old engine cleanin ?

[81ratrodc10]

I had an old guy tell me that if u drain ur oil outta ur motor then put like 1/2 gallon of diesel fuel in it run it for like 30 sec to a min drain it again it will clean all kinds of crap outta it does this really work or is it a dumb idea to do
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[Maxxd07]

Seen it done on a bobcat with a diesel engine that hadnt had the oil changed in a LONG time. Drained what would come out, diesel in, ran for a little bit, drained, new oil & filter, drained and then new oil and filter again. It is still running I guess.
I have also heard that a half quart of atf will clean out an engine too but have never tried it.
Also diesel is a lubricant while gas is a solvent if that helps.

[donut]

I do something similar, esp with a "new to me" truck or if I'm tearing into the engine anyway. I'll add a qt of kerosene to the engine oil, warm it up, drain. I'll change it again fairly soon (or atf instead of kero, I've done both.) IIRC the "engine flush" you can buy at the major parts houses say the same thing.

Draining first doesn't sit well with me. In my mind, you still need the oil to flush the old nasties away.

[81ratrodc10]

Thought he was nuts so figured id ask u guys lol
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[nekkidhillbilly]

atf works pretty good will smoke like crazy

seafoam is basically the same thing

[INSIDIOUS '86]

i wouldnt drain all the oil, i would want some viscosity to leave a cushion for the bearings

ive done the trans fluid trick with half and half an after a couple treatments it comes out clean

[Goldfinger]

seafoam seems to do the best I've found.

[BMERDOC]

If I was gonna do a internal engine cleaning I'd at least pull a valve cover and see how gunked up it is. If you start loosening stuff it can clog the pick up and filter. If it was that bad I'd consider pulling the covers and pan and do some good old scrubbing before I cleaned the rest with another method. When I got my old pickemup fired up and made sure it wasn't going to blow up I changed the oil and substituted 2 qts of ATF. I replaced the filter several times and topped off the oil. I changed the oil again and now I should probably do it again come to think of it.

[Gyawo]

Have fun getting your oil pick up plugged with all the crap that has settled up top and then gets loose after that. If you want to clean the engine, rebuild it.

[81ratrodc10]

I wasnt really thinkin of cleanin it im building a lawn mower for my son to do pulls with and thats how it came up he told me to do it on that and said it would work in my truck too
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[D13]

It can be used but there are issues. I used this once to remove sand from a motor that had been run without valve breathers installed. After I took a quart of sand out of the valve covers and rodded the drain backs out, I did the following.

Drain the oil and change the filter. Install 1 quart of diesel and fill it to normal with the cheapest 5W30 you can find. Run it until it's up to operating temp, then drain and change the filter. Repeat until the oil looks like new after it's gotton up to temp. Then drive it for a hundred miles or so, change the oil and filter. then pray.

ATF has a lot of friction additives in it, makes a good cleaner but not so much of a motor oil. GUNK engine flush is basically detergents with kerosene base, does the same as diesel only a lttle quicker. If your motor has had any type of regular maintainence this stuff should not be needed, basically it's a desperation no bucks/time to rebuild act.

[BigBlocksRule]

Drain a quart, add 2 quarts of tranny fluid. DON'T DRIVE IT, just let it idle until it gets to temp plus about 10 minutes. The additives in tranny fluid that work well are detergents that aren't in conventional oils.
Your bearings NEED a hydrodynamic wedge between crank and bearing surfaces. They ain't gonna get much from diesel, even though it feels greasy/oily.

If your engine has a lot of gunk under the valve covers, it has a ton in the lifter valley and pan. I wouldn't do this to a high mileage engine, the detergent/solvent in anything you use will remove some crap that's helping a seal prevent a leak. Only way to clean up an old, gunky engine is disassembly and then your choice of vat, block washer, etc.

[81ratrodc10]

When i replaced my valve cover gaskets they looked pretty clean under them at some point my motor was rebuilt but who knows when lol
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[andrewmp6]

I have heard of it being done i never have done it tho.

[Stepper562]

From what my old man told me that is an old trick and it'll clean it up but beware of above mentioned problems. I usually use GUNK. It's 5 bucks for the bottle, add it, let her idle for 5 min and change the oil. I do it every oil change after purchasing an older car until about 3-5 oil changes and a year later its starting to look decent.
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[BMERDOC]

If memory serves doesn't ATF have a viscosity rating of 0-30w?

[notyo_cheez]

Originally Posted by Gyawo

Have fun getting your oil pick up plugged with all the crap that has settled up top and then gets loose after that. If you want to clean the engine, rebuild it.

Without a doubt the best advice on this thread. ^^^

Never personally did an engine flush and anyone I've met who did it wound up rebuilding/replacing it later on.

I had been told that to remove small amounts of buildup use Marvel Mystery Oil in the crankcase, substitute one quart of MMO for oil during an oil change. Drive as normal, watch the level and add more MMO if it's low, change after one month or so and repeat. It's intended as a lubricant that has cleaning properties compared to diesel which will wash away assembly lube, destroy seal/gasket adhesives, and make for a bad day.