trapper

I have some oil drips around the pan and am planning on putting on some miles.. pulled the oil pan to replace the pan gasket to be sure and found SLUDGE 1/4 THICK on the bottom of the pan!!! I did the rear main seal 2 years ago but had zero road time since then.. back up now though

what I am doing now:
oil pan and head gasket replace
1qt. Synthetic Lucas
5qts. Mobile 1 synthetic
Fram oil filter (the higher line) "gold" or whatever its called..
RTV (black) where specified
scraped mounting surfaces + cleaned with carb cleaner + wiped down = pretty clean
I cleaned out the oil pan w/carb cleaner and wiped clean too
also sprayed the oil pump (the uptake w/screen that hangs down) & wiped down
PROBLEM! - I found a broken oil pan bolt, sheered at the block! It is in the middle of a flat area luckily.. but.. Grrr! I didnt do it! So, major problem vs. minor nuisance? depending on the leak I assume.. pls advise



So the questions is:
suggestions please..

Thanks to all
Tom

trapper

bttt

sorry guys (and gals?).. I have ideas but want a second opinion

thanks

offroadnut36

I wouldnt use a fram filter, they suck. why fram oil filters suck and look in the "Controversy" section of the page. I still wouldn't trust the premium fram. JMO though.

The broken bolt, shoulnt matter much, unless it leaks from there. I would have done everything you have done thus far, then put everything back together and see if there are any leaks, especially where the broken bolt is located.

b16a90teg

Like he said it shouldn't be a problem. But your already this far into it what if it is a problem do you want to do it again? I always try to do little **** like that the first time to save later headaches.

Just get a set of easy outs, drill a small hole and pull that bugger out. Prob only take you 5 min.

MrJCRod

Could you drill and extract the bolt, with all the work you're doing I would think you should go the extra step and fix that problem... sure it may not leak but really? Do you feel like taking it apart again? And while you're in there a new oil pump wouldn't hurt. It has 150,000 miles on it so for the extra money why not? Sounds like you're fixing it to make things right so don't take shortcuts, get it done right the first time... So many threads on low oil pressure problems, with the pan off I would replace the pump and the pick up if it's gunked up...

namirtha

I think it is better to replace with the new one.

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http://directautoexport.com

NapaJohn

If your gonna put all that expenvive oil and the synt Lucas
that I know is not cheap either mabey get a engine flush and
some cheap oil first. I know you can get a silver filter for around
3 dollars and a 3 dollar can of flush and 5 qts of the cheapest
oil you can find. Just my thought and wouldn't want to see
all that work go to waste

SeriousOffroad

Coolant in the oil will cuase a really nasty sludge problem. Have your cooling system pressure checked to make sure you don't have a bad head gasket.

trapper

Hey guys.. Thank you all very very much!

Real quick..

As for the oil flush ( I will read about the fram issue), I have seen a muscle car buddy clean his motor w/ ATF.. run w/ new filter for 20 min.. then cheap oil and new filter for and hour.. then fill with preferred oil and filter.

I will work on getting the bolt out
I will look into the $ for the new oil pump and pickup ( likely to do)
I will check the cooling system pressure too.. thank you for that heads up

sorry guys.. pregnant wife came home and I was cooking her dinner.. gotta run.. will research and read added posts late tonight

THANK YOU

am tell me about the ATF flush if you all have thoughts

Cherokee

Fram standard filters are crap.

but the Fram Tough Guard ones are actually mediocre. He actually included them in his list of recommended filters.

personally, now knowing they also have cardboard in them i'm going to stop using them. but i did get two for free so hey... why not use them until i have to buy a different kind?

good luck with the oil pan drop and all bro. replace that main rear seal while youre down there. and attach the gasket to the block, not to the pan.



Edit: didnt see you just did the rear main and havent had much mileage on it. its probably fine to leave it in that case. but it could possibly be a culprit...

NapaJohn

I have heard of using kerosine to flush a motor never ATF
but you never know. I would just use something that is made for the job
so you don't ruin anything.

DanD

looks like it may have been a victim of some p**zoil....not long,or it may have been sludged to the crank.

captainwoot

Atf will work as an effective engine flush, like you said run for 20 min or so, drain and refill. If that doesn't work , try substituting 2l atf for oil and drive for 1500km or so. The detergents in the atf should clean it up. I work with a guy that uses 1 liter in every other oil change....looks clean...

00XJ

SEAFOAM!

ZachsXJ

For starters don't use a Fram filter, use either a mobile 1 or a Purolator filter. They are the best on the market.

I'd recommend cleaning as much out with shop rag as you can get to, and depending on how seriously you want to de-sludge your engine I'd either,


Go this route: http://www.auto-rx.com/

or run a cheap oil for 500 miles, seafoam it, drive it for 20 miles, drain the oil, refill with 3 qts auto trans fluid, and 3qts cheap oil(with a decent filter change also), run for 20 minutes and swap to a cheap oil for 1,000 miles and then do a change to your preferred oil and filter.