sfm7315

After reading a few threads here , I went under the hood of my 98 4RNR Limited to see if I could spot any sludge. I removed oil fill cap and some black slugde was caked on bottom of cap. Also when I took a flashlight to the oil fill hole it looked pretty dark and tar like. Am I safe in assuming I've got sluge problems?
I've had the truck for 10months now and everything runs great ,but I suspect the previous owner was careless. Should I be panicing? How can I confirm slugde in motor and is there a safe fix? I now feel my family is driving a ticking time bomb
Please , need some advice

CJM

IF it truly is sludge removing the head and cleaning everything well is what I would do,

5-spd for life!

To confirm that there is sludge in the motor would require you to take the oil pan off. But to fix the problem if there is one is to run half of a can of seafoam in the oil about 100 miles before an oil change because it will clean out the crank case regardless if there is sludge. If your motor has a bunch of sludge you might want to take baby steps as to not clog oil passages. You can run a 1/4 can of sea foam for a couple of weeks and check your dip stick periodically to see if there is heavy contaminants and if there are, change oil immediately. Sea foam is very effective and if you have a sludge problem, you can take care of it too quickly which can harm an engine.

A different but milder option is to switch over to a fully synthetic oil which will clean your engine slower than sea foam.

24Runna

Is it possible to burn sludge after you switched to synthetic. I'm pretty sure I have sludge in my 3.slow, and have recently switched to synthetic. I noticed I burn a little oil now, but I'm pretty sure I have sludge.

98runner210

may be easir to just pull the passenger side valve cover off if you want to check for sludge.

toytech76

Are you using oil? One of the major things that happens if you are sludged up is that the oil control rings on the pistons get gummed up and let alot of oil by. Check your oil consumption. Its possible for it to look nasty in there without being sludged. Just don't use pennzoil. A company called BG makes some non-invasive engine flush kits for that sort of thing. Try something like that

Blackulua

Try www.auto-rx.com.I used it on my wife 1992 Camry V-6.I used it according to the instructions and the car is running better.

MTL_4runner

You can also switch to a higher detergent dino oil (synthetic doesn't have the same cleaners because it doesn't sludge like regular oil) like Valvoline or Castrol GTX. After using it for a while it will slowly eat away at any sludge in the engine.

98runner210

don't look at the cap as a reference for sludge. Oil doesn't flow there so it is normal for there to be a gummy residue on the inside of the cap.

Yotacool

the easiest and most effective way to clean your sludge out without tearing the motor down for cleaning is to go buy some BG engine flush kit from the local auto parts store. like 40 bucks max. also buy a new pcv. they often get clogged up and then aid in sludging.

first get the engine to operating temprature. then put the can of BG flush in the engine. let it idle for at least 30 minutes and give it a couple of throttle burps just for a slight increase in oil pressure. then just drain the oil put new oil and filter, as well as adding the can of BG MOA that comes in the engine flush kit.

ive seen this clean some nasty stuff out of engines. and i often sell customers with oil consumption or sludge complaints this kit. and it works!!!!
BG MOA is totally amazing!!!

MTL_4runner

X2

If you are serious about removing sludge deposits, the BG products work very well but are expensive.
You can get those kits fairly cheaply on ebay as well.

Adam F

If your really concerned, do an oil pressure test

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92687

$10 for the tool. Look up what PSI you should have and see what you are putting out. If you have serious sludge, you will have low oil pressure.

icerunner

FYI I would run synthetic oil as the best way to clean out your engine yet the best way is to Make your O.C.I.'s shorter and change the oil at 1,500 mile for the 1st oil change 2500 at the second change 3500 at the 3rd ect...
Synthetic oil will help clean out the sludge Change your oil immediatly after driving and while the oil is really hot you'll get the most sludge out that way.
good luck
also cut open your oil filter to check for sludge


from mobils website::
Mobil 1 High Mileage oils are designed to maximize engine performance and help extend the engine life of vehicles with over 75,000 miles.



Features and Benefits

Mobil 1 High Mileage oils are made with a proprietary blend of high performance synthetic basestocks fortified with an additive system designed especially for higher mileage vehicles. Mobil 1 High Mileage oils are especially recommended for high mileage vehicles even those that have used lower quality conventional oils. (Note 1)

Note 1 -- If your engine has excessive sludge deposits due to less-than-adequate maintenance practices, Mobil 1 High Mileage can help by reducing the sludge left behind by conventional oils. For severe cases of sludge, short oil change intervals (3000 - 5000 miles) are recommended for the first 2-3 oil changes as reduction of the sludge takes place. In cases of engine damage that may have resulted from poor maintenance, even Mobil 1 cannot remedy years of neglect.



Features
Advantages and Potential Benefits
Fully synthetic formula with SuperSyn Technology Excellent overall lubrication and wear protection. Outperforms conventional high mileage oils.
Extra anti-wear additive Helps protect critical engine parts in higher mileage engines
Extra cleaning additive Helps Reduce the sludge and deposits that conventional oils can leave behind
Seal Conditioner Helps prevent leaks

Applications

Mobil 1 High Mileage oils are recommended for vehicles with over 75,000 miles including all types of modern gasoline engines found in passenger cars, SUVs, light vans and trucks.

Mobil 1 High Mileage oils are suitable for all types of severe driving applications including high speed highway and stop and go city driving.
Mobil 1 High Mileage is not recommended for 2-Cycle or aviation engines, unless specifically approved by the manufacturer.

yarosig

What I did was drain the old oil before a change, and fill the crankcase up with diesel. Run the motor for about 1 minute and drain the diesel. Change the oil filter and put in new Castrol GTX. That's what I did, don't worry diesel has high detergent and lubricating properties.

98runner210

I really don't think running synthetic will clear up hardly any sludge. It is just oil too. You are going to need something with a high detergent grade to break up the sludge. Otherwise, I think that synthetic would just flow over and around it. Since the synthetic isn't going to break down the sludge it may just loosen it into large particles possible clogging oil ports or galleys.

1990Runner

im gonna seafoam first because it helped ou my gas milage with like1.5 to2 mpgs just putting it in the tank. if that doesnt do the trick then i say use the other treatment listed above. no offence, but putting diesel in your crankcase seams stupid and dangerous. what if some of it goes in to your pcv valve. i know oil works its way in to there. that could be bad. but thats just my opinion and im not a mechanic

Man4God

Ok, if the guy is speaking of Rotella T disel oil, then go right ahead. Its good oil. High in detergent and is usually very good quality. Run that for a couple of short interval changes then back to normal.

I think that dropping the oil pan is the most effective way of getting rid of sludge. Can't be that hard, right?

hiloracerboy84

how about running atf in the engine? ive heard from many that it has high detergent properties

toy_tek

I don't ever recall reading in the FSM about adding diesel, ATF, or Seafoam to a Toyota engine. Yikes.

You said yourself that it is running fine. Just start doing regular maintenance / oil changes. If you're really worried about oil problems, send out an oil sample and inspect the inside of the oil filter for metal. Do a compression check, and also see what your oil pressure actually is.

Reading the internet doesn't always "help", you can't fix what isn't broken.

I've had numerous high mileage engines, and I've rebuilt quite a few as well, for reasons other than lubrication issues. Never have I found oil related problems or extreme wear. Maybe I'm lucky, I dunno. But I have never dumped "fix-it crap" in any of my engines. There is probably a reason you don't see any mention of that stuff in a FSM.

CJM

Adding ATF then draining after a bit works, so does adding a bit of water to a carb. No idea if it works with fuel injection (water).