Re: Engine Flush?

Engine Flush?

Tilly

Re: Engine Flush?

Read about it here Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

But in my opinion flushing a motor unless it is severly sludged by not having an oil change for years , is unnecessary . Not too sure about the newer type motors , but I know in my Tojo with a 2H motor it is not needed as I am very particular with my oil changes and do them on time .

Re: Engine Flush?

Tilly they put a button on the Dash but they have had to restrict the use due to water restrictions so you have to go elsewere

But yeah the last time I have ever done one was when I bought an old diesel powered water pump for the family farm and it was like honey in winter but in the middle of summer so to ensure it and the sludge was removed it was flushed with nice clean oil before use, which was FAR from clean by the time it made it all the way through the engine REALLY bad. Never had a days trouble in that pump.

Never seen the need to do it for anything else as the oil always comes out clean and running. I have never seen oil like that was since.

Re: Engine Flush?

Hello forum i'm new and was reading the thread regarding engine flushing
this is a subject i have a lot of experience with as i flush engines for a living. My business is about making engines more efficient, produce better power & economy. And i have been exploring alternative fuels for a long time. Todays engines are prone to sludging and i have encountered engines so bad the sump oil won't drain, or new oil won't run from the fill cap down into the sump, we can appreciate before we interven these engines where wearing very quickly.
To veiw what is possible see our website Engine Dialysis Flush S.I.
Looking forward to keeping up to date with you guys Rodger T

Re: Engine Flush?

The use of products that aid the elimination of sludge at oil change is a topic that is sure to draw lots of opinions.
However no one would argue against a clean engine. Clean inside that is.

So to those who think it is unnecessary, I agree, it is unnecessary if the engine is clean.
One way to know how clean your engine is inside, is to observe the speed at which the new oil gets black again even with a new filter.

Diesel engines usually turn new oil black, the very instant the new oil gets in.

The solution is to use a sump flush.
I use to buy Winns with some success, however I change for Nulon and the results are even better.
I poor one bottle in the engine and idle it for 15 minutes, then drop the lot.
Change oil and filter and the oil stays so clear that it is hard to see the level for the first 2 to 3000 KM
Engine flush every time.

Re: Engine Flush?

Ah yes, an engine flush

When I was a lad I had a frend who owned a Vette and he decided the engine needed to be cleaned out.
So he drained the oil and replaced it with kerosene.
It did not do the engine much good, but the mechanic who rebuilt the engine was happy.

Re: Engine Flush?

If my drunk uncle Bob had 4 wheels and a trolley he would be a tramway.

Re: Engine Flush?

And he would probably use an engine flush.

Unless you never change your engine oil or are using non-detergent oil from 30 years ago, there is enough detergent in motor oil to keep the engine clean.

Re: Engine Flush?

George,

If an engine recieves regular oil and filter changes and the theromstat is operating correctly, the engine will never need flushing.
As well as lubrication, the job of the oil is to remove contaminants from the engine and carry them to the filter or hold them in suspention.
For years oils have contained detergents to keep the engine clean and as long as the oil is changed at the correct intervals, the oil itself is what flushes the engine constantly.

There is no physical reason an engine needs to be " clean". Moving parts keep themselves clean in the critical areas and as long as oil gallerys are not blocked, some buildup on a conrod, valve spring or the inside of the sump does not matter.

If you maintain your engine correctly, the engine will never need flushing. If you have an engine that has buildup, flushing will shift little of it anyway. If you have ever torn down a poorly maintained engine you would see that nothing short of physical force ar a proper hotbath with highly caustic soloution will remove the baked on grunge. The build up that occours in engines is very difficult to shift and short of filling the engine completely and letting the soloution sit a good long while, any "flushing" of an engine you don't want to tear down will be overwhealmingly superficial.

One way to get an idea of engine buildup is to have a look inside the oil filler cap at the valve gear you can see. If it is free of buildup and clean despite what may be a coating of black oil, you know your engine is clean and free from buildup. If it has some deposits then you can gauge from this how much buildup there may be. Bear in mind that the top end of the engine will generally be worse than any other part of the engine so a bit of buildup here won't really matter.

The older the engine the more likely the buildup and also the amount of wear in an engine. If you were to strip an old engine, hot tank it to make it perfectly clean and then re-assemble it with the same worn components, your not going to get any noticeable benifit. Worn and leaky rings and valves are going to be much more detrimental to an engine than a bit of crud in the thing.

If you feel a need to flush it, Use some diesel, biodiesel or transmission fluid and just let the engine idel for a while then change the oil and filter.
Obviously running a liter of some solvent at idel for 5 or 10 minutes is not going to have anywhere near the effect of clean oil in the engine at the regular or sooner intervals.

Re: Engine Flush?

Has anyone ever heard of running diesel engine oil in a petrol engine to flush it out? Anyone ever tried it?

Re: Engine Flush?

Now here is an intelligent reply, you and Tilly do take the first price.

I am sorry to say Mr GWalker, you have posed a question in the wrong forum. Try one with people with experience in fixing and maintaining engines and you get a more balanced and less pompous reply.

Using a good quality commercial sump flush has good value and will keep your oil clean for longer because it removes the sludge that is able to be removed. Whatever is solid and caked on the bottom will stay there and it is better so.
Clean oil does it's job better, black oil is recirculating carbon particles under 5 microns that don't help in lubrication and go through the filter and stay in circulation thanks to the detergent in the oil. When you stop the engine those particles will precipitate wherever they are, including conduits and other places you don't want any build up.
A diesel engine that is flushed regularly will have little loose sludge available to be picked up by the new oil. Proof of that is the length of time the new oil stays perfectly clean. When I change oil the oil on the dipstick is as clean as if I dip it in the oil drum.
I strongly advise you against the above suggestion to use home made flush in the form of diesel kero or or other solvents if you remotely care for your engine.
Another one to avoid id the old remedy of poring a few litre of kero in the empty sump through the dip stick pipe, live it there for a day and then drain it, works but works too well and may dislodge old dry crust of carbon that then will go to plug the oil conduit. Not good.

Re: Engine Flush?

Hello Mark1

Thank you for the compliment, I always try to take first place.
I do have a concern. I own two cars that are still under warranty and I have looked all through the hand book and the maintainance schedules and nowhere in either hand book does it mention the sludge build up that you say is a continual concern or does it say to "Flush" the oil system.
Why do you think these people who make new cars are not aware of sludge that you claim is such a problem.

Re: Engine Flush?

Just a quick update

The engine flush sold by snap-0n is Straight Run Middle Distilate (cas 64741-44-2)Straight Run Middle Distilate (CAS 64741-44-2) can be used in mixtures up to 100% as Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel.

It seems an expensive way to buy #2 Diesel.

Re: Engine Flush?

Tilly, is First "Price" better than first Place or first Prize, or is it just another way of people showing their ignorance and poor education??

When I took the rocker cover off my 340,000 Km + engine a few weeks ago to do the valves, I did not see one bit of buildup on any of the valve gear. Interestingly I note the service book on my car has been stamped right up to the point it ran out. I do not note anything that mentions flushing either, just changing the oil which has obviously done at the proper intervals.