I guess the blown headgasket on that engine is to blame,

 

You mentioned that you thought the sludge, in the oil, was material from the head gasket. How does a deteriorated head gasket transfer material into the oiling system....there's just a tiny little hole that "touches" oil.

And how does a blown head gasket make gunk like that, in the oil pan?

And isn't it strange that the oil pan is filled with sludge, but there is no sludge in the overhead?

Quite obviously, your engines are not my problem and absolutely none of my business.....I'm just trying to spread my knowledge around....which seems like it offends you. I know better and should keep out of your threads....which I have been trying to do.

For everyone else, it's to the point where every '87/'88 head needs to be thoroughly pressure tested, as the cracks into the water jackets are becoming more and more common. And even then, as the head bolts are torqued, the cracks can occur.

 

Really? Where on earth did you get Kevin was offended by your posts? He didn't fully understand your responses as to why the heads would make a difference and was asking questions.

 

Thanks Hacker. I was a bit lost by his response.

Greg, if your post had made a clearer point that cracked heads lead to sludge then I would not have been confused. And you are correct that I should not have found any head gasket material in the sludge, but it sure looked fibrous. :-)

Nobody questions your years of experience and knowledge. Least of all me.

 

I know, right! Socks *and* sandals?!

 

As an owner of an 88, is there anything an owner can do to prevent sludge in my machine? Oil pan was off 2 years ago for a new gasket/motormounts/steering rack and it was ok then.

 

Can sludge like this also be caused by periodically starting a car in storage and letting it only run for short periods of time? Not in this case necessarily, but in general?