Re: Broke down.

Posted by BH On 2008/9/28 18:29:41

mikec -

That the noise is travelling from place to place in the engine suggests to me that you have a lot of varnish or sludge in the engine oil circuit that's beginning to break losse and move around.

A mechanic once recommended, for the noisy engine in my late model daily driver, that I add a quart of ATF and let the engine idle for 20-30 minutes - then change the oil and filter. Since I was at a point where I was considering engine overhaul or replacement, I gave it a try, but monitored the sound of the engine as it idled in case I needed to shut it down quickly. I had no problem, but you wouldn't believe all the lumpy schitt that came out of the pan when I drained the oil.

The ATF will clean things you could never reach without a complete teardown, but you have to be careful that the stuff that gets flushed out doesn't get sucked back up into the oil circuits or plug the oil pump pickup screen.

So, BEFORE trying the ATF, you might want to drain the oil, then form a loop on the end of a piece of coat hanger wire that you can insert through the drain hole, and use that tool to "sweep" the bottom of the pan and "tickle" the pump pickup to make sure it isn't stuck, but will float. Also, replace the oil filter element and clean the sludge out of the bottom of the canister.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.