Engine Sludge question????

ryan1929

ryan1929

Senior Member
Hey I have a 29 A and I just did my oil change for the winter and I noticed something in the filler tube where I put the new oil in. It was a creamy yellow brownish slime sticking to the walls of the fill tube....im thinking could this be BLOW BYE from the engine? I found a similar sludge years ago in the air box of a f-150 with a 302 V8 and I was told to rebuild the engine. Its not very much sludge and I change my oil about every 2 months. I am also not running an air filter....please any help would be great...thanks
Ryan Surbey
Edmonton AB
 
Have you ever pulled the pan and washed it out?
I am a firm believer in dropping the pan, washing it out and examining the internals while I am there.
It may be just condensation, but if it is appearing in your filler tube it is no doubt in the dipper tray, bottom of pan and your valve chamber.
What are you running for coolant?
What did the oil look like on the dip stick, Normal or does it resemble what you see in the tube?
Don't worry about air cleaners they are nothing but trouble and a fire hazard.
 
After pulling the pan on my mail truck (not run for some time) and seeing the 2" deep thick crap in the pan, along with the bugs, sticks and small rocks, I will now remove the pan first on any 'new to me' motor.
 
Codensation from not running it long enough to get rid of the moisture is my guess. What does the oil look like when you change it?
 
My dipstick is clean and my oil is clean im running shell rottela 15w40. I have never pulled the pan. but when i do run the car at least 2 times a month all year round. I run and drive it for at least 30 min. in the summer I run 70% distiled water and 30% coolant and in the winter 50/50. Where I live in canada it is not humid at all.
 
The Oil looks good when I change it. I only put 600 miles on my A this year and I have changed the oil about 3 times durin that period. I know I change it way too much but I belive oil is the life blood of the engine and the more the better.....maybe i will pull my oil pan this winter
 
Sounds like you are probably OK.
Do you store it or pull in and out of a warm garage. Here in Fairbanks the majority of people who have condensation problems park in warm garages and drive in extremely cold weather. It is like a desert here and it still happens.
Is that a Canadian A?. My Phaeton is a early 1930 Canadian (CAT)

Once you pull the pan you will have a lot better idea of what is happening.

Darryl
 
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an oh my god moment for all of you who insist on running non detergent oil in your motors just because the model a maintance manual says to, just pull the pan and valve side cover and look at all the sludge built up in them, its from running the wonderful non detergent oil, if the sludge you see in those places doesnt convince you its horrible stuff then nothing i or any one else can say to convince you to change to detergent oil, and no, detergent oil doesnt cause big chunks of crap to fall off and plug things, all detergent oil does is start washing a small amount of the film off the sludge, and suspend it in the oil so it can be drained out at the next oil change
 
If your oil looks good, I would not worry about it! Take the filler tube off and clean it so it will not bother you. :D Keep an eye on it after you clean it and see if it returns anytime soon. Sounds like you treat you engine with tender, loving, care!
 
Hey DarylMKC....Hey we should meet up sometime I travel to Fairbanks alot....I work for lynden Transport. Oh ya and my A is a US model it came from Flordia...Yes I do baby my model A she means more to me than my wife and she knows it....Thanks for all your help....I think im going to pull the pan this winter and check it out just to be sure...as for the oil I was told that running Shell Rottela T 15w40 is OK for a model A as long as it has that DDPT or whatever you call it....
 
Ryan,

Cool, Where I work we use Lynden quite a bit for freight going to the slope, and from Anchorage.
Send me a PM and I will give you my email and phone number.
I run 15W40 in my Diesel but due to the temps around here I usually use 10W40 or 30W in my Model A's
When does it look like you might be in the Interior next?
Its about 30 F right now, will be about 15 tonight. Could be -40 anytime.

Darryl
Fairbanks
 
"all detergent oil does is start washing a small amount of the film off the sludge, and suspend it in the oil so it can be" Rerun through
your bearings. I feel in engines without an oil filter nondetergent lets
the dirt settle out in the bottom of the pan instead of constantly recirculating it through the engine. I know most don't subscribe to this
but that my theory and I'm sticking to it :D.

Bob
 
Ford1 has it exactly right. Modern oils don't contain "Lux Liquid". It makes no sense to have an additive in oils that washes away - oils. These are dispersants that keep particles of combustion and other crap away from settling in corners and cold spots and causing problems when they eventually become sludge that won't drain out. The particles are small and flow easily through bearing clearances with the oil but are drained out at the change interval. Non detergent oils also don't have rust inhibitors, oxidation inhibitors, antifoamants, or any other additive that can help to preserve your engine. Don't be foolish with your baby. If Henry had additized oils in 1928 (which he did NOT), he would have surely used them.
 
Ryan, I run shell rotella T in my 1931 Model A and in my cummins diesel (in my dodge ram 2500), in our John Deere 4020 diesel and my dad runs it in his 1947 ford tudor with the flat head V8. It's seems to be pretty good stuff. The question of what oil to use is an age old discussion. I think it is personal preference. Running the Shell Rotella T in your A is perfectly fine. I also think you don't need to worry too much about your sludge sistuation. Most likley like others have said, we dont run these engines enough to keep the condensation away. If you have time drop your pan, what the heck, it's always neat to see what's going on inside a machine!
 
Ryan, choose a branded oil like Shell, Pennzoil, Castrol, Havoline. The "aftermarket" oils such as Red Line, Royal Purple, etc. are good oils from what I've heard, but oils that have the API seal (donut) on them mean they meet or exceed OEM specifications that the others may or may not. The aftermarket oils are also quite pricey - money you don't need to spend IMHO. Synthetics are good for high temperature, high load conditions - something you and I also don't need in our Model As (although Jim Brierly might when he's at Bonneville). Stick with the good stuff, buy it when it goes on sale, and enjoy your car for a lot of years. Oh, and as Mike said: The dirty mayonnaise is condensation from water in the crankcase likely from short trips. It's a good idea to get that stuff out of there as it (the water) will mix with sulfur in the oil and make acids that will damage the bearings and iron parts. Non detergent oils won't fight that, detergent oils have acid neutralizers. Just saying.
 
the creamy stuff is moisture from the air that is pulled into the engine from the draft tube, it settles out where ever the temp is just low enough to let it form on any metal that is cool, like the fill tube, like others have said drive the car far enought to get the engine up to operating temp, it is also more noticeable in humid or foggy areas of the country
 
Ryan the above comments are a real help but here in central Canada we change our oil once a year and use 10-40 synthetic oil castrol etc. removed pan at 50,000 and as clean as the day we installed the motor and we run oil filter and an ir cleaner, like one Barner said once" if the air is so clean why do we wash our cars"
Have a Great day with your A Gord. B by the bay
 
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