Devon Harley
Full Access Member
Hey guys so I'm doing the valve cover gaskets and my oil is super gummy and its on the 93 I just bought iv'e changed oil twice. PO had the oil 2 years old and 5k over so I'm not sure what to do. Additive?
Gummy Oil
- Thread starter Devon Harley
- Start date
Devon Harley
Full Access Member
Mel is it a bad thing? I mean I know its not good but can it hurt the motor?
icanfixall
Official GMM hand model
Auto RX will clean out that gummy mess and it wont do it in chunks either. You want this to be slowly removed so as not to plug up the piston oil cooler jets. Most over the counter cleaners will knock it off in big pieces. Then its a problem. Those members that have used Auto RX have nothing bad to say about it. I personally have not used it. I just change oil at 3000 miles. My oem engine had well over 300,000 miles on it and no buildup in the engine at all. Just well worn out...
Devon Harley
Full Access Member
I do 5000 miles and two filters and burn 1.25 quarts (Joker Truck). How much do I add and how many times and how much do I change the oil. Question also can I use my used oil out of my Joker its still kinda brown like when it was coming out of the truck and you stick your finger in the hot oil coming out lol Its like black gold. (STILL GOOD)? I think for using as a flush oil but idk. Dont blame me for asking. Thanks
Go to www.auto-rx.com and check it out , read the instructions for diesels THOROUGHLY!. follow the instructions to the T. It all may seem a bit strange, but it works! and it will get your engine cleaned out safely without damaging anything, and chances are you will see a nice little side effect of some increased compression and easier cold starting, smoother running, and a few other fun things like that aside from just cleaning the insane tons of crud out of your engine. If its nasty where you can see it, just imagine what the ring packs look like
. By the time that stuff gets through doing its thing, it'll look new inside 
Black dawg
Registered User
Are you saying that you change your oil at 5k? If the deposits are soft, I would think they would go away with longer trips and shorter oil change intervals.
PwrSmoke
Full Access Member
I have a slightly different perspective on this.
All the above is true, however given time a good oil will clean the engine by itself... albeit slowly. It may not get all the stuff out and leave the engine shiny clean inside, but the detergents in fresh oil will break down much of it if the truck is driven normally and get the engine functionally clean (as opposed to cosmetically clean, if you see the difference). That's your low cost option. Some sludge doesn't really hurt the engine, unsightly as it may be. It's naturally occurring, usually from soot agglomeration in diesels or short hop operation. If the truck only got 5K miles in two years with the PO, the odds are good it was a short hopper that seldom got the oil good and warmed up. A two year OCI isn't a problem in and of itself... oil can't tell time... but in order to run long time intervals, the engine has to be run long enough when it does run to get the oil fully up to temp and kept that way long enough to bake out moisture (minimum 30 minutes @ 180F EOT is the generic number) and fuel contamination. In a short hopper, the moisture and fuel keeps building up until the additive package runs out of active material trying to fight the acids and oxidation and then the sludge starts to build up. With fresh oil and some good exercise, your truck will clean itself up. The AutoRx stuff does work, however, and works well. I'll leave it to you to judge the severity of it, but a little sludge isn't worth getting too excited over and spending a lot of money on in my book, especially knowing that it will largely clear up on it's own when you start working the truck with fresh oil.
All the above is true, however given time a good oil will clean the engine by itself... albeit slowly. It may not get all the stuff out and leave the engine shiny clean inside, but the detergents in fresh oil will break down much of it if the truck is driven normally and get the engine functionally clean (as opposed to cosmetically clean, if you see the difference). That's your low cost option. Some sludge doesn't really hurt the engine, unsightly as it may be. It's naturally occurring, usually from soot agglomeration in diesels or short hop operation. If the truck only got 5K miles in two years with the PO, the odds are good it was a short hopper that seldom got the oil good and warmed up. A two year OCI isn't a problem in and of itself... oil can't tell time... but in order to run long time intervals, the engine has to be run long enough when it does run to get the oil fully up to temp and kept that way long enough to bake out moisture (minimum 30 minutes @ 180F EOT is the generic number) and fuel contamination. In a short hopper, the moisture and fuel keeps building up until the additive package runs out of active material trying to fight the acids and oxidation and then the sludge starts to build up. With fresh oil and some good exercise, your truck will clean itself up. The AutoRx stuff does work, however, and works well. I'll leave it to you to judge the severity of it, but a little sludge isn't worth getting too excited over and spending a lot of money on in my book, especially knowing that it will largely clear up on it's own when you start working the truck with fresh oil.
OLDBULL8
Good Morning Ya'll.
Use the Auto-RX, you won't regret it. It has other functions other than cleaning the engine internals.
Devon Harley
Full Access Member
Also the oil was 2 years old with 8,200 miles on the oil tag was in the window. No my other truck and all my trucks I go 5,000 miles and change filter at 2,500 miles and its usually never pitch black. I use Rotella soon to switch and MotorCraft FL1995 Powerstoke filters. When I do it this way its still thick and not a nasty smelly black liquid grease if you know what I mean its still BROWN in the light and smells fresh. Could I use it as oil to do a couple 500 mile changes and use the auto RX?
PwrSmoke
Full Access Member
You could use the Rotella very nicely but I don't think you need 500 mile intervals. Give it some time to work... 2500-3000 miles anyway. If you are going to use AutoRX, follow whatever procedure they say. It's very specific, as I recall.
I'm also going to question your overly frequent filter changes (except as prescribed by AutoRx).
A lot of people don't know that filter efficiency improves with use. I don't know the efficiency of the Motorcraft FL1995 exactly (that info is tough to get... I've heard 19 micron nominal), but the Wix equivalent is 21 microns nominal (meaning it can catch 50 percent of particles as small as 21 microns in size on the first pass thru the filter), which is pretty good. If you understand Beta Ratios, the Beta for the Wix is 2/20=10/30, meaning it can catch 50 percent of the particles 10 microns in size and 95 percent of the particle 25 microns in size in an ISO multipass test. As the big pores are blocked in service, efficiency gets better and better and filter efficiency can improve significantly over time. The next thing in your mind will be, "but what if the filter plugs?" That's not likely. According to filter industry statistics I was given, the average filter changed at a normal interval is less than 50 percent plugged at the time it's changed. The FL1995 has 40 percent more media than the spec'ed FL784 so it has that much more media to play with. The bigger filter is also more efficient. The Wix equivalent for the FL784 equivalent (and one can assume similar efficiency) is 32 microns nominal and Beta 2/20=24/44... 50 percent efficient at 24 microns and 95 percent efficient at 44 microns in a multipass test. The FL1995, or quality equivalents are the ONLY way to go on an IDI short of the really expensive Amsoil and super premium filters. I quoted Wix so much because unlike Motorcraft and many other filter mfs., they publish all their data and don't turn getting info into a tooth-pulling exercise.
Anyway, the point is, you are tossing the filters before they are really starting to work for you.
I'm also going to question your overly frequent filter changes (except as prescribed by AutoRx).
A lot of people don't know that filter efficiency improves with use. I don't know the efficiency of the Motorcraft FL1995 exactly (that info is tough to get... I've heard 19 micron nominal), but the Wix equivalent is 21 microns nominal (meaning it can catch 50 percent of particles as small as 21 microns in size on the first pass thru the filter), which is pretty good. If you understand Beta Ratios, the Beta for the Wix is 2/20=10/30, meaning it can catch 50 percent of the particles 10 microns in size and 95 percent of the particle 25 microns in size in an ISO multipass test. As the big pores are blocked in service, efficiency gets better and better and filter efficiency can improve significantly over time. The next thing in your mind will be, "but what if the filter plugs?" That's not likely. According to filter industry statistics I was given, the average filter changed at a normal interval is less than 50 percent plugged at the time it's changed. The FL1995 has 40 percent more media than the spec'ed FL784 so it has that much more media to play with. The bigger filter is also more efficient. The Wix equivalent for the FL784 equivalent (and one can assume similar efficiency) is 32 microns nominal and Beta 2/20=24/44... 50 percent efficient at 24 microns and 95 percent efficient at 44 microns in a multipass test. The FL1995, or quality equivalents are the ONLY way to go on an IDI short of the really expensive Amsoil and super premium filters. I quoted Wix so much because unlike Motorcraft and many other filter mfs., they publish all their data and don't turn getting info into a tooth-pulling exercise.
Anyway, the point is, you are tossing the filters before they are really starting to work for you.
OLDBULL8
Good Morning Ya'll.
When I worked maintenance at Ford Lima Engine 24 years ago, we were instructed by tha Glass House (Engineering) to purchase only WIX filters to be used on all hydraulic and coolant systems. I assume that is still the recommendation. Must be something to it.
Devon Harley
Full Access Member
Someone has told my that before. The visor says up to 5k light use or heavy duty use 2500 miles. So I figured getting the old filter off would e best when I go the full 5k with one filter the oil is a nasty stinky black water like liquid. When I use 2 filters its almost like pooring new oil in the engine and draining it right away still brown thick oil with a hint of black. I'm not an expert at all and your probley right but I like the oil to be clean looking It's seems to be more thick.
OLDBULL8
Good Morning Ya'll.
Lot's of opinions about your oil and what you should or shouldn't do. But what your saying about it seems awful strange. Only way to really know what you have is thru an oil analysis. Blackstone Lab's will send you several sample bottles, when you return one for analysis, it cost's $25, then there is a discount for the OB, they will call you or email if there is something drastically wrong.
Edit: You can even send them a sample in a clean bottle, if you didn't want to wait for them to send you there sample bottles. They want to know the type (viscosity), Brand, how many miles, what engine used in. Check there web site. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free...ist&utm_campaign=b284759b87-&utm_medium=email
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/orde...ist&utm_campaign=b284759b87-&utm_medium=email
Edit: You can even send them a sample in a clean bottle, if you didn't want to wait for them to send you there sample bottles. They want to know the type (viscosity), Brand, how many miles, what engine used in. Check there web site. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free...ist&utm_campaign=b284759b87-&utm_medium=email
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/orde...ist&utm_campaign=b284759b87-&utm_medium=email
Last edited:
firehawk
Full Access Member
Don't worry about the sludge. Pwrsmoke is right on with his comments. To put it in perspective, I bought a junkyard motor and popped the valve covers to see the worst sludge accumulation I have ever seen. Thing is, the oiling surfaces and paths were in top shape with no visible wear when I checked the cam and valve train. Running a cleaning agent to remove all that could only end badly. To remove lots of sludge, I only recommend disassembly.
Similar threads
