Kia Sedona - Sludge, is it too late?

Maintenance/Repairs
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21

One question I have:

What brand of oil filter was installed on your car?
Have you tried swapping it out for a higher quality one, or even an OEM one?

Hyundai released a TSB about aftermarket oil filters being the cause of engine noise at start up, and low oil pressure light being lit when used on their cars. They, of course, won’t identify which aftermarket oil filter it is that causes this issue.

Chances are it crosses over to their Kia lineup, also.

Personally, if it were my car (which thankfully it won’t ever be), I would drain the existing oil out of the engine, drop the oil pan and clean it thoroughly, reinstall it, remove the valve cover, and identify the degree of sludge build up. If it is small, then manually clean it up.

If it is a large amount of sludge, then I would buy several gallon jugs of Berryman’s B-12 chemical dip, and then just pout them directly into the camshaft valley, until the engine is filled, and then let it sit overnight.

The next day drain the Berryman’s dip out of the engine, filter it, and then redetermine the level of sludge. If another treatment is needed, refill, and let sit overnight once again.

After the second fill of dip is drained out, making sure to remove the spark plugs and suck any out of the combustion chamber that soaked in overnight, pour in the proper needed amount of the cheapest 5W-20 oil I can find on the market directly onto the camshafts to bring the oil level to the proper height. Install a Purolator Classic oil filter, and then reinstall the valve cover.

Fire up the engine, and let it run at idle for an hour.
Drain oil, and replace with fresh oil, plus a fresh oil filter, and drive for 500 miles, checking the oil level and condition every 100 miles.

Since there’s really nothing to lose at this point, a bit of aggressive cleaning might not be a bad option.

BC.

22

Have you tried swapping it out for a higher quality one, or even an OEM one?

I’ve yet to see any oil filter ever being much better then any other. I’ve been using cheap filters for well over a MILLION miles with not even the slightest hint of a problem.

23

Hmmm…is it possible their puny oil pump can’t push oil through a decent filter because there’s actually filter material there? :slight_smile:

24

Start with e-bay. I got very lucky a few years ago when a reman company needed to reduce their stock on old engines. I was getting an engine for a 20 year old car, it will be harder to get a deal on a newer car, especially one that is in the prime years for engine replacement.

I have not had very good luck with junk yard engines but some people do. It’s a crap shoot to go that route. If the salvage yard is local and you can see the doner vehicle, then you increase your odds of getting lucky.

I looked at tester’s link. I have cleaned up engines that bad and removing the heads is not necessary in most cases. If you have the mechanical skills to remove the valve covers and clean out all the gunk, then I’d recommend that you do it. If you have to pay someone else, then I don’t think the gamble would be worth it.

If you can pull the oil pan and check the pick up screen, all the better. I’m afraid that the bearing may be too worn out to get any significant increase in oil pressure though. If you are using a 5w30 oil, you might extend the life a little by using 10w30 or 20w50.

I suspect that the former owner ran the engine without oil pressure and filled it up with 20w50 in order to sell it.

Here is the minimum I would recommend (and maybe the maximum). Pull the valve covers, find the drain back holes in the head, they will be at the lowest point in the heads. If they are reasonably clear, replace teh valve cover gaskets and re-install the valve covers.

Then do an oil change with 10w30 and see if the oil pressure holds. If it does, drive it for the remainder of its short life. Get all the use you can get from it with minimum investment. If you are lucky, it might make it to pay off.

Next time you buy a used car, take it to a mechanic to be checked out first, no matter who is selling it or how “certified” it is. And don’t waste money on an extended warrantee.

25

OK… so the dealership came back with a cost of $4500 ($2500 for engine and $2k for labor). They also came back with a trade-in value of $600-900.

I picked up the mini-van from the dealership, checked the oil level, added about 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart of oil and then I took it for a second opinion… (independent guy who a friend’s been using as his mechanic for 10+ years) and that mechanic called me today and told me that the check engine light I had on was for idling with the tachometer, which is working, so he cleared it.

The oil light isn’t on anymore… he tested the oil and told me I was a few miles from an oil change, but couldn’t find any metal flakes, nor did he see that the engine was full of sludge. He put some gas in it and test drove it yesterday and today, in-town and on the interstate (70+ mph) and said the power was fine, no warning lights of any kind came on, and that he honestly couldn’t find anything else wrong with it. He told me he had let it sit out overnight in the cold and it started up just fine this morning. He let it warm up just a bit and then was off for the test drive today.

While I would LOVE to believe that the Kia dealership was just lying to me… I am a bit skeptical at this point as I’ve gone from one extreme to another. Honestly I’m thinking about getting a third opinion as a tie-breaker, because I really don’t know what to think now.

26

“…that mechanic called me today and told me that the check engine light I had on was for idling with the tachometer…”

Huh?
That statement makes no sense–at least to me. Either there are some words missing, or perhaps you misheard him when he explained what he found.

May I suggest that you give the mechanic a call and ask him what codes were present when he checked the car’s OBD system? If he cannot give you the exact codes (in a format similar to P0123), then please ask him to explain again what the trouble code(s) indicated as the source of the problem.

27

Sorry for the long delay, I was gone this last week. The OBD code is P0320 (Ignition/Distributor Engine Speed Input Circuit Malfunction).

I cleared the engine code and have driven the van around 40+ miles without it turning back on, also with no sign of the oil light turning on again… The only light I have on right now is my air bag light.

I am still actively looking for a new used van to take its place, but finding one that will fit with what I’d be rolling into the new loan is another issue entirely.

Is there any hope for this van? In your opinions is my taking this time to trade it in the best option?

28

So from what I’ve seen, the P0320 code is usually a blown fuse, is that right?

29

At this point in time, with the new information you have provided, I would recommend a wait and see approach. Keep an eye on the oil. If you are loosing oil, the switch to 10w30 if you are now using 5w30 or 15w40 if you are now using 10w30.

Check for leaks as well. As long as the vehicle continues to perform, and if the oil consumption isn’t too great, then keep driving it. The longer you drive it, the more of your investment you recoup in use.

No metal flakes and no sludge is a good sign.

30

So how did this mechanic determine there is no sludge in the engine and how does he explain 15 PSI of oil pressure, which is rotten by the way.

DId he drop the oil pan? That is the only way I know of determining if sludge is causing the oil pressure problem along with possibly removal of a few bearing caps for inspection.
Any oil pressure problems are going to be down deep and internal, not in the cylinder head area.