sludge build up

[bupthmt]

Was told there are "major sludege build up" in the engine, what does that mean?

[hooRAH]

Probably either means that you have sludge in the engine or that your mechanic wants you to think there is sludge in the engine so he can bill you to remove it.

There is a lot of information on the net about sludge in both Toyota engines and other engines. It is mostly a result of the oil not being changed enough.

If you don't notice anything wrong with the engine, the best thing to do on a Gen3 would be to avoid any costly repair and just change the oil more often, preferrably with synthetic oil.

[Mike Gerber]

First of all, you don't mention how many miles are on the car and what maintenance has been done to it during it's life. In addition, what shape is the rest of car in? With information like that we can give you some ideas on what to do, other than just defining what major sludge buildup is.

That said, it means that the oil has broken down inside the engine and turned to a gel-like material. This gel-like material gums up everything inside and restricts oil passages. That obviously stops the oil from flowing to everywhere it is needed. That usually means the engine doesn't have long to live. As stated above, this type of problem is usually due to improper maintenance; particularly not changing the oil regularly.

I would get a second opinion before doing anything. If a second opinion confirms the original diagnosis, you can try a product that cleans the inside of the engine. Go to an auto parts store and ask someone there for a recommendation. Years ago there was a product called 5 Minute Motor Flush. I don't know if it's still around. It was mostly kerosene. You put it in the oil and then let the car idle for around 5 minutes and then immediately change the oil to get the flush and the gunk out of the engine. It may or may not help, but it is certainly worth a try for $5 or so and the cost of an oil change.

Good luck with the problem.

Mike

[bupthmt]

Mike, ( hey thanks for replying again)

This is what I heard when I did the timing belt change ,what I have is 95camry 2.2 with 160k miles, it is running fine so I decide to change the belt ... but the technician told me this. actually I did follow the maintenance schedule and change oil quite often.

I will try your approach, btw, the kerosene won't affect the seal right (don't want the oil leak to happen).

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

First of all, you don't mention how many miles are on the car and what maintenance has been done to it during it's life. In addition, what shape is the rest of car in? With information like that we can give you some ideas on what to do, other than just defining what major sludge buildup is.

That said, it means that the oil has broken down inside the engine and turned to a gel-like material. This gel-like material gums up everything inside and restricts oil passages. That obviously stops the oil from flowing to everywhere it is needed. That usually means the engine doesn't have long to live. As stated above, this type of problem is usually due to improper maintenance; particularly not changing the oil regularly.

I would get a second opinion before doing anything. If a second opinion confirms the original diagnosis, you can try a product that cleans the inside of the engine. Go to an auto parts store and ask someone there for a recommendation. Years ago there was a product called 5 Minute Motor Flush. I don't know if it's still around. It was mostly kerosene. You put it in the oil and then let the car idle for around 5 minutes and then immediately change the oil to get the flush and the gunk out of the engine. It may or may not help, but it is certainly worth a try for $5 or so and the cost of an oil change.

Good luck with the problem.

Mike

[Mike Gerber]

"I will try your approach, btw, the kerosene won't affect the seal right (don't want the oil leak to happen)."


When you go to the auto parts store, look at the various internal engine cleaning products. Read everything on the can or bottle and look for something that claims to be safe for all engine seals.

On another note, if you have done regular oil changes at 3000 miles or 3 months, there really should be minimal sludge buildup in the engine, even at 160,000. You could have a tech pull off the cam cover gasket (or do it yourself) to see how the top of the cylinder head looks. It would probably only cost about 1 hour of labor and the cost of the replacement gasket. The tech you originally went to could simply have been trying to drum up extra business. You might want to do this before trying the engine cleaner. The engine cleaner could mask a problem if there really is/was one.

Good luck.

Mike

[91MR2quickNA]

Be sure to buy a valve cover gasket and a tube of some good quality RTV also. The RTV seals up the corners of the VCG's shortcomings. The valve cover nuts are 30mm in size.

Ensure your PCV system is not clogged as well. Check the hose at the top of the valve cover in between spark plug wires 2 and 3. If the engine does not have a way to vent its gases, it contaminates the oil very quickly which leads to sludge buildup. AFAIK, the 5SFEs don't have a PCV valve, so just make sure nothing is clogging any hoses leading from the valve cover to the intake hose or manifold.

If you do find sludge, clean up as much of it as you can. After that, run synthetic oil for the life of the engine. Synthetic oil is less likely to sludge, and will keep your engine clean with regular changes.

[Digger1]

Originally Posted by 91MR2quickNA

...buildup. AFAIK, the 5SFEs don't have a PCV valve, so...

Just for the record, the 5S-FE DOES have a PCV valve, at least, my car does (see my signature).

[Lord_Anarchy]

'94 Cam 5SFE ----- PCV'ed too Your MR2 doesn't have a PCV setup?