Thread: VE oil sludge help!

hi everyone I'm looking for suggestions on how to by cleaning this motor. I've done my search I found a few threads, but cant find a anything useful. I got the engine while I was overseas from a guy locally for $980 shipped to my house so I could let the offer go. Now that I'm back I pulled the valve cover off and found sludge but at least its not in a hard state yet, it's all soft.
- I was thinking take the head apart and clean it with some kind of solovent but I dont know what to use?
- Or get the head hot tanked
- maybe a machine shop could do something?
here's pictures:

yeah....I think that thing has never had an oil change. I am not sure what your best option would be, hopefully someone with sluge expertise will chime in,

JCC

Well, you could clean it up, but I'm a little worried about the state of the rest of the engine.

Have you done a compression test?

If it comes back ok. you can flush it out with Berryman's Chem-tool. Little white can you'll need 3 or 4 and a couple of cans of brake parts cleaner. Berryman's is about 3$ a can. Diesel Fuel is also an option. I've had good luck w/ Bio-D. Real Soy bio-d, not fryer oil.

Just hang it up on the hoist and open the drain plug. and start dribbling it around the valvetrain. it will emulsify all the crud so it will drain down.

My personal preference is to hook it up on my test stand, and idle it w/ 3.5qt's non-detergent oil, and 16oz of chem-tool for 10 minutes. It's amazing how much comes out.

When you are done, you will need to to pull at least the lower oil pan and clean it by hand. I would actually pull both just to be sure you get it all.

Also, be sure not to start this engine until you have primed the oil system by cranking it w/o the plugs in it for at least 30 seconds As you may spin a bearing otherwise.

I've heard people use diesel to clean it out. Get a couple gallons and wash the sludge out with it. I've never done it, so I'd wait till somebody else chimes in before doing it, but it is an option.

Otherwise I'd strip the motor all the ways down and get it tanked and clean the small stuff by hand.

Covert russian has so experience in this department. Contact him.

-where can I get Berryman's Chem-tool? autozone maybe!
thanks for the suggestion I have not compression tested yet. I dont think I can get good comp readings if it's not at fully operating temperatures. I remember the guy I bougth it from saying he never got it running cause he was not getting spark but he was using the VE ECU with a regular 93' auto tranny. Now it makes me wonder if it actually has bad compression. I think I'll put it on a engine stand and tear apart the head and the 2 oil pans and clean it Berryman's Chem-tool and brake cleaner and probably rebuild it with DET pistons, that was my initial plan anyway.

If my problem is not sludge but debris from trees, etc from the motor sitting outside, what's the best way to go about it? take it apart and use brake parts cleaner? or should I use the chem-tool as well? is there any product that I can use to bathe the cams, roller-rockers, etc in?

Thanks Guys,

JCC

I would take it out and clean it all, if it's been sitting outside it might have some rust too.

Oh the sludge, thats always a fun thing.

There are a few things you can do. Depending on how expensive you want to them to get and how much time you have to deal with this.

• First, you will need to start changing your oil at about 1k, 2k tops.
• If you can use synthetic oil, this will help. On my engine I can't use Synthetic to clean because it will leak out in no time.
  

If you have been using Conventional oil, then start adding one quart of ATF+ transmission oil to the oil. 3QT's of Normal oil, 1QT of ATF.

ATF has a good amount of detergents and breaks down sludge, but only when it's under pressure. So you will need to drive on it, and it will clean up all the pipes etc.

I think you can possibly use ATF with Synthetic oil, but I'm not 100% on that.


Diesel Fuel Flushing
I will honestly say this stuff works magic. Before I did couple diesel fuel flushes my oil would come out pitch black, now it comes out lighter colors

How to do a diesel flush

• Get a gallon or more of diesel
• Warm up your car, then drain all of your oil.
• Keep the oil drain plug open and start pouring diesel into the add oil hole. Keep pouring it, until diesel starts coming out of the drain plug (you will be surprised how much oil is left after a drain).
• Close the drain plug, then add about 3-4 quarts of diesel in
• Start the car and run the engine for 10 minutes max! DO NOT Rev over 3k rpm
• After you have idled for about 10 minutes, shut of the car drain the diesel and if you have enough diesel add some more in and make another cycle.
• Afterwards just add normal oil or synthetic oil and drive for a while, and then next oil change do the same.
  

I've used Motul engine cleaner before on a head with oil sludge (not as much as this, though). It did wonders to clean it up. Luckily, I haven't had to do this to my current VE, as it was all nice and yellow when I bought it. I still used the Motul stuff to clean out whatever I could not see, and it has helped taking out some leftover "JDM" oil.

It's basically a thinner you mix with conventional oil. Thenm you run the car for 15 minutes and flush/put your good oil in. It does pretty well. I would start with a diesel flush, then clean out the rest with the Motul stuff.