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Sea foam or Motor Flash in Crankcase to flash sludge

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Tekken, Jun 11, 2020.

  1. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    I assume you mean flush?


    How can you tell?
     
  2. Tekken

    Tekken Member

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    Yep flush, typo.. Thanks for point out.

    From alot of oil burned when clean up on Manifold, ERG cooler, ERG pipe. Oil on throttle body. (Oil on under Throttle body need clear every 2 weeks. Working with OCC install
     
    #22 Tekken, Jun 14, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2020
  3. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    You don't have a sludge problem. Keep the EGR clean and install an oil catch can. If you want to do something good for your Prius, change the transmission fluid.

    Sludge is not a problem with these engines.
     
  4. Tekken

    Tekken Member

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    Thanks to point out

    All fluids have been changed.

    BTW, how can we check transmission fluid level on this engine? I refill 4 Qt back in and not thing leak out during refill.
     
    #24 Tekken, Jun 14, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2020
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    NONE of that indicates a sludge accumulation problem.
    Most of it is just from normal engine operation.
     
  6. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    The stated transmission fluid capacity is 3.5 quarts. In my experience that’s pretty accurate.
    Did you have the front of the car elevated when you were filling?
     
  7. Kasra

    Kasra Member

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    Could you post pictures before destroying your engine? Oil in throttle body is normal as some have already mentioned.

    Oil cap removal and just looking at the splash plate will tell you a lot.

    Use good quality Full Synthetic oil and do an oil change every 5K, let the oil do its job.

    Also add some small amount of Transmission oil (half a cup) before every oil chnage (a day or two). The detergent will help the clean up.


    Dont waste your money on any of these Snakeoils , just use quality lubricants that meet the specs or better.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  8. Jim Swart

    Jim Swart Member

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  9. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Maybe.
    One of those posts mentions the dispersant content of ATF.
    What is commonly called "detergents" in motor oil (because people are familiar with that term) really is a dispersant and it is in there to prevent sludge from depositing by keeping combustion products (carbon) in suspension in the oil (or trapped in the filter).
    There is nothing in the crankcase that needs a real detergent for "cleaning".
    A real detergent breaks down the molecular bonds between oil molecules. NOT something you want to happen in your engine.

    So......find an "expert" and ask the same question about dispersants.
    I suspect that the ATF is higher......but I don't know for sure.
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I was thinking that too. But next thought: the fill hole is towards the rear of the transaxle, so if the front was raised higher, it'd overflow sooner, with less.

    So maybe some spillage? Who knows.

    I seem to recall getting pretty close to 4 liters. Dear wife was pouring, and it was "stopstopstop" time, lol.

    Spec says anywhere between level with the fill hole lip, to 10mm lower.
     
  11. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Not sure The people replying to the topic in the bitog thread are credible, and it’s from 2013. I found some of redline d6 detergent up to 1,200 ppm while most off the shelf engine oil has 400 to 800 ppm of detergent.
     
  12. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    BUT......given the fact that "real" detergent is supposed to BREAK DOWN OIL, that likely is a mis-use of the term.
     
  13. Jim Swart

    Jim Swart Member

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    In years past the topic of using ATF to clean an engine was much discussed on BITOG. Here is the last time I could find it discussed in the OTC and Third Party Oil Additives section - Adding Tranny Fluid in Before Oil change to clean? - Bob Is The Oil Guy

    I don't think there was ever a thread on BITOG where it was agreed ATF added any value to an engine over modern motor oil.
     
  14. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    It's never good to use a flush in your engine. There one product I've used with great results its called Auto-Rx
    Auto-Rx Plus – A Clean Engine Is A Healthy Engine
    .

    I actually did an Auto-Rx cleaning at 65K miles on my 1997 Volvo 960, 2.9L, I6, 24V. The cams and lifters looked like a brand new penny when it was done. At the moment I'm doing another Auto-Rx cleaning with 130K miles on that engine.

    If you don't want to go the Auto-Rx route, I would do an oil change with a good detergent synthetic oil. Depending on how much sludge you have, you'll need to change out the oil filter every thousand miles and change out the oil every three thousand miles for two or three oil changes.
     
    #34 ALS, Jun 17, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2020
    Jim Swart likes this.