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1998 Dodge Caravan 3.0 liter engine.

The engine tapps alot when I start it up, the tapping is more severe in colder weather. the tapping lasts for 2 to 5 minutes. Then subsides almost immeidatly to no noise at all. It has 152k Miles on the engine, and the previous owner put any kind of oil in the engine. The engine does leak i think the rear seal; I usually have to add a quart or two between oil changes. I think there is alot of sludge in the engine and the oil pump is having a difficult time to get the oil up onto the top part of the engine where the lifters are at; i am pretty sure that is the tapping noise.

Is there an inexpensive fix for this?

Some one told me there is a tube that pulls the oil from the oil pan up into the rest of the engine and it might be filled with sludge.

Is that accurate?

Please assist.

Richard

Optional Information:
1998 Dodge CARAVAN SE 3.0 LITER

Already Tried:
TX-7 ENGINE ADDITIVE

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $15

This is somewhat a common occurrence in this particular motor to begin with. If it has not been maintained very well it will only make the chance of tapping that much more likely. At the mileage that is on it, most of these engines develope this anyway. If you are concerned about sludge, I would advise you to try a product that is an oil system flush. It is called Quick Clean and it is produced by BG products. It is an oil system flush that really does clean up sludge. It may not work the very first time, but it will help. As far as the oil pickup tube being blocked, I would have to say this would affect your oil pressure enough to set the oil light off. If you are concerned about it, you are going to need to hook up a mechanical gauge to verify how much oil pressure you actually have. I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me with any questions!

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Reply to carhelp4uhere's Post: It helps to know about the oil pressure and to get it checked
I have heard that the oil system flushes can do more harm than good, if a good bit of sludge is dislodged and moved around but not out of the engine it could do more harm, is this BG PRoduct used at Jiffy Lube?

If i were to do an engine flush where is a good place, and they use this BF Quick Clean Product?

I don't think jiffy lube uses BG products. Here is a link to bg so that you can find a dealer near you. It is a good product and I have used it before. You are correct that sludge can cause you some problems if it moves around in the oil gallies, but normal driving can also cause this. This is why I prefer the flush. You run it 15 minutes or so and dump the oil. I would also advise that you change the oil filter also. Here is the link to bg

http://www.bgprod.com/bgdistloc/distloc.php

I hope this helps. Short of tearing the engine down and cleaning every galley, you are not going to be sure that your engine is clean. This also could be the common problem of lifter failure also. Good luck!

ALWAYS MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP! FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY PROBLEMS! THANK YOU FOR USING JUST ANSWER!!!!

Reply to carhelp4uhere's Post: Thanks on BF, as for this being a common problem with the lifters...the tapping only "noticable" takes place when I first start it up in the mornings. Considering that it is only noticable in the mornings and/or if it is cold would this still be a common problem with the lifters?

In addition does the sludge accumilate in the oil pan and then get lifted back into the engine, even after an oil change? Basically asking if I should I pull the pan and clean it out too? The prevous owner used all kinds of low quality inexpensive oil.

The lifter problem seems to occur whn the mileage gets higher. The cause is just normal wear. They slowly wear allowing for them to bleed oil down and collapse after sitting a while. Upon initial start up they will fill back up with oil and quite down but it usually takes them overnight to bleed back down. This is what can also cause your problem. As far as sludge build up, it wouldn't hurt to drop the oil pan, but I would also conentrate on the cylinder heads.

ALWAYS MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP! FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY PROBLEMS! THANK YOU FOR USING JUST ANSWER!!!!

Reply to carhelp4uhere's Post: Got it on the wear; I think we are almost done with the question...how would I handle the sludge on the cylinder heads?

If it is dry,I would try scraping it out and vacuuming it out with a shop vac. If it is still slimy I would use an old towel and some gum cutter, just make sure you are particular. Try not to leave any behind. Good luck!

ALWAYS MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP! FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY PROBLEMS! THANK YOU FOR USING JUST ANSWER!!!!

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