[MARKDTN]

I have heard of all kind of crazy stuff-kerosine, ATF, even milk. In my experience leave it alone. If you can't take it down and tank it, you are just wasting time and may do damage.

I used to put used engines in as a weekend business. Bought a TBI Dodge 318 to put in an earlier carbureted truck. I did my usual oil pump, strainer, and timing chain while it was out. When I pulled the intake to swap it, I noticed a lot of stuff in the lifter gallery so I put the engine on a stand and pressure washed it extensively and dried it with compressed air. Put it together and about a day later it came back with no oil pressure. Turns out all that gunk that got loose but didn't get out was trapped at the pickup screen and it was starving for oil. I got out easy with just another pickup screen, but from then on I don't try to get gunk out of a complete engine.