Looking for something to soften the sludge from not changin oil I'm maybe 40 years in

[mountstimothy0]

Lots of sludge

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

[mountstimothy0]

Originally Posted by mountstimothy0

Lots of sludge

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

To avoid complete tear down

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

[mountstimothy0]

Originally Posted by mountstimothy0

To avoid complete tear down

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

Isopropyl alcohol has been mentioned

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

[J Franklin]

Just drop the pan and intake and clean it out.

[Drbrown]

Basic kerosene, paint thinner, turpentine, alcohol, lacquer thinner and acetone (in that order) have a softening effect on oil sludge. If just wanting to flush the oil pan, get engine hot, drain existing oil and spray carb or brake cleaner directly into oil pan at angles thru drain plug hole using the thin plastic tube that attaches to the can spray-head (no smoking please !) to direct the cleaner into the far spaces inside the oil pan Install drain plug, plug oil filler hole and let sit over night. If you have an oil filter, remove, clean and reinstall the entire assembly, leaving the new filter element out until the flushing process is complete.

In morning, add one quart cheap 10w oil and one quart kerosene. Let sit about half hour (longer the better) then remove drain plug and let whatever drain out. Reinstall drain plug and fill with 4 quarts 10w oil and one quart kerosene. Run engine at low rpm's for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain all out. Refill engine with low viscosity (say 10w-30) high detergent oil and drive it for say 500 miles. Keep an eye on oil pressure as the flushing process may break small chunks of sludge loose and they may enter an oil passageway causing some restriction and raising pressure. Check oil level frequently. Drain and refill with favored oil. Pending condition of engine oil seals and gaskets, I favor lower viscosity oils if operating oil pressure is okay. I use 10w-30, change every 1000 miles, and don't have a filter. Over long term, frequent changing and thinner viscosity high detergent oils should help reduce sludge in valve gallery and piston rings. I also regularly use MMO in gas to help lubricate valve guides and piston rings. Oil consumption may increase somewhat due to removal of sludge in piston rings.

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Kroil makes a product called Kreen to put in the oil to soften sludge etc. PM me your address and i will send ya a quart. I have some in the cabinent .It works pretty well.
Kroil is a penterant made for years.

http://www.kanolabs.com/engCle.html#anchor63574

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

Just drop the pan and intake and clean it out.

that is the best way! you will never get all the sludg out. i had about a inch in my pan of my 36 pick up

[rotorwrench]

A lot of what builds up is oil soaps. The stuff is about the consistency of a bar of hand soap but unfortunately is not water soluble. Any form of solvent or penetrant applied needs agitation to get the surface to soften for it to come out in layers just like it was deposited. This can take a long time. A dip in a hot tank has best results otherwise a putty knife and elbow grease is the only other near term alternative.

[skidmarks]

The screen for the oil pump is sitting in a cavity surounded by sludge. Break the sludge loose and it will plug up the screen which is already about half plugged up. Pull the pan and clean it out . You plug up the screen and then you will be overhauling the motor.

[danliveshere]

I had a '37 21 stud motor that had been sitting for 30-40 years. I did the "put all sorts of solvent in" and kept turning the crank with a wrench for a week or so. After a week and heaps$$ I removed the inlet and pan as suggested above and cleaned the whole thing properly. I could have saved a weeks work if I just removed the pan in the first place. The only good thing was my motor had been overfilled with oil 30-40 years ago so all my crank etc was well protected. I wondered why when I originally dropped the oil there was 2 gallons oil come out, but that was a good thing!!

[Kurt in NJ]

Drop the pan----many times I have looked at cars--and engines that have been sitting, and the seller pulls the dipstick and says ---see how clean the oil is ----but when the pan is dropped there is enough sludge in the bottom to cover the oil pickup

[chap52]

I had a friend years ago who would pour a quart of Automatic Transmission Fluid into his engine and run it for about ten minutes before draining. He insisted that was the reason that his oil stayed so clean...Couldn,t have been that he changed it every 2000 miles?
Like it's been said "open it up and do it right. Scrape it and put some kerosene (I like Super Purple from Autozone)in a spray bottle and give it a soak. With the pan off you can clean the top end and all the crud will end up on the floor. I lay down plastic with layers of cardboard on top to absorb the junk. But I am also a guy that mops his epoxied garage floor often. Lots of paper towels and a small screwdriver for the tight places.

[mountstimothy0]

Ok thanks I appreciate it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120A using Tapatalk

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Age old discussion for sure that could go on and on and i can agree with all the posts on the correct fix.

However i can also tell the stories of running diesel fuel in the oil and other sludge reduction as well.

One of our hot rods a few years back i had bought a (gasp) 283 chevy engine from a friend that had came out of a old chevy years back. We mocked up the car with the engine and started it up. It ran fairly well but the oil pressure gauge had that killer jerk to it. We have always used Aero kroil at the shop and they had sent us a sample quart of their product called "kreen" for sludge etc.
We had nothing to lose and warmed the engine up and added the qt of Kreen. I then drove the car home that evening. On the way home after a mile or so the oil pressure gauge started working like it should and the little engine had steady oil pressure . Drove it back to work and around the next day and changed the oil, that was the nastiest liquid coming out of the pan i had ever seen. We then changed the oil a few times and then just drove the car everywhere we went. When we sold the car a couple years later it was still running very well for a old beat engine. Worked for us !!!

Then i could tell you the story about working in the local gas station and my new purchase of a 1958 Ford wagon with 352 v8. To clean up some sludge we added a gallon or so of diesel fuel to the oil pan and ran the engine for a few minutes , drained the yuk and filled with oil. IT BLEW UP ON THE WAY HOME !!!! Never seen a engine with so many leaks and knocks etc. Took a replacement engine to fix that one.

Like i said interesting discussion.....

Now could we move the discussion to champion spark plugs or maybe quaker state motor oil ???????

[19Fordy]

mountstimothy0:
There are no short cuts.
For peace of mind, remove your oil pan and clean it and
your oil pump screen thoroughly. Do a little work each day
and it won't seem like such a chore.
Otherwise, you're wasting time and energy and will
probably end up rebuilding your engine after it spins a bearing or worse.

Yes, it's pain to do, but the rewards are great.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...4528&showall=1
Can you get your hands on one of these?
https://www.harborfreight.com/digita...era-61839.html

[JSeery]

I agree with physically cleaning it out. Anything you pour into it gets cycled through the engine along with any sludge it dissolves. Than includes the bearings. Even when removing the oil pan and valve cover/intake you have to be careful not to a leave a lot of loose material.

[Mart]

I meant to reply earlier, but I also would advise that putting any sort of solvent in it is probably the worst thing you could do.

Physically clean it out and fill with the oil of your choice.

Mart.

[Charlie Stephens]

I have been told that if an engine was slugged up with non detergent oil you don't even want to run detergent oil or you will end up with all of the dissolved sludge blocking the engine passages. It is better to have the sludge at the bottom of the pan than in the oil passages. Pull the pan and clean it right.

Charlie Stephens

[donald1950]

as was said "there are no shortcuts"
worked in gas station back in the 1960s and the boss used to use 3 quarts of cheap oil mixed wit 2 quarts of kerosene as a flush for some of the old cars. yea a lot of crud came out when the mixture was drained, but there was still a lot of loose crud being in the motor and all of it was being pumped through the bearings.
drop the pan and pull the intake and do it right......

[richard crow]

if it runs good no knocks leave it alone. i have seen meney times when a eng is flushed out the trouble starts just use a good oil & change every 1,000 miles