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How to clean sludge from engine?

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98EVOECLIPSE

10+ Year Contributor
54
0
Aug 16, 2012
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
I'm in the process of putting in a new head gasket. My old one blew due to the headbolts, and the oil and coolant completely mixed causing my oil and coolant to look like peanut butter.

Looking for suggestions on how to get this mixture out of the oil lines and block. After install should I just change the oil a few times after running say 300 miles per change until its clean? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

I also plan on flushing the radiator and coolant lines, if anyone has tips on a better method or anything I can put in the coolant to help clean that system too.
 
Seafoam in oil and seafoam in vacuum lines and seafoam in gas.
 
Do you want to do this half way or properly?

I can tell you a few diffrent ways....
 
Take the engine out of the car and take it all to a shop and have it all bead blasted and hot tanked.
IM EM head & block. It'll all look like new.

I'd use a chemical flush in the coolant system to get all lines and heater core clean as possible before doing this.
 
Seafoam in oil and seafoam in vacuum lines and seafoam in gas.

I was considering seafoam, didn't know you could put in in gas

Do you want to do this half way or properly?

I can tell you a few diffrent ways....

Tell me both then I'll decide LOL

Take the engine out of the car and take it all to a shop and have it all bead blasted and hot tanked.
IM EM head & block. It'll all look like new.

I'd use a chemical flush in the coolant system to get all lines and heater core clean as possible before doing this.

I know this is the best and most efficient option, just don't have the money for that. Looking for a way while it's still in the car. Anything I need to do before the head is installed?
 
OK... This will make a huge mess.

With the shortblock in the car....

Pull the oil pump and front case, leave head off, Rods/pistons, crank in block

1 gallon of diesel fuel/kerosean, assortment of brushes, and a good gasket scraper.
Make one brush an old tooth brush, and a parts washer brush.
Stop by a gun shop, grab to rifle nylon or copper brushes on long handles 20ga and a .22/.25 cal
1qt purple soap
2 cans brake clean
1 can WD40
1QT oil
1 Roll blue paper towels
Wine bottle cork

Water hose
Air compressor w/ hose and blower nozzle

Read these links
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...r-how-clean-block-deck-pistons-installed.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/cylinder-head-short-block/362154-how-final-wash-engine-block.html

Remove all the old gaskets

Scrub the inside the block around the crank, use brushes & diesel fuel

Run the 20ga brush down the main oil galley

Use the .22/.25 cal in the vert oil passage to the head

You can also scrub the outside of the block with this

Now hose everything down, inside and outside the block, crank rods everything! Flush the oil galleys with water till they run clear.

Now with purple soap spray it all down and scrub some more. This will also remove all the residual oil film left from the diesel fuel.

Rotate engine as needed to get under the pistons.

Blow dry the cylinder bores and the HG surface, get some WD40 or a wipe of motor oil on the bores to prevent rust.

Now touch up clean any small dirty/oily spots with the brake clean

Spray WD40 on the inside the block crank area to help prevent rust.

Now flush the vert oil galley with brake clean, and blow out with compressed air.. it will come out where the front case mounts.

Now take the wine bottle cork, and wittle it down so it fits very snug into the main oil galley on the front of the block, if it has a slight leak, it will be ok.

With all the cleaner, solvents and water that has been run thu the oil galleys, some has made it between the crank bearings, both main and rods, this all has to be displaced to prevent rust there.

Now pour oil down the vert oil passage that feeds the head, a small funnel, or the nipple top from a gear oil bottle will be handy at this point.

A buddy to help would be great at this point, or Mom, Dad, little sister.....

Start "Burping" the air nozzle down the vert oil passage, this will help push the oil on to the bearing surfaces, be carefull not to blow the cork out of the front of the engine.

As you do this, have the helper slowly spin the crank over, untill you see the oil drip from between the side of the con rod and crank. and come out of the oil squirters if your engine has them.
You will have to stop and refill the oil galleys as needed, 3 or so times.

Once you start, you can not stop and let sit, rust will start to form on the crank bearing surfaces
So no letting it sit over night till you force a good amount of oil over the bearing surfaces!


Now if you have the short block out of the car, you will follow most all the above, with a few changes.

You will remove the rear oil galley plug in the back of the block.

Insted of Diesel fuel, get a can of Easy-off oven cleaner (yellow can) or Easy off BBQ cleaner (black can)

Have acess to a pressure washer is best ( Car wash)

Welcome to the "shade tree" way of cleaning a short block......
 
Bogusv quick question. When my wife goes to get her oil changed all the shops are always pushing an "engine treatment" they say it's to remove all the old oil and sludge in an engine. I did it once just to see what it is. They drained all the oil and filled it up with a jug of this so called "conditioner", let it run for about 5 minutes. Flushed it and put in fresh oil. It was about the price of two oil changes and I never noticed a difference. Any idea what it is they are using and if it's even worth it?
 
I was considering seafoam, didn't know you could put in in gas

Yep, fill the tank up to the top then pour in a whole bottle. And then run that tank until it's on fumes. It's great for cleaning out injectors.


I would be careful putting Seafoam in the oil. If you do that don't run it for more than a couple hundred miles tops. The reason being is that it cleans your crankcase by loosening sludge and build up. Then all that sludge and buildup is now free in your oil and traveling throughout your engine. When you change your oil after Seafoam it will be blacker than Satan's heart.

For the top half of the engine, MCCC is a MUCH MUCH better solution than Seafoam. You can get MCCC (Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner) from a number of auto parts stores or any Chrysler dealer.

MCCC actual expands and foams as it heats so it will clean better and reach more places than Seafoam will.
 
removing sludge isn't fun, glade I didn't suffer like my audi brothers, yet I still run seafoam for 10 miles before an oil change just in case.

pic is of an audi 1.8 turbo, audi never stated NOT to use non-synthetic oil. The results? this.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
 
removing sludge isn't fun, glade I didn't suffer like my audi brothers, yet I still run seafoam for 10 miles before an oil change just in case.

pic is of an audi 1.8 turbo, audi never stated NOT to use non-synthetic oil. The results? this.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.

That is impressive...Looks like mud.
 
removing sludge isn't fun, glade I didn't suffer like my audi brothers, yet I still run seafoam for 10 miles before an oil change just in case.

pic is of an audi 1.8 turbo, audi never stated NOT to use non-synthetic oil. The results? this.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Man... Ive heard of engines taking a shit but this is out of hand
 
Holy bajesus how long does that take?!?! Lol

That depends on you.
My Close buds and I have a saying when it comes to working on our cars..
"Be as anal as you want to be!"

With having the head off, from pulling the oil pan and front case, all the cleaning to the finish of getting the oil on the bearings... I would say 3-5 hours... longer if everything ir really nasty.


Bogusv quick question. When my wife goes to get her oil changed all the shops are always pushing an "engine treatment" they say it's to remove all the old oil and sludge in an engine. I did it once just to see what it is. They drained all the oil and filled it up with a jug of this so called "conditioner", let it run for about 5 minutes. Flushed it and put in fresh oil. It was about the price of two oil changes and I never noticed a difference. Any idea what it is they are using and if it's even worth it?

I really do not like the oil flush, or engine treatments.
The chemical additives will keep breaking down the sluge, even tho they removed the bulk of it.

Its one thing if you just have a light oil varinish in the engine, but if you have a moderate to heavy gunk sludge build up, the high detergent can and will break down the heavy gunk then it flows to the oil pan, the thinner stuff will clog the oil filter, and the thicker heavier stuff will stay in the oil pan, and can clog the oil pick up.

Most oil filters have a bypass built into them so if the filter gets clogged, it goes into bypass and lets unflitered oil circulate thu the engine.

If the oil pick up screen cloggs, well thats simple, the engine starves for oil.

Neither case is good.

If you keep up with oil changes, there is no need for a flush or treatment.

Also some treatments come with a seal conditioner, well this softens and swells seals like the rear main, cam seals and valve stems seals, now if these seals get subjected to that, they can and will over swell and rip apart, and can cause an oil leak.
 
Its all up to you and when you wanna work on the engine again. Even with a budget a proper cleaning is needed.
 
Lots of helpful info and suggestions thanks everyone for pitching in. As soon as I noticed oil in the coolant I immediately stopped driving the car. It wasn't long enough to build up or do damage, so I feel that seafoam and a couple oil changes might do the trick. I have a limited amount of time while working 2 jobs to fix it, very little experience, and literally no cash at the moment.

Like I said, the car was BARELY driven after it blew, so here's my plan.
Use a razor to clean the top of the block, brake cleaner to remove any residue, and the seafoam and oil changes. I will flush the coolant system until its clean as well. Hopefully that'll do.
 
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