I have never

-
Coyote Jack

Coyote Jack

Member #55, I'm old
FABO Gold Member
Joined
May 22, 2004
Messages
8,833
Reaction score
4,296
Location
Baxters Corner N.B. Canad
I am in the process of rebuilding an engine for a truck my brother just bought. It's a 98 chev 4x4 1/2 ton. 350 engine. I took it apart because of a real bad bottom end knock. The truck has 190,000k on it. I got the engine apart and found 2 turned main bearings. But that was not the shocking part. I have never seen so much sludge in any engine. It was 1/4 inch thick everywhere and in some places it was 1/2 inch thick. I have no idea what the previous owner put in this engine but it was unbelievable. The oil was brown. And I mean brown. I would not even attempt to clean this thing. I sent the heads, block and crank with my brother to one of the local engine shops to get cleaned and checked. If this is a typical chevy engine, I sure am glad I'm a Dodge guy. LOL

By the way, my brother bought it because of the rest of the truck, which is as close to perfect as I have ever seen. Go figure.

Jack
 
There are currently law suites out for engines developing excess sludge and there by limiting engine life.

There is a Chrysler engine on that list. I'm not sure who else, or how many, but I remember reading it.
 
Many years ago my dad bought a slant six engine for parts. There was so much hard, caked-up sludge in it that the pushrods were surounded by it. There were holes through the sludge where they passed through the head to the rocker arms. Smelled gawd-awful too.

A girl I know used to work for a mechanic in the late 1970's. She said a rock band traveling in an old school bus brought it in for some problem, don't remember what, but it was serious. The shop drained the oil & it only had about 2 or 3 quarts in it IIRC but read full on the dipstick. Pulled the pan & the bottom of the sump was filled with sludge. Don't know how the oil got through it down to the pickup tube.
 
'64 Cuda said:
Many years ago my dad bought a slant six engine for parts. There was so much hard, caked-up sludge in it that the pushrods were surounded by it. There were holes through the sludge where they passed through the head to the rocker arms. Smelled gawd-awful too.

A girl I know used to work for a mechanic in the late 1970's. She said a rock band traveling in an old school bus brought it in for some problem, don't remember what, but it was serious. The shop drained the oil & it only had about 2 or 3 quarts in it IIRC but read full on the dipstick. Pulled the pan & the bottom of the sump was filled with sludge. Don't know how the oil got through it down to the pickup tube.
Click to expand...

That /6 engine pretty much discribes this engine. What a mess!

Jack
 
. a little bit of anti freeze leaking into the oil will do this, not enough to have to add to the cooling system ,so it does nt come to mind. ford had a big problem with this same thing and i had two motors in a row do the same thing, ..just one possibility ,but worth checking ...
 
The engine is completely torn down right now, with the heads and engine being checked. I will get it together right and he should be on the road this weekend.

Very strange to see a vehicle that was so well taken care of on the outside be this bad inside the engine.

Jack
 
Lots of short trips in a cool, humid enviroment combined with long oil change intervals could do it too.
 

I had a 305 cheby v8 in a 66 1/2 ton that was the same way! Lack of proper maint. & abuse from the previous owner. One night it developed a bottom end knock so I took it to the shop & the mech. got his litle stethascope thingy out & said "start er' up"! & I said ok, but you wont need that to hear this! I started it up & he jumped back, scared for his life!!

It took an industrial sand blaster & numerous hot tanks to get it (sludge & carbon) off the bottom side of the intake manafold. I could only imagine what the inside of the block looked like!! Thank god I had a 350 laying in the shop.
 
They were probably running Pennzoil in it, it's well known to have alot of sludge build up!
Years ago my Dad bought an early 70's Polara that had been running Pennzoil we pulled the valve covers off and it had so much sludge and crap built up that you literally could not even see the rocker arms!
 
'64 Cuda said:
Many years ago my dad bought a slant six engine for parts. There was so much hard, caked-up sludge in it that the pushrods were surounded by it. There were holes through the sludge where they passed through the head to the rocker arms. Smelled gawd-awful too.
Click to expand...

Probably still ran good though, right? Those slants were indestructable.

When I was in high school I worked in a hess station. A friend of mine from school used to come in every once in a while, I'd always ask if I could check the oil - cuz it was Hess, we had to ask that. She never let me, said it was running just fine and didn't need to be checked.... until one day she did, I guess she had some extra time. Anyway, I pull out the dipstick and there was dust on it. Not a spot of oil to be seen. I started pouring oil into the motor, there was 2 quarts in it before it even started showing up on the dipstick.
 
Yep, good old parafin based Pennzoil.............I wouldn't oil a bicycle chain with it!

For the people that hardly ever change their oil, you can pay me now or pay me later!
 
We have alot of problems w/ the 2.7L sludging up pretty badly and some 4.7L at the Chrysler Dealership I work at. Poor engine design or crappy oil being used if you ask me.
 
excess sludge is usually the hallmark of poor maintenance.
Moms 75 Chevelle had a whistle clean 350 2 bbl but oil was changed on time regardless of mileage.

The 360 on my stand is the same. 60 000 miles and so clean you could eat off the heads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-
Back
Top Bottom