[PAULBROM]

Do any of you guys use engine flushes before an oil change as normally i just drop and change but just thought this time to give it an extra boost of cleaning additive before i change.(120,000 miles)
Or is it best to let a sleeping wolf lye?

 

[lowwill]

Dont know about this engine but in my 98 disco 4.0 I did a dextron flush with tranny fluid. Drained oil put in tranny fluid let it run for 20 mins(just idle) not driving. Drained put in freash oil. Drove it for about 900 miles and change oil again. Truck ran perfectly no ticks sounded good

 

[kmagnuss]

I was going to recommend the tranny fluid also...although I've never seen anyone do it completely with tranny fluid. :shock:

I was thinking more along the lines of adding one or two quarts of atf (making sure you don't overfill by removing some oil), and putting 10 miles or so of light, light driving on it.

Either will probably work...although I choose to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[lowwill]

Yeah you might be right not to sure on the bosch motors but adding a little of tranny fluid instead of oil in between oil changes could also work

 

[PAULBROM]

Cheers Lads for your input but just done the change but added an off the shelf engine flush from millers oils uk.
Definately noticed the old oil was thiner in viscosity on dropping due to the flush.
Anyway just doing the auto transmission and looking for the refill capacity i think it's 5 litres ish but will do a search to make sure.
Cheers,
PB

 

[big-t]

Magnuss is right about just adding a quart or two to the engine oil and letting it run for 10 minutes or so before changing oil, this is an old school trick. You should never run the engine with just transmission fluid in it as all transmission fluid is, is a detergent and should not be used as a lubricant. The idea behind transmission fluid is to make your bands in your transmission bind while keeping them cool, not a lubricant.

 

[PAULBROM]

Nice bit of info but I do have a question as to how the gears are lubricated

 

[big-t]

OK, I'll admit when I'm wrong, it is a lubricant, I just ment to say you shouldn't run your engine with only transmission fluid because of the amount of detergent it contains. A mixture of 4 parts oil and 1 part tranny fluid is ok for ten minutes or so but I wouldn't go any stronger than that IMO. I also learned that the original auto trans fluid back in the 40's used whale oil as a base lube.

 

[PAULBROM]

Thanks for the heads up on the ATF.
At my last place of employment one of the shift engineers told me used to add diesel to the oil as a flushing agent I was very supprised and thought he was mad which he replied " been doing it for years without any problems"
I think the ratio was about the same as the atf for about 15mins at idle.
Never tried it myself though

 

[shupack]

I put a qt of ATF in with every change, drain it when it starts getting black. takes longer every time, I'm up to about 5k (on amzoil) before it needs a change, it's about time to change the tranny fluid now that I think about it...

 

[hildstrom]

I used AMSOIL Engine Flush when I switched from conventional to synthetic after noticing a brown/black layer of varnish accumulating on my dip stick. I drained the old oil and put a new filter on. Then I put new conventional oil in with the bottle of engine flush. I ran the engine at a fast idle (1500-2000 rpm) in park for 20 minutes, drained the flush oil, and changed filters again. The 20 minute used oil was very black from all of the varnish and sludge it was cleaning out, so I was glad I spent the extra $15-$20 to flush with clean oil and a new filter. This is also one of the official documented uses for the Sea Foam Motor Treatment available at many auto parts stores.

I have not heard about flushing with ATF before, so thanks for the tip. I'll look into that too.

 

[Edable]

Hey Folks

One question will the Engine Flush stop the tapping sound that comes from the valves or does one have to change the tappers as well as my mechanic is saying.Your reply will be quite apprecaited cos I intend to visit the workshop this weekend.

 

[nj673]

One question will the Engine Flush stop the tapping sound that comes from the valves or does one have to change the tappers as well as my mechanic is saying.Your reply will be quite apprecaited cos I intend to visit the workshop this weekend.

No harm in trying, it worked a treat for the hydraulic tappets in my previous LWB 2.4 Frontera, close to the next oil change the tappet started acting up again but post flush and oil change all was well once more.

On my Diesel Frontera I ran that on 75% waste engine oil and 25% kerrosine [or petrol, whatever I had in the jerry can] The kerrosine flushed out the fuel system a treat and blocked the fuel filter as a result - I always carried a spare!

On the Rangie I mixed good clean diesel and Kerosine 50/50 on my last long trip - yup about 75miles down the highway I'm coasing to a halt having blocked the fuel filter - I had a spare - same filter as the Frontera had by coincidence! so kerrosine seems to work good at flushing stuff out - I added a couple of quarts to the Jeep last weekend and let it idle for 15/20 mins before doing its oil change. How effective it was I cant say and DEFINATELY would not drive it or put any load on the engine with kerrosine in the oil.

I might try the ATF idea on the Rangies oil change if it has a high detergent content.

Gordon

 

[nj673]

Just a thought on the ATF thing. I am no oil expert but my understanding of detergent oils v 'straight' oils is that the detergent oil carries a large amount of the carbon etc in suspension [certaily true of my transmission oil at present!!] whereas non detergent oils dont and the gunge sinks to the bottom of the sump.

Most if not all engine oils used nowadays will be detergent oils [i am guessing here] and so the engine internals will be cleaner - might not look it - than a non detergent oil, but nevertheless if a high[er] detergent oil is introduced it will start to clean up the internals even more and carry more of the gunge in the oil. This means that the possibility of the oil filter becoming blocked and bypassing itself is something to be considered ??? - if you, say, run the engine between oil changes with a quart or so ATF in it to clean things up on a high mileage engine.

I am old enough to remember the switch to detergent aviation oils from straight aviation oils and certainly blocked filters were an issue when swapping to a detergent oil after long time useage of a non detergent oil. The ATF additive thing wont be as dramatic as the aviation experience but the same principals will probably apply.

Which by the way is why engine oil goes black very shortly after putting clean stuff in, the carbon etc is being suspended in the oil, not layin in the sump.

Gordon

 

[Chris X]

I've used ATF to flush the 4.0 on my Jeep. A little in the oil fill and a little through each spark plug hole. Ran about 10 minutes and drained it out.

I've also used a spray bottle to mist water into the throttle body while the truck is running to give a little top end steam clean. The idea is to get water vapor in the intake mainfold to mix with incoming air. Again change oil when complete.

I know a mechanic who will hook up a jug of water with a vac line to the intake manifold to do regular steam cleaning. Haven't tried that technique yet, similar premise though.

 

[kmagnuss]

I know a mechanic who will hook up a jug of water with a vac line to the intake manifold to do regular steam cleaning. Haven't tried that technique yet, similar premise though.

That's what we old RX7 guys do. The rotary engine gets pretty gummed up with carbon, and when you suck in the water through the vaccum line it breaks it all up... then you have a better running engine. yay.

 

[Chris X]

Yep, I've heard that the rotaries really can benefit from that technique on a regular basis. The guy I know has a tuned SAAB and does it regularly. I'll have to get the details from him on how he plumbs it into the manifold vac nipple. I don't know if he uses an Aquamist system or if it is homemade.

From my experience I just spray it in there until the engine starts to really stumble, then let it catch up and do it again. Maybe 5 minutes worth of that and then change the oil. Might try it on the Rangie after I do some gasket work this spring.