OMG What's with the Sludge/Carbon Buildup on the I5Turbo?

[darylrobert]

You didnt say what mileage the car is but sounds like previous owner paid for synthetic but got standard oil? ive never had a shop change my oil no matter how busy work/life is. I check the oil for metal etc when i change it.

[- Pete -]

You didnt say what mileage the car is but sounds like previous owner paid for synthetic but got standard oil? ive never had a shop change my oil no matter how busy work/life is. I check the oil for metal etc when i change it.

+1 here!

To me there isn’t any viable excuse to “put it off” etc.

It takes some convincing at times, but my wife typically ends up understanding that “take care of your stuff and it’ll take care of you…”.

DarylRobert, I was going to also suggest a magnetic drain plug for Chay (& everyone). Pretty inexpensive & I’d say function worth its cost. Never run anything but the full-length drain plug. The junk o-ring plugs on Amazon will make rubbish of your oil pan threads in short order. Previous owners I tell ya . . .

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[vtl]

I didn't do the orings although I probably should have, just because I was in there. When I saw them I did check them-They were pliable and not flattened off, and for sure they protruded past the surface so they will seal up well. I will do them next time though-Just wasn't aware of them being such a problem before I put the pan back on.

FYI, cracked/not sealing O-rings is perhaps #1 reason why these engines dies out of low oil pressure.

Regarding synthetic oil... A very good synthetic oil contains up to ~30-60% of hydrocracked or plain mineral oil. The reason is PAO and esters don't hold additives well. The only thing you can really do about it is doing your oil changes every 7-8k kms.

Also pay attention to oil consumption. At about 200-250k kms the oil stem caps become too worn and would need to be replaced. My engine burnt one of exhaust valves because of worn caps and a lot of oil leaking down the cylinders. Because I love my Volvo, I've used expensive, rich in calcium, Red Line for the past few years. While the mechanical wear was minimal, the oil was leaving a lot of calcium on the pistons and valves. These cement-like chunks get trapped between valve face and its seat and cause some great thermal stress.

Also (#2) the cylinder head often get warped in the middle, the valves in third cylinder may not close fully anymore. Check the gaps every time the valve cover is off and correct bad ones.

[Krons]

Didn't see any other sludge threads so will pose my question here. 02 S60 2.4T with 182k miles. Last filter change (4700 miles on it) I pulled the media apart and found the attached sludge crystals. Does this seem normal to you that check your filters?

I haven't been pulling mine apart so not sure if this is an increase or normal. Bought the car with 160k and was pretty sludgy under the oil cap which I know isn't uncommon. Not ready to pull the oil pan yet as it seem to be slowly cleaning up with 4-5k oil change intervals. Pondered a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in next change to slowly help clean further. Was leery of a LiquiMoly Engine Flush to move too much too quick and clog the pickup screen. Always appreciate this groups input!

[vtl]

Not ready to pull the oil pan yet as it seem to be slowly cleaning up with 4-5k oil change intervals.

You probably need a shovel for pan cleanup

Also I would switch to 2-2.5k oil filter change interval.

[Krons]

You probably need a shovel for pan cleanup

Also I would switch to 2-2.5k oil filter change interval.

Shortening the intervals was the plan if I went the MMO route or not. I typically get the 6 qt box of Havoline High Mileage for $17 at Walmart so makes for cheap changes. I was already planning to change as much on oil color as milege to keep flushing it out.

Hoping to avoid the shovel!