BBC oil gallery plugs-drill holes?

I removed the passenger side valve cover yesterday in preparation to watch the oil flow at the rockers and found something I'd never seen in this engine before; light grey sludge coating the underside of the cover! Checking the dipstick, I found the oil to be normal. No smoke from exhaust either (was thinking blown head gasket).
After an hour's drive, I removed the oil fill cap and found all to be normal.
Any ideas what caused this?
Thanks,
Rich
 
Richard Tice said:
I removed the passenger side valve cover yesterday in preparation to watch the oil flow at the rockers and found something I'd never seen in this engine before; light grey sludge coating the underside of the cover! Checking the dipstick, I found the oil to be normal. No smoke from exhaust either (was thinking blown head gasket).
After an hour's drive, I removed the oil fill cap and found all to be normal.
Any ideas what caused this?
Thanks,
Rich
Click to expand...
What brand of oil are You Using ?
Castrol GTX Convential 10w30 removes sludge.
Castrol 20w50 removes sludge at an even faster rate I have found.
Shell Rotella 15w40 & 10w30 Diesel Oil removes old sludge also.

Sludge lays in the bottom of the oil pan,
The Oil Galleries,
Piston ring grooves especially the Oil rings and oil return holes.
In the cylinder heads & Lifter Valley of the block.

Running 100 % Race gas 110 will cause a slight milky grey builup in the oil also.
Tetra Ethyl Lead you see.
 
the light gray sludge, inside valve covers, is frequently the result of small quantities of moisture trapped in the engine ,
resulting in most cases ,from letting it sit without it being run.
if it clears up, after the engines run for 10-20 minutes,
and you don,t see indications of its return the next day, your most likely fine.
if you park a car with a hot engine in a cold garage or outside over night, it is rather common for moisture too collect inside the valve covers,
this is one reason its generally a good idea for your engines oil temps to exceed 215F for a few minutes or more,
every time its run, as it takes several minutes running time at that temp to vaporize all the micro moisture,
trapped in the engine if its not run on a rather consistent and preventative basis
 
Richard Tice said:
I removed the passenger side valve cover yesterday in preparation to watch the oil flow at the rockers and found something I'd never seen in this engine before; light grey sludge coating the underside of the cover! Checking the dipstick, I found the oil to be normal. No smoke from exhaust either (was thinking blown head gasket).
After an hour's drive, I removed the oil fill cap and found all to be normal.
Any ideas what caused this?
Thanks,
Rich
Click to expand...
You drove for an hour with a known lack of proper lubrication problem???:eek::eek::eek::oops:
 
At what rpm is the engine at while you are watching the rockers for the oil to appear?
Next time hold a piece of cardboard over the rockers to prevent oil spray all over your engine compartment and raise the rpm to 2000.
Is there oil flowing at all the rockers now? If so, I know that the problem is your lifters!
 
Loves302Chevy said:
At what rpm is the engine at while you are watching the rockers for the oil to appear?
Next time hold a piece of cardboard over the rockers to prevent oil spray all over your engine compartment and raise the rpm to 2000.
Is there oil flowing at all the rockers now? If so, I know that the problem is your lifters!
Click to expand...
God. FU MAN CHU LIFTERS AGAIN MIKE.
 
It sure sounds like he has the same problem I had.
But will he listen and diagnose before he destroys something?
 
Penngrade 10w40 synthetic blend.
Hot engine parked in an attached garage where it may have dropped into the 40's overnight, but I've been doing that through colder temps whenever I've run during the winter and never saw any sludge.
Removed the oil fill cap yesterday (the next day after driving) to check it, no sludge.
My gauge reads about 170-190d while driving, when you say 215d do you mean the normal rise in temp after shut-down?
Thanks,
Rich
 
when you say 215F do you mean the normal rise in temp after shut-down?
Click to expand...
no!
oil temps SHOULD reach 215F occasionally during engine operation,
to insure all moisture is boiled off
but keep in mind , oil in the sump is going to be significantly cooler than,
oil flowing over,
rocker pivot balls,
cam lobes,
bearings,
valve springs lifters,
piston skirts and rings
ETC.
oil, flowing over the moving and sliding components absorbs a great deal of heat,
that hot oil flowing over the engine block and heads has,
its heat load rapidly absorbed and transferred too coolant,
flowing through the major components, that coolant absorbs heat from the hot oil,
and transfers it to the outside air flow ,
and air flowing over the oil pan and valve covers is easily 40F-100F cooler than the oil,
this is how much of the initial heat is transferred,now oil in your oil pan will be by design cooler than it is in other locations,
and oil flow cycles endlessly so while your engine may only hold 4-8 quarts, theres 2-7 gallons a minute passing through the oil pump,
that flow changes, depending on clearances and rpms of course, so the longer any engine runs the more passes,
the individual oil molecules have of being repeatedly heated and cooled, thus moisture boiled out, but moisture will not be totally removed unless,
oil reaches about 215F repeatedly,
this almost mandates a 190F-205F oil pan oil temp.

img212.gif


ChevyOilingPluga.jpg

sbcoilh3.jpg

coolantflow.jpg


http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...sion-and-oil-cooler-increases-durability.176/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bearings-and-oil-flow.150/
 
Richard Tice said:
OK, call me dense, but how does the engine temp. get to 215f with a 190f thermostat?
Rich
Click to expand...
Driving fast at highway speeds.
Oil is usually 30F hotter.

Unless you own a C4 Corvette 1984-1989 Z52-Z51 model.
Has a factory oil cooler.
My 87 C4 Corvette Roadster is a Z52.
Oil temps stay in line with coolant temps except for 150 mph test runs.
See 230 F oil temps then.
 
the t-stat controls COOLANT temps,
which are generally 15F-25F lower than peak oil temps,
obviously the coolant temps vary as the t-stat opens allowing flow ,
and closes as temps drop off.
your oil temp may read only 10F hotter than the coolant temps,
but its a fact that oil temps vary a great deal during the trip from sump,
oil pump, valve train,and bearings and back to the oil pan sump.
get out a high quality infrared temp gun, and scan the valve springs after 10 minutes of engine run time,
youll notice the oil temp on the rockers is significantly cooler than that flowing over the valve springs
this is the most consistently accurate I.R temp gun I've used for testing
42545.jpg

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/e...1100200223789&utm_content=All Extech Products
INFRARED TEMP GUN
Wide temperature range from -58 to 1832°F (-50 to 1000°C)
any time that your dealing with a potential temperature issue or a trouble issue where
, knowing the exact temperature vs what a gauge might say,
\it helps to have a handy and accurate infrared temp gun handy,
to locate and confirm heat, levels.

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-temps-and-engine-wear.6327/#post-19878

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...pring-cooling-via-engine-oil.6491/#post-56753

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-temp.5037/#post-14236

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-system-mods-that-help.2187/#post-7223

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/thoughts-on-cooling.149/#post-6448
 
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