What exactly is this sludge problem that everyone is talking about? and how to tell if you have it?

 

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclien...cffc1886595aad

 

What is this 'Google' thing everyone is talking about and how do you do it?


(facepalm)

 

Ummm, no, "Google" isn't a noun in this case; it's a verb.

 

Lmao@ a noun vs a verb

 

just sayin, but everything after the first reply had nothing to do with the thread? haha

 

The first response was all you really needed to get a comprehensive answer to your question.

 

lol just change your oil every 3k dude

 

I'm feeling generous this morning--and by that I mean I don't feel like working yet--so I'll indulge you, OP.

Generally speaking, engine sludge is when oil breaks down and turns into sort of a chocolate pudding consistency instead of the flowing oily fun stuff you put into it originally. I'm sure you knew this from watching too much TV

Specific to this generation of car and more prevalent in the 1.8T, the "sludge problem" was caused by a couple of small problems that all worked together to make the perfect storm of engine oil suckiness.

1. The oil change interval recommended by the factory when the car was brand new was entirely too long (owner's manual says 10k), especially with dinosaur oil. You really should be using full synthetic or at least 50/50.

2. The oil filter that shipped with most B5's was about the size of a pop can and way too small for that application

3. The screen on the oil pickup tube in the oil pan is very fine. They meant well, because that screen is supposed to keep crap out of your oil pump and cylinder head. But bearing in mind #1 and #2, it ended up being bad because the thicker the oil and sludge got on that pickup tube, the less oil actually made it up to the cylinder head. Eventually, the pick up screen would get clogged enough that the suction from the oil pump would collapse the pickup tube and that's how engines die of oil starvation.

Updated oil filters are available and should be used, along with synthetic oil changed every 3k miles. There's also a "sludge repair kit" stuck to the top of the B5 forum which includes a new oil pick up and some other random stuff. To reduce the sludge that's already formed in your engine, you can try a seafoam treatment. You're gonna have to google that one, I'm not explaining it . I've also heard of guys doing short interval oil changes, like every 1k or 2k miles. Some argue that doing this is a waste of money and that it doesn't allow the oil to properly do its job, I'm just throwing it out there as an option. Obviously a full tear down and rebuild would also fix it.

The easiest way to check is to look on the bottom side of the oil filler cap. If it's covered with goopy black ****, there's a good bet the rest of the engine is too.

Another way is to pull the valve cover. The same goop will be all over the underside of it. While you're in there, inspect the cam lobes for wear. A head that's been starved for oil will have more noticeable wear than one that hasn't.

Last thing to do would be to pull the oil pan (pain in the dick) and inspect/replace the oil pickup tube.

Good luck!