Sludge buildup? Should I be worried?

[123lilc]

Still a beginner here. I recently replaced the CCT seal and value cover gasket upon doing so i did realize a couple of dark spots on the inside of the value cover and down by the camshafts. Is this something to be worried about? I use synthetic and change every 5k using Castrol. do i need to pull the valve cover agian and clean up the sludge?


(Sorry for the poor lighting and quality)
Engine is at 164,653miles

[egovreau]

I have an AWM engine (Passat) that was far worse than that. You could try running some seafoam through it which should clean things up a bit.

Sent from the 7th Galaxy.

[moyenecorniche]

DON'T Seafoam, not good for the motor and regardless you wouldn't be cleaning ;-) anywhere but inside the cylinder walls, valves and out the exhaust. There is no way you can clean inside the motor where yo are thinking unless your rings are so shot that oil and coolant is mixing into the cylinders and vice versa....

Its more than likely the deposits you see are a result of a previous owner who didn't change oil AND filter at least every 5,000 miles. Sludge is a combination of many things. (1) changing oil but not the filter at overly long intervals. (2) Not using high grade full synthetic instead of conventional or a blend.

Have you pulled your oil pan ? Unless you do that and clean the residue that is at the bottom of the pan it's kind of pointless to go thru everything else but leave the one place where debris resides ....

BTW... Now that you have it apart, replace all the gaskets...

[old guy]

Your engine looks relatively clean. I would recommend just continuing with the 5k OCI. Maybe consider using some Rotella T6 for a few cycles.

You definately want to take a very close look at your cracked exhaust manifold. I believe it may be an 034 high flow manifold. They have been known to crack on occasion.

[diagnosticator]

Sludge? What sludge? Looks good to me. As "old guy" mentioned, run some Rotella T6 for awhile and reevaluate afterward.

[eljay]

That looks pretty clean. Mine cover was far worse underneath while the motor was like yours. This is not a sludge, but a carbon buildup.
Seafoam is just fine.
Rotella T6 has shown to be a pretty good oil for gently cleaning things up over a few change cycles.

Please add your mileage to the first post to help others looking at this thread in the future and comparing their engines.

[MikTip]

Rotella T6! Example-

[Kevin C]

To me, that looks pretty clean for a 13 year old engine.

[old guy]

As to your cracked exhaust manifold here's a close up of what you should be looking for:



As you can see your crack looks similar.



It may go all the way through to the bottom of the manifold.

[egovreau]

Rotella T6! Example-

That looks freshly rebuilt and never run. I just might have to pick some up. Walmart has a three pack of gallon jugs for $55. That is not quite half for what I pay for liquid moly.

Sent from the 7th Galaxy.

[123lilc]

Your engine looks relatively clean. I would recommend just continuing with the 5k OCI. Maybe consider using some Rotella T6 for a few cycles.

You definately want to take a very close look at your cracked exhaust manifold. I believe it may be an 034 high flow manifold. They have been known to crack on occasion.

Yes i know my manifold is cracked this is the 3rd one ive had even with my custom turbo brace it still crack's in the same place every time. As you can see i tried to put some cement stuff for exhaust cracks but it didn't do anything and juat crumbled. I am changing the manifold agian in a couple of weeks but for now is it ok to drive with the crack in the manifold?

Also about the rotella T6 5W-40 every bottle i see says "heavy duty diesel" so i figured its not for my car. Is there one that is not heavy duty diesel or is the one i should use heavy duty diesel?

[123lilc]

Please add your mileage to the first post to help others looking at this thread in the future and comparing their engines.

Sorry im currently at 164,653

[old guy]

Your crack doesn't look too bad yet. If you start to see signs of leaking from the crack it can mess with your O2 sensor. I would say it's OK to drive like it is.

The Rotella is marketed as a Heavy Duty Engine Oil as well as a Heavy Duty Diesel Oil. Same thing, different marketing.

[123lilc]

The Rotella is marketed as a Heavy Duty Engine Oil as well as a Heavy Duty Diesel Oil. Same thing, different marketing.

So what you are saying is it is perfectly fine to use the one that says "heavy duty diesel" correct?

[old guy]

So what you are saying is it is perfectly fine to use the one that says "heavy duty diesel" correct?

I have been running it for several years and haven't had any issues. Engine is definitely cleaner inside than it was with the Mobil-1 0w 40.

[moyenecorniche]

My 04 S4 has 164,000 miles. I have been using Rotella T6 in it for about 1 year. switched from Castrol. Change filter and oil about every 3,500 to 4000 miles. I have neither warm or cold start rattle... ( And yes timing tensioners were addressed before and will be due again this coming winter for those quick to point out )

Anyhow just bought an 05 allroad 2.7TT with 98,000 miles.. Will be switching it to Rotella T6 on the oil change coming up... Key with Audi and VW is to be proactive in service and maintenance... It adds a bit more to routine servicing / maintenance expenses but not in the long term when you consider costs of replacing failed components and their tenacity to affect something else ...