Doing the ATF Engine Flush Thing

[mankypro]

As part of my maintenance after the 2k drive I went on I'm going to change my oil yet again. I think the heavy loads and prolonged periods at 2500rpm has knocked loose alot of gunk in the engine and even though I've flushed it once with that Hertland product I figured I'd do it again with this next oil change.

Has anyone here every done this procedure or anything close to it?

1. Warm-up engine and drain oil and replace filter.
2. Replace drained engine oil with 8 quarts of clean "transmission fluid" ....yes transmission fluid. REMEMBER tranny fluid is a lubricant as well as a detergent; this should break down years of sludge build-up, etc.
3. Start car idle for 10 minutes at about 1,500 rpm (NO HIGHER)!!!
4. Shut car and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Repeat step #3 and #4 two more times.
6. Drain all fluids from crankcase and dispose of filter. Notice the color and opacity of the "what was once RED" fluid which is now black as night.
7. Procede with a fresh oil filter and 8 fresh quarts of synthetic.
8. I would reduce the interval of your next oil change by 50%; and repeat the above procedure. This time you should notice that the "Red" fluid going into the crankcase....should come out closer to its original color. Remember, the only way to see if this has effectively worked is by replacing the oil filter before running the tranny fluid; that way you are getting a realistic read on just how clean the system is running; the reuse of the "oil" filter will leave 1/2 to 3/4 quart of dirty oil to mix with the clear red fluid....you get the idea.
9. The detergent action of the tranny fluid will break-down all oil residue, sludge, junk and oil-burnished parts of the engine.
10. And this is safe for all the engine seals as well.

11. REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT DRIVING THE CAR UNDER LOAD....YOU ARE ONLY IDLING @ 1500 rpm!

 

[typ4]

not something i would do , if it is clean under the valve covers it is clean everywhere else.
Flushing has never worked for me, always plugs up the screen with crap, frequent oil changes are best. delo and rotella have the best detergent package IIRC.

 

[NJGearhead666]

i wouldnt risk it either atf is no where near the viscosity protection that diesel motor oil would have dosent take much to scorch rod berrings even with it with no load your still making alot of friction. If you wanna get the lose gunk out of your motor just step up your next oil changes to get it all out.

 

[oldmisterbill]

I definatly agree-don't do it.Im my opinion from experience -long tripps or long running hours with little cool down time is the best flush ever.I had a used Chevy 350 that was just a total sludged up mess from short trips.no time for a rebuild it went into a snow plow that ran 24-40 hrs at a time .At the end of the first season of plowing it was sludge free.The waxes settle on a cold engines interior and build up gradually fron repeted cycles of short run times.An engine that runs long hrs at a time is constantly flushed with hot oil & detergents while the hot metal on the engine keeps the sludge soft and easy to dissolve.A slower sludge removal as Russ mentioned is less likley to cause problems as the particles are smaller and pass thru to the filter easier.
I realize that not every one wil be able to run thier engines taht long at a time but try to keep the run time longer to prevent build up in tyhe first place. Its just my own opnion. I have been wrong B4 a will be wrong again .

 

[DeepRoots]

man, thats one of my fears, that someone adds something to my detroits that would break the sludge loose.
maybe if I was going to rebuild it at that time, otherwise just drive the dang thing.

 

[RLDSL]

OLD WIVE"S TALE< DO NOT PROCEED!

Flushing with ATF is something that got real popular with rebuild shops back in the days of straight 30wt for customer engines that would come in bragging that the oil had never been changed, and I mean N E V E R there would be stuff caked on the innards 2inches thick, it was a wonder anything was turning. An ATF flush did wonders to give the condemned carcass an enema before surgery, unfortunately, a rumor started spreading in recent years over the internet that ATF is a great engine flush for daily drivers. IT IS NOT!

If you plan on immidiately tearing the thing apart, go for it, if not, do the right thing and got some Auto RX and clean it out without damaging the engine ( scroll down a few posts )

 

[Mr_Roboto]

"Let the car rest for 5 minutes".

Gotta love these urban legend things. They always seem to be written by people trying to sound like experts that are clueless.

I don't see the harm in adding a little ATF for the detergent but 100% seems like a real bad idea.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I am neither pro or con on this, but, I will say this on the subject :

Back in the day, when we had a full-service station, complete with requisite "grease-pit" out back; you know, the open concrete hole in the ground, with ramp-rails, that people drove their car over, such that one went down in the hole to work under the car, sort of a death-trap for drunks to fall into.


Many is the engine that we were requested to drain the oil, fill it with KEROSENE, idle and rev the engine, drain, and repeat, before installing the new oil and filter; all of this going through a drain-pipe, over the hill, and down the creek, upstream of the city water-plants pick-up point.



Also, for the last few years, we have had this punk kid employed who has one of those mini-truck low on the ground silly looking outfit that has a ten-thousand dollar stereo and air-bags, Toyota, with whatever four-cylinder gas engine that it came with.

This guy drives like a maniac, all over the country, exhibiting in car-shows, and changes oil probably five times a year.

He has ALWAYS used Mobil One ATF fluid, instead of proper engine oil; his argument is that a transmission gets hotter and has to work harder, so transmission fluid HAS to be better.

I have to say, it may be wrong and stupid, but it works for him; I have expected that engine to fly in pieces for years and it runs as good today as it did the first time I saw it.

 

[sle2115]

I'm not sure I want all that stuff broken loose inside my engine! I have to agree...don't do it!

 

[Mr_Roboto]

This guy drives like a maniac, all over the country, exhibiting in car-shows, and changes oil probably five times a year.

He has ALWAYS used Mobil One ATF fluid, instead of proper engine oil; his argument is that a transmission gets hotter and has to work harder, so transmission fluid HAS to be better.

I'm sure it isn't better for "motor oil" but as long as the motor was clean inside to begin with I don't think it would do much real harm. ATF is around the same thickness as 20 weight motor oil, probably gets a little thin when hot but not out of the servicable range for an engine.

 

[tractorman86]

I'm not sure I want all that stuff broken loose inside my engine! I have to agree...don't do it!

this is the problem if the engine is dirty it will break loose deposits and possibly reak havoc on your bearings and such. you might do it and turn out fine and if you have my luck then your engine WILL be toast. the reason he gets away with it is he dosen't have any deposits to break loose and his little 4-banger is probably rated for like 5-20 oil which isn't much thicker than atf but i call bs, i think he is blowing smoke up your a$$.

 

[sle2115]

I once put marvel in a Ford 3.0 that was cleaner than average with 70,000 miles on it. Within a 15 mile drive from my parents house to mine, the oil light came on and I pulled the pan to find it totally plugged. I had changed the valve covers because I put a 91 in a 93 body and the injection system and emmissions package was different, including the valve covers. At any rate, it was very clean on the top end, but it had sat in a building for a long time, I just wanted to clean the rings, etc. Never dreamed that would happen, let alone on a clean engine.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

i call bs, i think he is blowing smoke up your a$$.

He does his oil changes in our shop, on our hoists, and I SEE WITH MY EYES him opening the new bottles of ATF and funneling them into the crank-case; I don't know, maybe he then sneaks home and replaces the ATF with plain old oil.; it seems like a lot of trouble and expense to just be blowing smoke up someone.

 

[94f450sd]

This guy drives like a maniac, and changes oil probably five times a year.

does better than me anyways i change mine whenever i remember wich in most cases is once a year.the longest my idi went was 2 years.my stroke will go a year and i drive all over the place.its not uncommon for me to put 200 miles a day on them.

 

[fsr7]

Remember - there is a huge difference in the performance expectations from a 22re toyota motor and a v8 turbo diesel motor - those toyotas are tough, I don't doubt that one could run for a long time on atf - but they move around as well empty as your IDI will with 8k behind it - I would never run an IDI on 100% ATF. Asking for trouble.