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I have a 2004 f150 with a broken chain guide ( I think). I have dropped the oil pan. Oil was jet black with some residue on the bottom of pan. Someone recommended flushing the engine before I started, but that wasn’t an option. Anyone have any advice on what I need to do to clean this up before installing new timing, cam phasers, lifters, etc? There was no metal or plastic in the pan. How can I clean this without running it? I will be pulling valve covers soon. Hopefully sludge hasn’t taken over.
I had the same question. You can see everything I did, lots of photos and details. Some tips and tricks I came up with along the way.
End result, engine is running as good as I can ever remember. Have had several friends that have driven it mention how good it runs.
Keeping in mind, I am super meticulous about these things and the work, time, and effort do not phase me. If I am gonna do it, Im doing it to the absolute best of my ability when it comes to my truck. It was no easy/clean task to say the least......and I almost died.......so, ventilation is critical need I say......lol.
please let me know if I can help or if you got questions. I vested a ton of time and research into this subject to ensure it was done right. Gonna say, your gonna get mixed opiniions about this.
If you take the time to read all the posts, you will see the various opinions about the procedure and results, what i did to ensure it was done right, and the outcome.
Clean the pan, clean or replace the suction screen and run a quality oil with enhanced change intervals. Trying to do a running flush on a heavily sludged-up engine is just courting disaster. Yes you'll dislodge a bunch of crap, and then it'll go places you'll never get to without a full teardown and hot-tanking. The top end will probably more crystalline due to the higher temps. Maybe go after the worst of it with a shop-vac and a popsickle stick. Thirteen years of neglect isn't going to be erased with a couple cans of topically applied Brake-Kleen.
I appreciate the advice. I have heard this time and time again when it comes to engines and transmissions. This was my concern. I don’t want to work something loose from an obvious spot, just to have it lodge somewhere hidden. I cannot repair neglect by scraping sludge, but I am hoping to do anything that will prolong Engine life. I am hoping this will be the last time I have this truck opened up like this. I will do few short cycle oil changes once complete. I am hearing conflicting suggestions about marvel mystery engine cleaner. What is your opinion?
Originally Posted by PerryB
Clean the pan, clean or replace the suction screen and run a quality oil with enhanced change intervals. Trying to do a running flush on a heavily sludged-up engine is just courting disaster. Yes you'll dislodge a bunch of crap, and then it'll go places you'll never get to without a full teardown and hot-tanking. The top end will probably more crystalline due to the higher temps. Maybe go after the worst of it with a shop-vac and a popsickle stick. Thirteen years of neglect isn't going to be erased with a couple cans of topically applied Brake-Kleen.
As stated, Im not a fan of trying to flush a dirty engine. That being said, I've used MMO to successfully un-stick collapsed lifters on a couple of older engines that had been sitting for a long time. It has it's place, but I don't think this is it.
Much appreciated. Don’t be surprised if I reach out to you on here. Have a great thanksgiving.
Originally Posted by PerryB
As stated, Im not a fan of trying to flush a dirty engine. That being said, I've used MMO to successfully un-stick collapsed lifters on a couple of older engines that had been sitting for a long time. It has it's place, but I don't think this is it.
As stated, Im not a fan of trying to flush a dirty engine. That being said, I've used MMO to successfully un-stick collapsed lifters on a couple of older engines that had been sitting for a long time. It has it's place, but I don't think this is it.
This is exactly the place for MMO, used with a 10w-30 or 5w-40 diesel oil for its super-high detergent level to keep all the dissolved crud in suspension. I did this exact same thing on my truck. Expect to be changing your oil every 2,000 miles or less for a little while.
It works very well, but it works slowly enough to keep everything from falling off at once.
Definitely hit that pan with some carb or brake cleaner before you put it back on.
11-21-2017, 08:19 PM
Oil pan inspection pictures and advice.
