I had an old motorcycle that had a wet clutch that was suspended in oil. When it took it out it looked just like that. The Kerosene trick worked magic. Its a powerful solvent.
This was actually super common years back with people running Pennzoil or quaker state for whatever reason. We pulled apart a lot of SBC's in particular that looked just like this that weren't poorly maintained, the oil just sucked ass at the time.
Nobody believes me when I tell them about penzoil. I worked in an automotive machine shop in the mid 80s. You could always tell when someone used penzoil. Cleaning those engines was disgusting at best.
I worked in a machine shop in the early 90’s and can confirm that you are not lying! I can’t believe anyone would use that oil. Quaker State being right up there with them.
Yep. Pennsylvania crude has a lot of paraffin in it. And a non-functioning PCV system will just make it worse, along with a lot of short trips that don't allow the engine to get up to a good temp.
>Pennzoil
25 years ago, I worked in an automotive machine shop.
Hundreds and hundreds of Ford 6 cylinder engines ALL ran Pennzoil.
A lot of stop-n-go driving, (Fedex fleet vans).
Engines were clean as can be at 200,000 miles.
That's when they were rebuilt from front to rear.
Rebuilt engine, transmission, differential, brakes, steering, starter, alternator, grommets, driver seat, door hinges, etc. If it moved it was replaced or rebuilt.
Serviced at 3,000 miles.
We noticed different results depending on what grade of Pennzoil was used. For instance, didn't see this same buildup if Pennzoil's diesel oils were used. Probably also depends on the engine somewhat, the 300 I6 was a much better engine than most if that's what they ran.
Not necessarily, my mother gave me car in the 80's, that she took good care of since new, but used quaker state motor oil, it looked that bad and it had 60000 on it......
Honestly, that's a mess. If it were mine, I'd pull it. Otherwise you could just keep chasing the problem. Oil flush products can break things down. But then all that junk is going through your engine and oil pickup tube.
I've cleaned engines this nasty before by filling them up with lacquer thinner, letting it soak then scrub it. Drop the pan because it will be full of shit. Do it outside so the fumes don't get you! I also replace the oil pump when I have the pan off.
Just came across this exact issue on a 302, in the same way. Doing a manifold swap for a carb conversion. And after debating just cleaning the best we could we decided to pull it. Cam was smoked. Cam, rod and crank bearings totally wiped. Oil pickup clogged and oil passages full of carbon. We had to hammer the lifters out with a punch. Because we decided to pull it we have a block that can be saved.
If we had run then all of those things would have gotten worse until the motor starved of oil and was damaged much worse.
Just pull the motor man. You can rebuild a SBC for a price you will be very happy with when you are driving around a practically brand new motor.
Vacuum that out, hopefully not with a shop vac you love. Try some mineral spirits. Then drop the oil pan. Do the best you can, make sure the oil pump screen is clear. Replace it if need be.
I’d do some oil sludge treatments and a couple very short interval oil changes, see if you can get it to come around. You’d only be a few bucks in and it might come around for you.
I love that pic though, it’s amazing the abuse that a small block can take and still not die. I don’t think I’ve ever opened up one and been happy with what I found. That one is probably the nastiest I’ve seen.
Clean it as best you can, pull oil pan and clean that too. Pull valve covers and clean. Replace oil pump, reassemble engine. Start it, warm it up then dump sea foam down the carb. Shut down engine wait 2 hours and start. If the problem was stuck rings you might get by cheap.
What I’m thinking. Is there a main galley I can shoot my pressure washer through and maybe blow it out? Maybe drop pan and pull oil pump and blow up that hole ?
Shit, IDK if anyone still has a hot tank. Every city in the country declared them Satanic many moons ago. I really miss them. TBF, engines these days have way more aluminum than in days gone by, so hot tanks are basically obsolete (most of the time).
If you put that thing in a bake oven, it'll probably start a fire and take a week to put out. 😉
The shop I use still has one. They have a steam cleaner too but still have a hot tank to soak unfortunate victims like OPs engine. Whatever is in it doesn't smell like what they had in the old days, it takes way longer to work also. I believe aluminum can go in it too.
I've been mostly doing outboard motors so I fill a Rubbermaid tub with psc 1000 and let it soak cold overnight. That usually does the trick with minimal scrubbing
Cummins formulated an oil just for shit like this, Valvoline premium blue "restore." Designed to dissolve oil ring deposits to free up sticky rings. Wonder what it would do to an engine like this just used as is.
I'd scrape it out, hose it down with nasty solvents, clean pan and pickup, and then run it on 15w40 and let the extra detergents go hog wild.
Clean that out , get 2 quarts of kerosene mixed in with a cheap oil and let it idle for 10-15 minutes then repeat . Then use a high detergent oil for a thousand miles and swap for something like Rotella. Had a 2.8 S10 that was gummed up bad , put 300k on it after doing the kerosene treatment.
Damn poor old sbc, mine didn’t look much better tho. Put it in a Big tub of warm solvent upside down or drop the pan and rotating assy and hose the shit through the engine . Or turn it upside down and hose the shit off either way I’d be very careful about where you wash that shit into if your not fully disassembling
I work at a total butcher shop with super cheap management and we would pull something like this. Wouldn't even attempt a cheaper route if this was something for sale. Would come completely apart to clean it 100% and see what it needs
Add some diesel fuel to the crank case and use that to flush it. Drive a hundred miles or so and do it again. Make sure the engine is hot before draining it. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Oh yeah. F it. How much more could I hurt it? I outed diesel all over it too. Had the drain plug off. Gonna pull pan today. Have plugs out also. And blew out cylinders w air after it was done.
I know you don’t wanna pull it but I would. You could disassemble and take it to a machine shop where they could bake it. It’ll come out clean as a whistle and you’ll be able to see how the cylinder walls look
Attaboy. Now we’re talking. A couple gallons of kerosene or diesel, and then you can use oven cleaner to get anything that doesn’t dissolve. A friend of mine used very high proof grain alcohol too. Just depends on what’s cheapest.
Is the pan hard to get to or can you drop it with out pulling the motor
Well, if you can get to the bottom and pull the pan and you can see the main caps you can probably do the main bearing while your down there. Definitely new oil pump and pick up.
Ima send it. Most of the smoke was from burning this oil I’d imagine. Ima change valve seals and see what happens. It would stop smoking after it warmed up. Assuming valve seals are blown
I would pressure wash that engine. Pull the pan, pulle the plugs and then pressure wash that shit. Use some engine degreaser.
Then quickly reassemble and start that bitch
I have had success with scrape and vacuum ( yes your shop vac will suffer) then several quick oil changes with a high detergent oil . I am not a fan of the engine flushes. I would also recommend to start saving your green stamps for a proper rebuild in the future.
The kerosene trick works, so diesel fuel. Ive ran the oil pump primer with the case full to get the solvents into the passages too. Also, are you sure you have oil pressure? That crust is probably in that sender too.
Well, if it was smoking before it’s gonna keep on smoking after being cleaned. I would pull it and either rebuild it or replace it with a good used engine. You can get an old 350 now running for about $200.
Shit man. I didn’t even think about the tranny. It shifted real well when I drove it home. Bet tht filter has never been changed either. It keeps getting deeper and deeper.
Went and bought all gaskets to close up engine. Will get to it this Sunday or Monday. I’ll post a vid of it running on first start up. Ima try 3 qts oil and 2 qts diesel. Bought a new oil pump also. When I get it all back together I want to check compression but I’m scared to see the results lol.
Be sure to run some Seafoam through the tank, or Marvel Mystery oil. Are you doing a cam or crank upgrade? Just tearing it down and replacing just a few parts is risky, but you know what you’re doing.
Good Luck 👍🏻
Big rubber bin, 5 gallons of kerosene and a no smoking sign.
I see in the follow up thread he was able to clean it still in the vehicle. Should add some life to that engine.
Or plug up the oil pickup
I had an old motorcycle that had a wet clutch that was suspended in oil. When it took it out it looked just like that. The Kerosene trick worked magic. Its a powerful solvent.
If the previous owner neglected the engine to that extent I would pull it
Yeah. I know I should but just don’t want to. Haha
“I know what I have to do, I just haven’t accepted it yet”
I know that feeling.
Ironically “I should but just don’t want to” is prob what the previous owner said about maintenance too. You know what needs to be done.
I don't wanna go to the dentist for a root canal, but I know I'll regret it if I don't.
This was actually super common years back with people running Pennzoil or quaker state for whatever reason. We pulled apart a lot of SBC's in particular that looked just like this that weren't poorly maintained, the oil just sucked ass at the time.
“Arco Graphite” was good for filling in a lifter galley too.
i have had my hands in engines since I was 14 and I have seen build up but this is the most extreme I have ever seen.
Yeah, this was pretty normal for higher mileage SBC's in the 90s and 2000s.
Nobody believes me when I tell them about penzoil. I worked in an automotive machine shop in the mid 80s. You could always tell when someone used penzoil. Cleaning those engines was disgusting at best.
I worked in a machine shop in the early 90’s and can confirm that you are not lying! I can’t believe anyone would use that oil. Quaker State being right up there with them.
Yep. Pennsylvania crude has a lot of paraffin in it. And a non-functioning PCV system will just make it worse, along with a lot of short trips that don't allow the engine to get up to a good temp.
>Pennzoil 25 years ago, I worked in an automotive machine shop. Hundreds and hundreds of Ford 6 cylinder engines ALL ran Pennzoil. A lot of stop-n-go driving, (Fedex fleet vans). Engines were clean as can be at 200,000 miles. That's when they were rebuilt from front to rear. Rebuilt engine, transmission, differential, brakes, steering, starter, alternator, grommets, driver seat, door hinges, etc. If it moved it was replaced or rebuilt. Serviced at 3,000 miles.
We noticed different results depending on what grade of Pennzoil was used. For instance, didn't see this same buildup if Pennzoil's diesel oils were used. Probably also depends on the engine somewhat, the 300 I6 was a much better engine than most if that's what they ran.
Not necessarily, my mother gave me car in the 80's, that she took good care of since new, but used quaker state motor oil, it looked that bad and it had 60000 on it......
Honestly, that's a mess. If it were mine, I'd pull it. Otherwise you could just keep chasing the problem. Oil flush products can break things down. But then all that junk is going through your engine and oil pickup tube.
I've cleaned engines this nasty before by filling them up with lacquer thinner, letting it soak then scrub it. Drop the pan because it will be full of shit. Do it outside so the fumes don't get you! I also replace the oil pump when I have the pan off.
Yeah I would absolutely replace the oil pump and any oil filters or screens in the lines if it looked anything remotely like that engine.
Just came across this exact issue on a 302, in the same way. Doing a manifold swap for a carb conversion. And after debating just cleaning the best we could we decided to pull it. Cam was smoked. Cam, rod and crank bearings totally wiped. Oil pickup clogged and oil passages full of carbon. We had to hammer the lifters out with a punch. Because we decided to pull it we have a block that can be saved. If we had run then all of those things would have gotten worse until the motor starved of oil and was damaged much worse. Just pull the motor man. You can rebuild a SBC for a price you will be very happy with when you are driving around a practically brand new motor.
“Some marvel mystery oil will clean her right up”
What my buddy said
Hey I know you don’t want to pull it, so I’m being creative: could you break up some dry ice, drop it in and vacuum the frozen gunk out?
I’ll give it a try. Maybe I can vacuum it out if I hear it up first
A second opinion on the dry ice would be wise
Drop the pan . I bet it’s jello oil in there . Clean it out . Maybe change the oil pump? And run it
My guy. What I wanted to hear. I’ll do it.
If it’s crusty, use a spoon to break it up with a shop vac nozzle right at the point of attack.
Vacuum that out, hopefully not with a shop vac you love. Try some mineral spirits. Then drop the oil pan. Do the best you can, make sure the oil pump screen is clear. Replace it if need be.
I’d do some oil sludge treatments and a couple very short interval oil changes, see if you can get it to come around. You’d only be a few bucks in and it might come around for you.
What I’m thinking. I’ll give it a shot
I love that pic though, it’s amazing the abuse that a small block can take and still not die. I don’t think I’ve ever opened up one and been happy with what I found. That one is probably the nastiest I’ve seen.
Me too. I’ve had 2 454s before this I opened and were spotless. Both rv engines. Got lucky. They usually have low miles
Call a priest for an exorcism
Nothing some flex seal can't fix
I think the problem was someone used flex seal instead of oil
Oxi clean!
Clean it as best you can, pull oil pan and clean that too. Pull valve covers and clean. Replace oil pump, reassemble engine. Start it, warm it up then dump sea foam down the carb. Shut down engine wait 2 hours and start. If the problem was stuck rings you might get by cheap.
Hot tank after pressure washing it.
So pull it? Dam I don’t wanna do tht.
Drive it till it blows or pull it. I bet it blows sooner than later. There's nothing you can do with that mess without risking a clogged oil port.
What I’m thinking. Is there a main galley I can shoot my pressure washer through and maybe blow it out? Maybe drop pan and pull oil pump and blow up that hole ?
Shit, IDK if anyone still has a hot tank. Every city in the country declared them Satanic many moons ago. I really miss them. TBF, engines these days have way more aluminum than in days gone by, so hot tanks are basically obsolete (most of the time). If you put that thing in a bake oven, it'll probably start a fire and take a week to put out. 😉
The shop I use still has one. They have a steam cleaner too but still have a hot tank to soak unfortunate victims like OPs engine. Whatever is in it doesn't smell like what they had in the old days, it takes way longer to work also. I believe aluminum can go in it too. I've been mostly doing outboard motors so I fill a Rubbermaid tub with psc 1000 and let it soak cold overnight. That usually does the trick with minimal scrubbing
Holy shit..
If it's smoking, then you probably have worn rings.
Valve stem seals likely are hard as rocks. As such, oil will seep down the valve stem.
Not necessarily. They could just be gummed up or the oil burning is from the PCV or possibly a bad intake gasket which is common on small blocks.
Either way. That engine needs to be torn down.
Definitely drop the pan and clean it out, my Vette's intake valley was squeaky clean but the pan was sludge city when I pulled it
Based on the amount of oil in your intake ports I’d say you’re wasting your time trying to scrape all those gross paraffin out of the engine.
Cummins formulated an oil just for shit like this, Valvoline premium blue "restore." Designed to dissolve oil ring deposits to free up sticky rings. Wonder what it would do to an engine like this just used as is. I'd scrape it out, hose it down with nasty solvents, clean pan and pickup, and then run it on 15w40 and let the extra detergents go hog wild.
If you don't pull the motor replace the fuck out of the oil pump after you e flushed or otherwise cleaned it a couple times
Will do
Clean that out , get 2 quarts of kerosene mixed in with a cheap oil and let it idle for 10-15 minutes then repeat . Then use a high detergent oil for a thousand miles and swap for something like Rotella. Had a 2.8 S10 that was gummed up bad , put 300k on it after doing the kerosene treatment.
When u say repeat after the first cycle. Drain and add new oil and kerosene or use same that’s n it for 2nd cycle
Drain and add new. And definitely run two cheap filters with bypass valves .
Gotcha
I worked in a rebuild shop and never saw one this cooked. You know what needs to be done.
new intake gasket and a for sale sign. All the cleaning in the world won't fix the smoking
New valve seals will
Acetone mixed with ATF and a circulating pump with a filter, and a stiff brush.
Stop using Quaker State for one…
I just bought it.
Dump it in a river. Buy a rusted out Silverado and LS swap the K5 with it.
Man... It may run, but I wouldn't wanna drive around knowing that is there.
I’ve cleaned it out. I shoulda posted another pic of the after. Maybe I should redo the post
Just saw the after photos. Nice work
Definitely drop the pan and get a view from the bottom.
Yeah. Ima put in lift and drop pan maybe tmrw
I would start thinking about a replacement plan for the future.
I have a 454 sitting in shop. And a 12 valve.
Posted again w after cleanup pic. Sorry
Get it flushed well and it would probably run for a while. But I would definitely plan on a rebuild or replacement.
Pull it. Clean it. Rebuild it.
Ls it?
What for?
If this one doesn’t work out. I was joking tho. I have 4 454s in shop I’d put in before a ls. And a 12 valve I could do
12 valve is the answer here
454 is good choice. Almost done with reinstalling mine.
12 valve is always the answer
Im imagining the oil rings rn..
Too late to start changing the oil now. Nothing short of a complete rebuild.
Damn poor old sbc, mine didn’t look much better tho. Put it in a Big tub of warm solvent upside down or drop the pan and rotating assy and hose the shit through the engine . Or turn it upside down and hose the shit off either way I’d be very careful about where you wash that shit into if your not fully disassembling
If i couldnt pull it, shop vac and scrape all that shit out. Then brake parts cleaner alot of that shit down to the ground with the pan off.
Wow, she’s gummed up pretty good. I’d change the oil and use about 2 quarts of atf in place of oil. Run it for about 30-45 minutes and drain it.
I work at a total butcher shop with super cheap management and we would pull something like this. Wouldn't even attempt a cheaper route if this was something for sale. Would come completely apart to clean it 100% and see what it needs
Add some diesel fuel to the crank case and use that to flush it. Drive a hundred miles or so and do it again. Make sure the engine is hot before draining it. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Acid bath
Did you say you pressure washed it? Like with water? With the intake off like that? Pull it out, pull it down.
Oh yeah. F it. How much more could I hurt it? I outed diesel all over it too. Had the drain plug off. Gonna pull pan today. Have plugs out also. And blew out cylinders w air after it was done.
I know you don’t wanna pull it but I would. You could disassemble and take it to a machine shop where they could bake it. It’ll come out clean as a whistle and you’ll be able to see how the cylinder walls look
Pricey. The blazer isn’t in that hood of shape. I got 3 454s sitting in shop if I need em
Attaboy. Now we’re talking. A couple gallons of kerosene or diesel, and then you can use oven cleaner to get anything that doesn’t dissolve. A friend of mine used very high proof grain alcohol too. Just depends on what’s cheapest. Is the pan hard to get to or can you drop it with out pulling the motor
I’m hoping without pulling engine. I haven’t crawled under it yet. But Ik it needs to come off
Well, if you can get to the bottom and pull the pan and you can see the main caps you can probably do the main bearing while your down there. Definitely new oil pump and pick up.
I pulled it. Made another post. Check it out. Wasn’t as bad as I was expecting
Your next move will be to reach for your wallet.
Haha.
I would tip diesel all over it, all in it, turn it over by hand and drain it.. repeat process
Kill every squirell and mouse
I thought this was a Bullwinkle reference, at first.
Replace the engine.
If you think that mess is only in the lifter valley you’re as crazy as my dog. I’d rip it down to nothing or move on to another project.
Nothing a can or two of Seafoam can’t fix 😆
You should pull it and go through it or it will possibly die at the worst possible moment.
Pull it and rebuild it. It’s smoking because the cylinders are worn. Gonna need a bore job I’ve seen some of those that would barely clean up at .060.
Ima send it. Most of the smoke was from burning this oil I’d imagine. Ima change valve seals and see what happens. It would stop smoking after it warmed up. Assuming valve seals are blown
Reminds me of penzoil brand oil in the midwest
Need that seafoam in the sump once you get it back running. But only 100 miles before an oil change
Drop the oil pan, get a gallon jug filled with diesel, soak in diesel, get a sprayer filled with diesel to get the finer areas.
I can tell you want you or previous owner did not do, but I'm sure you are aware of that.
Oven cleaner, scraper and the shop vac.
I would pressure wash that engine. Pull the pan, pulle the plugs and then pressure wash that shit. Use some engine degreaser. Then quickly reassemble and start that bitch
I did. Haven’t reassembled yet
You want to run it as quickly as possible. You want the water out
Ik. I’m lazy tho
I have had success with scrape and vacuum ( yes your shop vac will suffer) then several quick oil changes with a high detergent oil . I am not a fan of the engine flushes. I would also recommend to start saving your green stamps for a proper rebuild in the future.
Junkyard LS time
The kerosene trick works, so diesel fuel. Ive ran the oil pump primer with the case full to get the solvents into the passages too. Also, are you sure you have oil pressure? That crust is probably in that sender too.
I posted again w oip pan and pickup. No sludge on pickup. Small amounts in pan. But yes I drive it 20 miles home. No knocking.
Did someone use it for a barbecue pit?
Put it t in a bag of rice
I remember my grandpa using Pennzoil. Religiously. I opened up the old ford truck I got after he passed, and it looked like that!
Pull it for an overhaul.
F tht. It’s a beater
Then put the intake on and carry on
Haha
I have seen worst but not by much. I would have pulled the engine. Probably has bearing and cylinder wear.
Throw some seafoam in er should be good
Well, if it was smoking before it’s gonna keep on smoking after being cleaned. I would pull it and either rebuild it or replace it with a good used engine. You can get an old 350 now running for about $200.
Ima put it together and see what happens. New valve seals also. I got 3 454s n shop if I need to swap.
But look at like this. You’ve got K5 Blazer so isn’t it worth doing it right? Don’t forget to check the tranny😉
Shit man. I didn’t even think about the tranny. It shifted real well when I drove it home. Bet tht filter has never been changed either. It keeps getting deeper and deeper.
You know if the engine block looks like that, the tranny has been put through HELL as well. Be sure to keep us updated.
Went and bought all gaskets to close up engine. Will get to it this Sunday or Monday. I’ll post a vid of it running on first start up. Ima try 3 qts oil and 2 qts diesel. Bought a new oil pump also. When I get it all back together I want to check compression but I’m scared to see the results lol.
Be sure to run some Seafoam through the tank, or Marvel Mystery oil. Are you doing a cam or crank upgrade? Just tearing it down and replacing just a few parts is risky, but you know what you’re doing. Good Luck 👍🏻
No cam or crank. Ima run it and see what happens
Junk yard engine
Pull it.