Honda ATV Forum banner

Engine oil problems

1537 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  shadetree
Went to change the oil on an atv that hasn't been ran in a really long time after checking the starter and compression that seemed fine. The oil is so thick only a little come out and I can see down on there it is thick and pasty. Can you clean it out without taking everything apart? I'm down to frame and motor. Carb is off but I'm unfamiliar with the insides of a small engine.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 3 of 12 Posts
when oil in a motor gets that all sticky and tar like deal
it takes a LOT of work to get it out, as it will junk up in places and just STICK and stay pretty tacking collecting and holding crap in it
some things I know folks to have done
one, BEFORE draining, they warm motor up with a heat gun or like ways, to TRY and get oil thinner so it drains better and cleans out better
if you already drained or tried to, this won;t work really
SO option # 2 might be flushing motor with something like kerosene, or diesel fuel, and sloshing it about a lot, pulling motor over with pull starter(NO battery or plug in motor)
and repeating a few times

I have also known a few guys that heated NEW oil up, and then poured in HOT oil into motor and let it soak in some and then drained and THEN flushed

once they THINK it seems OK
then do a real oil change(filters being replaced a few times with above)
and the n running up to temp, let cool, and do again, and then drain and repeat till they feel good all thick nasty oil and junk is OUT
and then again, do a full oil change
its not cheap, fun, or easy to do, but, it can save you from a rebuild or worse, if a lot of crap is in there! and or blocks a line with being all gunky and thick, that breaks loose and then stops flow on you!

you drop a ice cube in hot water, it still takes time to melt, and a motor starving for oil; it doesn;t take long for things to go bad FAST
See less See more
quite honestly IF you think your up to it, I would tear motor down, inspect all things, CLEAN RIGHT WAY, and have peace of mind that once all back together it will be good for yrs and yrs to come
you have it this far apart, why not go all in,
can save you a ton of work if you fill /flush and need a tear down soon afterwards
tons of guys on this site will help you thru the whole process if you need help or get confused,
great members still here that help and have tons of hands on knowledge willing again to share
also lots of youtube videos I am sure can help you
a service manual, if you don;t have is priceless too, worth having
my vote says, since again, you have things torn down this far, why risk a flush, you will NEVER know if you got it out, no matter HOW many times you flush it, its still going to be a gamble
just think about how much work it will be if in the near future you have to pull it out again, split cases and rebuild THEN
what did you save?
think of the costs of all that flushing and filters and oil and ??
your not going to save anything
tear down, clean right, examine insides and replace any worn parts
in the end you will be much better off, and will have learned a lot in the process, making you better in the long run for it
and most likely even saved yourself a few bucks
as you will most likely use a lot less cleaning agents when torn down as to all that flushing!
1 - 3 of 12 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top