Badfish740

On my new to me 1991 pickup I'm not sure when the oil was last changed. It's black as coal and looks a little gunky when its cold. Should I run one of those "motor flush" products through the oil before draining it? The 'net has all kinds of conflicting advice. Some say yes as it gets rid of sludge deposits-some say no, it will loosen a sludge deposit and end up clogging an oil hole/gallery somewhere and ruin a bearing. Any experience with this on the 22RE? Finally, with the engine just over 100K what do you all recommend for oil during the winter months? I'm in Northwest NJ so it doesn't get bitter cold here, but low single digit mornings are not at all uncommon through January and February. Is 5W-30 too light?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Change the oil, new filter, then change it regularly. I wouldn't bother with the other stuff.

:wabbit2:

xxxtreme22r

I've used the gunk engine flush before works pretty good. Run the engine to normal operating temp to warm up oil and then add the flush run for about 10 minutes or so. I have also used a small amount of transmission fluid to flush engines as well with decent results.

Or you can not run the flush stuff, change oil a few times over the course of a few thousand miles as well.

I would stick to a 10-30. Preferably not a Pennzoil product.

BMcEL

x2 for not flushing. And I'm not gonna get into the oil debate but my recommendation is Rotella T6. It's a group III (petroleum derived) synthetic 5w40 and easy on the wallet.

bob200587

I've used Seafoam in my crankcase before oil changes several times, but I can't really say if it did anything, at least not with any hard evidence.

If you want to do a flush, go for it, tell us your results. If not, change as usual with a quality synthetic oil.

Badfish740

Hmmm...I used Seafoam to clean the carbon out of the top end once it and worked pretty well. Maybe it's time to do the full treatment. The stuff is pretty amazing-I ran it through the fuel system of my lawn tractor in late Fall 2010 and left the tractor sitting in the garage with a full tank of fuel (treated with Seafoam). I just pulled it out last weekend (it was buried-don't ask ), put the battery back in it, it fired right up and I cut the front and back lawn.

sb5walker

If it's "as black as coal", then if it were mine, I probably would try to clean it out. I'd recommend a gentle approach, though. Rather than using a strong flushing agent, I would run a *true* synthetic oil for a few changes. Red Line, especially, being an Group V ester based oil, will really clean out a motor. Amsoil is mainly a Group IV PAO, but it contains esters also, as seal conditioners. It would still clean out the motor, but more slowly than the Red Line. Esters are strongly polarized molecules that act like detergents and will really clean a motor out. If you use them long enough, you would get your motor back to bright metal.

After all, it's entirely possible, even probable, that some of that black gunk is already partly clogging oil passages.

Never use a conventional 5W-30 because it is mostly viscosity index improvers that break down quickly, in as little as 2k miles (a syn 5W-30 would be fine). Suggest reading through these threads for info on viscosity choices:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-000-a-240271/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...weight-191577/

If you use a true syn, you'll need to change the oil filter a few times for each oil change because it'll get clogged with gunk (until the motor's clean, that is). Maybe after 1k miles, then every 2k a couple times, then every 3k until the motor is clean. Be sure to top off the oil after, since you'll lose some in the filter. The best filter for the job will be the Purolator PureONE - filters the finest particles and flows extremely well. I'd start out using the tall and wide PureONE PL30001, since it has so much media surface area and therefore will hold more gunk before clogging. But after the motor starts looking cleaner, the PL20195 which is tall but has the stock narrow width would probably be better. Pre-fill the PL30001 with oil by slowly pouring oil in until it gets almost to the top, then quickly pour out the oil in the core and then spin it on the block before the oil behind the filter pleats has a chance to pour out. It's a messy and inexact science, but any oil you can keep in the filter will shorten the time that the motor will be oil-starved at startup. You can install the PL20195 dry, as it doesn't take much longer to fill with oil than the tiny stock Toyota 90915-YZZD1. Read through this thread for info on why the PureONE filters are a good bet, and for important warnings against using aftermarket filters in the tiny stock size:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...filter-190242/

True syn oils last longer than the more widely available Group III syns and much longer than conventional oils. Where you might change a conventional oil every 3-4k miles, and a Group III (like Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Synpower, Castrol Syntec or Rotella T6) every 5-6k miles, true syns like Amsoil and Red Line can be run for 8-10k miles. But for your first fill, I would change sooner.

Be prepared for some leaks. One of the benefits of gunk is that it can plug existing gaps that otherwise would be leaking oil. Once you clean the gunk out of there, you very well may find oil leaking from seals or gaskets. I wouldn't let that stop you from cleaning it out, but you may have to address some leak issues afterward. For a temporary solution on the front and rear main seals, I found Valvoline MaxLife did a terrific job of stopping those leaks. For gaskets, you might find yourself needing to replace the valve cover gasket. But that's a good idea anyway since you need to check your timing chain guides to make sure they're still intact. Read through the FAQ threads and search on timing chain for why. And while you're in there, you'll want to check your valve clearances.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

zero503

X2 for seafoam, if your oil is that bad I would change it then with your new oil put in the seafoam and run it for a wile then change it again, it might cost a little more but your oil will be very clean for a wile.

Keith B.

What sb5 said sounds like good advice, but here's my story:
Bought 22RE truck in 2001 with 142K miles. Oil is still oil, but like black paint. Change oil. New oil instantly turns black. Wait 300-500 miles, change oil again. New oil instantly turns dark brown. Changed oil again at 3000 miles, everything OK after that. Engine developed piston slap 20K miles after that, but I have no idea if the slap could have be en oil-related.

gopher_6_9

If you feel you must use a flush product, seafoam is good, but if you want to save money .....

Get the engine up to temp. Add A quart of ATF, and let it idle for 30 to an hour.