guess what I found

[Springfeet]

I finally got my oilpan off and got inside the engine. It took me about a week because I didn't have that much time around school and work and study to actually work on my car, but I finally got it. I found about half an inch of solid oil in the bottom of the oilpan in my /6. Not just a thick sludge, this was solid. The oil pickup was completely clogged also, so it looks like I've found my problem. It looks like I'm gonna be calling previous owners and finding out exactly how much they did to the car as far as maintenance, cuz it looks like it hadn't had an oilchange for quite some time before I did one about 2 months ago. Oh well, all the internals seem to be ok. I just hope the sludge isn't holding everything together.... cuz that'd suck when I clean it out.

[Dr. Righteous]

This sounds like the work of an incidious cult. Yes, the Quaker State Believers. In their aftermath the victim is ususally left burried in inches of sludge. Will we ever have JUSTICE????

[Christopher]

Your boat's got a hole in it there Doc. I've been a Quaker State user for over 20 years and have had ZERO problems with any of their oil or products.My wife's Jeep has 128,000 all on Quaker State,and my Ramcharger has 119,000 also on Quaker State,no sludge or black soot ,nothing is in those engines.Plus my 70 383 Road Runner has been on the same brand of oil(yes good ol'Quaker) since 1970,also with zero problems.The problem is this is one of those good southern tales that never dies.Quaker State had at one time,back in 1976,where they bought additives for their oils from a competitor and it caused some engine damage,but no sludging problem.Quaker State also reimbursed these folks for their troubles.All the name brand oils today are good.The key is a proper oil and filter change interval.My cars are proof of this.

[PRO]

I agree with Christopher on this one Dr,QS never leaves to leave behind much residue,PENNZOIL is the culprit,Ive seen it so many times its ridiculous,Now it may not be pennzoils fault because it always seems to be in engines that werent seviced regulary,I had a guy bring his Bronco in for a new engine,He said He always changed the oil every 3000mi,when I pulled the valve covers off,there was so much build up you'd of thought the valve covers were still on!!!!!!!.......pennzoil.......PRO..

[rumblefish360]

I think you all missed the joke. Its not so much the oil stated, but, the fact some people will leave there oil in for way to much time. Like beyond sane limits.

[ChristianCuda]

I will agree with rumblefish there.

Pro I use Pennzoil in everything I use and no sludge in anything. Of Course as stated by Christopher that all the oils used today are good but if they aren't changed regularly they will sludge up and build up quick. I never liked Quaker state because I saw a motor that literally was sludge I don't think there was an engine under it. But again owner Never changed the oil just added it when it needed it. Which by that time was a quart a week.

I thank god for people like that with my 400. I bought the motor all complete. It was all sludged up and thrown out and it is perfect. I swear this engine doesnt have 30,000 miles on it. The bores are perfect as is the crank. The heads were coated with sludge though. I am now since it is so good Putting it all back together with a 440 crank and running a stock bore 400 stroker.

Christian

[powerwagon]

I think it definitely was the time between oil changes, but my 2 cents worth, Valvoline Racing Oil is the best (20W-50).

[2000 DAK 4.7]

The sludge build up was probably caused by the use of STP oil treatment. I have seen this problem in several motors. The greatest concentration usually occurs in the bottom of the oil pan.

P.S. Mobile one is the best oil, but damn it i'll cost ya!

[5thAve]

Quaker State be waxed based. I've never used the stuff but I've heard it's great if you use nothing but. I usually use Castrol GTX or Pennzoil.

I know someone who used to put quite a few kms on his vehicles every year and once a year he would take the oil pan off to clean it out. But then a mixture of getting older and less and less time to do things like that he stopped doing it. His last engine (a 350, sorry) had over 500,000kms on it when the original tranny died. He got a new van while the old one was waiting for a new tranny, and when it finally got it it was sold shortly after. He always said he was worried the engine was going to die of metal fatigue With no time at all for service that engine usually went 12-13,000mi on one oil change and still never burnt any. I call that luck... The good news (not for him) is that he got a new GM van which has been a piece of crap since day one...

[Tim_K]

I've been using Castrol GTX in 10w-40 and 20w-50 weights for over 11 years now. My engines are clean inside. Way back when I got the /6 that's in my '71 Valiant now, one of the things I did to it was to take off the valve cover and clean all the gunk out of it when I was lashing the valves. 103,000 miles of lead foot style driving later, it's still clean with no build up. I usually try to change oil every 3000 miles, but sometimes it goes to 4000 or even 5000 by the time I get around to it.

[CL440]

HAVE YOU HEARD OF A COMPANY CALLED "PENNZOIL QUAKER STATE"? YES THATS RIGHT THE TWO FLOW DOWN THE SAME LINE, IN THE SAME PLANT, HAND IN HAND. I THINK ITS THE INDIVIDUALS MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE(OR LACK OF ONE)THAT IS TO BLAME

[5th_Ave_Sleeper]

the REAL reason you get sludge is if you dont stick to one brand of oil. Yes there are people out there that pick up a qt. of the local stop & rob oil and dump it in, not giving any consideration to the fact that all of these different chemical formulas are mixing together, sometimes causing chemical reactions. some oils its ok, some oils its not. best bet: stick with one brand always and change regularly, and never, NEVER mix pennsoil and castrol!

I will graciously accept any change back from my two cents.

[ehostler]

Another thing that leaves all of the crap in the pan is RESTORE. It's advertised as an engine rebuild in a can. It's actually some thick sludge that helps to seal the rings and tighten bearing tolerances. It tends to end up the pan.

[fox]

I saw some of this goo several years back, and even my machine shop had trouble cleaning it out. They said they have seen it and think it is an additive put in the gas. Could it be lead??? The motor that I'm talking about had carb problems for a long time. It also had very little maintenance. You know the kind, if it ain't smokin put oil in it'. !!!
fox

[B-A-Body]

As long as you stick to a routine 3,000 miles between oil changes, you shouldn't see a problem. Buy any reputable brand oil that meets current standards. NEVER add any additives to your oil. The motor oil manufacturers know what they are doing. Oil had it's own set of additives that are in the right proportions and work together to do the job. If you add anything else you are just screwing up this proportion and the oil will not work like it's supposed to. Don't get me wrong, SOME oil additives increase HP and gas mileage, but none are proven to increase the life of your engine. In some tests, the iron content in the oil AFTER adding an additive was more than twice as high as before. Cough, cough...SLICK 50. This translates into increased wear in your engine.

[B-A-Body]

Sorry I forgot something. Try to use oils with a difference between cold and hot viscosity of 30 points or less. Viscosity change is caused by long chain polymers that are coiled up when cold so they flow easily. When heated these same polymers uncoil and voila, higher viscosity. These same chain polymers also build up as the same sludge as mentioned above. The more points between cold and hot viscosity, the more chain polymers. There are some oils out there that do not use these in there oil, but I can't seem to remember which ones.

[karfixer]

Excessive use of fuel additives can cause oil to sludge up, the original Techron(R) by Chevron was so strong that they ended up buying a few motors- mostly 'Vette owners that didn't bother to read the directions that instructed only to use with a full tank and then to change the oil after using that tank ! Their solution- dilute the stuff down, now it isn't worth using. Another factor is driving habits, if the car isn't driven enough to get the oil fully heated up, condensation, unburned fuel, combustion by-products, ect. build up in the oil as well. There is a company that will analyse your oil and give a chemical breakdown of what's in it. The name eludes me at this time-Doh!

[B-A-Body]

Check this link out it's very interesting: www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-overview.html