Back to shop ↗
THE HOLDEN COMMODORE FORUM

HOLDCOM Community

Built around the cars. Kept alive by the people.

+ Start a discussion
Holden Commodores gathered at Holdcom
Forum Home›Technical help
Technical help

Oil flushing

Started by 3ltr VL · 2 July 2010 · 9 replies

Preserved from CalaisTurbo. Original authors and dates are shown; archived members are not current Holdcom accounts.

3ltr VLArchived member
Okay my engine is fairly sludgy due to previous owner and i am wanting to get rid of it. I have heard if you run a medium viscosity desiel oil say 15w 30 for a little bit the cleaning agents will be better then a standard oil flush bottle like wynes nulon etc. Does the desiel oil really work and are there any dangers? What do some of you guys use that works to clean your engine before an oil change? Cheers
0 likes
HTURBOArchived member
Step1 A subject that's been getting more attention these days is internal engine cleaning or flushing. This is being promoted by the quick oil-change people, among others, with the advice that if you clean out the engine of accumulated sludge, deposits and other disgusting stuff, it will run better and hopefully longer. Is this effective or not? As usual, when it comes to things automotive, the answer is both yes and no. Step 2 If you've read other articles on engine oils, you'll know that unless the oil is changed frequently, not only will the oil's "oiliness" will go away, but varnish and other compounds will form inside the engine. These get deposited at various places including the small oil galleys( passages) and begin to restrict oil flow-much in the way that cholesterol blocks flow in a similar, biological system. Personally, I consider engine flushes a waste of money, but they can be beneficial, in certain limited situations. For example, an engine flush might be useful in a relatively low mileage car with 30,000-40,000 miles that hasn't had its oil changed as often as it should have been-such a car may be an off-lease car. At this point, cleaning the engines innards may prove to be beneficial because sludge and varnish buildup may not be that bad yet. Notice how many times the word "may" is used here-you can't really know for sure without taking the engine apart. Step 3 You may be able to get an idea of what the engine looks like inside if you're able to remove a valve cover. On some engines, where there aren't tons of hoses, lines and other things over it, it's all a matter of removing a few bolts. A clean engine will not have any encrusted deposits on the cover or any other deposits on the cylinder heads. I've seen engines where there's been so much coking (crusty deposits) that after the valve cover has been removed, that a perfect mold of the valve cover (writing and all) has been formed on top the cylinder head so it looks like the valve cover hasn't been removed at all! And I've seen engines that after the intake manifold has been removed (on a V-8) all you see is a huge mass of black carbon in the lifter valley. It's always amazed that such engines still run. Step 4 On a badly maintained engine, there's probably already too many deposits for the flushing chemicals to completely remove. But the real danger here is that the chemicals will dislodge enough crud that it will block the very small passages in hydraulic lifters or even clog up the fine mesh oil pump pickup screens. On such engines, you're better off changing the oil frequently, say around every 2,000 miles, so that the natural cleaning properties of the oil will reduce, somewhat, accumulated deposits. Step 5 If you insist on engine flushing, you can try this method. First, change the oil and filter and on a five quart capacity system, fill the engine with 4-1/2 quarts of 10W oil and a half quart of kerosene. Turn the engine on and let it run by itself for 10 minutes or so. Don't rev the engine! The drained oil should be quite dirty. Change oil and filter once again, with a regular grade of oil. This is a relatively mild cleaning but if your engine is really dirty, it's only a matter of time before it gives up the ghost. Some even say to run diesel through it. Read more: How to Perform an Engine Flush in Your Car | eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/how_2111439_perform-engine-flush-car.html#ixzz0sWssd4lE) http://www.ehow.com/how_2111439_perf...#ixzz0sWssd4lE (http://www.ehow.com/how_2111439_perform-engine-flush-car.html#ixzz0sWssd4lE)
0 likes
Dazza102Archived member
google much?
0 likes
trackbt1Archived member
auto trans fluid, run motor, dump, new filter n oil
0 likes
theVLguyArchived member
Have fun when you need to pull the sump off due to a blocked pickup.
0 likes
TUXEDOArchived member
I normally put engine flush in the old oil, idle for 30 mins, drain oil, fill fresh oil, run for 15 mins drain oil, change filter, fill fresh oil and then regular oil changes every 3,000km or no more than 5,000 km and if need be, if the oil looks like tar at the next service, perform the flush again. It has worked well every time for Me.
0 likes
3ltr VLArchived member
I wouldnt put trans fluid through it? would i be able just to use the cheap **** oil for that flush you speak of tuxedo? Then put some better quality oil in?
0 likes
exchaserArchived member
just convert to E85 you can put whatever clean oil in ur car, thrash it for 3 months, change the oil and as it's draining out the sump, question whether you should have even changed it.. lol i've done the diesel thing in an engine before, and u'd be suprised how much **** it washes out of the engine, how good it is for bearings/moving parts tho, who knows, kinda risky... Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
0 likes
3ltr VLArchived member
what viscosity desiel oil you put in?? I normally use 20w50 normal oil, so i was thinking 15w40 desiel oil for like 3000 kays
0 likes
HTURBOArchived member
If you insist on engine flushing, you can try this method. First, change the oil and filter and on a five quart capacity system, fill the engine with 4-1/2 quarts of 10W oil and a half quart of kerosene. Turn the engine on and let it run by itself for 10 minutes or so. Don't rev the engine! The drained oil should be quite dirty. Change oil and filter once again, with a regular grade of oil. This is a relatively mild cleaning but if your engine is really dirty, it's only a matter of time before it gives up the ghost.
0 likes
Sign in or create an account to reply. New members are welcome—no purchase or old CT account needed.

Who’s online

0 members and 1 guest active in the last 15 minutes

No signed-in members active right now. Guests are welcome to browse.

Visitors Today6

33,602 threads, 484,230 posts and 24,897 images saved from CalaisTurbo.
As at . Recovery is continuing.