How to clean gunk out of new build

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RockinRobin

RockinRobin

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I had my race motor rebuilt. Apparently the machine shop the builder used did not boil the block. Now it loses oil pressure because the pickup screen keeps getting clogged with gunk. I backflushed the pickup tube and it restored normal oil pressure for a while, that's how I know. There are NO spun bearings! No metal shavings in the oil, just gunk.
Is there a way to clean out the oil passages without disassembling the motor?
Flushing crankcase with diesel?
Other suggestions? Taking it back to the builder is not an option.
:-(
 
I’ve run marvel mystery oil- 1 quart with rest 10w30 under a light load for 10mins and let sit over night. Then run again till hot and drain. Again light load if any.
Best you can do without taking apart and cleaning.:

Sea foam also makes a cleaner but I’ve yet to use it. Diesel or Kerosene has no lubrications and will kill the bearings.
 
If that is any indication of their workmanship, you need to do yourself a favor and disassemble and inspect thoroughly. If they can't even clean the pan, what else was he too lazy to do.
 
RockinRobin said:
I had my race motor rebuilt. Apparently the machine shop the builder used did not boil the block. Now it loses oil pressure because the pickup screen keeps getting clogged with gunk. I backflushed the pickup tube and it restored normal oil pressure for a while, that's how I know. There are NO spun bearings! No metal shavings in the oil, just gunk.
Is there a way to clean out the oil passages without disassembling the motor?
Flushing crankcase with diesel?
Other suggestions? Taking it back to the builder is not an option.
:-(
Click to expand...

Tear it down, now it may only cost you a gasket set.
 
The engine already ran with it. The oil filter has now caught everything. Have you cut it open?
 
If your just going to try a treatment of some kind be careful. When I first started working as a mechanic 35 yrs ago we had a customer with an intermittent oil pressure problem. We used engine flush to try and flush the crap out. Well it worked so good it filled the pan with sludge and the motor seized in a couple of minutes.
 
cut it open and see what it is
most likely the oil filter has not caught everything
and if it's scotchbright or glass bead...
shop rags
tear it down
 
T56MaxTorq said:
The engine already ran with it. The oil filter has now caught everything. Have you cut it open?
Click to expand...

It caught most of it until the filter plugged up and the bypass allowed it pass through unfiltered.
If it's plugging up the pickup you know darn well it plugged up the filter.

Someone once told me that failed lobe and lifter metal would get filtered out.:D
It destroyed 3 main bearings, three rod bearings and scored the hell out of all the others.
Which is pretty much what I expected, and granted that was metal but the point is the same.
The filter is not by any means a clean all.
 
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if you want to clean your pickup screen, remove the filter, and blow compressed air back thru the filter adapter hole, then drain the oil.
But if you can, I'd recommend pulling the engine and tearing it down, and cleaning it properly.
 
I've replaced a quart of oil with a quart of Marvels Mystery oil and run for a whole oil change. All kinda crap came out. I also did this to my 64 Valiant I got in January. I only left it in for about three weeks, but again, it cleaned it out good. As long as you don't race it like that or romp on it hard.......just drive it like an old man and it'll be fine. That stuff really works.
 
rustycowll69 said:
if you want to clean your pickup screen, remove the filter, and blow compressed air back thru the filter adapter hole, then drain the oil.
But if you can, I'd recommend pulling the engine and tearing it down, and cleaning it properly.
Click to expand...

There's no arguing this ^^^^^ is the end all be all to clean it out.
 
RustyRatRod said:
There's no arguing this ^^^^^ is the end all be all to clean it out.
Click to expand...
that is just to temporarily clean the pickup. If you have that black carbony sludge, it will break off in small chunks from inside the engine and while some will plug up the screen and restrict oil flow, some will get past the screen and those teeny small particles of sludge will accumulate and quite possibly build up in the clearances of the oil pump rotors, eventually stopping the rotors and shearing the oil pump drive or cracking/splitting/stripping the internal hex of the rotor. Don't ask me how I know this.
 
I wish I could see the internal parts of an engine from the outside, wait...Superman can. Your engine, your money. Nobody here will give you a money back guarantee if there opinion doesn't work. The smart answer is to take it down. The lazy, fingers crossed answer is to just try something else and run it. Tell us how it works out for you in a couple of days or weeks. Nothing is free. People spend hours trying to be clean and check everything when they are rebuilding their engine, but if the oil pick-up clogs up and you have to blow junk out of it just put something in and go for it ?.......Come on man. Good luck.
 
RockinRobin said:
I had my race motor rebuilt. Apparently the machine shop the builder used did not boil the block. Now it loses oil pressure because the pickup screen keeps getting clogged with gunk. I backflushed the pickup tube and it restored normal oil pressure for a while, that's how I know. There are NO spun bearings! No metal shavings in the oil, just gunk.
Is there a way to clean out the oil passages without disassembling the motor?
Flushing crankcase with diesel?
Other suggestions? Taking it back to the builder is not an option.
:-(
Click to expand...

Try adding a quart of transmission fluid to the oil and run it for a couple/few days and then do an oil change with filter... Trans fluid is light weight and high detergent and will clean up the internals...
 
Gunk huh? What-the-heck is your gunk? I watched a "mechanic" here it town pull the intake manifold, power wash the top of the engine while it was still in the truck, pulled the pan, dumped out the water and what he called gunk. Then he replaced the pan, intake manifold and gave it back to the customer. That kind of gunk?
 
UPDATE: Car has been at the body shop and hasn't been started in 6 weeks. I started it up today and it showed 55psi oil pressure. WTF??
 
I agree with the post that says "set of gaskets". If it were mine, I would tear it down clean it with brushes & soapy water, followed by WD40. Check the oil pump & pickup, rod & main bearings replace if needed. From there, I would find another machine shop.
 
Demonracer said:
I agree with the post that says "set of gaskets". If it were mine, I would tear it down clean it with brushes & soapy water, followed by WD40. Check the oil pump & pickup, rod & main bearings replace if needed. From there, I would find another machine shop.
Click to expand...
I agree that would be the best thing to do. Also the most time consuming. I'm trying to get back to the track as soon as I can. needless to say I'll never use this builder again (or the machine shop he used).
 
If you don't have time for a removal and teardown you could at least lift up the engine a bit and pull the oil pan, if it was my engine I'd be going crazy until I actually got a good look inside. Have you pulled a valve cover? How does the top end look?
 
MopaR&D said:
If you don't have time for a removal and teardown you could at least lift up the engine a bit and pull the oil pan, if it was my engine I'd be going crazy until I actually got a good look inside. Have you pulled a valve cover? How does the top end look?
Click to expand...
It's a gen 3 hemi in an A body, I can't get the pan down off the K member more than an inch or so. The top end looks fine.
 
RockinRobin said:
It's a gen 3 hemi in an A body, I can't get the pan down off the K member more than an inch or so. The top end looks fine.
Click to expand...

Ohhh... well that's kind of a different animal I figured you had an SBM. Unfortunately it sounds like you might have to get the oil pan off anyway, or mayyybe pull the timing cover and attempt to flush the oil pan but I don't really like that idea.
 
No matter what... it would drive me crazy to have ANY strange substance besides oil in my engine.
You say it's all out now... but do you know for sure?
How much was is to build that G3 Hemi? Juz sayin....
 
MopaR&D said:
Ohhh... well that's kind of a different animal I figured you had an SBM. Unfortunately it sounds like you might have to get the oil pan off anyway, or mayyybe pull the timing cover and attempt to flush the oil pan but I don't really like that idea.
Click to expand...
Engine is held in by a Motor plate. The motor plate would have to come out and the motor held up by an engine hoist. Biggest pain in the *** is getting the headers and torsion bars out.
 
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