<< Listers, THis is the best place I could ever think of to attempt to find
an answer a an Engine problem I’m “engaged” in. Any opinions or prognosis
will
help! Recently, an employee thru a rod right through the block of one of
our Ford Vans with 60K on it. I thought “No problem, we have a 75K Extended
Warranty”. Well, the Ford dealer says “no”. They pulled the engine and the
Oil pan is full of sludge. We have had regular oil changes done but you
wouldn’t think so by looking at the sludge! Becaue of this sludge, they are
saying “no way”. My Question: What could possibly cause a lot of sludge
with regular oil changes? I am completely and totally confused over this
and the
dealer can’t define any answers except to say the vehicle hasn’t had the oil
changed which it has. Any opinions?
Keith Headley
Keith, what brand of oil were you using?
Frank
'70 OTS >>>>>>
Frank,
Many brands have been used since the oil has been changes at 4 different
locations PLUS our own shop using…Ahem…a house brand oil called “Parts
Master”. Not the best for sure, but I had no clue oils varied so much in
Quality. Not enough to be a part of the Havoc this engine has suffered
anyway! I am STILL having problems with the dealer gettingto see the ESP
insurance rep and I “used” to have great things to say about this particular
dealership. Call me befuddled. By the way, THANK YOU ALL for all of the
input you’ve given me! What DID we ever do without this site!
Keith Headley
Here's my 2 cents:
- Check the crankcase ventilation system. If it's partially plugged,
the oil can be cooked.
- Check the cooling system…was the engine overheating?
- Check for a piston or cylinder problem: excessive blowby could be
contributing to sludge formation.
- Check with other Ford owners…maybe this is a common problem?
- If it isn’t too late, have the sludge chemically analyzed. There
are many labs which do oil analysis (write me if you need a reference), they
can tell you exactly what the chemical composition of the oil was…at
least you will know if the sludge is burned oil or contamination. In the
future, periodic oil analysis will help you avoid problems like this. I’ve
been doing it on my old cars for a year or so, and it’s helped me spot at
least one potential problem.
One obvious thing no one mentioned, of course, because it is so obvious,
obviously, is that you heat the oil before draining it to pull all the gunk out
with the hot viscous oil.
LLoyd, obviously…
Keith wrote: "]Many brands have been used since the oil has been changes at
4 different locations PLUS our own shop using…Ahem…a house brand oil
called “Parts
Master”. Not the best for sure, but I had no clue oils varied so much in
Quality.+++++++++++++++++
Keith: You might want to check the service rating on the Parts Master brand
of oil and compare that to what is called for in your owner’s manual. If the
Parts Master brand oil has a lower service rating than what is called for in
the manual you would be wise not to mention that fact to the Ford reps you
are talking to.
Do the oil change places you use keep computer records by customer? I would
expect that at least some of them do. You might ask them and if they do ask
for a print out of the change history on the vehicle. Fill in the gaps in
the records with your in house changes.
My understanding of the requirements for oil changes is that you only need to
show evidence of regular (as per the maintenance schedule) oil changes using
oil as specified or better (for example using SF if SE is called for). I
believe this has previously been in litegation and there is a body case law
on it.
Best advice I can give you is to gather all your evidence and keep hammering.
This is a good point. I recently discovered that the off-brand of
oil I was using was, shall we say, incomplete. Oil analysis proved that the
additive package was incorrect for a motor oil, in fact, closer to hydraulic
fluid. I would take a sample of the Parts master oil right from the bottle
and send it off for analysis…you may have a claim, not with Ford,but with
the manufacturer of the oil.
Mike Frank
1969 E-Type 2+2
New York
bAt 08:48 PM 4/3/99 -0500, you wrote:>In case any one missed it, there is another common denominator: same