Valve Ticking, and getting worse daily

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DiggerDerrik
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BarkMarker wrote: also I pulled out a small chunk of aluminum foil. No idea where that came from, maybe someone was shimming with it? Hopefully not
I would bet that foil was the seal on a jug of oil that someone carelessly dumped into the head when filling.
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KuroNekko
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DiggerDerrik wrote:
BarkMarker wrote: also I pulled out a small chunk of aluminum foil. No idea where that came from, maybe someone was shimming with it? Hopefully not
I would bet that foil was the seal on a jug of oil that someone carelessly dumped into the head when filling.
Exactly what I thought too.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
BarkMarker
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I hope the aluminum foil is nothing more than just a oil jug seal. It didn't appear to have any glue or otherwise on it, so i wonder if that melted off from the heat of the oil, or if this came from another source. Either way, the concern remains about the sludge. When a shop ran my car to see the type of oil, they claimed that it could take either synthetic or conventional. I assume that at least one owner decided to put the cheapest garbage in the poor thing, because the sludge is ridiculous. I guess if i didn't know I would probably buy the cheapest stuff too....

So far I made an attachment for my shop vac so i could scrape and suck the sludge and varnish out to get the big deposits. so far the head looks better. That said I have taken apart Briggs and Stratton engines from 1940 with less sludge and varnish buildup. Really looking for a chemical remedy at this point.

May give the kerosene a try soon, but first i am trying some detergent. My plan is to pop off the oil pan and get the big deposits that i assume are there. Then I will fill her up with cheap synthetic and run the oil detergent for a few hundred, then add a motor oil flush liquid that is marketed as being something you run right before an oil change to break up the goo before doing the change. Once it is all emptied out I will probably stick my inspection cam in there and see if any of the remaining sludge and varnish still stands. If it does, i will probably give her a fill up of kerosene and cross my fingers that a spark doesn't happen in my crank case in the few minutes i will run her on it :) After that point, if the poor bastard still has a lot, then that is how much it will have the rest of its (hopefully long) lifetime. Going full synthetic at that point.

Additionally I took valve clearance measurements while i was in there of course, but i cant seem to find a 2012 service manual, so i don't know how to adjust these and if they even need it. If anyone has a link to the service manual please let me know, I need to search within the forum too, as im sure I am not the first person to need it ;)
bdleonard
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BarkMarker wrote:Hey guys thanks for the responses! A bit late of a reply from me though! So I pulled the valve cover this morning, and my god sludge has definitely played a large role in this poor engine's wearing. The stuff is really gooped on everything, and some of it is very hard and crumbling. It looks like oil that sat inside of an engine for years and years. If anyone has an idea of an effective way to clear this off, it would definitely be appreciated, this stuff is everywhere. None stand out as being excessively worn. I have measured the clearance between the tops of the valve buckets and the back of the cams. I am looking to see what these clearances are supposed to be, none seem extraordinary. I have no idea how I would access the shims under each bucket to adjust it, without removing the cam. Hopefully I have better news soon :) also I pulled out a small chunk of aluminum foil. No idea where that came from, maybe someone was shimming with it? Hopefully not
I believe there are no shims, you measure everything and replace the buckets with ones of the proper thickness to bring it in to spec. I'm pretty sure that the cam must come out.
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KuroNekko
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I don't think sludge is caused by poor quality motor oil as much as neglecting to change the oil at proper intervals. While I'm sure the previous owner used cheap oil, the problem was the lack of timely oil changes.

As for the engine cleaner, I think Auto-RX will be the most effective and also the safest as it was specifically formulated for the purpose of removing sludge. If you use it, make sure to follow the instructions carefully. For example, it should state to only use conventional oil for the cleaning process when the product is added to the engine. I believe it's for chemical compatibility with Auto-RX but also given you will be flushing it out at a short interval, it will save you money too. I'd permanently switch to synthetic after the final treatment process is complete.

The service manual can be found in the Stickies section in a thread dedicated to links and resources.
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Ronzuki
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BarkMarker wrote: May give the kerosene a try soon, but first i am trying some detergent.
That was not a serious suggestion I'd made for you to do to your modern high-tech car engine full of plastics and whatnot.
That is something that was done, a long time ago, when the only thing that wasn't steel in an engine were seals and gaskets.

Stick with the stuff that Kuro suggested.
Ron

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BarkMarker
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Ronzuki wrote:Stick with the stuff that Kuro suggested.
I know :)
bdleonard wrote: I believe there are no shims, you measure everything and replace the buckets with ones of the proper thickness to bring it in to spec. I'm pretty sure that the cam must come out.
after having a look at the manual, it definitely isnt, so i am definitely doing anything about the one out of spec :/
bdleonard
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My suggestion would be to grab a dual rated gas/diesel oil. 10w-30 or 5w-40 should be fairly straightforward to find in a dual rated oil (SN/SN+ gas and CJ-4/CK-4 diesel). Either is close enough to the Kizashi spec (SN, 5w-30) that I would not be at all concerned in your situation. Diesel rated oils (Cx) have a much greater carrying capacity than gasoline only (Sx) engine oils, due to the large amount of super fine carbon particulate that they must be able to carry in modern diesel applications. This seems like it would be advantageous for removing "soft" oil deposits (brown goo / soft varnish). "Hard" deposits (black coked / hard varnish) are not likely to be going anywhere without mechanical intervention. My alternate choice would be a synthetic "high mileage" branded (and SN rated) 5w-30. Personally, I would try these before any "cleaner" type products. (Speaking as someone who has used AutoRX, Seafoam, and Kreen in vehicles in the past, try the moderate approach first). In either case, I would recommend frequent oil and filter changes in the short term, no more than 3mo / 3k miles. If things don't improve (and or it doesn't look like things are coming out with the oil) you can try a chemically enhanced cleaner. I'd suggest trying Auto RX or Marvel Mystery Oil first, which is fairly slow and gentle, then Kreen, which is more aggressive. Seafoam or an "engine flush" product would be my last resort.
bdleonard
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And as a small addendum, I would suggest removing the valve covers and the oil pan, and cleaning off (by hand ) any "soft" deposits while not blocking any oil passages. I would also check the oil pickup (which sits in the pan) and make sure that the screen there isn't clogged. At that point, any good quality oil and filter changed every 2-3k miles, should work about as well as any other option. (Which is to say most of the damage has already been done. The goal is to prevent further wear and restore normal lubrication to the extent possible.)
old tech
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Did you find and fix the noise maker ? If you need a part to repair it, I have it I'm sure. You still have the the most valuable part of this engine and that is a straight (hasnt been overheated) cyl head .
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