sludge in oil

Dzchey21 · Jul 12, 2012

Hoping for the best. How much was the front cover?

devdiesel · Jul 12, 2012

my tech guy got it cheaper with his discount but I think their around $400 plus gaskets... It came with a new oil pump which was a welcome surprise

kyle43335 · Jul 12, 2012

devdiesel said:
my tech guy got it cheaper with his discount but I think their around $400 plus gaskets... It came with a new oil pump which was a welcome surprise

i hope its good. however i dont think its the cover.

put the old pump back in the cover,block all the coolant ports,and pressure test the cover.

if it was the issue,you will see/hear the leak,leading to the part of the cover leading to the crankcase.

devdiesel · Jul 12, 2012

ya that is being done today actually so we shall see, if that's not the answer then I'll run it for a bit and see what comes up... worst case senario I'll rip it aprt all over again and just pull the motor

blk350on20s · Jul 13, 2012

Interested to hear? Hopefully that front cover was leaking

BFT · Jul 14, 2012

Stupid question, did you do the torque sequence on the studs or just tightened them to 275?

devdiesel · Jul 14, 2012

no I didn't do the torque sequence, didn't want the gaskets to move since they were already compresses/ seated.. I torqued the bolt to 150 then 275 then moved on to the next one... followed the proper pattern though... trucks running perfect and hasnt used any coolant/ oil or puked all week so well see..but I am seeing more blow by then normal so their might be hurt somehow inside. Im sending my spare heads/ short block out on Monday to get checked over anyways though just in case... think I'm gonna put coated/ machined pistons and upgraded valve springs/ pushrods in while I'm in their.

Heavyhaul · Jul 15, 2012

. I used a die penetrant to test my front cover. Makes it easy to see.

kyle43335 · Jul 15, 2012

Heavyhaul said:
View attachment 7731. I used a die penetrant to test my front cover. Makes it easy to see.

didnt think of magna flux. good idea.

devdiesel · Jul 16, 2012

that is a good idea, how bad did the front side look?

superih · Jul 19, 2012

Heavyhaul said:
View attachment 7731. I used a die penetrant to test my front cover. Makes it easy to see.

So tell me more about the front cover cavitation, how common is it, how many miles until it can start, how do you prevent it.

devdiesel · Jul 20, 2012

it was covered pretty well earlier in the thread but the just of it is that it happens mostly when a truck is run really low on coolant, air is introduced and the coolant boils eating away at the front cover behind the water pump. I can also happen when low quality coolant is used ... preventative measures would be just keep an eye on your coolant level and flush it once in a while.... well I've been driving my truck all week and no coolant loss or sludge present on the valve cover.. looks like the front cover was the culprit!!!

devdiesel · Aug 13, 2012

thought i would give an update on this thread as well for those interested... well the sludge came back with a vengeance! also the truck had been showing quite a bit of blow-by as well as a slight knock... so after pulling a valve cover again and finding lots of sludge it was time to tear it down...

after pulling heads, all of the cylinder walls were washed clean/ almost no hash marks (this would account for the blow-by)... and #2 piston is 15 thou lower than the rest.. uhh ooh.. pulled the pan and the piston was just touching the crank (theirs the knock)...

i havent found the coolant lose issue yet but regardless the motor has been pulled and a new short block is going in..

i think all of these issues point to emission related s#%t, my theory is regen washed down the cylinders and the bent rod is from a blown egr cooler that happened the first week i got the truck lol, must have filled the cylinder... moral of the story... get rid of it all ASAP!!! and save your self the hassle/ cost down the road!