Adrian_Thompson wrote: I"ve used ATF before in our old Geo Tracker. 20 mins idling and it came out as black and gooey as pure crude. The funny thing is if you go over to BITOG the experts will tell you that ATF wont work, but mine and other people I know (Like Tom above) have used it to great effect.
It doesn't make sense on the surface becasue it's a non detergent oil, the friction modifiers or seal conditioners in dex/merc are probably what are doing the cleaning.
ProDarwin wrote: Knurled, what do you use to cut open a non-cartridge filter?
Smaller ones I will use an exhaust chain cutter.
Larger ones (like SBC and old Ford, mainly SBC because insert Chevy joke here 
but they're common performance engines) I have actually taken to using a very sharp chisel and going around the base, and then going in with tin snips.
I really do want to get a filter cutter, but gosh, those are expensive, and I've been making do just fine.
Gently clamp threads up in a vise, and cut about 1/4" below the seam. It's tricky because filters are soda-can thin, tricky to cut and tricky to get in the vise.
Since Seafoam only costs about $7, why bother with $20-$30 worth of ATF do to the flush?
Drop in 1/3 of a can in to the crankcase before the next oil change and let it idle or drive a few miles before draining.
In reply to The Hoff:
Seafoam is a mix of light-medium hydrocarbons and alcohol, which will boil off quickly leaving what amounts to diesel fuel, diesel is ~$2/gallon
I've often done the quart of ATF a week before the oil change and had good results. Only exception was the "only ever had Pennzoil since new" 60s truck that must have been completely covered with sludge inside because over the six months after the flush I had to replace every seal and gasket on the motor.
For what it's worth. The Internet will tell you that Audi 1.8t engines are sludge monsters. One of my longtime customers (we replaced the timing belt in 2008...) had hers in today for a timing belt/valve cover/cam adjuster gasket/misc. lots other stuff service. No water pump, it's an 058 block car and anyway we did that over the winter.
Engine was spotless inside. Well, aside from oil. But, absolutely zero sludge. It's amazing what happens when you use the proper oil and change it regularly instead of occasionally. And keep up on repairs instead of putting them off.
I have a deep lack of respect for the Cult of Long OCI.
Rover 3.9's are another sludgy and sooty motor. Once I switched to Rotella as my regular oil it didn't take long to clean it out. I'm all for extended oil changes, but some motors just need to stick with 3,000 mile intervals wit high detergency oils.
Ironically a leaky fuel injector helped too, until I found and fixed it. Hoooooo boy does oil thin out quick when it gets fuel mixed in, but damn does it clean. Also drops oil pressure too ... So I don't recommend doing it on purpose.
Oh boy oh boy. One summer I had to do oil pans on two different Land Rover V8s.
It is no exaggeration to say there was a quart of sludge in one's oil pan. I say this with authority because I cut the side out of a quart oil container and spooned the sludge out of the pan into it. I had to pat it down and compress it to only use one bottle.
Range Rovers are fascinating, mechanically and ideologically they are like Ford Bronco copies from the other side of the Iron Curtain, but somehow they're English instead. I don't get it.
Ive seen a couple of motors die from clogged pick up tubes after an oil cleaner. I generally do a few oil changes with good oil, ones that claim they reduce sldge build up, then I use a cleaner. Whether it helps or not, I have no idea, but its good for my piece of mind.
Ive heard atf works well.
In reply to Knurled:
I wonder if the same will keep appling to todays engines (that havent had enough time slugde) that still have long oil change intervals.
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