Yuck Sludge ! ! !
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From: Texarkana, Arkansas
Yuck Sludge ! ! !
Removed one of the valve covers today and I found a lot of sludge. Was talking to a friend and he said that more harm could be done disturbing it. The engine doesn't use oil and does not smoke. I am wondering if I should pull the rocker arms and then try to clean as much of the sludge as I can get to. Or do I just make sure the oil ports are clean and leave it alone. I am really not interested in dropping the oil pan or making this a overhaul operation.
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If you want to clean it up, make sure you plug up the oil drain holes in the corners of the head so no junk can get down in the pan. Then just wipe up what you can and clean the inside of the valve covers off. You don't want any of this stuff in the pan.
How long have you owned this truck and have you changed the oil? Obviously the oil wasn't changed on a regular basis by whoever had it before. The detergents in the new oil can start knocking some of this stuff loose and it can clog the pickup screen going to the oil pump. You can get a lot of it out by cleaning the valve cover area, but there is probably still a lot of crud under the intake manifold and down in the bottom of the pan.
If you have changed the oil several times and not had a problem, good, you might not have any trouble.
How long have you owned this truck and have you changed the oil? Obviously the oil wasn't changed on a regular basis by whoever had it before. The detergents in the new oil can start knocking some of this stuff loose and it can clog the pickup screen going to the oil pump. You can get a lot of it out by cleaning the valve cover area, but there is probably still a lot of crud under the intake manifold and down in the bottom of the pan.
If you have changed the oil several times and not had a problem, good, you might not have any trouble.
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From: Texarkana, Arkansas
Thanks Dave for answering my thread so fast. Ok I have changed the oil twice since I have had it. I have not put but 300 miles on it since I got it. This was a farm truck and all during the winter months it just sat. When I got it, it had been moth-balled for 4 years. It was given to me by my sister and it was her husbands dads old truck. I know that it had regular checkups during the summer months because I have a lot of old receipts for tuneups. I am going to do as you said and plug the oil drain and start scraping and wiping... Thanks again Richard
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From: Marysville, WA
I have cleaned it by pouring 1/2 can of SeaFoam in the oil and multiple filter changes. The Motorcraft FL-1A filters were on sale, so I decided to do it. Bought 6 of them and used them all. Changed the filters about every 200 miles and got a good portion of the muck out. Didn't seem to hurt the engine and still uses the same amount as before, maybe 1 qt/3000 miles.
There was still some stuck in there, but nowhere near as much.
There was still some stuck in there, but nowhere near as much.
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From: Texarkana, Arkansas
Thanks for the information Don. I wish I could post pictures showing the amount of gunk under that valve cover. Maybe the seafoam would dissolve some of that crud and make it a little easier to scrap off.
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