97 3.0 aerostar with oil change neglect...lifters noisy, etc. Need product recommendations for flush fluids and procedures. 170,000 miles

Thanks....Bill

 

Buy a can of SEAFOAM, change the oil and filter and add the SEAFOAM in place of the same amount of oil. Change it within 500-1000 miles but watch your oil level as the SEAFOAM will vaporize more readily than oil at higher engine temps.
Change the oil and filter again and if you like add the SEAFOAM again as well but cut the amount in half as the can states.
In the old days we used to add a quart of lacquer thinner and run the engine up to temp and drop the oil. Lucky we did not all blow up ourselves or our engines due to the low flash points on lacquer thinner and acetone.
Hope that helps.

 

Low cost and works well.
Add a qt. of diesel in the old crankcase oil.
Do a flush douche on the motor by add a full bottle Gumout Regane or Chevron Techron concentrate to 1/4 tank of gas. Then sucking in via a tube into throttle body a bottle of Gumout Regane or Chevron Techron concentrate at 1500 rpm.
Idle motor for an hour.

Replace oil and take for hard road trip. Repeat above as needed.

DO NOT RUN ON ROAD WITH DIESEL OR WHOLE QT OF SEAFOAM IN OIL.
Will take out bearings and journal surfaces from on road bearing loads.
Seafoam only states using small amount

 

Do you have low oil pressure?
I kinda do, but no noises yet. But suspect my pickup screen is clogged.
But I am thinking about trying something I read another Aero person did.
He drained the oil, put about 2 quarts of thinner in and let it sit overnight.
Then rocked the van/engine as much as he could back and forth.
Then drained thinner and sprayed carb cleaner through the oil drain hole toward the screen.
Filled with cheap oil, drove to oil change place and rechanged it.

It worked for him. ???

Any thoughts?

 

My opinion. If the intention is to keep the van......i wouldn't run sea foam or anything in the oil. Problem is flakes of carbined oil will block oil pump intake, resulting in low oil pressure. I would and have done this on another vehicle....remove oil pan,remove valve covers and intake. Spray purple power over exposed engine area. Let soak. Refit doghouse after plastic covered around inside of doghouse and engine bay. I use a pressure washer to blast the carbon and sludge from the heads and intake valley. Clean out oil pan. Spray wd40 or pb blaster over engine and let run thru engine. Install new gaskets etc and run 20/50w oil and new filter.

 

I don't think the oil pan comes off without removing the tranny? I would love to pull it and clean the screen.

 

I don't think the oil pan comes off without removing the tranny? I would love to pull it and clean the screen.

 

The 4.0L v6 has the oil pan bolted to the bell housing for rigidity, and is more easily removes after removing the transmission. Even then, you have to raise it a little for the pan to clear the cross member.

One of the vans on which I did this had the most amazing collection of crud in the oil pan. It looked like someone dumped a cup of cat litter, and it all ended up in the oil pan. I have no idea what that stuff was, how it got there, or what it did to the oiling system. It looked like it all ended up in a corner of the pan. That is, until I had to change the intake manifold gasket. It was the one-piece type that spanned the lifter valley. I found more solid crud sitting on that. Again, no idea how it could have gotten there, or what it's done to the engine. So no amount of flushing would have gotten that stuff out.

 

 

I actually replaced the oil pan gasket on two vans, a 1990 AWD, and 1991 2WD, both 4 liter engines. I acquired the 2WD model much later, so it was mis-treated by previous owners for a lot longer before I got it. That van had the kitty litter in the oil pan and on the intake manifold gasket, as well as all the sludge in the bottom. I got the AWD model much earlier in its life, so it was not nearly as abused as the other. It did not have nearly the sludge build up in its oil pan. So I think it has more to do with maintenance, than the material of the oil pan.