What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Removing sludge...

stephan.laun

stephan.laun

1/2 ton status
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Posts
389
Reaction score
0
Location
Abilene Kansas
Not Blazer related...But I have a 1950 Pontiac Chieftain with a straight 8 engine that was my fathers. This car sat for 20 some years. I got it running and going decently but I decided to clean up the outside of the engine and change a few small gaskets... I pulled the valve cover gaskets(there on side of block) and what do I find....It is completely full of sludge and crustys....It runs great but I want to get all or most of the sludge out...any sugestions that do not involve pulling the engine as the engine has never been out of the car and I know if I pull it I will have a huge pain with more things breaking off or coming up missing.....
 
I hear seafoam works great as an engine cleaner. I'd run a non-kerosene based engine flush and buy a few cheaper oil filters. The engine flush that we use at our quick lube we drain out all the oil and run straight flush through the engine with a fresh filter 5-10 minutes, but your's sounds like a severe case. I'd run the flush while idling and change the filter every so often. Anything else I would be unsure on how to get it out without pulling the engine.
 
Im hesitant to recommend anything, as it was your dad's car, and the motor is from 1950....

I'd stay away from anything harsh. Those 15 min flushes are generally really really harsh on things.

Diesel oils have a lot of detergents and would probably clean things up, although a bit slowly. Most engines I've seen running the diesel motor oils are pretty spotless.

You can also try Auto RX... the people on bobistheoilguy rave about it, and I've had some pretty good results myself.
 
Ive heard of people taking off the original filter, putting on a new filter, pouring in a quart of tranny fluid (to replace the quart that was in the old filter), and then running the engine for a bit (20-30mins). Tranny fluid supposedly has alot of detergents in it, and will break some of that crap up. Depending on how well it appears to be working, you might change the filter again, and keep at it, just dont want to stop the filter up to where the 'gunk' starts going through the bypass and getting in places it shouldnt.
 
Maybe some seafoam in and run some diesel oil like mentioned above. Rotella T is good stuff.
 
I have heard of the ATF trick working, but it is very very harsh- might be the trick for varnish, but he's got serious chunks by the way it sounds.

I'd be hesistant to use the ATF trick here, as one bad chunk may clog a passage.

I'd go with slow and steady here... obviously, if you have big chunks, just remove the chunks. But the other parts you cant see, go with a gentler approach.

A fresh oil change and drive it for a thousand miles or so, then change again. Im sure most of that crud is probably just evaporated oil (oil back then isnt as good as it is now!)

You may want to use the diesel oil anyways- even without the gunk. I recall hearing something about the flat non roller cams that needed zinc for protection, which they just about got rid of in most motor oils.
 
I have had great luck doing the same thing with "Marvel Mystery Oil". Red and black can from Wally world or parts store. Replace one quart of engine oil with it and then drive it and put some miles on it. Changing the filter periodically obviously is a good idea. I have done this for 3-4 oil changes with great results.
 
i x3 on the sea foam, its worked wonders on everthing ive used it on, maybe use it in smaller doses, try using it once every 100 miles in small incriments to clean everything up. i dont know how harsh it is on the engines but i know its worked wonders on everthing ive used it on. its a great product with a great reputation that id back 100%
 
IMO if it runs good Murphy's law comes into affect. Putting a bunch of chemicals in your crank case will loosen up all that crap and can flood your bearings with a lot of solid contamanets. You are needlesy loosening up many many years of dirt, grime, bad oxidized oil, acids ect and circulating it all through the engine.
When detergent oils became popular the mid 1960s. Putting it in older engines designed and ran on non detergent oils usually was the final straw that killed them. Because it loosened up all the sludge and the lubrication system could not handle it.
If you do try to get the sludge out get a good supply of oil filters and change them often. As said above if the filter gets clogged and bypasses all that crap. It will take out the bearings. Even using modern high detergent oils in that old engine will require changing the filter often.
 
Does it look like the one in the background? :D Thats my dads, the first new car my grandparents bought.

I have heard of using ATF but never had to try it.

pics 001.jpg
 
Ok, i specialize in old and antique engine rebuilding. First let me state that everyone so far has suggested some sort of cleanser and also changing the oil filter. These people don't realize that the old engines never had an oil filter. If there is an oil filter on the engine it was an add on and uses either a roll of toilet paper or a cartridge and aren't very effective anyway. The sludge doesn't hurt a thing while it's just sitting there. As soon as you start trying to clean it out is when you start having problems. Any sludge that gets broke up and ends up in the oil pan now has a good chance of clogging the pick-up screen and starving the engine of oil.
 
When I bought my 83 , it was kinda sludgy , just regular oil changes with Castrol GTX , and within a year it was clean .

the key is daily driving it .
 
It looks just like that black car in background spoolinaround only mine is red now and dont look as new as yours..Wish I could find some parts for mine so I can make mine shine like yours.... I think I am going to just enjoy the car the way it is it runs fine and sounds fine why mess with perfection....... and as stated before my car did not come from factory with a oil filter so dont have one to get clogged up...But worried I may have already knocked some of the stuff loose and it may have worked way to oil pan so crossing fingers I am ok....
 
If you dont have an oil filter on that car. The best thing you can do is drain any newer high detergent oil that is in the car out of it asap. Then switch to single grade non detergent motor oil. It will help greatly in prolonging the life of that old engine.
The worst thing you can do to that engine right now is loosen up all that sludge.
As i stated before:
Murphys Law #1. If it runs good. Dont mess with it.
 
i have and do run tranny fluid in my motors. all and all are high milage been dooing it for years and do it once a year no bad experinces here. Have you ever seen sludge in an auto tranny lots of detergents in tranny fluid.
I add a qt before an oil change let it run 15 min or so let it sit overnight and change. have alos added it driven it 100 miles or so short trips and changed.
remember you are thinning the oil so a thicker oil to start with will not thin down to far.
 
clean what u can by hand . use screwdrivers to pry on the sludge. be easy use a shop vac if ya can . clean the inside of the valve cover with oven cleaner. be careful it will kill grass. it will also eat paint so do it away from the car
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom