does engine flushing damage the engine internals?

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

my 2.5(99) has the annoying valve ticking when cold, when the truck warms the sound goes a bit softer, but when i rev the engine it comes again, also when starting in cold, the oil gauge stays dead for a while, then it pops up, my mech told me that maybe the oil screen is clogged, and the valves may have some build up thats why they tickle, one solution can be repalcing the oil from 20-W50 to 10-W30 which is lighter but still work properly in hot weather conditions, and use some engine flush additive when changing the oil, the ones that u add and run your engine for like 5 minutes and then drain and add the new oil, he says that doing it will clean the valves and oil tubing.
some people has told me that engine flushers arent good, they say that the flush takes out the protective enamel coat the engine internals have.
anyone has used this? what do you think, i need some advice here, thanks!

 

[Mark_88]

I used a flush on my 2.0 and it did seem to help a bit with the noise and the problems I was having with blow-by...but, then again, I did quite a few things that seemed to help.

If you're running 20w-50 in your engine now I'd say your engine oil is way too heavy...but you're in a warm (tropical?) area so it's not too bad...

I've heard good and bad about the engine flushes though, and I'd say if you're having problems try it, but if you can get some Lucas oil treatment throw some of that in (about a litre) and try that for a while first...if no improvement then try the flush and refill the oil with something a bit thinner like the 10w-30...

 

[exbass94]

The main problem with engine flushers is they knock loose so much crap it clogs up the pickup screen, blocking all oil flow to the engine. If your engine doesn't have a lot of sludge this shouldn't be an issue. I'd say your main problem though is using 20w-50. There is absolutely no reason to use an oil that thick in that engine. Switch to 5w-30 as recommended by Ford. I bet that will solve your problems without using a flush.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

im in a tropical weather, high humidity and so hot!! my bro recently did the first oil change to his 00 3.0 and he used the 10w-30, the engine runs smooth, even cold, no tickling or anything, so i might try that oil number, maybe that helps with the oil pressure gauge too, and as for the flush im not really sure... lets see if anyone has more to say

 

[exbass94]

It doesn't matter how hot it gets in your area. 5w-30 or 10w-30 does fine in those temps. If you want really high heat protection, just use a full synthetic 5w or 10w-30.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

oo thanks!! im going for the 10w-30, any one has more opinions on the flush??

 

[Mark_88]

Not really an opinion on the flush...just a comment on the oil...

In cold weather areas, running 20w-50 or any heavy motor oil can be a problem because cold weather makes the oil move slower and when your engine is warming up there is a good chance that the pump will not push the oil through the engine properly causing bare spots and higher wear...and you could end up destroying your engine.

In places where it is warm running the heavier oil is not so much a problem, but someone must have done that for a reason...heavier oil is not usually a fix for leaks, but may help noisy lifters to some extent...

How many miles are on the engine, and how long have you been running the heavier oil...and, of course, why did you go to that grade? This information might help somewhat...if the engine is baffed out because of high mileage, maybe a rebuild will be better in the near future and forget the flush because you may run into other issues...

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

it has 116,000 miles and no oil burning, no smoke and no powr loss, engine works fine, i have the truck for like 7 months, used that oil cus the smartass from the service center inssited it was the best for the engine cuz of the temp conditions here, but my bro used 10-w30 in his recently purchased truck and works fine, yeah i might stay away from the flush...

 

[exbass94]

I'll bet the guy who said that also thinks Pennzoil causes sludge...
www.bobistheoilguy.com <--- start reading.

 

[Mark_88]

it has 116,000 miles and no oil burning, no smoke and no powr loss, engine works fine, i have the truck for like 7 months, used that oil cus the smartass from the service center inssited it was the best for the engine cuz of the temp conditions here, but my bro used 10-w30 in his recently purchased truck and works fine, yeah i might stay away from the flush...

With that kind of mileage and no burning/blowing then there is no reason to use the heavier oil...you could probably do fine with 5w-30 as recommended by Ford...

Exbass: That is one complicated board...I've heard of bob is the oil guy...read a report that was interesting...something about engine wear...can't remember when and couldn't find it after a few searches...but I think some oil jockeys are either misinformed or biased regardless...

I know Husky sells and recommends Lucas Oil products...and I've used them with mostly good results...except when I put too much oil stableizer in my motor and had it blow out on me...but that was mostly due to the crack in the head anyways...

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

well im gonna use the 10w-30, to try, and not sure about the flush, maybe ill try it

 

[Kenneth S]

Go back to 10w-30 it should be fine, if the previous owner did regular oil changes I wouldn't flush it. I run motorcraft 10w-30 synthetic blend oil in my 88 2.3.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

well i replaced the oil today, also did the flush, the thing was dirty, i drove all day today and the oil is still clear, so the engine is clean, about the oil pressure gauge, when i start the engine, it jumps to normal right in a second or 2, so maybe because the sender is clean, and i use valvoline 10w-30 now, the engine feels more smooth, but the valve tickling still happens, a bit less than before but still having it.