I purchased a bottle of "Engine Flush" to clean out the crankcase. Now I'm debating whether or not to use it. Do these things really work? Can it have any adverse affects on a motor with 95,000 miles?

 

I've never trusted those. The powerful solvents used in them cant be good for gaskets and seals, as well as the fact that you'd never be able to get it all out with a drain and refill. I wouldnt want a solvent mixed with my oil. Also, the deposits which have built up can break off, clogging galleys, as well as break off unevenly, preventing a full seal around the valves. Just my $.02

 

yea, i wouldnt mix anything with oil. its job is just too important to be messing with. if you had a donor motor then you could experiment and share the results. if not, i wouldn't worry about it.

 

Do not use this stuff. My brother ruined an old chevy motor by flushing the crankcase seems like all the carbon inside the motor kept the tolerances close. After flushing, the engine smoked because the flushing cleaned the carbon from behind the rings. Also once you loosen up all the sludge some may plug up small oil passages like in the lifters. Just keep the oil and filter changed.------------DON'T FIX IT IF IT AIN'T BROKE --------(Trust us on this one)

 

they are right dont put anything with oil. ive had luck with sea foam 1/3 of a can down the brake booster is all u need.

 

they are right dont put anything with oil. ive had luck with sea foam 1/3 of a can down the brake booster is all u need. it will smoke but its a good top engine cleaner.

 

It says in your owner's manual not to add anything to oil/air/fuel.

 

I've found that it's CRITICAL to flush the crankcase on some vehicles -

WHAT'S YOURS???

Most older Land Rovers will die if you don't flush them regularly, and I just had to replace a '95 4.9L a week ago that could have been saved if it had been flushed a few times. So could this 5.8L:



But I'd only use a GOOD name brand, like BG (professional use only) or Berryman's B-12 (~$5 @ WM), and you have to follow the instructions EXACTLY for it be effective & safe.

What does it say about towing ~12 tons of industrial excavation equipment behind a 1/2-ton truck???

 

If the landrover, 4.9, 5.8 or anyother vehicle would die if it wasn't flushed it would only be because the oil and filter were neglected and if the oil was that dirty just how would flushing do anything except loosed up sludge and carbon only to then clog small oil passages, the next oil filter and leave large chunks of debris in the oil pan. I know from watching by brother ruin a fine running chevy by flushing the crankcase, it smoked so bad and lifters hammered so bad he had to replace the engine. we've said enough about this subject------------ proceed with flushing and suffer the results

 

You're right.




...if you wait for the engine to get THAT bad before flushing it. Flushing isn't a REPAIR - it's MAINTENANCE. You have to do it regularly for it to be safe & effective. And all dino oils (& some "synthetics") have paraffin in them that builds up inside the engine, leaving those deposits. So even with good oil maintenance, flushing helps. You just have to do it RIGHT. Sounds like your brother didn't.

You're either the kind of vehicle owner that professional mechanics LOVE (because their vehicles receive no maintenance & require LOTS of expensive repairs), or a pro mechanic (who wants people to neglect their vehicles).

 

These newer engines use a fairly complicated procedure to calculate air/fuel ratios, and they do so with supprising accuracy. So there isn't a lot of "crud" build up in the combustion chamber. (as compared to an engine with a worn out carb) As for the bottom end. There should be very little crud there, if you change your oil periodically. I wouldn't risk tearing my truck up, just so the internal parts will be a little more shiney.

 

The PCM has no effect on oil deposits that build up in the crankcase, and those deposits can (& DO) have a large effect on the splash-oiling necessary to keep the engine in good condition. So you risk even MORE damage by allowing them to build up, than you do from using engine flush PROPERLY at regular intervals.

Remember that you're not supposed to drive around for thousands of miles with engine flush in the oil. It's done IMMEDIATELY before an oil change. If you get a bunch of crap coming out with the oil, it tells you you need to repeat the flush within a few hundred miles, or at least change the filter every ~500mi to get the big chunks out until your next regular oil change.

 

I've used Gunk’s 5 minute motor flush in the past with great success.

The ex-in-laws gave me a car several years back on the condition that if I could fix it I could have it. It was a Mercury Grand Marque with a 302ci, that was rattling like crazy.

I ran a bottle through and the rattling stopped almost right away. I ran that car for nearly 100,000 more before I finally got rid of it.

As far as leaks developing, if you have deposits plugging up leaks and they are cleaned away, then yes you will develop leaks.

As far as some people saying you should never use a engine flush product. Then please explain to me, why I've seen this service offered at auto dealerships. Surly they wouldn't sell a service that would void a warranty.

Just my two cents, to stir the pot.

Doug

 

It says in the owner's manual not to do that and that it will void your warranty, but you can go argue with it.

 

I've seen engine flush as an item on a number of car dealer service invoices, VW, Chrysler, and others. Not to say it's necessarily good, but it's done - you may not even be aware of it. You do have to use the right stuff, probably NOT the stuff that's advertised the most. Seafoam seems to have the vote of confidence of a lot of people.