Removing sludge in engine thoughts

Has anyone ever tried using about 1 quart of desiel fuel in a normal temperature operating engine, then drive a 2 or 3 miles then drain the oil and change filter to see if that will help remove sludge in engine???

I know dump truck owners have added desiel fuel to there engines and run a few miles then changed oil, doing this procedure with every oil change and No damage to bearings.

Any thoughts

... so they actually opened up the crankcase and inspected the bearings? What some folks do for the team!

... so they actually opened up the crankcase and inspected the bearings? What some folks do for the team!

I canot say that they removed the bearings and inspected. they have driven many miles without any problems.

I personally had a injector stick open on the truck I drive and it dumped a good amount of desiel fuel into oil pan before I caught the problem, only clue was the fuel consumption was more than usual. I have driven the truck another 30,000 miles since this happened without any failure.

Most owners will inspect and install new rod and main bearings as a preventive measure around 300,000 miles, with or without adding desiel fuel before oil changes.

I know antifreeze will eat up bearings.

Turns Delo 400 into 0W-20.

I don't have much experience with a diesel engine ... other than stationary generator sets and my old '85 Mercedes (near 400k miles now). I have always been impressed with how clean the diesel is internally in the crankcase. Yes, new oil blackens straight-away, but the "stuff" seems to stay suspended in the oil. I have never seen sludge deposits on diesel internals as I have seen on gasoline engine internals.

In your experience with the stuck injector: Was it a diesel engine? If so, wonder why the diesel fuel didn't keep the injector from sticking? Did the injector break internally?

I don't have much experience with a diesel engine ... other than stationary generator sets and my old '85 Mercedes (near 400k miles now). I have always been impressed with how clean the diesel is internally in the crankcase. Yes, new oil blackens straight-away, but the "stuff" seems to stay suspended in the oil. I have never seen sludge deposits on diesel internals as I have seen on gasoline engine internals.

In your experience with the stuck injector: Was it a diesel engine? If so, wonder why the diesel fuel didn't keep the injector from sticking? Did the injector break internally?

Yes it was a desiel engine, I do not know if the injector broke internally. I would suspect so as the injectors are not contolled by electronics rather by a injector pump driven by crankshaft or camshaft, not sure which.

The reason I am asking this question is that some engines have poor oil passages and are prone to sludge blocking them and eventuallycausing the oil light to flicker on and off at idle and eventual engine failure. Just wondering if the diesel fuel could help clean the oil passages and prevent the oil pressuure loss.

I thought the motor flush products that you put in you oil before changing it (idle for a few minutes, most say not to drive the vehicle) were similar to deisel fuel. I think I have heard of people using diesel fuel to do this, but I don't know its effectiveness.

The engines used the the Windstar, 3.0L and 3.8L don't have a reputation for developing sludge in normal service.

A reasonable Oil Change Interval with a quality oil and filter should be all that you need to do.

The issue that can come up with a "flush" product in a sludged engine is that you can clear a BUNCH in a hurry and end up clogging the intake tube screen for the oil pump......starving the engine of oil.

A quality synthetic or a High Mileage (HM) oil should be all you need for light buildup.
Another product is Auto RX that gently cleans over time.
Again.....you should be fine with a quality oil and filter and a reasonable Oil Change Interval.

I am not refering to the Ford engines, The Chrysler 2.7L engine is know for sludge problems and a nieghbor has one. The oil galleys become sludged causing blockage and eventually staarving the bearings of oil and causing catastrophic failure. This is reason for asking for thoughts about desludging engines.

I will do some research on AUTO RX.

............
The reason I am asking this question is that some engines have poor oil passages and are prone to sludge blocking them and eventually causing the oil light to flicker on and off at idle and eventual engine failure.......

I'm probably not getting the proper picture in my old brain-pan! The flickering light is caused by low oil pressure, ...sensed by a pressure switch, correct? So if sludge somehow blocked the oil passages, restricting oil flow ... wouldn't that make the pressure go higher at the warning light pressure sensor? Mind you, the crank and rod bearings might be getting fried ... but the pressure sensor would be happy as heck!

When I see a low pressure light flickering, I think the oil pump is not pumping enough oil for some reason ... OR ... there is too little restriction to oil flow, such as too much wear space between bearings and crank throws, etc, etc.

I have heard of a product called Auto RX..might look it up...

I have heard of a product called Auto RX..might look it up...

I looked it up and it looks like something to use . Spendy but still a lot cheaper than a new vehicle or engine.

yeah,,,and doesn't sound too drastic or crazy and shouldn't hurt to try it...compared to some radical ideas that could risk engine damage......

I have used the Auto RX product.
I would NOT put engine flush products or diesel fuel into the oil.
You buy Auto RX online from their website.
Follow the directions on their website.
I have also used this product, as instructed on their website, for my automatic transmission.
The only varience I did was I had it in there somewhat longer then they specify and I also had a Magnefine filter installed in the transmission fluid cooler line.

Engine cleaning products make me verrrrry nervous. Dislodged sludge can be a ton more damaging than a little that's harmlessly built up on engine components. I wouldn't risk it. If sludge is a real problem, a rebuild might be in order. (At least pulling the valve covers and seeing the state of the top). I haven't heard of sludge issues with windstar engines anyway. I have a camry with the 1mzfe that's known for sludge and even that appears fine to me. [i think it's really just a problem for people who don't change their oil but that's a discussion for another day]

Engine cleaning products make me verrrrry nervous. Dislodged sludge can be a ton more damaging than a little that's harmlessly built up on engine components. I wouldn't risk it. If sludge is a real problem, a rebuild might be in order. (At least pulling the valve covers and seeing the state of the top). I haven't heard of sludge issues with windstar engines anyway. I have a camry with the 1mzfe that's known for sludge and even that appears fine to me. [i think it's really just a problem for people who don't change their oil but that's a discussion for another day]

Again this is not a Windstar engine I am referring too, it is a 2.7 Chrysler product (years thru 2002) that is know for it's sludge problems causing the return passages too plug and eventually cause the oil light to flicker and starves the engine of oil resulting with catastrophic results.

I asked on this forum because of the knowledge of members and respect yoour opinions.

Don't forget to verify that the PCV valve is good and that there really is vapor being drawn out of the crankcase.
A clogged PCV system WILL cause sludge.
Common things to look for include the hoses going between the PCV valve and the intake manifold.....cracked hoses as well as soft hoses that collapse when under vaccum.

More than once with my windstar, I had to plug the PCV valve back into the rear valve cover (95-98) after having work done at a shop.

Again this is not a Windstar engine I am referring too, it is a 2.7 Chrysler product (years thru 2002) that is know for it's sludge problems causing the return passages too plug and eventually cause the oil light to flicker and starves the engine of oil resulting with catastrophic results.

I asked on this forum because of the knowledge of members and respect yoour opinions.

I apologize - I totally missed that connection. I somehow didn't link your reference to the fact that that was actually the vehicle you were referring to. :banghead:

I'm still wondering about flushing engines in general. Couldn't the bits of sludge that get dislodged cause even more harm wherever they end up or am I just being paranoid?

Happy Christmas!

I apologize - I totally missed that connection. I somehow didn't link your reference to the fact that that was actually the vehicle you were referring to. :banghead:

I'm still wondering about flushing engines in general. Couldn't the bits of sludge that get dislodged cause even more harm wherever they end up or am I just being paranoid?

Happy Christmas!

No problem about the misunderstanding. Yes I agree that flushing oil system could also cause problems but in this engine I would make sure sure it is not a wiring or sensor problem by verifying with a mechanical gauge and oil presssure is low I would consider doing a flush and take my chances versus just letting it go and wait for the engine to fail.

Happy Holiday's

+1, scubacat. Beyond poor oil maintenance, I think "sludge problems" are more imagined than real. ....Usually suffered by folks who have never opened up an engine.

LOL yeah I suppuse that's possible. :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums (http://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=com.newnessdevelopments.forums)