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92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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Rotard
Novice
Jul 30, 2015, 5:07 PM
Post #1 of 8
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92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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I had the valve covers off and noticed one side was grimy and greasy, and the other side was smooth and shiny like a baked on enamel. This went for inside the cover and the rockers and springs themselves. Otherwise both sides looked fine.
Am I right to assume the grimy side is getting oil and the shiny side is being cooked from no oil?
And then am I looking for clogged lifters on the one side or what else could cause the sides to be different?
Thanks for any help.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jul 30, 2015, 6:50 PM
Post #2 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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? Plural for "covers" says this must be a V6? You know it would help to say.
Oil gets up there under pressure usually thru lifter's method and just gravity drains back down to pan. Lower side could hold some oil and higher side just misted.
If this is all cooked up hard, sludged, can't drain with fudgy build up, lifters noisy long ago it might not be worth fixing anymore. You can't just reverse neglect so easy. Even new lifters probably won't get oil or where the ride on the cam. Careful how much you spend - really could be all over for this engine,
T
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Rotard
Novice
Jul 30, 2015, 8:19 PM
Post #3 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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Sorry it is the 3.9L V6. The sludgy side is only in comparison to the other. I would have said they both look fine if they didn't look different. There was no lifter noise that I remember either. A weak idle was the only real symptom it had while it was running.
A while back I was in the oil pan and it was very clean. I heard the pickup screen in these was prone to jamming but everything looked great. Can it be that clean down there and blocked up somewhere else?
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jul 31, 2015, 2:40 AM
Post #4 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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OK - Let's clarfy - do you mean one side a in one head of the engine or one side each under the valve covers? It only one head I'm not sure what could do that right now.
So let's say it's both and by description this is pretty classic sludge. My opinion, if you can fill finger nail it's sludged too much. Yes the thin but had been abused could be like shellac (clear or coffee colored paint) that if breaks up is trouble as well. Some metal will plain stain which alone doesn't mean much.
Low in engine there's less heat hence less sludge (unless attempts to clear it made it collect there) expected. Plastic parts any engine can last or not - can't say specially for this one.
You need know just what this is and why. Sludge from lousy old oil and heat probably excessive heat and how bad the sludge. Hard to be certain. Said early - sludge is a killer. Engine is or was partially apart? So can it run and what brought you to look under valve covers and in oil pan to begin with? What troubles? Any history to help?
Tough call. If at a glance I noticed this in a vehicle to keep or fix and was still running OK would just change out oil often till sludge slowly went away - can take more than a year! If you flush them it's too fast IMO and you cause too much goo to move all at once which will clog some ports that oil the thing all thru it.
It's either OK enough to clean up or may have to just get another engine. I can't and never did take every single piece apart to clean up one bit at a time and expect would find more wrong then it could be worth vs another.
I don't know for sure but think 100% engine overhauls would dip an entire core in a solvent/acids and start building up from that?
T
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jul 31, 2015, 4:12 AM
Post #5 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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Can you take a pic of the inside of your valve cover and post it in here? Maybe seeing what your describing will be helpful.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
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Rotard
Novice
Jul 31, 2015, 8:58 AM
Post #6 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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I hope that helps show the difference. Everything inside the cover had the same sheen on the respective sides.
Sorry my history on exactly what led me to tear it apart will be a little foggy as it's been an on the side project for almost a year now. It's my girlfriends truck and it had been stuck with a weak idle for a while. I believe there was random drops in power where it wouldn't accelerate but I never witnessed the bad ones. She also stalled out a half a block from our house and it took 5 mins or so before she could start it up again. She also ran it bone dry of oil a year or so before we pulled it off the road and that seems to be around when the trouble started(duh).
As far as what I took apart... I have also been using this as a learning tool as it's not the end of the world if we have to junk her so bare with my terrible mechanics up to date. Some reading led me to the intake manifold gasket and it sounded to be common to the truck. There looked to be a gap in the gasket on the front where a decent amount of oil was getting out, but it didn't look like the kind of thing that would cause issues. After looking under the valve covers and seeing the difference I figured one side of cylinders would be f'd up up but both sides were identical and pretty clean.
I had done lots of the easier things prior to(plugs, wires) and understand how much info is needed from me to properly diagnose something like this. But I'm just hoping someone has a guess on why there could be a difference in the valves on one head compared to the other.
Thanks for the help so far and sorry for my ineptness. I'm sure having fun taking things apart though.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jul 31, 2015, 9:32 AM
Post #7 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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Can't be sure why a RWD or engine that's front to back not sideways has one side hotter long enough to do that? IMO that's fairly good now! Color I can't really explain unless and not sure this engine shoots exhaust from one side to the other for fast warm up and doesn't stop doing that. It would be worse or was on ones that did that with assorted problems of how they run.
Quote you ">>There looked to be a gap in the gasket on the front where a decent amount of oil was getting out<<"
A very good engine all around holds a very slight vacuum not any pressure in crankcase areas which under valve cover is. If oil is pushed out (it's misty inside unseen) then it could be excessive blow-by the pistons that can't be overcome by the PCV system which is to burn off those fumes.
You'll notice that these engine will blow OUT of an oil dipstick tube also not suck in. Can use smoke to watch that.
Possibly the PCV is clogged or leaking? That would be a reason for one side looking different from another, run poorly and oil leaks made worse then the higher chance of running low on oil or way too low on oil which alone can be the death of any engine fast - brand new or old.
I'd clean the covers up (like to use for that level just Westley's Bleche Wite tire cleaner and a steel wool or whatever pad and wash clean. Stain would stay but not anything but a color.
Properly replace valve cover gaskets. That on stamped metal cover means checking that the holes are level with a straight edge to the area with no holes. If bent down on that type from over tightening mind you put edge again wood and a ball peen hammer will put holes back in place then put gasket on.
Now you can do more checks on the engine both a low or no oil situation and time spent to see what compression you can get. If you can pull that off now do it now.
This whole thing changed with that history - now it's if engine really suffered sudden wear and almost seized not so much this sludge which isn't that bad to me as said on an average - age and what most folks do for care. Could be clean without anything if really cared for but wasn't a total neglect truck.
That's my opinion. Check on things to see if engine is mechanically OK to move on and PCV system might have been the cause plus not checking oil with a routine for a vehicle especially an older one,
T
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Rotard
Novice
Jul 31, 2015, 10:01 AM
Post #8 of 8
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Re: 92 Dakota Oil only to one side of valves
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That's a lot of info to work with. Thank you so much for all your help. I should have time to play with her this weekend so I'll probably be back then to inquire about the next thing I'm stuck on.
Thanks again!
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