cleaning out pieces of oil

[fiddlybits]

Started cleanup on another block tonight.
I don't remember ever being able to remove oil by the piece before.

[John S]

I used a shop vac to clean crap like that out of the lifter valley in my '68 Mustang. The engine is original and the intake had never been off.

[darrylkmc]

fiddlybits,

I have seen a few areas that had sludge like that, but not a valve chamber full.

If you did a Lead test on that material you might find where your bearing metal is at.

What I mean by this comment is that if someone used high lead babbitt, that would explain why it is in the valve chamber and may be contaminated with Lead.

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Purdy Swoft]

Never seen one like that .

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've seen sludge before, but not that thick in the valve chamber, and never that dry.

It looks like an engine that always used non-detergent oil, then went through a fire.

[C26Pinelake]

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You indeed have a major task ahead of you.
Wayne

[tbirdtbird]

Solidified non-detergent crud for sure. Anyone care to re-start the detergent vs non-detergent thread again?

[James Rogers]

I opened the valve covers on a 390 Tbird engine once and couldn't find the rockers. I have opened several 283 chevy motors in my youth that were almost as bad. This is what happened when Pennsylvania crude oils were used and not changed. These oils had more paraffin content and would build sludge that dried and made messes like that.

[Patrick L.]

Years go we had an older gal with 283 Chevy in the neighborhood. She came in for an oil leak fix. I pulled the valve covers and knew I had set them on the bench. When I looked they were still on the engine. Well, they were off, but, you can read Chevrolet in the crap, it was a perfect impression of the inside of the covers.

[fiddlybits]

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

Solidified non-detergent crud for sure. Anyone care to re-start the detergent vs non-detergent thread again?

No need to use detergent oil... just use non-detergent oil and add 2 oz of All Temperature Cheer laundry detergent.

If the build up is really really bad, I add Scrubbing Bubbles.

Both are really cool as you blow bubbles as you drive down the road. People think Lawrence Welk is in town.


(warning: do not attempt this at home. I am a trained amateur with dain bramage. attempting to duplicate or even follow my follies will lead to silly, goofy fun.)

[mshmodela]

Gee almost looks like coal.

[Gunmetal blue2]

My engine is coated with parafin oil inside. Least it is still soft. lol Don't we find the dardes things in are A and AA's

[newshirt]

Just add water!

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by James Rogers

I opened the valve covers on a 390 Tbird engine once and couldn't find the rockers. I have opened several 283 chevy motors in my youth that were almost as bad. This is what happened when Pennsylvania crude oils were used and not changed. These oils had more paraffin content and would build sludge that dried and made messes like that.

When I bought my 1952 Studebaker Land Crusier in El Paso in 1969, it was the same way. I cleaned out all I could by using a wood popcycle stick. I then used detergent oil and changed it every 2000 miles. The rest of the crud slowly got cleaned by the good oil. About once a month I'd pull the valve covers to see how things looked.

[jkeesey]

I had a chev motor like that. Was driving home from school and the engine stopped. It was running a bit hot so I let it sit and then fired it back up and headed home. Engine locked at the top of the biggest hill around. All the oil was pumped up into the rockers and the crankcase went dry. Spun 3 mains and 5 connecting rod bearings.

[H. L. Chauvin]

I think Mr. Rogers's diagnosis is exactly correct with his reply #8.

I had an early 1970's car that developed a connecting rod knock. Drove into a large inner-city engine rebuild shop ..... owner/mechanic immediately told me, (without asking), that I was using Quaker State oil made with Pennsylvania Crude.

Told him the former owner recommended it so I did use it. Owner/mechanic then showed me about 20 removed oil pans on display in his lobby full of thick crud from customers who had formerly always used Quaker State oil.

Then he showed about 20 "immaculate" oil pans from customers using his recommended Castrol GTX oil.

When he removed my oil pan, the bottom of the oil pan looked like a group of experimental chickens on a Milk of Magnesia diet had been roosting on my crankshaft for (5) years .............. without diapers.

Have no idea if Quaker State later changed their oil formula because with this one poultry droppings experience I did not buy any oil from them in about 40 years.

[tbirdtbird]

spoken as only H.L. can!

[Bruskie]

Quaker State oil sucks. I will never use it again

[rocket1]

I found that in my Studebaker oil pan while I was replacing the rear main seal,it was semi fluid and the color of lead,I figured it was from all the leaded gas the engine burned over the years.

[Purdy Swoft]

It looks like dried cracked mud in the bottom of a dried out mud puddle .