If you want a clean engine, inside that is
Posted: Aug 16, 2024 12:51 AM
Fighting the smoking that could be seen from outer space on the Datsun, AKA Infiniti QX4, I ran some engine cleaner thru it. Said 15 minutes on the can, I think I was just under an hour, just idling. Changed the oil, 1200 miles on it and it was pretty dirty, but the truck has 170K on it, IMO not high, not low, at least by BMW standards. Did another change I think less than a thou later to make sure I got all of the cleaner out of it.
Went on vacation, 4K miles, and while it did use some oil, the oil on the dipstick looks like it might have a couple of hundred miles on it, color wise. It's still a brown you can see thru, not like the typical near black that it used to be and would be normal for an engine with 170K. I mean it's shockingly clean to me at least. The aluminum on the heads is pretty clean too, I can post that if someone really wants it, but otherwise just take my word. I used Liqui Moly Pro-Line Engine Flush, I've found I like their stuff.
Now, I'm not sure it really makes any difference if the oil looks clean after 4K, I mean detergent oil is supposed to pick up the dirt and hold it in suspension, but it is nice to look at.
In case anyone missed my original post on it, cleaning it did not do any good. But replacing the valve covers did, the passages and baffling inside the VCs was all sludged up and only sees oil fumes so not nearly enough for the cleaner to do anything, so it was kind of a failed, but harmless experiment for me to use the cleaner.
But that stuff does work at least on surfaces that get oil flow on them.
Went on vacation, 4K miles, and while it did use some oil, the oil on the dipstick looks like it might have a couple of hundred miles on it, color wise. It's still a brown you can see thru, not like the typical near black that it used to be and would be normal for an engine with 170K. I mean it's shockingly clean to me at least. The aluminum on the heads is pretty clean too, I can post that if someone really wants it, but otherwise just take my word. I used Liqui Moly Pro-Line Engine Flush, I've found I like their stuff.
Now, I'm not sure it really makes any difference if the oil looks clean after 4K, I mean detergent oil is supposed to pick up the dirt and hold it in suspension, but it is nice to look at.
In case anyone missed my original post on it, cleaning it did not do any good. But replacing the valve covers did, the passages and baffling inside the VCs was all sludged up and only sees oil fumes so not nearly enough for the cleaner to do anything, so it was kind of a failed, but harmless experiment for me to use the cleaner.
But that stuff does work at least on surfaces that get oil flow on them.