Just realized I didn't send this to everyone.
-------- Original Message --------
Hi Dave and Niel,
Dave hit the nail right on the head, he is exactly right. I only
mentioned pulling the valve cover because it is the easiest thing to
remove to get a look inside the engine. It is a good 'relative'
reference. Generally if it looks bad there, it looks bad everywhere.
Also, you can buy a magnet that goes on the end of the oil filter. This
helps trap more of the small metal particulates in the oil. I have used
them in the past with decent results, so you may want to consider it.
If you ever want to see something interesting, cut apart a used oil
filter, and check out the sludge inside. Nasty stuff- basically tar.
Most modern oils are formulated to limit the amount of sludge
generated. But oil change intervals, driving style, and the general
enviroment the car operates in all contribute to how much is generated.
You can always tell when someone has used Pennzoil in an engine- the
smell is ungodly.
So- to everyone on this list,
A very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays in General!
Take Care,
Charles.
David Homstad wrote:
>The gunk is like the plaque in your arteries. It sticks and stays stuck.
>With a good solvent or detergent, it can be re-dissolved back into the oil,
>where it will continue to circulate until dumped at the next oil change.
>This is what makes the oil black. A good oil is also supposed to keep new
>gunk in suspension as it is made, until an oil change. There is a limit to
>how much gunk the oil can keep suspended. The oil filter removes chunks of
>gunk, metal wear particles, sand and grit that get past the air filter and
>then rings, etc. Very fine particles small enough to pass through the oil
>filter are generally harmless, but can accumulate between oil changes, and
>in sufficient quantities, accelerate engine wear. All the above are reasons
>why we change oil.
>
>Gunk is broken-down oil hydrocarbons. This is caused by high heat (like
>around the rings and exhaust valves), chemical reactions with water and
>acids in the oil (from ring blow-by), and plain old mechanical shear of the
>molecules.
>
>If oil changes are infrequent and gunk accumulates, it can slowly close off
>an oil passage (heart attack) or a chunk can break loose and suddenly close
>off a passage (stroke). A loose chunk is a possibility when a very dirty
>engine gets treated with an engine cleaner.
>
>As you asked, the liberated gunk travels everywhere oil goes, continuously,
>but the oil rings keep it out of the combustion chamber. The detergents in
>tranny oil will actually clean gunk from the rings and keep them loose. My
>personal preference is to add a cleaner (like tranny fluid) maybe 100 miles
>before an oil change so the loosened gunk spends less time moving around.
>Some engine cleaners, like Rislone, are powerful solvents and thin the oil
>too much for normal driving, so they go in for 10 minutes or so, and only at
>an idle rpm, just before an oil change.
>
>Gunk likes to settle out of the oil, to the bottom of the oil pan (where
>most of the oil is) when it sits for a while. This is why most of the gunk
>is in the pan. In the old days before detergent oil and filters, mechanics
>would let used oil set for a few weeks until the gunk settled to the bottom
>of the container, then put it back into an engine.
>
>Oil from the upper end, and everywhere else, does not go through the filter
>on the way to the sump. The sump collects all the used oil and gunk, and
>stores it for the oil pump. The oil pump sucks the oil from the sump and
>pushes it through the filter first, then on to everywhere else in the
>engine.
>
>Pennzoil (and all Pennsylvania crude oils) has a huge amount of paraffin wax
>in it. This breaks down much easier than oil and forms a LOT of sludge. So,
>Pennzoil has a huge amount of detergents to keep all this sludge in
>suspension until an oil change. But if not changed frequently (less than
>2000 miles), the sludge will overwhelm the detergents and sludge will
>deposit everywhere. But if changed frequently (less than 500 miles), it will
>remove old sludge and clean the engine. Unfortunately, Pennzoil's paraffin
>is not the best lubricant and allows high friction areas like cam lobes to
>wear fast. And when cold (like here), it has the viscosity of caramel.
>
>How many miles does Horace have since his overhaul??
>
>How often do you change his oil??
>
>What brand and weight oil does Horace get??
>
>Dave
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: eastern sierra Adj Services [mailto:esierraadj@xxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 10:20 PM
>To: cpollock@xxxxxxxx; Dhomstad@xxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [FWDLK] L-FORWARDLOOK Digest - 19 Dec 2005 to 20 Dec 2005
>(#2005-343)
>
>Charles (& Dave) ; I like the idea of adding a qt of trannie juice to
>the engine, on general purpose, but: here's the question: why doesn't
>the liberated gunk get into the cylinder walls/combustion chambers?
>
>If the gunk (slight, in H's -case, as his engine was O/H'ed 15 byears
>ago) is in the upper-end, would it be forced thru the oil filter, before
>the oil is routed to the sump?---THAT would be a pretty good scenario.
>
>I don't think that a gunked pan-floor would be thrown-up, into the
>engine, but, according to Charles, a LOT of gunk is delivered to the
>pan; why doesn't the gunk, then get (re-)distributed throughout the
>engine???
>
>Neil
>
>
>
>
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