Foreign material in engine

[Burgie]

Hi guys can anyone advise me what this black foreign matter is from.  It’s all around the heads and I found about 2-3 tablespoons of it in my sump pickup. The engine is a 4ltr v6 prado and for a long time now the only oil I’ve put in the engine is fully synthetic Penrite

thanks

 

[campbeam]

It is oil sludge and burnt oil deposits. Good that you have been using a quality brand full synthetic engine oil.

However, what the oil change interval have you been using?

You should consider reducing the oil change interval to say 5000kms as a general rule but be more guided by regularly checking the oil colour.

I also look for oils with higher levels of detergent additives e.g. Penrite HPR, Shell Ultra and Diesel engine oils.

[Burgie]

Hi thanks for the reply, because the car has 320000 km on it I have been pretty neglectful with my service intervals, I’ve just been doing the services when I think it’s round about due or when the oil looks pretty bad. I’ll definitely start doing them more regularly now that I’ve seen what’s inside. 

[campbeam]

54 minutes ago, Burgie said:

I’ll definitely start doing them more regularly now that I’ve seen what’s inside. 

Best trick and tip is to service your vehicle according to your driving conditions. Time and distance are guides.

I regularly check the oil level and colour of the oil on the dipstick. My preference is to change the oil before it changes colour from a dark golden colour to a black colour which indicates to me that the oil is starting to get a high level of contaminants.

[Tony Prodigy]

18 hours ago, Burgie said:

Hi thanks for the reply, because the car has 320000 km on it I have been pretty neglectful with my service intervals, I’ve just been doing the services when I think it’s round about due or when the oil looks pretty bad. I’ll definitely start doing them more regularly now that I’ve seen what’s inside. 

Wow, that is pretty sludgy. You have the best opportunity to de sludge it while it's all open. Pour diesel all over it and brush the heck out of everything and then flush it several times over with fresh diesel. Collect the crud with a drain pan of course. Then once it's all buttoned back up, you'll still need to perform a few more de sludging treatments with regular, and I mean, Regular oil changes. 

You should never let the oil go past 10K. 8k tops and 5K for best results. Oil is cheap, but long term engine damage is not.

JUst wondering though. How did it run before you pulled it apart ? Any smoke ??

[Wendy Horspool]

I own a Toyota Prado Grande 2006 model, I do my services every 10,000 km my car still only has 135,+ on it they keep telling me my car hasn't even been run in yet. 

[Tony Prodigy]

On 1/4/2022 at 5:31 PM, Wendy Horspool said:

I own a Toyota Prado Grande 2006 model, I do my services every 10,000 km my car still only has 135,+ on it they keep telling me my car hasn't even been run in yet. 

Hi Wendy, I was doing 10K service intervals when I first purchased my Aurion. That was from approximately 40k to 100K, and now I've reduced it to between 7 and 8K. 

I know my engine is sludge free and very clean internally due to my strict service regime but as it ages, it makes sense to change the oil more frequently. 

Oil is pretty cheap, especially when the specials are on, so stock up and have your hubby/boyfriend etc do it on a more regular basis and you can't go wrong.