tslavin30

hey all I recently had bought a 98 4runner, looked to be in pretty good shape for the price, low surface rust, etc etc.. anyway back at the buy point I checked the oil and it came out not bad, that was only the dipstick, recently I had opened up the cap to replace my oil and found some dreaded black sludge to be present, now it's pretty nasty to be honest. I would probably want to take it all apart and clean it by hand but that is not really all that easy to do when you're in a basement rental with no garage. is there anything anybody has done to tame the beast a bit? obviously I do regular changes as of getting it with a fully synthetic amsoil- this was the first. detergents i'm not 100% sure on yet if you would like to sway my decision left or right on that and seafood/ others etc. anyway appreciate any info guys thanks, will try to keep up with responses.

Has anyone else been through this?

83

Can you explain more? Black sludge where? On the oil cap? That's what it sounds like from your post but obviously you wouldn't be so worried about sludge on the oil cap so you'll need to give us more info.

Sludge Monster

like this?
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/o...ttacks-167704/

ran it for another 100K miles. Supercharged.
Think I just blew a head gasket... (260K)

83

Too bad the photos don't show.

akwheeler

There are many products sold to clean sludge out of a motor, it's best to prevent it in the first place. Most flushing products call for you to drain some oil, add their "tried and trued voodoo in a bottle" and run it for a short time before doing a complete oil change. I don't have any past experience to guide you, but I've heard of replacing a quart or two of your oil with diesel for the same trick. If no one else on Yotatech chimes in with some solid advice do some research and take your best shot. Let us know how it turns out.

83

Crazy. That much sludge built up inside the motor? Definitely a neglected truck.

Yeah, definitely worth trying some snake oil. Seafoam or any of the other typical tricks you hear about. A lot of oil changes.

Tilikum102602

My dad bought my 3.4 from the showroom floor in 96. 325k miles later no sludge at all. I use a quart of. Lucas, 4 quarts of 15w 40. ( diesel oil has more additives) . been running it like that and change the oil once a year. Took off my valve covers a week ago and no sludge. just drove it from where i live, orem utah, to idaho falls yesterday. Didnt burn or use any fluid.

akwheeler

Fighting sludge is all about regular oil changes. Neglect them at your own risk, oil passages block up and no oil gets to the head/cam and you're done with that one! There are people out there that just don't care or totally forget, sucks to be them. I replaced a v-8 dodge engine under warranty working at a dealership once, the customer came back almost a year later with a knock in the motor wanting us to warranty that one too, but 15000 miles after the install it still had my initials, the date of install and the mileage on the oil filter. It's hard to feel sorry for anyone that doesn't do proper maintenance as required, like a broken timing belt and bent valves way past the recommended replacement mileage. Since you just bought into this one I'll cut you some slack! LOL If you pull off a valve cover you might get a better idea how bad it is.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

You can run a high detergent oil and change it often. Maybe seafoam in the oil and change it after about 50 miles. Same thing with throwing a 1/2 quart of ATF and running it for 50 miles then changing the oil. ATF was the old school stand by before oils had higher detergent levels so it’s probably not that much different than modern oils from my understanding. Diesel oil has some of the higher detergent levels from my understanding as well.

Kolton5543

You could try the diesel in the oil. Ive never tried it so I don't know how well it works. ATF I know for sure works but it's a relatively slow at breaking down the sludge. Good thing about it is it's an excellent lubricant so it can go in and actually stay till the next oil change. Most snake oils seen to be exactly that. One that I know for sure works is from BG. We use it all the time at work. Had a truck come in one time so sludged up the oil wouldn't drain. Threw in some BG EPR drove hard for about 10 miles and drained a bunch of chunks out. Afterwards looked in the oil drain hole and in the valve cover it was clean as a whistle. You can pick it up on ebay or most auto shops. Just go to a shop that uses BG products and ask to a can of EPR and MOAA. They come together as a kit. MOAA is just an engine protector used after the oil change. How well it works I don't know.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

15/40 in a 3.4 change oil once a year does it live in a heated garage most of the year??

The oil clearances so bad that is the only way you get pressure ??

Maybe the Lucas oil treatment is enough to keep the cams from dry starts??

running 1/2 a quart low as well interesting

Tilikum102602

Well i dont really have a schedule of how often i do oil changes. I normally do them before and after long road trips. I live in north utah and has never knocked when its below 20. I know about thicker oil is bad for engines in cold bla bla bla im the test monkey i suppose. I have seen a few 3.4s blown up or bad hg at 49k and here i am driving from. Butte Montana to Orem utah with a 320k mile engine that has not given me any problems with the 15w 40. Just personal preference that i like to run thicker oil when running 3k rpm most of the time. Not being rude dont get me wrong. I just dont belive the whole oil and cold temp thing

Tilikum102602

And i dont run low i just forgot to mention . Dont believe me ill send you pics. My truck charging a jump box this morning
Thats my dads 3.4 in a different t100 back at home. He also runs 15w 40 and lucas
A shirt i made kinda
Its blury ill take a more clear pic at the next truck stop.Runs like a knock on wood! Custom short ram intake and no muffler. Super loud and super proud. # T100. #5vz-fe


Since im pulling off the valve covers tomorrow i will post a pic of the cams to show you what they look like.

Tilikum102602

Hey i recommend pulling the valve covers and using a rag or something and clean up the cam shafts best you can. Run a good oil filter and some lucas

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Sorry OP to go off sideways here

I see my truck runs @2000 rpm with many starts and stop .

Living in the mountain west very seldom would one stop 10 times driving less then 15 miles

Makes more sense now I used 20/50 in my 22re engines

Back to the OP as long as the oil still had lubricating properties things might still be saved without major surgery !!

Tilikum102602

Yea i say pull the valve covers and get some thinner and a rag