So I just bought a 94 EX for super cheap. The head is full of sludge. And its REALLY BAD. How would one go about cleaning this head up without taking it to a shop?
Sorry I didn't post pics sooner. I thought trial users were limited to certain abilities. Anyways, this is my head.



Modified by SilverAWD at 5:52 PM 10/7/2008


Modified by SilverAWD at 5:56 PM 10/7/2008

 

Get some engine cleaning stuff.. I know BG makes a product like that.. you add an 11 oz can to your oil.. let it run for 10 15 mins.. then drain the oil.. and replace with new oil and a filter..
It might help some..

 

What do you mean by "sludge"? Pictures? Better description at least?

 

where in the head are you seeing the "sludge"? how does the oil on the dip stick look? how does the coolant look?

 

How is the sludge real bad? Could we have more details, such as thickness, color, smell?

Anywho, my advice; remember to replace your PCV valve after getting most of the sludge out, it's most likely jammed with the stuff and will cause bad seal/idle/throttle problems. Just a $5.00/5 minute part.

 

I will post pictures as soon as I graduate from this "trial" period. Well, the sludge is all over the head. Right when you take the valve cover off, there is thick grease like stuff all over the bolts and cam caps and stuff. It's almost black. Oil in the dipstick looks ok, but black. Coolant looks ok too.

 

You can post photos while you're a trial member...

Trial membership lasts a week.

 

put a quarter quart of tranny fluid in your oil run for 5 mins and drain. that will get rid of all the stuff in the motor.

 

Can someone confirm that this works and is safe to do?

 

use this http://www.auto-rx.com/ or

you can change your oil to some chevron delo or mobil delvac 15w-40 and change oil and filter often. diesel motor oils which are perfectly safe for gas engines contains a lot of detergents so it will clean that stuff out. also you might want to change out your PCV valve because its probably clogged with sludge also.

 

i havent seen sludge like that since my old ford... this kids, is why you change your oil regularly!

with that much sludge, you might have a problem with large chunks of it breaking off and clogging up oil passages.
with the sludge on top of the motor, try getting as much of it off with a LINT FREE rag.

remember sludge is dirt and grime, broken down oil, small metel particals and if its that thick, having it loose in your oiling system could cause problems. and clog your pickup, and smaller passages.

but i think if you were to wipe as much as you can off then clean it with tranny fluid (pretty much the same stuff as the engine clean stuff) or even desiel fuel and change your filter and oil right away, maybe even repeat a few times with cheap oil over the next few days in different driving conditions, you should be fine.

 

My y8 looked like that when I got it. I added engine flush to the oil and ran the motor like the directions said. I also use a high mileage oil and a k&N oil filter. I change the oil every 2000 miles and I run motor flush every time before I changed it. The sludge is about 75% gone now.

 

Well, my chances of cleaning the head is ZERO now. It threw a rod this morning. Damn...