The RRC "Cost Effective Maintenance" thread

[Konradical]

After reading your thread and finally managing to afford some, I popped some of the flushing concentrate into my 3.5L flapper with the hope to clean it up and get some more life out of it. The next oil change is due in about 500kms.

The other thing I hope to happen is it resolves the lifter tick that starts once engine is at operating temp. With the knowledge that this is a valve train wear issue, anything at this stage to help until a top end rebuild can be afforded.

[Blknight.aus]

After reading your thread and finally managing to afford some, I popped some of the flushing concentrate into my 3.5L flapper with the hope to clean it up and get some more life out of it. The next oil change is due in about 500kms.

The other thing I hope to happen is it resolves the lifter tick that starts once engine is at operating temp. With the knowledge that this is a valve train wear issue, anything at this stage to help until a top end rebuild can be afforded.

if you're not running a diesel engine oil, try adding about half a liter of DEX III about 500Km before your next oil change, if the noise is a lifter it might sort it out.

[Mercguy]

It's time for an update.

Haven't been driving the vehicle much this year - work etc and 'no life'.

But it is time to do the ritual, and I have an interesting adjunct since this time there is no oil cooler adapter plate and radiator mounted heat exchanger unit. SO, in theory, the oil should have been a little 'hotter' on average (unlikely though due to twin 16" spal thermos and new rad) for the last several months. I'm not counting any chickens or going to really look into the differences, but I will pull the valve cover off and get a peek over the weekend and update with pics if I remember.

Most interesting was that the oil colour is no longer vegemite at each drop, like it has been previously. It's more of a dark honey colour - chocolatey but not that really evil dark colour that it has been previously. I suspect that the flushing is actually working better as the time goes on, and the amount of detritus coming out at each change is becoming lesser, due to the remaining junk inside being upper valvetrain and not down below the heads.

I also suspect this is where I get to experience the law of diminishing return.

Theoretically however, the return on the investment has saved an engine from the scrapheap. It's quite useable, doesn't blow smoke, and while it has a slight valvetrain noise, I have certainly experienced worse noises in perfectly healthy engines before. I've had brand new camshafts in mercedes engines sound way worse than this, so all in all I think this is a win.

We will see what the outcome under the rocker cover is, and how things progress from here, but the result to date has been satisfactory, and rather surprising - considering I was going to junk this thing years ago.

Rather happy with current state of progress. Will update with pics when I get the cover off over the weekend sometime.