Have you heard of engine flushing? Maybe you haven’t. Here’s why it is important to learn about. In “engine utopia” our engines would be immaculate inside, allowing the lubricating film on the cylinder walls, the valve train, and in the bearings, etc. to perform without a hitch. The reality is the insides of our engine are under constant attack from dust, debris, sludge and metallic particulate from engine produced from normal engine wear. If you have ever done any sandblasting then you have a good idea of the damage that can be done from high velocity dust and grit in the air (so have a really good air filter).
The other problem inside engines is the tendency for oils to varnish and sludge as they are aged in your engines environment. The sludge and varnish cause hot spots to develop over time from restricted oil flow. Oil needs to flow through the engine, so when oil flow is restricted, excessive wear and component failure are often the end result. Hot spots will rob an engine of performance and cause even more oil breakdown.
To remove all of that nasty sludge, varnish and particulate that cause your vehicle to run like crap, you can run an engine flush through your engine. It is a similar concept to turpentine where a strong solvent is introduced to the engine hot. The sludgy deposits dissolve as the solvent circulates through the engine with the oil.
How you do it depends on the product you use. A common method that I employ is a 20 minute engine flush I perform right before my oil change. I add 12 fl oz of solution to the engine while it is hot (but not running). Then, I restart the engine and let it idle for the next 20 minutes. It’s very important that you don’t drive the vehicle around while flushing the engine. The lubricating properties of the motor oil are not as good when the solvent is present and you do not want to cause engine damage.
When 20 minutes are up I shut the engine off and drain the oil, just like a normal oil change, and I use AMSOIL 5W-30 full synthetic to fill’er up again. My engines stay clean this way.
If you want to keep your engine running cooler, keep your piston rings floating properly (to minimize blow by) and keep your valves operating and sealing well, then keep the sludge and varnish to a minimum. All this keeps your engine pumping out the most horsepower at the best fuel economy.