Have you heard of engine flushing? You aren’t alone if you haven’t. Here’s why it is important to learn about. In “engine utopia” our engines would be immaculate inside, allowing the lubricating film on the cylinder walls, the valve train, and in the bearings, etc. to perform without a hitch. The reality is the insides of our engine are under constant attack from dust, debris, sludge and metallic particulate from engine produced from normal engine wear. If you have ever done any sandblasting then you have a good idea of the damage that can be done from high velocity dust and grit in the air (so have a really good air filter).
Another big problem with the inside of engines today is that oil seems to turn to varnish and sludge as they age in your engine’s environment. Depending on the engine and the amount of time, the sludge and varnish can build up so much that oil flow becomes restricted and hot spots develop in your engine. Component failure and excessive wear inside your engine are imminent when oil flow is restricted. Hot spots will rob an engine of performance and cause even more oil breakdown.
What you can do is run an engine flush through your engine. It removes the accumulated sludge, varnish, and particulate that will rob you of engine performance and wear your engine out. It is a similar concept to turpentine where a strong solvent is introduced to the engine hot. The solvent circulates around the engine with the oil and dissolves away the deposits.
The process is going to vary depending on which product you use. The method I employ, which is fairly common, is a 20 minute engine flush and I perform that directly before I change my oil. With the engine hot I add about 12 fl oz of solution. Then, I restart the engine and let it idle for the next 20 minutes. It’s very important that you don’t drive the vehicle around while flushing the engine. While the solvent is in your engine, your motor oil’s lubricating properties are not going to be up to par and it’s very easy to damage your engine if you drive it during this time.
After 20 minutes of idle time I shut the engine down and drain the oil into the oil pan and perform a normal oil change using AMSOIL 5W-30 full synthetic. My engines stay clean this way.
Keeping the sludge and varnish to a minimum in your engine will keep your valves operating and sealing well, they will keep the piston rings floating properly to minimize blow by and will promote lower operating temperatures. All this keeps your engine pumping out the most horsepower at the best fuel economy.
