advice on sludge
12-06-2010, 11:39 AM
#1
TECH Enthusiast
Thread Starter
advice on sludge went to change the oil on my 2000 z28 before i put it away for the winter and noticed on the end of the drain plug i had a pretty good chunk of sludge on it, i was just wondering what you guys suggest to clean up the motor so that this wont get any worse?
12-06-2010, 12:06 PM
#2
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Just This Side of Damnation
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
If that's a magnetic drain plug, it wasn't "sludge." It was tiny bits if wear metal that was taken out of your oil.
Get a flashlight and peer down the oil filler hole. It should look dark brown and you should see metal. If so, all is well. If it's covered in black goo, do three or four 1000k mile oil and filter changes with Pennzoil yellow bottle 5w-30 and a Purolator filter. See what that does. Check down the oil filler tube at regular intervals. Repeat as required.
Get a flashlight and peer down the oil filler hole. It should look dark brown and you should see metal. If so, all is well. If it's covered in black goo, do three or four 1000k mile oil and filter changes with Pennzoil yellow bottle 5w-30 and a Purolator filter. See what that does. Check down the oil filler tube at regular intervals. Repeat as required.
12-06-2010, 12:14 PM
#3
Well, if you felt that stuff and it really was gummy glue-like crap, then it is sludge.
Simply go get 2 bottles of GUNK engine flush....put it in AFTER you have driven it and its all the way up to operating temp. Let the engine run for 15-20 minutes. IDLE ONLY...no revs. Then....drain all that out and put in 4 quarts of new oil and run that for a few minutes. Then drain that out just to get all the engine flush chemcial out. You do not want that stuff mixed in with your new oil. Then put a new filter on it and new oil.
That will clean it pretty nicely. You could pull a valve cover to check to see if you really have a BAD sludge problem.
I've been doing the GUNK engine flush at every single oil change since I got my 427ci....150,000 miles on the damn thing right now, when I take a valve cover off everything looks like it was just assembled in the shop and installed brand new.
Flushing at each oil change is the key to long engine life.
.
Simply go get 2 bottles of GUNK engine flush....put it in AFTER you have driven it and its all the way up to operating temp. Let the engine run for 15-20 minutes. IDLE ONLY...no revs. Then....drain all that out and put in 4 quarts of new oil and run that for a few minutes. Then drain that out just to get all the engine flush chemcial out. You do not want that stuff mixed in with your new oil. Then put a new filter on it and new oil.
That will clean it pretty nicely. You could pull a valve cover to check to see if you really have a BAD sludge problem.
I've been doing the GUNK engine flush at every single oil change since I got my 427ci....150,000 miles on the damn thing right now, when I take a valve cover off everything looks like it was just assembled in the shop and installed brand new.
Flushing at each oil change is the key to long engine life.
.
12-07-2010, 07:58 PM
#4
I've used Gunk engine flush with great results too. Had a old 88 jimmy that was all sludged up to the point it lost oil pressure. Ran the gunk through it and cleaned a few things and its been fine since. The owner figured it was finnished.
12-07-2010, 09:46 PM
#5
man Just change with new oil like pennzoil ultra 5w30 or just regular pennzoil , and change oil and filter every 3k miles and you good. Keep on driving it and change it on time, and sludge over time will go away.
Trending Topics
12-09-2010, 10:28 AM
#9
You would put seafoam BUT not a made for engine flush??????? I hopwe you are kidding? I seen a few engines that guys put seafoam in that tossed rod bearings afterwards, I wouldn't go near the stuff. I've used Gunk engine flush in ALOT of vehicles following their instructions it works excellent!
12-09-2010, 11:31 AM
#10
You would put seafoam BUT not a made for engine flush??????? I hopwe you are kidding? I seen a few engines that guys put seafoam in that tossed rod bearings afterwards, I wouldn't go near the stuff. I've used Gunk engine flush in ALOT of vehicles following their instructions it works excellent!
12-09-2010, 03:28 PM
#12
If you're gonna use Sea Foam in the oil....use it like its an engine flush...just let it idle for 5-10 minutes before the oil change, then flush that crap out as good as possible before putting the new oil in. Thats why when I flush my old oil out I then run 4 qrts of new oil through it, then dump that, then put the new oil in.
.
.
12-09-2010, 05:19 PM
#13
TECH Regular
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Plain Dealing, LA
Posts: 445
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Seafoam works well in the gas tank or running it through an intake line, but ill never pour that **** in my oil. If you run good oil, let it come to operating temp before turning off the engine, dont have excessive blowby, and maintain regular oil changes I dont see why you would continue to have sludge. The gunk method sounds like it would work although I've never used it. Never had a problem with sludge.
But using it every oil change along with 4 extra quarts of oil seems a little excessive lol..
But using it every oil change along with 4 extra quarts of oil seems a little excessive lol..
12-09-2010, 10:07 PM
#14
Seafoam works well in the gas tank or running it through an intake line, but ill never pour that **** in my oil. If you run good oil, let it come to operating temp before turning off the engine, dont have excessive blowby, and maintain regular oil changes I dont see why you would continue to have sludge. The gunk method sounds like it would work although I've never used it. Never had a problem with sludge.
But using it every oil change along with 4 extra quarts of oil seems a little excessive lol..
But using it every oil change along with 4 extra quarts of oil seems a little excessive lol..
Oil changes are $14.00, including a Purolator filter. Been doing that for 150,000 miles on this baby....still purring like a badass kitten......
Cheap non-synthetic Castrol GTX 20w50 is all this engine has ever seen...........
About it being ""excessive"".......I do laugh "excessively" when all my other friends with stroker motors are doing rebuilds after 40,000-60,000 miles........while I'm sailing past 150,000 without so much as a peep from my internals.........
.
12-09-2010, 10:19 PM
#16
If you are freaked out about flush then get a decent 0W20 synthetic and the LSx truck filter (in addition to another filter and whatever oil you want to actually run), drain out the old stuff, put in the 0W20 and again idle it for a bit (10-20min). Then drain it out and change to what you want to run normally. Basically you are just using it for the additive / detergent package. You are also using a relatively light viscosity because you are not going to see much oil temp (relatively speaking) and this will flow better.
Have also heard that you can use 2qt of GM ATF (mixed with 4 qt oil) and idle it for a little bit as well... actually someone mentioned this just the other day in the Internal section after someone put some engine restore in his LS1.
Ha did this the other day... just be careful, it tends to shoot out a bit quicker when hot, and it can burn you if you aren't careful. 
You might also consider letting it cool a bit before you fill it up.
Have also heard that you can use 2qt of GM ATF (mixed with 4 qt oil) and idle it for a little bit as well... actually someone mentioned this just the other day in the Internal section after someone put some engine restore in his LS1.
You might also consider letting it cool a bit before you fill it up.
12-09-2010, 10:41 PM
#17
TECH Regular
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Plain Dealing, LA
Posts: 445
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Been doing the engine flush for 9 years at every oil change on my 427ci, but I just recently started putting 4 qrts of cheap new oil through it to flush all the engine flush chemical out....that stuff is not good to have in the oil, and there's quite a bit left in there after a flush.
Oil changes are $14.00, including a Purolator filter. Been doing that for 150,000 miles on this baby....still purring like a badass kitten......
Cheap non-synthetic Castrol GTX 20w50 is all this engine has ever seen...........
About it being ""excessive"".......I do laugh "excessively" when all my other friends with stroker motors are doing rebuilds after 40,000-60,000 miles........while I'm sailing past 150,000 without so much as a peep from my internals.........
.
Oil changes are $14.00, including a Purolator filter. Been doing that for 150,000 miles on this baby....still purring like a badass kitten......
Cheap non-synthetic Castrol GTX 20w50 is all this engine has ever seen...........
About it being ""excessive"".......I do laugh "excessively" when all my other friends with stroker motors are doing rebuilds after 40,000-60,000 miles........while I'm sailing past 150,000 without so much as a peep from my internals.........
.
12-09-2010, 11:26 PM
#18
I even put my front end on ramps a certain way in my driveway where the drivers side front is the lowest spot, just to get as much old **** out of the oil pan as possible. People that put their front end on ramps and have the nose in the air, leave close a half quart of old **** in the pan.
.
12-10-2010, 12:02 PM
#19
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Just This Side of Damnation
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Sludge doesn't drain. That's the nature of it. It sticks to and stays on the internal engine parts/pieces. No amount of drip time will cure that.
There is more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking) and more than one way to clean an engines internals. The two most obvious camps, though, are Fast and Slow cleaning. One for the stout hearted or impatient, the other for more conservative types.
Fast removal in EXTREME sludge conditions can be quite convenient. However, the main concern is that large amounts, or large chunks, of sludge may be removed and clog either the filter itself or some of the smaller galleries in the engine. Another concern would be the release of a large amount of contaminants that could get into the oil and in the bearing surfaces in the event the oil filter clogs enough for the bypass to be tripped. LS6427 has had great luck with flushes, but I'd bet my own money that his engine has never had real sludge issues during its lifetime. Those with real problems may not be so lucky, but I don't think there are many of those that create that much sludge that would ever find oil religion and try to remove it.
The other way of sludge removal is the slower way. The easiest way is to simply bring in your oil change interval to maybe 1k to 2k miles and get a quality filter. Perhaps you could even purchase oil touted to clean the heck out of engines. This method is best suited for the simply dirty engines without a large amount of sludge or with sludge that isn't terribly obnoxious.
I've used SeaFoam in my oil on several vehicles for about 500-1000 miles and then changed the oil. You don't use very much (per instructions) and it sure makes the oil dirty is a short time. Doing that once or twice has really done wonders for some used cars that came into my possession. Pepped 'em right up.
Another slow engine cleaner I've used is Auto-RX (ARX). You pour the small bottle of product into your oil filler, drive a while to get it mixed into your oil, then keep it in for about 2500 miles. Then you change your oil (per instructions) and drive another 3000 miles or so. The treatment emulsifies the sludge and varnish, and the next oil change washes it away into the oil and filter. I used it on my V10 Super duty at about 80k miles and it made the metal I could see throught the oil filler cap bright and clean. I tried it in the Z28 and, though I could tell from the oil I changed that the engine was cleaner, the metals under the valve cover weren't bright and shiny. I suspect it was because one splashed oil around and washed things down and the other didn't.
I'm not in such of a hurry or don't have real sludge monsters to where I feel I need to use a fast flush. I prefer the slower, more mellow methods. You can choose what's best for you.
There is more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking) and more than one way to clean an engines internals. The two most obvious camps, though, are Fast and Slow cleaning. One for the stout hearted or impatient, the other for more conservative types.
Fast removal in EXTREME sludge conditions can be quite convenient. However, the main concern is that large amounts, or large chunks, of sludge may be removed and clog either the filter itself or some of the smaller galleries in the engine. Another concern would be the release of a large amount of contaminants that could get into the oil and in the bearing surfaces in the event the oil filter clogs enough for the bypass to be tripped. LS6427 has had great luck with flushes, but I'd bet my own money that his engine has never had real sludge issues during its lifetime. Those with real problems may not be so lucky, but I don't think there are many of those that create that much sludge that would ever find oil religion and try to remove it.
The other way of sludge removal is the slower way. The easiest way is to simply bring in your oil change interval to maybe 1k to 2k miles and get a quality filter. Perhaps you could even purchase oil touted to clean the heck out of engines. This method is best suited for the simply dirty engines without a large amount of sludge or with sludge that isn't terribly obnoxious.
I've used SeaFoam in my oil on several vehicles for about 500-1000 miles and then changed the oil. You don't use very much (per instructions) and it sure makes the oil dirty is a short time. Doing that once or twice has really done wonders for some used cars that came into my possession. Pepped 'em right up.
Another slow engine cleaner I've used is Auto-RX (ARX). You pour the small bottle of product into your oil filler, drive a while to get it mixed into your oil, then keep it in for about 2500 miles. Then you change your oil (per instructions) and drive another 3000 miles or so. The treatment emulsifies the sludge and varnish, and the next oil change washes it away into the oil and filter. I used it on my V10 Super duty at about 80k miles and it made the metal I could see throught the oil filler cap bright and clean. I tried it in the Z28 and, though I could tell from the oil I changed that the engine was cleaner, the metals under the valve cover weren't bright and shiny. I suspect it was because one splashed oil around and washed things down and the other didn't.
I'm not in such of a hurry or don't have real sludge monsters to where I feel I need to use a fast flush. I prefer the slower, more mellow methods. You can choose what's best for you.
12-10-2010, 01:16 PM
#20
Sludge doesn't drain. That's the nature of it. It sticks to and stays on the internal engine parts/pieces. No amount of drip time will cure that.
There is more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking) and more than one way to clean an engines internals. The two most obvious camps, though, are Fast and Slow cleaning. One for the stout hearted or impatient, the other for more conservative types.
Fast removal in EXTREME sludge conditions can be quite convenient. However, the main concern is that large amounts, or large chunks, of sludge may be removed and clog either the filter itself or some of the smaller galleries in the engine. Another concern would be the release of a large amount of contaminants that could get into the oil and in the bearing surfaces in the event the oil filter clogs enough for the bypass to be tripped. LS6427 has had great luck with flushes, but I'd bet my own money that his engine has never had real sludge issues during its lifetime. Those with real problems may not be so lucky, but I don't think there are many of those that create that much sludge that would ever find oil religion and try to remove it.
The other way of sludge removal is the slower way. The easiest way is to simply bring in your oil change interval to maybe 1k to 2k miles and get a quality filter. Perhaps you could even purchase oil touted to clean the heck out of engines. This method is best suited for the simply dirty engines without a large amount of sludge or with sludge that isn't terribly obnoxious.
I've used SeaFoam in my oil on several vehicles for about 500-1000 miles and then changed the oil. You don't use very much (per instructions) and it sure makes the oil dirty is a short time. Doing that once or twice has really done wonders for some used cars that came into my possession. Pepped 'em right up.
Another slow engine cleaner I've used is Auto-RX (ARX). You pour the small bottle of product into your oil filler, drive a while to get it mixed into your oil, then keep it in for about 2500 miles. Then you change your oil (per instructions) and drive another 3000 miles or so. The treatment emulsifies the sludge and varnish, and the next oil change washes it away into the oil and filter. I used it on my V10 Super duty at about 80k miles and it made the metal I could see throught the oil filler cap bright and clean. I tried it in the Z28 and, though I could tell from the oil I changed that the engine was cleaner, the metals under the valve cover weren't bright and shiny. I suspect it was because one splashed oil around and washed things down and the other didn't.
I'm not in such of a hurry or don't have real sludge monsters to where I feel I need to use a fast flush. I prefer the slower, more mellow methods. You can choose what's best for you.
There is more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking) and more than one way to clean an engines internals. The two most obvious camps, though, are Fast and Slow cleaning. One for the stout hearted or impatient, the other for more conservative types.
Fast removal in EXTREME sludge conditions can be quite convenient. However, the main concern is that large amounts, or large chunks, of sludge may be removed and clog either the filter itself or some of the smaller galleries in the engine. Another concern would be the release of a large amount of contaminants that could get into the oil and in the bearing surfaces in the event the oil filter clogs enough for the bypass to be tripped. LS6427 has had great luck with flushes, but I'd bet my own money that his engine has never had real sludge issues during its lifetime. Those with real problems may not be so lucky, but I don't think there are many of those that create that much sludge that would ever find oil religion and try to remove it.
The other way of sludge removal is the slower way. The easiest way is to simply bring in your oil change interval to maybe 1k to 2k miles and get a quality filter. Perhaps you could even purchase oil touted to clean the heck out of engines. This method is best suited for the simply dirty engines without a large amount of sludge or with sludge that isn't terribly obnoxious.
I've used SeaFoam in my oil on several vehicles for about 500-1000 miles and then changed the oil. You don't use very much (per instructions) and it sure makes the oil dirty is a short time. Doing that once or twice has really done wonders for some used cars that came into my possession. Pepped 'em right up.
Another slow engine cleaner I've used is Auto-RX (ARX). You pour the small bottle of product into your oil filler, drive a while to get it mixed into your oil, then keep it in for about 2500 miles. Then you change your oil (per instructions) and drive another 3000 miles or so. The treatment emulsifies the sludge and varnish, and the next oil change washes it away into the oil and filter. I used it on my V10 Super duty at about 80k miles and it made the metal I could see throught the oil filler cap bright and clean. I tried it in the Z28 and, though I could tell from the oil I changed that the engine was cleaner, the metals under the valve cover weren't bright and shiny. I suspect it was because one splashed oil around and washed things down and the other didn't.
I'm not in such of a hurry or don't have real sludge monsters to where I feel I need to use a fast flush. I prefer the slower, more mellow methods. You can choose what's best for you.
When I first bought my 1998 WS6, and put about 1,000 miles on it, I went with some friends to a Super Chevy Sunday at Moroso in West Palm, FL.
I was talking to this old timer about taking care of engines and he told me to do one of two things: run a quart of Tranny Fluid in my oil about 100 miles before each oil change to keep the engine spotless....OR: run a couple bottles of regular rubbing alcohol in the oil for 5 minutes before I do an oil change to keep the engine spotless.
He also told me to put a quart of Tranny Fluid into a half tank of gas to clean the fuel system. Sounded kind of strange to me so I started asking around...........and pretty much everyone agreed.
He said its what he's been doing for 50 years on all his muscle cars and he's never seen even traces of sludge or dirt in any of his engines.
So back in 1998 I just decided with my LS1, to flush it at every oil change. But I decided to use GUNK engine flush. Its $4.00 and 5 extra minutes. And like I said earlier, when I pop my valve covers the parts literally look like they were just installed and never run. Clean and shiny.
My engine is coming out soon for a complete teardown and rebuild to a 441ci......I'll be there when it does and I'll take a bunch of pictures to see whats deep inside. Its gonna be interesting to see what a 150,000+ mile stroker motor looks like inside. My builder can't wait, he's known me since I got the motor installed (May 2002) so he knows I really have 150K+ on it. He's been wanting to tear it down for years, but the sumbitch keeps running.
I'm betting its gonna be 100% clean..........
.