Engine Oil gets dirty real fast.
 

Hey guys
i'm trying to find out what i should do if my enginwe iol is getting dark fast. It turns pitch dark in a month. Sould i take the pan out and clean it ? Is this serious?

What shoud i do? Any ideas?

max

How many miles?

I have seen that with other cars that were purchased and come to find out, the oil had not been changed very often and all of the sludge would get stirred up from the bottom of the pan which made it dirty very quickly. I would drop the pan and find out what it looks like. If it is dirty, you can clean it and see how much gunk is in it. The oil should not get dirty that fast. Let us know what you find. :)

I'd also try an engine oil cleaner at your next oil change. They sell them at most parts stores for around $5 a can. You dump the stuff in before the oil change, idle the engine for a few minutes, then do an oil change.

I would definitely pull the pan and wipe all the sludge out of it. I've never had the oil pan off my SVX, so I don't know how difficult a task you are looking at, but it's the only way to get all of the sludge out of the pan. I also agree with Earl about sludge being caused by not changing the oil in a timely manner. An oil cleaner would also help to clean areas you can't get to.

I've heard really good things about 'seafoam.' My friend just used a bottle he picked up at Napa. I think he used half of the bottle in his gas tank for the injectors then put half into the crankcase. After driving a couple of days he changed the oil and noticed a lot of junk coming out. It worked really well for him. Take it for what it's worth.

I have heard lots of good stuff about Seafoam as well. :)

Have also used some paint thinner ... (no b.s.)

with good success on the ticking turbo subes ( they get sludged up and the lifters are a ticking nightmare)
Add it before you change the oil and let it idle high for about 5 min.

You won't believe the s*** that comes out and the oil is as thin as water ...

cleaned out both SVXi recently before adding mobil 1 synthetic. :)

110,000
 

The car has 110,000 miles. I think the guy who had it didnt use the car much or change the oil. I'm gonna try taking out the pan and also some of the oil cleaner this weekend if possible. Will let you know about the results.

By the way is sea foarm a injector cleaner or a oil cleaner.

Thanks alot for your advice.

You can supposedly use Seafoam in gas, oil, or even vacuum lines to clean up some carbon buildup. I've never personally needed it on my car but have known people that think it's great.

I have used seafoam and will say like the others. Good stuff. It does oil, gas and intake. Use it with knowledge though. Hydro-lock is not good.
And, I would not drop the oil pan if it isn't leaking. Just use a crankcase cleaner before going to extremes. Dealing w/ an PO's neglect can suck. good luck.

I agree. Don't drop the pan unless you really need to. Try the cleaners first and hopefully it will take care of it. :)

some cleaners tell you that if it is really bad you still need to drop the pan after using the product.

i use about 1/2 to a full quart of oil to flush out an engine if I suspect gunk after a treatment. I let the drain plug out and pour the oil in and let it push out stuff that didn't make it out the first time. oil is cheap...engines aren't :(

Try the Search functio for "Auto-Rx"
 

It really works! Cleaning out the pan 1st is a very good idea: while you are at it, be sure to properly service the transmission! The chances are that if the previous owner neglected the oil he probably neglected the transmission, also... :eek:

Cheers!

I have a great desire to drop my oil pan... I want to clean the gunk out of it, as i'm sure it's never been done. Why would i want to not do this? I change oil regularly, yet my oil is black as tar after about 20 miles of running.