Sludge!

[NutmegCT]

When checking the valves, I found a "bit" of sludge, about 1/16th thick.

I know I can use paint thinner or degreaser, and will use that to remove the sludge on the underside of the valve cover. But how do I remove the sludge that's on and around the valve heads? I don't want to wash it down the valves and rod holes.

Or ... should I clean the cover, but just wipe and brush it off the head.

Thanks.
Tom M.
1957 Traveller

 

[DrEntropy]

Tom, this you will not want to hear, but: "let sleeping dogs lie." Clean the inside of the cover, yes, but don't mess with the rest. That is evidence of neglecting oil changes, pure-n-simple. You start disturbing the sediment and it WILL find its way into bushes & bearings.

Change the oil & filter several times at 500~1,000 mile intervals. Either plan on a full engine rebuild or look for another one to rebuild and swap in while you do that one (if original to the car). You could R&R the head and oil pan, clean those up and hope for the best, too.

 

[NutmegCT]

Somehow the Clouseau phrase "Does your dog bite?" pops to mind.

I figured there was danger about crud going "down inside" - thanks for reinforcing my thoughts there. I scraped loose as much of the sludge as I could, then brushed/wiped it up. Then attacked the valve cover, which took grease cutter, paint thinner, wire brush, and flat head screwdriver to loosen the sludge. Literally had to chisel (using screwdriver) some of the hardened mess loose.

Girded my loins, re-assembled and re-connected things, ignition on, cranked engine, and ... it started immediately. I slowly raised it to 2500 rpm and kept it there for ten minutes, getting it hot, let it idle, then returned to 2500. I kept fearing a slow and painful death - but engine operated normally. There is a random miss at high speed revs (not idle), but that existed prior to my cleaning today. I figure (hope?) it's a coil issue.

Interestingly, the apparently generic coil is marked "external ballast" - but in a Morris Minor 1000 there's no ballast resistor/condenser/capacitor in the system. hmmmm

The merry circus continues!
Thanks.
Tom M.

 

[DrEntropy]

The degradation from loosened "sludge" will not come as an immediate problem, rather over time. Change oil & filter a few times at 500~1,000 mile intervals, as suggested above. Wouldn't hurt to put in some of that "mechanic-in-a-bottle" Lucas oil either.

 

[NutmegCT]

How 'bout Seafoam into the oil filler, per Seafoam instructions? one ounce per quart of oil.

 

[DrEntropy]

How 'bout Seafoam into the oil filler, per Seafoam instructions? one ounce per quart of oil.

I doubt it will do any harm. But again, a few oil changes in succession as well.

 

[bobhustead]

I know nothing about Sea Foam in the crank case, having first heard about it very recently. However, the stuff works (albeit very little) elsewhere by dissolving the petroleum gunk that keeps offending deposits in place. These deposits were once in your oil, which is how they got where they are now, so I wouldn't think that enlarging them back into the oil for a short time would hurt much. But, you should probably change the oil very soon after adding Sea Foam.
Bob

 

[NutmegCT]

Thanks gentlemen. As a side note, I used Seafoam on my 1958 Rambler about ten years ago. I'd found cylinder compression (on the flat head six) to be something like 150 145 150 150 90 145.

I put two tablespoons of Seafoam into that low cylinder, let it sit over night, ran the engine, then tested again. The 90 had gone up to around 145.

I then used the "two tablespoons per quart oil" method, drove 100 miles, changed oil, and the dark exhaust smoke was greatly reduced.

Just sayin'

 

[bobhustead]

Must have loosened up gunked rings on the 90# hole.
Bob

 

[LarryK]

Seafoam was orignally made for outboards. I use it to clean valves out of head, does good. Back in the 60s-70s we used to run transmission fluid as a cleaner, 1 qt during oil change, drive 500 miles and redo oil change and filter. Oil was cheaper then. But, I agree with Doc, change oil a couole times with short intervals. These older cars had non-detergent oil and were specified to be changed at 1000 mile intervals.

 

[NutmegCT]

Larry - I remember the days ... my 1958 Rambler didn't have an oil filter. Manual said to change oil every 500 miles. You could get options like foam padded seats for an extra $12, sun visors for $5, and an oil filter for the whopping high price of $10.50. Buyers got the foam and the sun visors, but passed on the oil filter.

My dad said you'd have to buy a lot of oil at 12¢ per quart, to need that $10.50 filter gizmo.

 

[LarryK]

You know what I am saying. The old non-detergent oil had to be changed more often as it did not clean. 60s started introducing the modern oils. You can keep using non-detergent, but sludge will increase. What you have is from lack of road use, sitting a lot. Just change oil and filter couple quick times then maybe just filter until you see some improvement. The old English cars had a lot of not tight tolerances so what sludge that starts washing off should have minimal impact until you want to go further into it. You don't hotrod, so you should be fine. Ask your buds at the museum, they do the old planes with you.

 

[PAUL161]

Aside from using lousy formulated oils, there was also the attitude that the cooler an engine ran the better it was for the engine. Case in point, the valve cover, the reason the valve cover is the first part to sludge up is it's the coolest part of an engine. Back then the only time the thermostat, (if it had one), got changed was in the winter, no reason to explain that. The old Chevy castiron 6 was great for valve-cover sludge. I bought an old Chevy and immediately changed the oil with a high detergent oil, which probably clogged the oil gallies up and I threw a rod! I was on a date and her dad said she must be home before a certain time, I drove all the way to her house with the rod banging like crazy, what a tough old engine. I'd rather get another engine from the junkyard than deal with her dad! I got her home on time!

 

[DrEntropy]

The owner of the Sewickley PA dealership in the mid-seventies could drive anything he wanted. Any AMC, Alfa, Lotus, or pick one from the trade-in lot. He lived in Ligonier and drove to the shop (close to a 100 mile one way run) winter or summer in a '65 Rambler six-banger, column shift three-speed. I swear the thing was part mountain goat.