In storage 13 years, oil turned to jelly

[Moonstruck]

Resurrecting a 2000 mercruiser 3L 135hp, been sitting for 13 years. Started to change oil, only about 2.5 quarts came out. Acting like it is empty, but I know there is more in there than that. Changed the oil filter, found the oil turned to a jelly like substance. Clear, like loose jello. Does not look like water, no haze or milk shake. I dug the goo from at far as I could reach into the oil filter mount. I'm thinking the reason I did not get a full drain is a bunch of oil is gelled in the oil sump. It smells a bit like fuel. The big question is how to remove it? I think it may be in the oil galleries. Any ideas? Please help. Ty.

 

[stresspoint]

you could pour a few liters of mineral turpentine into the motor ,pull the spark plugs and crank it over for a bit.
drain and repeat till you get a clear drain.

mineral turpentine should mix well with oil and break down whatever the goo is.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Dump in 3 qts of fresh oil, 'n fire it up to flush out the old stuff for a few minutes, 'n change it again,....

 

[dubs283]

And again......


We love oil

 

[Moonstruck]

Ayuh,..... Dump in 3 qts of fresh oil, 'n fire it up to flush out the old stuff for a few minutes, 'n change it again,....

R u from Maine? Howdy neighbor.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Greenfield,.....

 

[stresspoint]

normally i would agree to just dump fresh oil in and run it " however ' in this case OP needs to break down the goo that the oil has turned to , it will not get past the screen in the pick up,
it will be all over for the bearings and other internal components that need oil pressure to keep alive if the motor is started.

adding a solvent that is meant to thin oil based paint and cranking will break down the gooy sludge and flush it around the engine , this will not damage anything because the broken down sludge will act as a lubricant.

after a few flushes it should be fine to run some some thin cheapo oil ,say 10/30 for a few min @ idle speed to flush the broken down sludge back to the sump .
once that has been drained , top up with some 20/50 and run it under load.
oil filters are cheap compared to engine rebuilds so a fresh oil filter after each flush will be good insurance

 

[chs marine service]

diesel fuel, a gallon or 2 of diesel, it will break down the jell and you can turn the engine over a bit to circulate the oil/flush throughout
drain, and do it again, 1 more time. then fresh oil

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would pull the motor and yank the pan

 

[Moonstruck]

I got the gunk out by washing with 1 qt diesel and top up with 10W-40 car oil then idle the engine for 5 minutes then removed the oil. Did this about 4 times then finally got out 4 quarts. I tried to drain the gel from the original filter and it would not come out so I doubt it would have passed oil, it was full of gunk. The first replacement came off with no sign of gel, so it was replaced with a second oil filter and 4 qt of proper oil. I was on the way to test the boat in the pond. I maneuvered the truck to hitch up the trailer. When I put it in reverse, the lever on the trans that connects to the shift cable fell apart due to rust. Now looking for a replacement... Anyway the engine appears to be happy, oil pressure is good, and the cooling system works. Onward to complete more repairs. Thanks for the help.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Replace the impeller, bellows, etc.