing engine. I do not think you will be agonizing over the money spent down the road. The truck was obviously abused. I am sure you could conservatively double the milage on that truck. The obvious trouble with sludge is the blockage of oil passages to bearings etc as the deposited material gets dislodged. You might consider an oil pressure gage however due to the many parallel paths it is not a tell all indication but it would help. Flush it and run it till it quits don't let the truck nickle and dime you. I'd be saving for the event that the engine fails.

 

[T4Running4Fun]

You know given the long life and inherent reliability of these trucks I would do what is required to correct the problem with your existing engine. I do not think you will be agonizing over the money spent down the road. The truck was obviously abused. I am sure you could conservatively double the milage on that truck. The obvious trouble with sludge is the blockage of oil passages to bearings etc as the deposited material gets dislodged. You might consider an oil pressure gage however due to the many parallel paths it is not a tell all indication but it would help. Flush it and run it till it quits don't let the truck nickle and dime you. I'd be saving for the event that the engine fails.

Thanks for your thoughts. I am in agreement with you. The sludge dislodging and ending up blocking oil passages is what makes me most nervous...but if/when a problem is going to happen, it will happen. Like someone else said, the engine is already condemned. So I'll just do a simple flush (I'm too nervous about using some engine flush machine) and get what I can out of it. But I will look into an oil pressure gauge...