It's been a while since I bothered changing fluids and cleaning stuff up, but lately I've been determined to check up. I just change the oil, ATF, valve cover gaskets, and tranny mount.

Are there any easy things I can do that will help out? I've read about Red Line fuel system cleaner and seafoam, but other than the names, I don't know much about them. Any suggestions?

 

change the fuel filter too

 

And after youre done with that fuel filter....do a search for TomP's major tune-up...it willl get you far.

 

 

Thanks for the info, but I'm not talking about a normal tuneup. What I meant is some heavy duty cleaning I can do to clean up 10 years of filth and grime from the engine block, to avoid a rebuild.

I've read about seafoam intake cleaner, but I don't know how to use it, where to find it, and whether it can be used with the intake mounted.

And could STP fuel line cleaner be used to clean out deposits from the cylinder heads?

 

If you're removed some covers and discovered a lot of sludge, varnish, coke, soot, and general filth, you can use one of the engine flushes that is sold for the purpose. They seem to help somewhat.

OR, you can remove the oil filter, install a "cheapo" filter (like a low-dollar department store special), and top off the crankcase with a quart of automatic transmission oil instead of engine oil. Run it to normal operating temperature, then for a couple hours more, varying the RPM, as long as you don't load it heavily (like going racing). Drain the oil while it is still hot. Clean the PCV system and make sure it is working. Install a clean air filter element, since most engine contaminants are from intake air.

Install a good filter and fresh oil. Avoid using multigrade mineral oils with a high viscosity range. A 5W30 has 25 basis points of viscosity range,which means it is loaded with viscosity improvers (polymers). These are the first thing to break down in a mineral oil and also create a high volume of sludge when they burn. 10W30 will have fewer polymers,and less ash and sludge formation as a result. Synthetics don't suffer from any of that,and will continue to helpclean your engine.

Maintain a good oil change frequency of 3,000 miles or less, and change the filter every time. If you use synthetic engine lubricant, you'll avoid the sludge and ash formation associated with multigrade mineral oils, and be able to slightly extend the drain interval until the engine is cleaned up. Once the engine is cleaned to your satisfaction, return to your normal 3,000 mile change interval if you've decided to use mineral oil. If you chose synthetic, you can experiment with change frequencies up to 7,500 miles,depending on your driving.

Another of my opinions - Don't even bother with synthetic "blends". There is so little synthetic base stock in the mixture that the benefits are negligible. I think they mix in just enough synthetic base to be able to call it a "blend". To me, it's like the analogy of wine and urine. If you have a barrel of urine,and dump in a cupful of wine, you have a barrel of urine. If you have a barrel of wine, and dump in a cupful of urine, you still have a barrel of urine. Don't waste your time and money. Go full synthetic, or not.

As for the fuel system, most additive cleaners are not effective at cleaning combustion chambers. At best, they might be a good preventive measure, but that isn't certain either.

The most effective means to clean away combustion chamber deposits without removing the heads is with water. You can inject a small amount of water into a running engine and the steam created through the combustion process will soften and remove carbon deposits, some varnish, and any atmospheric dirt. A small amount would be on the order of 3cc/S, and not much more. Excessive water that enters the chambers as a liquid can destroy an engine by hydraulically locking it. Usually the water wins the battle, and the pistons and rods lose it,so be careful in the rate of water addition. Again, the engine must be running. I use a vacuum hose, a reservoir and suction line, and small hand valve to adminster water while the engine idles. If the engine stalls, no more water is added, and hydraulic locking is nearly impossible.