Re: CLEANING PAN OF SEDIMENT UPON PURCHASE

Posted by HH56 On 2016/9/29 12:15:26

I also lean toward the remove and check just to be sure if there is the least doubt. I had a bad experience with sludge buildup on the first Packard I bought. Although it was my own doing, the results did cause an engine rebuild I hadn't planned on.

I did not remove the pan on a high mileage V8 but it had been sitting so did need to have stuck valves taken care of. The heads were quite dirty and I should have been smarter and figured the pan was full of crud too. At any rate, the heads went to the shop and when they came back nice and clean I followed some advise to use a mixture of kerosene and oil to get the rest of the engine clean. Big mistake. The sludge was freed, clogged the oil passages and the bearings suffered. It only took a few miles before the engine started sounding off and damage was done.

From then on I have been a believer that if the heads or valve chambers are dirty remove the pan and see how bad the rest is. Above all don't arbitrarily use a solvent to just clean it out if you see a lot of buildup.