Troubleshoot help please - Low oil light then engine noise - Oil pump?

I'm not a fan of the cooking oil aspect here. I would recommend just a thin synthetic motor oil instead like 5w30 with the other additives you have listed..
I would also do a minimum of two treatments this way before switching over to the marvel mystery oil/standard oil concoction and running that long term. One other thing- I would recommend is a shorter oil change interval for the next couple changes- say at 2000mi instead.

 

oil is NOT being cooked

sludge a direct result of low temps absorbing moisture ( water / h20 )

takes forever idling an engine up to temp

in fact at NO Load at idle the needle on the dash will point straight up yet

yet the actual block/ head temps will woefully be inadequate

im neither yea or nay on Ur fluid concoction

hopefully the flushes will be ‘ Dirty ‘ !!!!

at the very least engine pulled oil pan off

valve covers removed

STEAM CLEANED

 

Don’t use cooking oil lol. I would use two cans of sea foam and some 0-20 synthetic. Idle it to operating temp so you can kill it if the oil pressure light goes off. Change it out for the same thing, run it down the highway. Change it out again. Run it for a week or two. Change it out again. Then back to normal.

 

Thanks for all the input.

There are many different ways I'm sure a flush program can be done. Here in Costa Rica... I haven't seen any of the sea foam. The cooking oil has a low viscosity and I believe adequate lubrication for the motor for a quick 5 min flush not under any load. Don't see (or heard) any negatives to why soy bean cooking oil can't be used, also considering Castor oil got its name from castor bean oil which was used in race cars many years ago. On the chemicals... many in the past have run flushes with 1-2 quarts of ATF, Diesel, or Kerosene, so I figured go ahead and do a blend since one may clean something the other doesn't. I will also probably cut open the oil filter out of curiosity to see after the first flush if it trapped any visible sludge. I too hope the oil is dirty afterwards letting me know it was helpful. I will keep a small sample of the mixture so I can compare its transparency with the "after the flush" oil. I will posts pics. If the oil however has no color change after the flush, I may just put it back in and run it longer.

Questions... Since I'm making this up as I go along, What do you think?...

For the 5 minutes, should I run it at idle, or much better to raise the RPM up a bit like 2,000?
Is the time more important for the chemicals to work, or is the higher temperature also a significant factor for a flush?
Maybe I should run it for 3 minutes. Let it set for an hour to let the chemicals soak into the sludge, then run it again for 3 minutes or longer?

 

time wise does NOT matter

engine will NOT have gained a Good temp

the very reason i mentioned heating UR flush fluid

at idle there is very little load on the engine...................of concern the big end rod bearings

UV already mentioned the oil screen was blocked 80%

only 20% would have already affected the rod / crank bearings

i would use a straight 5 or 10 weight heated

im not there so Ur choice

 

Again, solvents and home made stuff isn't the wisest choice. Breaking loose a giant amount of deposits in a short time isn't good, it only means you now have a giant amount more stuff floating around in the engine.

You need a rinse to get anything that is loose from being disturbed by your work.

Simply fill the engine with the cheapest 5W-xx engine oil you can find, run it at a quick idle for a few minutes and drain along with a filter change.
Pull the pan, clean the screen and repeat with a slightly longer run time.

Once you have completed this enough times you aren't finding crap in the screen you can go a few hundred miles between changes - preferably with the engine at full operating temperature.

Allow the detergent package in the engine oil to slowly clean up the engine using short change intervals. This is much safer than solvents or home brewed concoctions. ATF, diesel and kerosene offer very little to no lubrication in a vehicle engine.

It doesn't matter what "many in the past" have done, you are the one talking about putting cooking oil in an engine here, please don't do it.

 

the concoction he might use is questionable

when & how muck might dislodge.............. there is no formula

most oils have a detergent ( altho there is a threshold )

not a lot going on in an engine at idle ( tho the needle on dash shows temp.the engine at best is luke warm )

excessive idling + slow speed running + short intervals were contributory factors to begin with

engine seldom got to a hot operating temp

accumulating moisture in the sump not burned off

known habits + evident factors over time will extend prior results

 

Agree: Operating conditions - idling, short trips, running cold are prime conditions for sludge issues
Agree: OP did not understand the above and employ a maintenance schedule to combat it causing the current situation: sludge
The above got us here.

Currently the engine probably has (now) loose deposits from the OP working on it. When the engine is reassembled top priority will be to remove any of said loose deposits as quickly as possible. As I stated there is no advantage to any solvent action, we don't need any additional contamination in the oil system. (This engine has enough challenges already.)

Going forward:
IF this engine starts up without any bad noises and shows acceptable oil pressure (OP, get a test gauge) after a few rapid cycle oil changes to remove the majority of the loose deposits then we can help the OP to determine a maintenance schedule to further (safely) clean the engine and prevent further issues.

I don't want this gentleman dumping cooking oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc in his (already troubled) engine.
It is called "gasoline engine oil" for a reason -- you put it in engines.

 

Well, if I go that route, I don't see how simply changing oil more frequently is really going change much since my driving schedule is only 1-2 short trips per week, maybe 15 minutes and an hour with a 2 hour trip once a month. This schedule will probably continue to add sludge to the motor because of our high humidity as well for 75% of the year. That's why I figured running the MMO with normal oil changes having increased cleaning chemicals would be a good idea. But you are right... There is the IF factor that the engine noise needs to be resolved and that oil pressure is good. However I am hopeful that finding the PCV valve was totally clogged and putting a new one in can help vent the engine to reduce the moisture/sludge buildup.

 

Keep an eye on your oil condition but you may have to go to a time based oil change interval rather than mileage based.

 

accurately + honestly describing Ur environs point more to Ur environs rather than lax neglect

if timed b4 sludge developes frequent changes no doubt would help

yet be prohibitively EXPENSIVE

those short intervals are UR are major

the noises the engine is making are more than likely damage already done

 

Hope you are viewing on a computer and not a phone. I wrote a novel below, didn't intend to but if you study it I believe there is something to learn. Print it if you can.

Short version:
The object of changing the oil is to get the bad stuff out on a regular basis. How often you need to change depends on how fast you build up bad stuff. How often have you been changing the oil previously?
Miles aren't a good indicator here, you are going to need to change based on time.

You state above that you make an hour long trip once per week, this should be sufficient to burn off any condensation when coupled with an appropriate oil change schedule.
The clogged PCV valve was probably caused by your maintenance plan and then when clogged accelerated the sludge build up.


Sit down, this will take a couple of minutes.
Many folks take a very 1 dimensional view of oil changing ranging from "the manual says" to "my dad always". The same goes for selecting the product, they get so fixated on what they perceive as "best" or they "always use". Often these approaches work well enough for as long as many keep their vehicles.

That stated, there is always an optimal way to do everything, many times it really may not matter much, other times the method is more critical and misapplication causes problems - as we have discovered.


Here is the method of plan optimization:
1) Assess the service
2) Select a maintenance interval
3) Select a product - the best oil is the one that does the job for the lowest cost

Lets talk about oil for a minute here.
Oil is comprised of base stock and additive packages.

Viscosity is a measure of a fluids ability to flow.
The base stock is of a viscosity grade, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 are common ones, grade is the proper term, "weight" is what consumers say.

VI pack: Viscosity Improvers -- At start up a thin oil gets from the pan to the top of the engine fast to reduce wear, at operating temperature a thicker oil provides better protection under load. This why we use multi viscosity oils (Ex: 5W-30), this change with temperature is accomplished by the use of polymers which in this application can be thought of as molecules that look like a chain. When cold they are balled up, as they heat up, the chain stretches out binding the oil together.
The "W" means winter, it indicates the oil has a pour point depressant to allow it to flow when very cold.

DI pack: Dispersants and Inhibitors -- Again dispersant is the correct term, "detergent" is a marketing term. These are what help keep the engine clean. Inhibitors are like the anti-bodies in blood, they help kill off the bad things like acids that develop when burning gasoline.

Ex: 5W-30 This is a 5 grade oil that will thin no more than a 30 grade when at operating temperature. Notice it does not become a 30 grade oil, the VI pack prevents it from thinning any more than a straight 30 grade would.


With an understanding of the product now we will illustrate the method using 3 trucks from my former job.

A) Belongs to the Purchasing Manager, it is a 10 year old Toyota Tacoma 4 cylinder. He lives 54 miles from work, he is 2 miles off the highway and work is also 2 miles off the highway. This truck has 185,000 miles on it and is very well cared for, he generates spreadsheets for different brands of fuel.

B) Belongs to the Plant Manager, it is a 2 year old Dodge V8 full size. He lives 4 miles from work, sometimes he goes fishing about 6 miles away. Once he moved a motorbike about 60 miles for a friend. You get it, he doesn't drive much.

C) Belongs to the Maintenance Manager, it is a 1992 Ford V8 full size with 95,000 miles. He lives 12 miles from work, 3 miles down the dirt road, 6 miles of 40 mph, 3 miles in town. The 3 mile dirt section is a steep hill gaining 800 feet of altitude. This truck also pulls a medium weight trailer several times per week all seasons except winter, almost all extra driving is in town.


1) Assess the service:

A) This truck is in ideal service. Short warm up followed by 50 miles of highway driving and a 2 mile cool down. The oil gets up to full operating temperature, condensation is burned off, the engine operates at maximum efficiency (burns clean) and there is very little dirt on the highway. The VI pack will wear out here, remember the polymer chains? They cycle through the engine millions of times and eventually the chain isn't as long as it started out, the oil can't protect as well when hot.

B) Like yours, this truck runs cold most of the time, this (as you have learned) is ideal for sludge build up. The oil never becomes hot enough to burn off the condensation, combustion by-products (acids) build up. The DI pack wears out here.

C) This truck has a fairly short commute and more town driving, however the 3 mile hill climb and trailer towing insure the oil hits a temperature that condensation isn't a problem. Also this truck is much older, even under best conditions it can't operate as cleanly as the other two. The big stand out is the 3 miles of dirt road on a 12 mile commute -- 25% of the driving is on dirt roads.


2) Select a maintenance interval:

A) Easily go the full mileage interval recommended by the manufacturer, also a good candidate for an extended interval using a premium brand synthetic oil and monitored with oil analysis.

B) Sludge will be the issue here, a six month interval should work well, March and September. Don't worry about the miles.

C) Dirt! This truck goes pretty much 7 days a week about 30 miles a day, so a 3-4 month/3,500 mile interval works good.


3) Select a product: Use the viscosity and specification recommended by the manufacturer, Ex: 5W-30, spec SN
Remember, the best oil is the one that does the job for the lowest cost.

A) As stated this truck is well cared for, it will probably be doing the same commute at 385,000 miles. Any name brand full synthetic will help achieve this goal. As discussed above using a premium brand synthetic monitored with oil analysis the interval may be able to be extended.

B) Any brand than meets manufacturer specs is fine, little advantage to using a more expensive oil, even money can't successfully combat sludge.

C) Dirt! Any brand than meets manufacturer specs is fine, little advantage to using a more expensive oil, money can't combat dirt either. Air filter service needs to be stepped up on this truck also.

 

Hey Rusty, thanks for the Info, I agree.

On a research note about veggi oil as motor oil. Some interesting finds...

https://hydrofueldrycell.blogspot.com/2011/01/can-cooking-oil-be-used-as-lubricant.html

From Perdue University...

SUMMARY
Canola-based motor oils have rapidly evolved into a competitive product. In terms of pricing, they are highly competitive with synthetic motor oils. They are also the most “environmentally friendly” of the motor oils available maintaining properties of non-toxicity and biodegradability. In terms of functionality, they have exceeded expectations by surpassing both conventional and synthetic oils in the tests conducted. As a low friction fluid, these tests indicate vegetable motor oils, or bio-oils, are a competitive product in modern engine applications....

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-029.html

 

Please note that the articles are from 2011 and 2002.
Article 1 specifies several times the oil was used in "local built cars", I'm willing to wager they don't have the dual overhead camshafts in your truck.

Find something that says BMW is recommending cooking oil and then you will have something there.
Until then best to keep the kitchen products in the kitchen, we already have enough going on here.

 

Motorkote would be beneficial to run through at least once. That stuff works very well, at reducing friction.

 

Motorkote... Sounds like the modern day version of Slick 50. None of that fancy stuff here that I have seen in Costa Rica.

 

Slick 50, etc...

 

@TropicTacoma
Any update on the truck or are you still waiting for parts? Hope all is well.

 

Hey Rusty, yes, just got the parts the other day, so today I am putting it back together. Timing cover done, alternator and compressor, valve covers, injectors, and coils. I'm close, but got dark, so I still need about another hour. I plan to wrap it up in the morning. One thing I'm not remembering is how to tighten the crank bolt. I got it off with a breaker bar and hit the starter, worked great, but its been a few decades since I did one of these and I can't remember what the trick is for holding the engine from turning to get the correct torque on that crank bolt. I will give an update as soon as I get it going and do my flush. I sure hope I got the original noise problem fixed...

 

If it is a manual put it in first gear with the handbrake set.
For an auto you may be able to wrap a strap wrench around the crankshaft pulley.
If that doesn't work -- less fun -- pull the starter out and use a pry bar to hold the flexplate.

Hoping for a good outcome here, good luck!