My truck has pretty much become something Green Peace might attack. It basically leaks oil from just about every gasket/seal there is. It has progressively gotten worse over the 15 years I've owned it and it's to the point I have to put in a qt of oil and a qt of Type F every time I run it. It has become financially cheaper to fix it than to keep adding oils.

This truck is basically a "moving truck" meaning it only gets used when I/neighbor/brother/friend/etc. needs to haul something somewhere. In the 15 years I've owned it I've only put about 30,000 miles on it.

Anyway, I removed the valve covers and there was about a quarter inch of sludge build up on the inner surface of both of them. I replaced the valve seals some years ago and cleaned the valve covers out real good back then. How on earth did I get such a sludge build up in 30,000 miles? It looks like that "bio-slime" build up that you see in your sink drains except that it's black instead of grey and feels like grease instead of jelly.

Anyone ever have this happen? I've never seen anything like it. It's like my truck is a magical grease factory.

 

Some causes may include:

• Lack of run time. Condensation formed in the crankcase isn't burned off by a hot engine.
• Lack of regular (and timely) oil and oil filter changes.
• Inoperative PVC system.
• Lack of air filter replacement.

 

An engine thermostat rating that's too cold can also cause this.

 

I've had my '72 F100 for about twenty years and it's been a 'moving truck' like the guy above mentioned, with all the things you name above. Now I'm rehabbing it to use as a tow vehicle for a small tent trailer we got. Have replaced most of the electrical system and carb, etc. Put the engine in 20 years ago - it had great compression but clackity 'lifters', I guess, which it still has and which I'm about to try to resolve. Guy is coming this weekend to suss how to proceed. I put a qt of trans fluid in the oil last week and will change it out with some additive to try to help clean out the gunk. I used Pennzoil for years and now hear it's gunk city. Live and learn.
Interesting intermittant problem I've had for years is that every once in a while, going up a very slight grade, it will 'run out of gas' and die, but will start up and run fine after a few minutes. We've by-passed the elec system and it still does it, so it has to be fuel related - I believe in the gas tank but over the years no one has agreed with that. Thought we'd found the problem last month when we saw bubbles forming in the clear glass fuel filter and by-passed it. But it did it again testerday. I think there's something in the talk that sucks over the intake when a slight increase in fuel consumption happens but will only know by pulling the talk, I guess. It's a Click and Clack question for sure. Just throwing it out there for grist.

 

I'd try using a mounted a small 1 gal. gas can inner driver fender and run rubber line to the fuel pump and take it for a test run up the hill. You'll have to plug the rubber line that was removed at the pump to the tank so the gas in it won't run out or start leaking.

If you had a gas line pressure fuel gauge would also indicate if you had any gas psi.
Looking in the carb throat when your truck stopped on the hill would show no gas in the carb by working the carb throttle linkage by hand.

Having a lot of gunk built up and also be from a leaking rubber valve cover PCV grommet or a plugged up carb/base plate that's not letting the oil gases & moistures be sucked out.
Or the engine could have a lot blow by that not being removed for some reason like posted above.

Orich

 

Well, the running out of gas thing only happens once in a while, so that gas can trick wouldn't be very practical, unless it starts doing it more often, which it did before I bypassed the glass filter, which couldn't hold a vaccume (where the heck is the spell check on this thing?) . It went a month before it did it again.
The line pressure fuel gauge sounds like a good bet - I'll try that. Thanks.

 

How about the factory fuel filter? Canister style on the fuel pump.

 

I replaced the one at the bottom of the engine - I'll check the other one.