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Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 16:43

Title: Flushing the engine
Post by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 16:43
whats the stuff called that ya can get to flush all the old oil completely out of the engine? and is there any major advantage to doing it?
MInes due an oil and filter change soon, if its worth the hassle, i'll flush aswell
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 16:59
Buy some oil flush from halfords, add to the oil, ONLY run the car at idle, when the fan kicks in, drop the oil, replace with new oil and filter.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 04 October 2010, 17:00
Buy some oil flush from halfords, add to the oil, ONLY run the car at idle, when the fan kicks in, drop the oil, replace with new oil and filter.

May vary with product, some you have to run at fast idle for 15 minutes, some just at idle for 5 minutes, some you add 100 miles before you are due the oil change.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 17:03
ahhhh awesome, for some reason i thought you dropped the oil, then ran the engine with the flush stuff in, drop that and then put clean oil in. duuh lol
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 17:12
Quote from: Khare
May vary with product, some you have to run at fast idle for 15 minutes, some just at idle for 5 minutes, some you add 100 miles before you are due the oil change.

I wouldn't use anything that says to drive the car with the flusher in.

Quote from: fozziie
whats the stuff called that ya can get to flush all the old oil completely out of the engine? and is there any major advantage to doing it?
MInes due an oil and filter change soon, if its worth the hassle, i'll flush aswell

You can get flusher that you first drain the engine oil out then refill with the flusher. But do NOT drive the car. I think GSF sell this.
I would stick with the small flusher cans that you add to the oil then drain off.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 17:14
awesome, will do that then. cheers :)
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: thebassman on 04 October 2010, 17:17
I know we are all men, but you could try reading the instructions on the tin :grin:.
I used wynns in mine and it said add to oil, run at fast idle (1500 rpm) for 5 mins then drain.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 04 October 2010, 17:18
Quote from: Khare
May vary with product, some you have to run at fast idle for 15 minutes, some just at idle for 5 minutes, some you add 100 miles before you are due the oil change.

I wouldn't use anything that says to drive the car with the flusher in.


Actually, the method of draining 500ml of oil and refilling it with 500ml of ATF involves driving it for a week or so before doing the oil change.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 17:19
tins have instructions???  :grin: :shocked:
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 17:33
Quote from: Khare
May vary with product, some you have to run at fast idle for 15 minutes, some just at idle for 5 minutes, some you add 100 miles before you are due the oil change.

I wouldn't use anything that says to drive the car with the flusher in.


Actually, the method of draining 500ml of oil and refilling it with 500ml of ATF involves driving it for a week or so before doing the oil change.

Yes and its not a method i would use.
ATF or flusher will not protect your engine.
Its up to you.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 04 October 2010, 17:39
It's not about protecting it's about flushing, it's in the name  :tongue:

I wouldn't use the ATF method myself, but some people swear by it, others don't.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 17:44
Quote from: khare
It's not about protecting it's about flushing, it's in the name

 :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

Quote from: khare
I wouldn't use the ATF method myself, but some people swear by it, others don't.

Each to their own.
An engine can run for quite a while without oil at all, if its not under load.
Once under load, the problems really start. I wouldn't be happy.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 04 October 2010, 17:55
I think when it says run for 1000kms (about 600 miles) it means in normal driving conditions, I wouldn't dream of redlining it with ATF in the sump  :grin:

I do always use an engine flush though, usually wynn's oil flush which is 15 minutes on fast idle I think. Can't remember as the last time I did an oil change I was in a rush and didn't get to flush it.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: thebassman on 04 October 2010, 18:06
+1, I always use it on a change.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 19:04
I think when it says run for 1000kms (about 600 miles) it means in normal driving conditions, I wouldn't dream of redlining it with ATF in the sump  :grin:

I do always use an engine flush though, usually wynn's oil flush which is 15 minutes on fast idle I think. Can't remember as the last time I did an oil change I was in a rush and didn't get to flush it.

Even if you aren't redlining it, you are still putting the engine under load.

+1 to wynn's flush, much better.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Wayne on 04 October 2010, 20:08
Quote from: Khare
May vary with product, some you have to run at fast idle for 15 minutes, some just at idle for 5 minutes, some you add 100 miles before you are due the oil change.

I wouldn't use anything that says to drive the car with the flusher in.


Actually, the method of draining 500ml of oil and refilling it with 500ml of ATF involves driving it for a week or so before doing the oil change.

Yes and its not a method i would use.
ATF or flusher will not protect your engine.
Its up to you.

+1 sound advice.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: fozziie on 04 October 2010, 21:20
so the general opinion is that wynns stuff for 15 mins on a fast idle yeah??
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 21:46
Yes
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Paul86S2 on 04 October 2010, 21:59
ATF is an oil and usually a very high quality oil, whether the viscosity is entirely suitable for running in an engine is another matter. It is its cleaning properties that make people advise it as an engine flush. But I would rather run that around my engine than a can of "engine cleaner" which probably has no lubricating properties.
Do you want to start softening and dislodging years of hardened crud in your engine and then let it circulate it round with the potential for it to lodge in your oil ways or similar and potentially cause you more problems.
Or is the "engine cleaner" stuff just a marketing ploy to make you part with some more of your hard earned cash.
Hasn't normal semi synth oil got cleaners in it anyway?

Paul
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 04 October 2010, 22:08
ATF is an oil and usually a very high quality oil, whether the viscosity is entirely suitable for running in an engine is another matter. It is its cleaning properties that make people advise it as an engine flush. But I would rather run that around my engine than a can of "engine cleaner" which probably has no lubricating properties.
Do you want to start softening and dislodging years of hardened crud in your engine and then let it circulate it round with the potential for it to lodge in your oil ways or similar and potentially cause you more problems.
Or is the "engine cleaner" stuff just a marketing ploy to make you part with some more of your hard earned cash.
Hasn't normal semi synth oil got cleaners in it anyway?

Paul

ATF is an lubricating oil made for gearboxes, which although need lubricating, do not run at anywhere near the temperatures of an internal combustion engine.
I don't have a problem with using ATF or any other engine 'flush', however long term i think it could be potentially damaging to run any engine under load with anything but engine oil.
Running the car at idle or fast idle is no problem, damage will not occur.
I agree with your general point about flushing agents, if oil changes are done regularly then it isn't really necessary.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: darcy on 05 October 2010, 16:45
something i try and do with my cars is to just drain the oil in your engine, pit some cheap stuff in for say..... a few days with a new filter, then drain that and put new better quility oil back in and new filter. that way all the original oil would have gone along with some of the crap (replaced by the cheaper stuff and more crap gones when drained again leaving you with new oil and alot less sh!t)
just an option........
........that to me is better then chunks of crap from the last X years floating around from the engine cleaner stuff.
Darcy
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: sharki786 on 07 October 2010, 11:45
apart from clean the internal of your engine, what are the other benefits in using the engine flush?
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 07 October 2010, 14:16
Also dissolves any bits of oil that may be blocking an oil line.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: sharki786 on 07 October 2010, 16:27
so worth it or not then? i have had topend rebuild thoe
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: paultownsend on 08 October 2010, 11:37
i am lucky as when i did my abf engine conversion, i fully degreased the block inside and out. oil pump new vw, head rebuilt and acid dipped. it was immaculate. still is.

but i still do 2 oil changes. oil and filter from vw/tps is £10 for me with cti discount. thats a vw filter and synta silver, a litre spare as i buy 2 of both.
i do one change to clean it out, then a week later change it again.  its always golden. smells lovely buring off for the first few drives.

i would definitely drop your sump, clean it out and the pump pick up. change your oil with the cheapest crap you can find. go for a good drive. come back and fill up with proper oil. synta from vw. dont mess about and use anything else.

may as well do your coolant while your there. g12++ please
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: Khare on 08 October 2010, 11:52
Yeah I use synta from VW too, £15 or thereabouts for 5l of oil.
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: robz on 08 October 2010, 12:05
top thread this!!
good read, as far as dropping the sump... i havent done this yet, what is involved, obviously a new gasket... anything else??
also what would you use to clean, just degreaser??
Title: Re: Flushing the engine
Post by: paultownsend on 08 October 2010, 13:17
tbh i just use an aerosol clutch and brake cleaner. dissolves most cack. and  yes, new gasket. couple of quid from gsf. fuchs titan oil from gsf is good too. always however use an oe filter. it has a special pressure relief valve in it. some cheapo filters do not.

the difference a good service can give is always supprising
get yourself a halfords trade car. its laughable how cheap plugs, leads, dissy caps/arms are. normally bosch items too