Sludge cleanup/PCV valve

[Chris Crash]

I saw all the posts and threads about how much sludge is under the valve cover. So I was convinced to take mine off and have a look. It looks like this:







I figured I could seafoam it and that would help maybe? Or should I just tackle it with a wire brush and some spray-on cleaner? Or both?

Also, is this the PCV valve?



My question is, does this look bad? Should I bother cleaning it? Or is it all right the way it is?

[Venom_5]

yikes ... looks like the infamous Gen 4 sludge ...

i would clean it up, because it hasnt developed to a point of no return - i wouldnt run seafoam in there directly, i would clean it up by hand as best you can

i would run seafoam through the brake booster line, or whatever intake routing you see fit, as normally done by a lot of us - that will just help with minor residue/carbon build up ... and i would make sure to stay on top of oil changes! keep track of the oils youre using and how often youre changing, the same goes for the filters

[Chris Crash]

If I cleaned it by hand with a brush or something, wouldn't most of the pieces get lost? Should I have a vacuum handy when I do this to get all the bits and pieces?

[Venom_5]

you could use something like a shop vac to scoop up the pieces, or just be careful when you knock pieces off - be sure to catch them with your hands

btw, is it just me or does your oil level look alarmingly low?

[Chris Crash]

You know, it probably is pretty low. I haven't checked in a while. I totally forgot about that. The valve cover gasket leaks. Need to get a new one.

Thanks for reminding me.

[Venom_5]

go grab a VCG @ your nearest dealership ... i think they charged me a few bucks for mine, it couldntve been much because i paid in cash and i dont have much cash on me usually

and if you let the car run on low oil, or go 6000+ miles without oil changes, youre likely to build up more sludge

[Chris Crash]

Yeah, a VCG ran me about 20 bucks. Then a filter, oil, PCV valve and a few other things were another 20.

Thanks for all your help, man.

[Kep]

There have been several posts on various methods of cleaning a sludged up engine. Your chipping method will work. Have a vacuum running and hold the hose right next to the piece(s) that you're chipping so they don't drop into the void. A wire brush might be a little too harsh but it might work. A stiff tooth brush (dental brushes are great) might be a little more conservative. Again, watch for falling pieces and, if you do use a wire brush, maybe even breaking bristles dropping into the engine.

Ghettosled ran a discussion on this very thing. There was a very good response to it with a lot of different ideas. Check out: i have sludge buildup with pictures - what to do? (56k iffy?)

Kep


Kep

[cykaaro]

Another thing with leaking oil. I've not had issues with my valve cover, but I was leaking oil from the oil filter assembly. Once I changed out to a new PCV I stopped leaking oil. Haven't had a chance to remove my front valve cover yet, but hoping if it's like the rest of the car for the most part, it'll be fairly clean.

[Chris Crash]

The toothbrush didn't really too much. It got some big pieces off, but there's still a lot of sludge built up. Seafoam? Or could I spray something like carb cleaner or brake cleaner or some solvent like that or would that fuck up the engine a lot?

[cykaaro]

Not really sure what is best to use, but definitely research before you use a particular product. Last thing you want to do is make things worse for sure. Being cautious can be a good thing.