Has anyone else experienced extreme oil sludge in their 5.0? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Has anyone else experienced extreme oil sludge in their 5.0?

jam234

Member
Joined
June 26, 2007
Messages
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City, State
Dallas,PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2001XLTSPORTv8/4door/awd
I have a 2001 xlt sport 5.0 with 82k that i've had since its has 45k, when i first got it I used kendrall synth blend for 2 changes then switched to motorcraft synth blend and motorcraft 820s filter. Since I got it 3 years ago there has been low oil pressure when it starts then suddenly it would go to good pressure range, then in cold weather the symptoms were magnified. Three weeks ago the idiot oil gage started jumping like it was possesed, I'd stop and turn it off and it would be ok for another 100 miles. When I got it home I got it to my neighbor who is a Ford dealership mechanic who does work at night on the side, he hooked up a real pressure gage and yet loosing pressure. This weekend he took the whole engine out, it looked like someone baked brownies in the valve covers, the oil pump screen was 75% clogged. He's cleaning out all the sludge, new oil and water pumps, injectors cleaned,new exhaust gasget(he noticed a leak), bearings were good, adding on the gibson cat back while it in there. Has anyone ran into this type of problem?
 



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Maybe the truck's first oil change was at 45k? The engine doesn't get up to temp enough to burn off the water vapor, and becomes sludge? PCV problems come to mind as well.
 






You should quit with the synthetic blend. Im not saying it was the sole source of your problem, but blends are a marketing scam.
 






Yeah, how long were you leaving that synthetic blend in there?
 






After all of that do and AutoRx Treatment. http://www.auto-rx.com/
I have read very good things about it.

Definitely go to a good synthetic.

If you want to keep that oil extra clean, install a bypass filter. Frantz TP style filters are keep the oil very clean and the best type of bypass filter IMO. Amsoil bypass setup is Great aslo.


Auto RX treatment
normal_comp6a.jpg
 






I never went longer than 4k between changes, its hard to find 5-20 from a good brand, and the motorcraft synth blend isn't much more than conventional. How long do the guys using amsoil go between filter and total oil changes? does amsoil cary 5w20? from the caking in the valvecovers I think the soccer mom who had it before me didn't change the oil or she took it to jiffylube type place and either they didn't put the right weight oil in if they changed the oil at all.
 






Opinions would differ, but I doubt that the weight would have a whole lot to do with it, except maybe in some very specific cases. I've run Amsoil as much as 15k miles, and I have no signs up sludge, and I just recently replaced the timing set, so I've been in there.
 






If your want to go to extended oil changes, get your oil analyzed to tell you when to change it. You don't want to have a issue and not address it, because you think just having synthetic is enough. I think to compliment that to the fullest you should go to bypass filter. If your going to be a consistent 3k miles oil changer dino would do just as well as any other oil.

The debate on how much synthetic are in blends keep many people away from it.
 






Oil is cheap. I sold an F250 with 235K on it oil changed every 3k with Napa 10w40 (by Valvoline) no sludge no engine oil pressure problems. Sludge is caused by lack of oil changes or parifin based oils and I even think they fixed that problem. 4k sever driving is way to long to go. Either use full synthetic or conventional. Change the filter every time!
 






Even with your synthetic you can changer your filter at intervals and top it off with new oil. This will keep the additives up. This way your not tossing out perfectly good oil, just exchanging a quart at a time every 3-4k or so.
 






Its back and running better than ever, gibson cat back is installed and sounding great. Sicking with the Motorcraft 820S and the Motorcraft 5W20 Synthblend
 






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