Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based oil
 

I am going to be switching from non detergent oil to detergent oil
My car is a driver not a show car with an original motor
My oil pan has not been dropped and de-sludged.
I do not really have the time right now to get the gaskets and drop the pan.
I am going to be changing the oil soon at the end of the season.

Does any one have a recommendation in changing the oil when going to detergent oils.
----ie drain the old oil, close- add "magic detergent" or kerosine let sit to desludge-drain and then fill with new oil- done?

Thanks
D

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I just put in detergent 10-40 and ran it. Let the oil do its job, and it did.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Several of the Marvel Mystery Oil fans have been putting some MMO in with their oil before an upcoming oil change to help get the sludge out so it can drain out with the old oil..

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

May be a problem down the road if you are not running an oil filter system. The detergent oil will pick up the sludge and sediment and carry it in suspension. If it were me, I would keep running non-detergent oil until I knew the pan had been cleaned.

Also remember, that almost a quart of the old dirty oil will always remain in the dip tray and valve chamber when you change oil via the drain plug.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Don't be in a hurry here...do it right from the start and drop the pan and clean it up...take the valve chamber cover off and clean in there.

OR as they say..."you can pay me now or pay me later"!

Your car...your choice.

Pluck

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I'll be doing the same thing in the off-season (non-detergent to detergent) in the truck I acquired this spring.

But, I won't change it before dropping the pan and and cleaning all the gunk out. Don't want that stuff running through the lubrication system.

Why take chances with a good engine....

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Be happy if you pull it and don't find much, the pan on my mail truck contained 1 1/2" thick sludge, about 50 bugs on, in and around the pump, a handfull of small gravel, 3-4 sticks. Oh, I'll add the oil on the dipstick and the 4 quarts drained out looked like it was put in the day before and not run.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

drop the pan, pull the valve cover and clean it. If you're short on time, continue with ND oil until you have the time to do it the right way. Pluck's absolutely right...pay now or pay later.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Hey, was my wedding ring or speed ratchet down in the sludge? I can't find them anywhere.

How do sticks and gravel get into the pan? Through the filler?

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Yes, I had wondered how myself! Another barner suggested kids had made 'offerings' over the years, sounds like that may have been. Sorry no ring or speed rachet...:)

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I guess it's a good time to point out that my engine had been rebuilt not too many oil changes before switching to detergent oil. The pan wasn't yet full of sludge.

I overlooked the obvious in explaination.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Don't switch to detergent oil until you can clean the pan and valve chamber of the accumulated sludge.
What no one has directly mentioned is that if you switch to detergent oil, the sludge in the valve chamber may break up into globs and one of them may float over a main bearing supply tube and starve the bearing causing failure. As mentioned on earlier posts, the debris held by the sludge would also be put into suspension and passed through your bearings and against other mating surfaces. Not good!
Good Day!

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I'd clean out any sludge, and while the pan is off it's a good time to check the bearings. Even if you just grab the rods and check for radial looseness and look for babbit pieces in the oil/sludge, that will give some indication of the babbit play. The pan can oftern be put back on with the same gasket and a light coating of silicone or another good gasket sealant.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I'm working on a 1923 REO with the Model F 4 cylinder engine and there is no oil pan to drop, it's all one casting. The only way I could manage to clean out the sludge was to flush it all out with kerosine, over and over, until it came out fairly clear.

Alan

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I tried something similar to that. I installed an air hose into a bad drain plug, then put in 2 gallons of diesel and turned the oir pressure on low to make the diesel bubble for a few hours. I drained it and repeated this twice more. The diesel was fairly black, but when I pulled the oil pan a week later I still had an inch or thick crud on the bottom.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Just remember guys..."D" is in a hurry and does not have the time right now to get gaskets and drop the pan.

Pluck

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I have never dropped a pan but know that this servicing is well past due on my Phaeton. How "challenging" is it to do for the first time?

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

It is not challenging at all. First drain what you can from the oil pan then jack the car up and put on some good car stands (preferabley those that you can drive up on with blocks on the back tires and the emergency brake on) and IF you are able to get under the car with a ratchet and socket, bolts can be taken off and it can be taken out, cleaned up and reenstalled.

But what about the oil pump you say...won't it fall down? Yes it will fall down and there are special tools one can make to hold the pump in place when dropping the pan and reassembling it.

Also remove the oil pump and clean it up while you have the pan off the engine.

Just remember safety first when ever getting under the car for any reason.

Pluck

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

I would like to chime in regarding dropping the oil pan.

Now I'm not a mechanic and I don't work on cars much, however I am an electronic tech and also have experience in refrigeration. I recently installed my own 400lb steam boiler in my home as well which involved breaking apart and reconnecting into 80 yr old steel threaded pipes.


Now all of that said, I considered the two times I did the oil pan on our "A" to be one of the worst jobs I have ever done. Between the gasket not wanting to stay on the block and trying to get everything lined up while fighting the oil pump spring laying on your back it downright stinks. Of course, it may be different on a lift, but most guys don't have a lift I know I certainly don't.

Now I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, I'm just saying don't expect it to be easy or fun.

Re: Cleaning oil pan sludge without dropping it- before changing to detergent based o
 

Those gaskets stay in place real good if you spray them with Copper-Coat. I recently did a '48 Ford flathead alone and had no trouble at all keeping the gaskets where they belonged. Try it, you'l like it.
Russell