Forte engine flush, first hand experiences?
Discussion
steveo3002 said:
flushes work
but do you want all the rubbish to break free and possibly cause more damage on its way around the engine
stick to regualr oil changes imo , if its been neglected drop the sump and clean it out
ive heard this theory but never heard of it actually happening to an engine that wasnt fbut do you want all the rubbish to break free and possibly cause more damage on its way around the engine
stick to regualr oil changes imo , if its been neglected drop the sump and clean it out
ked in the first placeThis is by no means conclusive but;
I bought a volvo v40 with the st 1.9 Renault diesel lump, got it for thrupence as the turbo had gone.
fitted a reconditioned turbo from a known supplier.
changed the oil after about 5,000 miles all OK.
Changed the oil again after another 5,000 miles but this time I used a free bottle of engine flush we got given by one of our parts suppliers (I'm a 'mechanic).
all seemed fine, until about 7 miles into my journey home when the turbo oil seals failed and the engine ran up on the engine oil.
take from that what you will.
I flat out refuse to use any kind of anything even remotely snake oil like. If your engine is cruddy, do a second oil change after 100 miles or so.
I bought a volvo v40 with the s
t 1.9 Renault diesel lump, got it for thrupence as the turbo had gone.fitted a reconditioned turbo from a known supplier.
changed the oil after about 5,000 miles all OK.
Changed the oil again after another 5,000 miles but this time I used a free bottle of engine flush we got given by one of our parts suppliers (I'm a 'mechanic).
all seemed fine, until about 7 miles into my journey home when the turbo oil seals failed and the engine ran up on the engine oil.
take from that what you will.
I flat out refuse to use any kind of anything even remotely snake oil like. If your engine is cruddy, do a second oil change after 100 miles or so.
Jimmyarm said:
This is by no means conclusive but;
I bought a volvo v40 with the st 1.9 Renault diesel lump, got it for thrupence as the turbo had gone.
fitted a reconditioned turbo from a known supplier.
changed the oil after about 5,000 miles all OK.
Changed the oil again after another 5,000 miles but this time I used a free bottle of engine flush we got given by one of our parts suppliers (I'm a 'mechanic).
all seemed fine, until about 7 miles into my journey home when the turbo oil seals failed and the engine ran up on the engine oil.
take from that what you will.
I flat out refuse to use any kind of anything even remotely snake oil like. If your engine is cruddy, do a second oil change after 100 miles or so.
Doubt a bottle of cleaner with the same thickness as oil could have caused that?I bought a volvo v40 with the s
t 1.9 Renault diesel lump, got it for thrupence as the turbo had gone.fitted a reconditioned turbo from a known supplier.
changed the oil after about 5,000 miles all OK.
Changed the oil again after another 5,000 miles but this time I used a free bottle of engine flush we got given by one of our parts suppliers (I'm a 'mechanic).
all seemed fine, until about 7 miles into my journey home when the turbo oil seals failed and the engine ran up on the engine oil.
take from that what you will.
I flat out refuse to use any kind of anything even remotely snake oil like. If your engine is cruddy, do a second oil change after 100 miles or so.
Agree with other posts never really found much point in it, far better as others say to just change the oil and filter after 100 miles if its missed changes or just got gummy, if its really nasty then its sump off time because flushing or even new oil can dislodge so much crud the oil pump pick up strainer gets blocked...
the recommended service intervals are now such that the oil gets so overloaded with carbon and other crud that it is unable to keep it in suspension so it starts to coat the inside of the engine so when you change it the new oil desolves this build up and become partly contaminated as soon as you start the engine, what the flush people claim is there stuff cures the problem by desolving the crud so it comes out with the old oil ,
the best solution is to change oil at a sensible mileage so if you do short jorneys or tow about 5000 miles or six months or mainly long journeys about 10,000 miles ...remeber oil is cheap !! engines, parts time to fix and time off the road isn't
the recommended service intervals are now such that the oil gets so overloaded with carbon and other crud that it is unable to keep it in suspension so it starts to coat the inside of the engine so when you change it the new oil desolves this build up and become partly contaminated as soon as you start the engine, what the flush people claim is there stuff cures the problem by desolving the crud so it comes out with the old oil ,
the best solution is to change oil at a sensible mileage so if you do short jorneys or tow about 5000 miles or six months or mainly long journeys about 10,000 miles ...remeber oil is cheap !! engines, parts time to fix and time off the road isn't
Edited by powerstroke on Tuesday 9th February 22:08
Sludge sludge sludge, what is this sludge I'm hearing all about?
I've opened some old and poorly maintained engines before now. None have contained 'sludge' other than a thin film in the bottom of the sump pan. Why you'd feel compelled to add some random non-descript liquid which isn't engine oil, isn't recommended by engine manufacturer, isn't part of a service schedule, with a view to dredging this crap up into the oil pick-up I'll never know.
Marketing.
I've opened some old and poorly maintained engines before now. None have contained 'sludge' other than a thin film in the bottom of the sump pan. Why you'd feel compelled to add some random non-descript liquid which isn't engine oil, isn't recommended by engine manufacturer, isn't part of a service schedule, with a view to dredging this crap up into the oil pick-up I'll never know.
Marketing.
HustleRussell said:
Sludge sludge sludge, what is this sludge I'm hearing all about?
I've opened some old and poorly maintained engines before now. None have contained 'sludge' other than a thin film in the bottom of the sump pan. Why you'd feel compelled to add some random non-descript liquid which isn't engine oil, isn't recommended by engine manufacturer, isn't part of a service schedule, with a view to dredging this crap up into the oil pick-up I'll never know.
Marketing.
You have obviously never had a VAG 1.8T engine flash the low oil pressure light while driving then? Low oil capacity with a turbo and extended oil change intervals causes this engine to fill with sludge and block the oil pickup pipe.I've opened some old and poorly maintained engines before now. None have contained 'sludge' other than a thin film in the bottom of the sump pan. Why you'd feel compelled to add some random non-descript liquid which isn't engine oil, isn't recommended by engine manufacturer, isn't part of a service schedule, with a view to dredging this crap up into the oil pick-up I'll never know.
Marketing.
It does this on it's own, so adding an engine flush to dislodge this sludge and help the process is madness.
Me and my partner have 80 years between us as mechanics and both use it,, BUT we use it as a last ditch type thing on engines known to sludge lifters, he uses it every oil change on his 1.4 16V astra g and has done since he bought it (with noisy lifters) 6 years ago, lifters freed off at the first use and still are quiet 40K later.
The old CVH engine was a nightmare for sludge and we've saved loads of them using it, the cleaner disolves the sludge and holds it in suspension (it does NOT dislodge large lumps of cr@p that float around in the engine! ) and it can then block the uber fine strainer on the pump pickup (as the oil now contains the sludge it is thicker hense the posablity of blocking the strainer), having said that if the top end is sludged the chances are the strainer is already blocked and the cleaner will also disolve the sludge on that as well, i would then drop the sump after and clean as part of the job, you can clean sumps and strainers, even a head but flush is the only way to get sludge from the smaller gallerys without dismantling the engine, yes there are better ways but they cost more, again it's a balence of cost Vs worth of the vehical.
Also done many a VW 1.8T followed by a couple of cheap supermarket oil changes and nerver had one die after, i must say i also remove the turbo drian/sump and manualy clean it off the car cos it's usually to bad to fully be cleaned by the flush.
So my advice is use it as a last ditch effort, in my partners case it was try it or rebuild the head but as he bought it cheap it was worth the go and it worked fine.
The caveat here is i do mainly cheap ass cars that are not worth doing a top end rebuild on so the st or bust option is often the way to go for my customers BUT it does what it eays on the tin, wether that leads to other problems are totaly vehical and condition specific, it' a tool and you need the experiance as to how and when to use it or not, people who continue to call it snake oil are simply wronge or have no real insight into how and when to use it.
It's been a well know trade tool for decades and those who dont know about it are obv not in the trade and are the ones who are not in a position to comment IMHO.
Sorry to offend anyone but i've used it for years and had many reults, only 1 dead CVH and a cologne V6 and they were both a coin toss as to wether it was worth the £9 spending on trying to save the POS, it did quieten the CVH lifters but then the small end knock could be heard
Last words on it, change the oil more often and it's not needed.
The old CVH engine was a nightmare for sludge and we've saved loads of them using it, the cleaner disolves the sludge and holds it in suspension (it does NOT dislodge large lumps of cr@p that float around in the engine! ) and it can then block the uber fine strainer on the pump pickup (as the oil now contains the sludge it is thicker hense the posablity of blocking the strainer), having said that if the top end is sludged the chances are the strainer is already blocked and the cleaner will also disolve the sludge on that as well, i would then drop the sump after and clean as part of the job, you can clean sumps and strainers, even a head but flush is the only way to get sludge from the smaller gallerys without dismantling the engine, yes there are better ways but they cost more, again it's a balence of cost Vs worth of the vehical.
Also done many a VW 1.8T followed by a couple of cheap supermarket oil changes and nerver had one die after, i must say i also remove the turbo drian/sump and manualy clean it off the car cos it's usually to bad to fully be cleaned by the flush.
So my advice is use it as a last ditch effort, in my partners case it was try it or rebuild the head but as he bought it cheap it was worth the go and it worked fine.
The caveat here is i do mainly cheap ass cars that are not worth doing a top end rebuild on so the s
t or bust option is often the way to go for my customers BUT it does what it eays on the tin, wether that leads to other problems are totaly vehical and condition specific, it' a tool and you need the experiance as to how and when to use it or not, people who continue to call it snake oil are simply wronge or have no real insight into how and when to use it.It's been a well know trade tool for decades and those who dont know about it are obv not in the trade and are the ones who are not in a position to comment IMHO.
Sorry to offend anyone but i've used it for years and had many reults, only 1 dead CVH and a cologne V6 and they were both a coin toss as to wether it was worth the £9 spending on trying to save the POS, it did quieten the CVH lifters but then the small end knock could be heard
Last words on it, change the oil more often and it's not needed.
brianashley said:
If a garage wants to sell it , it tells you they are cheating gimps . some cheap oil and new filters , 100miles . then put the quality oil in with new filters .
good garage scheme push these cleaners - someone i know uses a place and it adds £40 to a service with fuel and engine flushes , bet it never see's a drop of it Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff