Sludge Concerns

Synthetic oil is not gonna sludge in 10k. Like I said if you’ve been doing regular oil changes and the last one just happened to go 10k you’re fine. Hell you can do 10k synthetic changes as your normal routine and still won’t sludge your oil.

 

anything is possible,
there may be another side to the story...
just like I mentioned you have to put in the work & verify for yourself if what carmax is telling you is justifiable or bs...

Also cant take youre word for it either, some random guy on the internet said, "im fine".....
So I guess I dont need to open my hood & have a look for myself....
Just keep driving it & making bad decisions....

 

Thanks. As relieving as that is to hear, considering you’ve co-signed the rather rude and unfounded response below, I honestly don’t know what to make of this reasonable response…

WTF? Oh here it is, as expected. I already suspected this from your previous rant, which ignored evidence I had already provided above and made me repeat myself…

Look, if you are here to just shitpost at this point and now argue in bad faith, implying false and imagined scenarios which don’t even exist, frankly I don’t care to hear from you anymore until you change course.

It is well understood for anyone chiming in to criticize the large interval of 10k, but beyond that, you have zero basis to call me a liar or insinuate I’m eager to jump on the road without soundly vetting the truck’s true condition first.

It’s pretty obvious on TW per observation, some of you prefer to troll and antagonize someone (for random kicks) asking for humble advice, without even having the necessary perspective to warrant that level of attitude. I really don’t see what someone would be hiding in this context, which allows you to insinuate they’re a liar, ready to dig themselves into deeper trouble.

I have been very transparent here and not hidden anything peculiar in my short ownership history. It has been regular driving from 102k to 120k. I haven’t even done much offroading, as I intend to replace the suspension with a decent kit.

Not to mention, I am taking care of a very sick parent, which explains why a month after Christmas, I have stayed put and worked from their home to make myself available 24/7 to them and have not driven my truck if at all since this discovery. I didn’t want to hop on the road, without verifying this truck is still stable and good to go. In my posting history, I honestly have no fucking idea what warrants what you rudely implied, with zero evidence to support your skepticism. I have a chemotherapy appointment to head to, so whatever. I’ll get to popping open the hood, when I have time to myself alone again.

 

Carmax sells cars. They don't fix cars.

Seriously, I feel like you will be fine.
If your oil light isn't on with the truck running, indicating low oil pressure, then I'd drive it.
The absence of VVT codes is also a hint as well. As the oil screen and actuators will likely cause codes in the presence of "bad sludge".
Sludge isn't something you just "fix" externally. To "fix it", you clean it internally.
And doing that is time consuming, and more often than not, the engine "should" come apart. Or at least partially apart.

I really do think you are worrying about something you shouldn't be worrying about.
Again, I'd drive the ruck. Stop worrying and enjoy what time you have left with your parent(s), and take care of yourself.
No need to let a truck engine cause you more stress. I haven't seen enough evidence in this thread to warrant an worry.

 

This absolutely This!

 

Thanks TnShooter, I really appreciate that and take your wise words seriously. You and Jimmy being here as long as you both have, explains your wisdom and understanding.

I did a quick peek before heading to the clinic where I am now (different vehicle), not identifying what I wanted to observe yet, so I’ll be checking again after we get back.

Things for now are hopefully looking up for the better, just waiting for the nurses to finish their work and also keep my truck in good running condition long term.

Thanks Jimmy and to everyone in this thread helpfully chiming in, with good faith to boot.

There’s been so much going on from day to day, which might come across as careless inattention, but as you can see…

 

Not sure what I clicked on but as I’ve said before a single 10k change in a regular maintenance schedule of oil changes you’re not gonna have sludge. There are many guys here and other places that do regular 10k changes without issue. I normally due 5k changes but getting ready to go to 7500 miles changes and have no worries about doing so.

 

Thanks again for chiming in. I’ve now checked under the hood and have taken some photos, as well as videos, but will have to figure out how to upload them ASAP.

 

Photos can be uploaded to this site.
Click the "Upload a file" button next to the replay button.

Videos will have to be hosted by 3rd party, on a site like YouTube.....

 

As others have recommended, just drive it and keep an eye on it. Change your oil and check it every few hundred miles. If it isn't dirtying up quickly, you're probably ok. When I'm 3,000 miles into an oil change, I can still clearly see the dipstick through the oil that sticks to it. I'd be reluctant to perform an aggressive de-sludging operation since that can sometimes cause more trouble than letting it clear itself gradually, over time.
I would add that I would be extremely skeptical of anything carmax told me. It's their job (albeit a crappy one (this is my opinion)), to scare you, to get you to take less than a fair price for your car, so they can tur a larger profit.
My recommendation would be to get back on track with your oil changes and drive it.

 

This^^^
Its fairly common at non dealership lots.

 

Thanks once again. The reason I took so long to even upload, was the video aspect and I just gave up. I don’t have access to my personal YouTube Studio account, so I had to veto using it for now.

Pretty much all I can do I imagine, thanks! Oil isn’t that old and seems to look okay.

They’re also full of shit. They don’t know how to activate our 4x4 system on the 6MTs, so I bet the idiot who inspected got confused engaging 4LO and didn’t follow procedure. Shift to N and then select 4HI, then 4LO with clutch pushed in. IIRC

 

theres moisture, the white milky stuff shouldn't be there...
& looks like shit from my bedroom window....
The 00 ford expedition doesnt look like that....
I can 100% see why it was noted,

Not going to speculate why as would be just a guessing game

 

Oil is clear on the dipstick, no sludge. The buildup on the filler cap is normal, from oil not given a chance to warm up to operating temp (oil warms up way slower than the coolant); you can find threads going back 19 years on this observation.

Any dealer buying your vehicle is going to come up with all the excuses to devalue it - all part of the business.

 

Agree.
More than few people have shared similar pictures.
As stated, most of it is condensation.

 

Maybe the case but Carmax’s documentation was warranted…
we have no idea of driving habits…
here’s two of my vehicles with over 150,000 miles on them, 5K oil change intervals, no caked on thick buildup,
just an oil film….
Top pic 2010, bottom 2000…

 

I’d lowball you too showing up with a filthy engine bay like that

What are those black chunks on the dipstick?

 

very large chunks of not normal sludge...
even with the blurry pic, obvious...
10k intervals are never a good idea, let along going over.

 

"condensation"????
normal? hope you dont think so...
From what?
Short trips.....????

Was just on a 700 mile road trip.........

 

Since your pics aren't 1GR-FE engines, they are irrelevant to the discussion.

Carmax's documentation means shit-all. As with any used car dealer buying your vehicle, they will make a big deal about every blemish.