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I done my oil about a month ago as when I got the car it was black. One month on and its the same again. Looking under the oil filler cap and in the engine it appears to have a thick black coating on it. I know the head gasket isn't away so I was wondering if I got an engine flusher it would get rid ofthe problem? Has anyone done this and will it screw it up? What kits or products should I use?.... If the problem is that bad, it may take a few times to clear, I wouldn't get to stressed over it, the engine has probably not been looked after too well before you got the car. The only important thing to check is that the pipe between the cam cover (with the oil filler cap) and the inlet manifold is not blocked. To do this properly, you will need to remove the cam cover to clean out the pipe connector bit (not really sure what else to call it!). Just make sure you change the oil and filter regularly, and all should be fine. If you really want to "go to town" you can always take the sump off to give it a good clean, this is an easy job (IMO), if you also remove the oil pickup and baffle plate you can give the inside of the block a good scrub, carb cleaner is good for this, it's a dirty job, and as you will be upside down, wear eye protection! Also, if the urge takes you, take the cam covers off to clean inside them, again not a hard job. These 2 places is were most of the gunge will have settled. I hope this helps! Ho hum, I suppose I'd rather not have a gunked up engine! its not uncommon for leaks to appear after using oil treatments, and its not unheard of for more major consumable/wearing parts to fail or falter if it isnt running right though then youve not got so much to lose.WeirdNeville wrote:I was advised by a very competent mechanic to always use an engine flush each time the oil is changed.
I did so, and now I have a slight weep around the sump gasket so this will need to be changed in the future.
it can make seals leak but less likely these days. but the biggest problem is it removes oil from a surface so when the new oil goes in any surfaces with teh flush still on wont gain proper oil protection, this will obviously go away but you will never get all the flush out. its better just to maintain your engine properly. then change it again in a coupe of hundred miles and stick some decent fresh oil in this should remove most of the crap and get rid of any flush. its not worth doing if your engine runs fine or has no black death issues.crazybrightman wrote:ok problems with an oil slush and can move debris an cuase bloackages/damage.
Then I used an engine flush and now I have a weepy oil seal somewhere. 
the newer oils have much better cleaning properties that the old ones so its unlikely to be a problem unless your engine has not been serviced regularly. if this is the case then its probably too late to help. never tried it but it seems logical. oilman any thoughts? ( another additive ) probably wont do a thing !!crazylegs wrote:chris get some of that gasket seal stuff to bung in the oil
Might be worth a shot, although the engine runs very well even if it does smell rather oily. 