Started cleaning sludged engine

[Jon Chimpo]

Hey all,

Figured I'd start a thread about my 04 tahoe Z71.

Last week I bought unknowingly with a heavy sludged engine. I gave myself 4 days to gather facts, and to calm down from wanting to destroy everything that the guy sold to me loves.

so pulled the other valve cover off tonight and started washing with diesel, and a brush. it's actually cleaning up pretty damn good. It's soaking over night is diesel. I didn't pull the pan, just letting all the drippings run down to collect.
I did build a catch can to run with my shop-vac, however my vac is far to powerful, and pulled sludge/diesel into the vacuum... Crap, just another thingreat to clean.

the valve covers had a bit of milkshake in them, they are also sitting in diesel to clear out the breather passages.

 

[Jon Chimpo]

this is after a brushing, and diesel wash tonight. I need to pick up a few detail brushs at ACE tomorrow, and a few more gallonso of diesel.

 

[Pachanga02]

Wow that's a lot of sludge. Good luck with it

 

[undy]

Over the years I've added a quart of kerosene to my sludged up engines and let them idle for about a half hour and then drained them with good success. DO NOT drive them with the kerosene in them though as it reduces lubricity somewhat.

 

[4WDTRK]

Looks good, keep us posted!

 

[rockola1971]

Id just continue what you are doing and then run engine with regular 5w-30 oil(dont use synthetic yet) and subtract a quart of oil and add a quart of tranny fluid. Drive it for 100-200 miles and drain, change oil filter and repeat until oil filter doesnt look like someone threw up hersheys chocolate syrup in it. Then run synthetic. Probably wouldnt hurt to try some engine flush before you start running the tranny fluid mix. If its that bad on the heads just think what the oil galleys and bearings look like.

This reminds me of a 3.8l back in the late 80s that I saw after years of penzoil ran in it.

 

[Jon Chimpo]

in case anyone is wondering, the 5.3 vortec holds 7 gallons of liquid.. did my first diesel drain today after work. it came out real thing, and black as midnight. Got inside the valve covers with a detail brush, was able to clean a lot more goop out.

I saw an idea on YouTube today about hooking up a compressor to the dipstick tube to agitate the diesel. So it's running now at 15 psi. going to turn it off at 10, so it will have ran for 1.5hrs. Then let it sit overnight.

 

[Jon Chimpo]

My garage is tore up!

 

[Jon Chimpo]

Everyday is a little better than the last.. frozen fuel filter nut, wont budge.

 

[Jon Chimpo]

Good amount of shavings also.