Engine Sludge

i did a oil analysis with schaeffer and the soot came up critical...dont know what to do now

 

change oil ASAP

 

Have a mechanic go over the engine. Could be as simple as a bad injector(s).....

 

Probably just a bad sample. What was the lab's recommendation? Who are you guys sending samples to that don't advise you what course of action to take? That's part of what you pay for when you sample. I had elevated soot levels this past spring. CAT said run it and change the oil again at my normal interval and see what the next sample says. Next sample came back with normal soot levels.

 

1,416,000 miles original motor,Volvo D13 /2008, I use synthetic Rotella T6 only, I get oil by gallon from Wall Mart, Meijer, i don't trust bulk from Spedco and truck stops and is more expensive .Few years ago I replaced the oil pan gasket and found a pound of mud like EGR sludge half inch thick on the bottom of the oil pan. I was told to start motor and shake the oil seconds before draining, everytime I change it to avoid heavy particles deposit in the bottom . I did clean the pan twice after doing this was clean .
Do this, everytime you change oil, ask the technician to losse only the draining screw plug, start the motor rev it 30 sec-1 min, stop and quickly drain the oil, before heavy particles settle down .

 

I'm sure op had changed a few times since 2008 lol

 

Those men at speedco a long time ago had quick change fitting they sold drivers I allready had them on a truck i traded on, went in for oil change they saw them and hooked fill hose up to fitting at oil filter with drain plug out of pan a lot of thick sludge came out untill it ran out clean, they charged me for 4 gal. extra oil but inside pan was cleaned out, they stop selling the kits after the balls inside valves let oil out going down the hiway.

 

Maybe one or two more times before that SDP cat bankrupted him and he quit posting.

 

Unlike some, I do not just take a sample and send it in. I always take my samples when I change the oil. On any engine, I start with the OEM recommended drain interval and work it up a little more with each oil change until I reach my comfort level based on what the oil samples are showing at each oil change. I don't send in a sample and then wait for it to come back and then change the oil. Just me and the way I do things. Not meant to demean anyone who does it differently. I have not sought out some wild extended oil change regimen. I usually seem to cap the interval at around 50% over and above the OEM recommended drain interval. I base that on not only the finding on the last oil, but watching the trend lines of all samples put together. Seems, in my experience, that there is a steady trend line as I increase intervals, then at some point, things start to deviate from the trend line. That is my oil change interval from then on, doing sampling at each oil change. Oil sample reading is not only a science, it is an art form. You have to learn what to look for and how the different aspects of an oil sample result compare with each other. The numbers on an oil sample may all be safe according to OEM standards, but they paint a picture when compared with each other that may indicate something you don't like is starting to happen. It does require folks to take it upon themselves to get a little educated about the process. I could rely on just what the lab or someone else tells me, but the could be wrong. I take what they say, and compare it to what I am seeing and my comfort level.