[t2s2]

    I recently replaced the rod bearings on my 968-engined 944S2 track car and found the internals to be covered in brown goo. I have run this engine for 3 years of hard track use and maybe 10,000 miles. I bought it from a yard, and was told it had about 44K miles on it. I have run Mobil 1 throughout the time I have owned it. There is no thick sludge in the engine, just this brown shellacky stuff on everything (top end too). The engine has run extremely well, and shows no signs of sludge related problems--the lifters are quiet, and the bearings showed very little wear.



My guess is that this was caused by the engine having spent its life before I got it running a non-detergent oil. My question is what if anything can be done to clean the mess off? I'm about to install a set of Milledge cams up top, and putting them in there with the engine like this offends my sensibilities.



Thanks



Terry

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[raydog]

Could be from using dino oil at some point, but checking out your picture, is that a crack in the pick up pipe up by the engine block?

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[Greimann]

That residue looks like a typical oxide layer from conventional oil. It was probably the proper oil with detergents because of your obserevation of the lack of goopy sludge. It is just oxidation varnish from the lower heat tolerance that conventional oil has.



It was probably laid down early in the life of the car while under the previous owner. I wouldn't worry about removing the layer unless you plan to completely disassemble the motor and hot tank the block and components.

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[t2s2]

[quote name='raydog' date='Dec 29 2005, 10:28 AM']Could be from using dino oil at some point, but checking out your picture, is that a crack in the pick up pipe up by the engine block?

[right][post="13852"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Well, I sure hope not! I didn't notice it when I had the thing apart, and it's all back together now. Hopefully it's just the way the lights and shadows are.



Unfortunately, I have been down the blown up engine path before, which is why the S2 has a 968 motor in it today. When I first made the switch four years ago everyone said it was more trouble than it was worth, etc., but it's been a great upgrade.



Thanks



Terry

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[flash]

could just be dino oil i suppose, but it seems pretty bad



take a sniff of your oil - any hint of gasoline? the last time i saw things that brown, the rings were a bit shot and letting fuel wash down when it was cold - they would expand when it was hot though, so a leakdown or compression test wouldn't show anything when hot - it only showed up when cold - it varnished everything like that - usually had a puff of smoke when cold too, but not always



i'd at least run some engine flush through there - never know when an oil passage is going to get gummed up

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[t2s2]

[quote name='t2s2' date='Dec 29 2005, 11:30 AM']<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Well, I sure hope not!  I didn't notice it when I had the thing apart, and it's all back together now.  Hopefully it's just the way the lights and shadows are.



Unfortunately, I have been down the blown up engine path before, which is why the S2 has a 968 motor in it today.  When I first made the switch four years ago everyone said it was more trouble than it was worth, etc., but it's been a great upgrade.



Thanks



Terry

[right][post="13859"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Hmm. Interesting. I have not noticed that the oil smells like gasoline, but will check specifically the next time. The car does not smoke, and uses very little oil, even at the track. By contrast, the S2 engine drank a ton of oil at the track, but almost none on the street. S2's were known for doing that when run at high rpm. The 968 seems to have overcome this problem.



Thanks for the help, gang.

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[flash]

dave is much more the oil guru, and this could easily be what he says it is - it's just a lot more than i've seen before, and something to check

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[t2s2]

[quote name='raydog' date='Dec 29 2005, 10:28 AM']Could be from using dino oil at some point, but checking out your picture, is that a crack in the pick up pipe up by the engine block?

[right][post="13852"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



As a follow up on the crack issue--I looked at a spare pickup tube I have. The pickup pipe actually goes all the way through the fitting that bolts to the engine block, and is tack welded to that fitting in a couple places. Pretty likely that what we're seeing in the picture is the line where the pipe goes through the fitting.



Terry

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[earossi]

I agree completely with Greimann. What you are seeing is an oxidized film from running dino oil. Dino oil contains parafins, which, when they see a lot of heat, have a tendency to form the film you are seeing.



By the way, almost all of today's oils are detergent oils. The Mobil 1 package has a little bit more in its additive package than the non-synthetics.



I also agree with Dave on leaving the brown film alone short of hot tanking the engine after disassembly. However, there is one product that you might want to look at that is produced by Kroil. Don't remember the name, but it is marketed as a motor "medic" and is designed to dissolve sludge and other oil based contaminants. Though I have not used the specific product, I have used almost every other product made by Kroil and have found them to be excellent; so, the motor medic may be worth a try.



Let's know what happens.

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[t2s2]

I got some motor flushing stuff from Amsoil that I may try. You add it and run then engine for about 15 minutes, then change the oil.

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