Synthetic Oil..
#11
08-11-2004, 04:29 PM
RE: Synthetic Oil..
Now that the situation is clear--you are not preventing sludge buildup but dealing with lots of it--the next question is, how many miles are on this abused engine?
The oil has not been doing its job of reducing friction, cleaning and cooling, but for how long? If the engine has 30,000 miles on it, the damage will be less than if it has 60,000 miles on it. If you have high mileage in this condition, the oil cleaner may open up wounds in the engine that could actually cause it to fail sooner.
I believe the cleaner would be a good option if the engine does not have very high mileage and no other indicated problems, such as overheating or low compression. I would change the oil filter before adding the cleaner, and then again afterwards. The cleaner will help dissolve the sludge and turn it into a more liquid form to get it out of the engine. That is exactly what you need to do. With this kind of mess, you may want to run your engine about 10 minutes instead of five to let the cleaner work better on the sludge.
If there is this kind of sludge, then there are also likely real tough deposits, and one use of the cleaner will not do much to get rid of them unless you leave it in a long time (over night), then run the engine a little to circulate the cleaner and then dump it.
An average detergent oil is not set up to dissolve and dislodge sludge. The additives are meant to prevent sludge buildup, but they will be slow to remove it. You want it out soon? Use more than one application of cleaner, but do put oil in between applications, run it for 1,000 miles, and then check carefully to see when you don't need the cleaner any more. Do a number of compression checks and record the results for each cylinder to see what effect the cleaner is having. Always change the filter.
I would not use expensive synthetics if you are just going to dump them out every thousand miles for the few months. CB3
The oil has not been doing its job of reducing friction, cleaning and cooling, but for how long? If the engine has 30,000 miles on it, the damage will be less than if it has 60,000 miles on it. If you have high mileage in this condition, the oil cleaner may open up wounds in the engine that could actually cause it to fail sooner.
I believe the cleaner would be a good option if the engine does not have very high mileage and no other indicated problems, such as overheating or low compression. I would change the oil filter before adding the cleaner, and then again afterwards. The cleaner will help dissolve the sludge and turn it into a more liquid form to get it out of the engine. That is exactly what you need to do. With this kind of mess, you may want to run your engine about 10 minutes instead of five to let the cleaner work better on the sludge.
If there is this kind of sludge, then there are also likely real tough deposits, and one use of the cleaner will not do much to get rid of them unless you leave it in a long time (over night), then run the engine a little to circulate the cleaner and then dump it.
An average detergent oil is not set up to dissolve and dislodge sludge. The additives are meant to prevent sludge buildup, but they will be slow to remove it. You want it out soon? Use more than one application of cleaner, but do put oil in between applications, run it for 1,000 miles, and then check carefully to see when you don't need the cleaner any more. Do a number of compression checks and record the results for each cylinder to see what effect the cleaner is having. Always change the filter.
I would not use expensive synthetics if you are just going to dump them out every thousand miles for the few months. CB3
#12
08-13-2004, 05:00 AM
RE: Synthetic Oil..
STOP-----
you are dealing with a 4.7 correct, all that sludging looking build up in the filler cap is normal for any well cared for engine. The early engines did not get the condensation trap under the cap so it "looks" like lots of sludge or even a blown head gasket. It is totally normal and the rest of the inside of the engine is probably fine. If you really want to know-pull a valve cover, it only takes 20 minutes or so.
you are dealing with a 4.7 correct, all that sludging looking build up in the filler cap is normal for any well cared for engine. The early engines did not get the condensation trap under the cap so it "looks" like lots of sludge or even a blown head gasket. It is totally normal and the rest of the inside of the engine is probably fine. If you really want to know-pull a valve cover, it only takes 20 minutes or so.
#14
08-13-2004, 05:49 PM
RE: Synthetic Oil..
Also, as my 00 R/T has full time AWD, I get that disgusting bell bang everytime I shift to reverse. Also, get the bang when you are cruising and then let go of the gas pedal and the tranny disengages sometimes. Dealer says normal. I remember my Toyota does the bang too sometimes when I put the truck in gear if it is in 4WD mode. I wonder if this bang is coming from the transfer case rather than the tranny? I remember seeing a post either in this dodgeforum site or automotiveforums site that a user recommended using a special type of tranny fluid. Expensive, but will quiet the bangs and smooths out the shifts. Anyone recall that post and know what good tranny fluid to use? I don't mind having to buy the expensive fluid if this will quiet down that banging!!