Why you should change your oil every 5k

My previous thread documented a blown head gasket probably due to neglect from the previous owner. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cylinder-4-misfire-coolant-leak-head-gasket.386872/

Currently the head gasket is being repaired, and my mechanic calls me up saying there is a large amount of sludge build up in the engine...

 

Crap! That sucks!
I'm a 3 k guy.
Thanks for the info!!
Sorry about your ride.

 

No way does the difference between 5k & 10k oil changes (using quality oil/filters) equate to that.

 

Not that I do but....

With full synthetic oil could you change the oil at 10K with 90% highway driving?

That looks like total neglect.

 

How does it get like that? I have no idea.

 

wow.

wow.

okay so question.

How do you clean all that crap out?

Also, is there a way I could clean that out with some sort of oil additive?

Thoughts?

I bought a 3rd gen 4runner just recently, he said he changed the oil every 5,000 miles. But I wouldnt mind giving my engine internals a good cleaning, what would be the best way using an oil additive, if any?

 

The mechanic is doing it for me. Maybe someone here can answer your question.

 

Maybe. Maybe not. Many factors could lead to the mess there. But just a blanket '10k is death to oil' is inaccurate.

I'm guessing cheap bulk dino oil, cheap filters, lots of cold starting short runs, and possibly over extended OCIs. (like some 25-30k stooges I've run across!)

I've seen several motors that look all spiffy inside that have lived a high RPM, 10k OCI life, but with good synthetic and quality filtration.

The OCI depends on 3 big factors. The health state of the engine, the product being used, and how the vehicle is regularly used. Match that up with an independent lab oil test, and you'll know what is safe for a particular vehicle.

 

You would have to hot tank something like that. Basically, give it a chemical bath.

 

Just short change a couple of times with a good oil. 3k should do it.

No magic elixars needed.

If you insist, run a qt. of ATF (or no more that 20% of the change amount, whichever is smaller) with the first change. Much higher detergent rate, much higher temp thresholds.

 

Could be many factors. What was the air filter used and what were the driving conditions? What was the oil used, the oil filter used and how often was it changed? Do you KNOW it was 10k or are you just guessing? Your thread title is inflammatory, however, and implies MANY assumptions in the complete lack of facts. If your head gasket failed it's likely that under vacuum conditions it was pulling in dust and debris that was causing excessive sludge to build up. So you're blaming the previous owner but how long did you run it with a leaking head gasket? Too many variables exist to bring up the 5k v 10k (or more) debate citing this as empirical evidence to prove one side or the other.

Yours appears to be more than normal indicating someone used something I personally wouldn't have done anyway but just saying that you should change the oil every 5k or 3k when there's undeniable mountains of factual analysis stating the opposite doesn't serve any purpose either.

That being said, what if I told you that the inside of your engine won't look like the day it left the factory when you open it?

 

Don't do this. ATF doesn't have any additional detergents. It has different dispersants which can provide similar characteristics but it was never engineered to be run in your engine. Send samples of your oil off to be analyzed and you will find out just how often you NEED to change your oil. Don't trust the company who benefits from you financially if you change it every 100 miles telling you that you need to replace it every 3k because that's BS. Some degree of build-up is standard. No amount of oil changes early or late are going to take this 'sludge' away and the only way to do it properly would be a full engine disassemble and using chemicals.

 

Other than the ATF, we agree on everything. And you'll note that my reply was not to the OP with the sludge bucket, it was to another poster who 'thinks' he might have a problem.

You'll also note I only offered this as a second alternative to some oil additive cleanup stuff.

You'll also note my percentage mix is pretty low, and will work even lower. I've personally done this on a number of problem children with no ill results. I won't bother regaling the forum with tales, but just suffice it to say nothing came unglued, and the engines treated lasted 10s of thousands of happy miles after. Easy does it (on the % mix and engine loads while running this), short change interval. All better.

 

I use sefoam on all my past cars . when i opened up last one to chcange intake manifolds it looked like new no slugdge.

have yet to with this truck. Anyone tried it with theirs?

 

You're correct, I don't know what caused it. I have no idea what parts she used.

Have only driven this truck for < 30 days

 

Welp, there's your problem.





->

 

I have learned my lesson, trust me.

 

This. I actually seen worse in a 1993 civic when I pulled the valve cover. The only way that got all that sludge out was to hot tank the whole engine after I took it apart.

 

So I run a 40+ year old boring mill. It a big mill 10x5 foot table. Lots of lines to carry way lube.
Our lines were plugging up and letting lots of lube to some areas and very little to others. Short of tearing her apart I started adding Atf to the lube tank and it has cleared the orfices used to meter oil flow. Lots of talk in machinist forums about Atf being high detergent. Don't know if I'd run it my motor but I did try marvel in an impala for a stuck lifter with no success. I was thinking about a high detergent oil for a cleaning on my taco but have not done so.
I was told the impala sludge was due to a mixture of my good Dino oil and better syn oil?
No more Fram filters either!
Purolator has a better build on filters for about the same $.

 

^ this.

I know several people who for years have run 15k OCI using Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30, and their engines are super clean inside, never had a problem. But they don't usually do short runs, or excessive idling, or any of the other conditions mentioned in Bill's post above. And they never go beyond 15k. I have only used 5w30 dino oil in my truck with 5k OCI, which is what the manual states. it's got close to 120k miles on the odo and soon I will be going to 5w30 Mobil 1 (regular) and doing 7500 mile OCI. My driving is 40% city/60% highway, and I normally drive at least 15 miles each trip. So operating temperature is not an issue and my driving conditions are generally easy on motor oil, so 7500 should be a cakewalk for M1.

and ^ this.

You're never going to get all that gunk out without tearing apart the engine, at which point you'd do a rebuild or recondition anyway. As long as the oil galleys and passages are mostly clear, you will be OK barring other unforeseen problems. Most modern multi-weight engine oils are detergent oils and will clean out as much of that gunk as you want to clean out in a single oil run. If you clean out too much at once, you could create a whole new set of problems for yourself -- problems that maybe can't be fixed without a rebuild, if you know what I mean.

There are a few single-weight oils which are non-detergent but they typically are for special applications (mowers, tractors, etc).