sludged up 2000 S500 engine pictures
 

I had a 2000 S500 in the shop today that needed a new valve cover gasket. This is what I found when I pulled the cover. This is, by far, the worst sludged up engine that I have ever come up on.

The only way I know to clean it out would be to do 3000 mile oil changes for a year or so using Mobile 1. Anyone know of another way without taking the engine apart? I suspect that the owner is going by the oil change service indication using conventional motor oil:eek:.

You call that sludge? That's nothing. THIS is sludge.

http://www.fototime.com/81B9B095C8360DD/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/E59AAEEC9B2CADA/standard.jpg

On a 2009 Cadillac I got used over 2 years ago. I took the car in for warranty work to replace the timing chains, but when they saw that, they wouldn't do it under warranty. I dragged it home and did it myself. 10 or so hours for the chains, another 10 with q-tips, plastic scrapers and brake cleaner got it cleaned up like this.

http://www.fototime.com/A4E15121D3D35E5/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/28883291C257480/standard.jpg

Maybe recommend for the owner to get an oil analysis? If it's that bad, what's wearing in there?

Any history of 'stop-leak' use in the oil system, like "my VC gasket is leaking, I'll put this stuff in here to stop it..."

I'd maybe go the other route from Mobil 1 - use a cheap, high-detergent based oil and change more often. Maybe use an engine flush product?

hmmmm, you know I think I like your idea better. I'll run that by the owner.

Wow at the Caddy pictures. Does anyone know what the typical first mechanical failure is on an engine that is too sludged up to keep going?

I suggest the Mobil 1 at 3K mile change intervals. If too much sludge is dislodged too quickly it may cause screens/oil passages to plug up.

If you decide try the engine flush products, the two I recommend are Rislone and Seafoam (in the crankcase).

Had a customer that never changed the oil on an ML 320 since new. It went 42k mi before it poked a rod out the side of the block. Inside it looked a lot like that caddy motor above.

You might want to try Kreen first. Big discussion about it at: Kreen Update - Bob Is The Oil Guy

I guess it eventually gets so bad that it plugs oil passages up which lead to catastropic failure:eek:.

I don't see a huge problem Jim, my car looks like that and it runs perfectly. I don't know how there could be sludge in a one-owner dealer-serviced car but there is some sludging in mine. Not my doing and it doesn't seem to be a problem so I just drive it. I never skip an oil change with Mobil 1 and it never skips a beat. I'm amazed at how filthy and ugly the engine in my car is considering how well it runs. Oh well.

looks like my friends s2000. He never does anything to that car and its all sludged up but runs like a top.

The oil rings are stuck and blocked, it becomes an oil burner. The next step is they do not check the oil and keep it topped off so they run low on oil causing bearing damage.

They hear a knock noise and top it off. The knock noise is a rod bearing shredding it self and often times turning in the big end. (if not then it will do it soon after)
The final stage is the turning rod bearing seizes and snaps the connecting rod, often times making a hole on the block.

That cleaned engine a few posts back is a candidate for an oil burner.
I would use Mobil 1 and change it every 3k. in about 10-15K miles the rings will be free and whistle clean.

How many valves does that S500 have anyway. I'm assuming it's a V8, on the cylinder bank pictured I'm not seeing two camshaft sprockets per usual, and also it looks to be 3 valves per cylinder judging by the number of rockers which seems strange considering it's obviously DOHC.

113 motors are SOHC.

I don't know if this helps,but I've run diesel motor oils in my gasoline engines too,for over 20 years.Always had a clean motor.

But this is a 113 motor, prone to sludging. It's virtually impossible to sludge an older Mercedes motor if you change the oil at all, with anything. But still not a bad idea. Or Pennzoil Platinum synthetic.