Would seafoam help clean this (pic inside)?

[GasSavers_SD26]

Originally Posted by RPM

This car uses a 88 C (190 F) thermostat but due to ignorance, it was stuck in the open position for many a year.

Well, you answered a lot of your problem there.

Oil that never gets nice and hot will not burn off water and byproducts of combustion. Loads up inside.

Potentially, the rings might be loaded up too.

I have some Auto RX, and I'm going to try it for reasons of it being able to clean out the engine slowly over time. Well, for me, I'll do it in a couple weeks putting on miles.

Fewer large bits to bounce around compared to using an aggressive five minute flush.

[GasSavers_SD26]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

ive been using castrol GTX in my vehicles and ive had the valve cover off both of em and they look new, just have some brown burnt on oil stains.

The Auto RX is noted to take care of the "burned on" oil. Would do the same in oil galleys, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to go and take off my valve covers to check what I've got in the bus, but I can only imagine after 250k. I might pop the oil filters though, just to see what I can see.

[babbydaddy]

I've used seafoam and it worked awsome and my car had 184,300 miles on it. and now I use mobile 1 and it keeps things clean. so I'd use it if I was you.

[bkrell]

Another vote for Auto-RX. Also, another vote for scrubbing off whatever you can with a brush and kerosene. Auto-RX doesn't typically release big chunks of sludge/deposits. It's not a flush. It's a slow-acting additive that is ester-based. When you add it, it basically has an affinity for metal surfaces and will emulsify deposits as it tries to attach itself.

If you go with seafoam or any other flush type treatment, you need to drop your pan and inspect the pickup screen.

Also, folks, be aware that the "detergents" in oil are not like scrubbing bubbles or Dawn. That's not their job. They are tasked with holding deposits in suspension as they form, not cleaning existing deposits off engine surfaces.

As for the efficacy of Synlube in preventing stuff like this, I'll leave that for another thread. Waay to much to go into here.

[getnpsi]

I cant tell your vehicle from your avatar icon but if that car has the HLA lifters like mazda engines I would be careful with hard solvents. there are tiny tiny HLA passages you need to worry about. if your valve cover is off its not hard to service them and put brand new ones in anyway 100 dollars US for the pieces and new upper gasket kit.

[dieselbenz]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

ive been using castrol GTX in my vehicles and ive had the valve cover off both of em and they look new, just have some brown burnt on oil stains.

For comparison, 160k miles using various synthetic oils changed every 7000-10000 miles.

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by JanGeo

ITS THE OIL MAN ! ! ! IT MAKES THE SLUDGE ! ! ! YOU ALL HAVE BEEN FOOLED into thinking that it is the way you are driving the car that forms the sludge but it all comes from the oil!!

OK that said I have to ask what brand of oil have you been using and the temperature of your thermostat in the engine.

isn't some of it combustion by products?

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by tjts1

For comparison, 160k miles using various synthetic oils changed every 7000-10000 miles.

not bad, looks almost the same (keep in mind my engine is 28 years old and has had oil from 1980-2008) lol

heres gonna be a interesting discussion topic:
these are pictures of the inside of my model A engine thats been sitting outside for the last 50-60 years(not running)
VALVES

CRANK/CAM





and heres what the outside looks like(looked, got it fixed up and running now)

and where it sat for the last 50-60 years


when i dropped the pan it had about (guessing) 3 qts/5 left in the pan with about a 1/2-1" layer of sludge, mind you its last oil change was prolly in the early 50's (was used from 1929 - 1951 according to the last plates that were on it) thats non detergint oil that had oil change intervals of 500-1000 miles (no oil filter)
ill make a big long topic about the truck in general discussions...

[GasSavers_SD26]

That is very cool...

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

not bad, looks almost the same (keep in mind my engine is 28 years old and has had oil from 1980-2008) lol

Damn. You're making me want to pull the valve covers on my 1980 Buick now.

Well, I'm pretty sure I have a new set of valve cover gaskets in the trunk.