[KentuckyClay]

I just bought my '02 1.8t AWM Passat. I knew that they had cleaned out sludge once, but after buying it I notice from their reciepts that they cleaned out the oil pan/lower end of the engine, but no mention of cleaning out the valve cover or anything else.

I opened it up and found this...

So, would you all be worried? I did not see anything that looked like grease (what the sludge looks like to me...), but it definitely was not perfect. The car runs pretty smoothly at the moment at least.

 

[2002GLXV6]

Wow! That's pretty darn crusty! I see an oil pressure gauge in your future.
I would clean all that crap off the valve cover and install an oil pressure gauge ASAP!
Change the oil to 0w-40 full synthetic oil.
I can't see much of the cam chain tensioner in the pics.
If you can take some pics of that and post it may help people give you more advice.
How long does the cam chain rattle when you start the car??


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[PZ]

It does not look pretty, but it does not look all that bad to me. I've seen worse on engines that run perfectly. I would take a good look at the CCT pads to make sure they do not have deep grooves in them. An oil pressure gauge will give you some peace of mind.

 

[captain_video]

You might want to run some AutoRx through the engine to clean out the sludge before making the switch to full synthetic. Based on the amount of crud you've got I'd plan on doing several applications. The process normally requires you to add AutoRX to a regular oil change and run it for about 1500 miles and then do it again with a new filter. You would normally switch to synthetic after the 2nd pass. I'd probably do it at least three times in your case.

 

[Tomvw]

I wouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't drive it before sorting out some issues.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT put any additives in the oil, and use only 0w40 or 5w40 full synthetic oil to VW 502 spec.


That intake camshaft appears to have been running very hot, check the bearing surfaces.
Remove one intake cam cap, inspect bearing surfaces; if OK refit before checking the next one, until at least all intake bearings have been checked.

Check the oil pressure, if it is OK cold/warm, then check again during or immediately after at least 1/2 hour of spirited driving.

 

[sirwired]

I wouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't drive it before sorting out some issues.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT put any additives in the oil, and use only 0w40 or 5w40 full synthetic oil to VW 502 spec.


That intake camshaft appears to have been running very hot, check the bearing surfaces.
Remove one intake cam cap, inspect bearing surfaces; if OK refit before checking the next one, until at least all intake bearings have been checked.

Check the oil pressure, if it is OK cold/warm, then check again during or immediately after at least 1/2 hour of spirited driving.

Tom, plenty of people have run AutoRx in their 1.8Ts with no ill effect. It's not nearly as harsh as some of the other sludge-cleaning additives.

 

[GLInick]

Clean the valve cover obviously and the intake cam splash guard (I can't tell if its crud or the plastic itself bubbling or both).

Inspect the cam caps, put it back together and hook up an oil pressure test gauge. Get some numbers first before deciding what if anything you need to do.

The issue IMO with a dirty motor like this (the top clearly showing signs of cooking the oil due to running dry) is that you may need to take a very long view on removing all that varnish. I don't agree or disagree with using autorx or other additives. For me perhaps they make more sense for a much cleaner motor. Once a motor gets neglected that much, I think it's better to leave the oil formula intact and rely on its additive package to work away at it slowly. I reflexively would want to do something about it if my motor looked like that, but already old bearings will have a more pressing need for good undiluted oil.

OP given its history and the pics, make sure you give it the proper oil and big filter (changed every 3-5K), check oil level at every (other) fill up, and never let the oil get low.

My 2 cents.

 

[Tomvw]

Tom, plenty of people have run AutoRx in their 1.8Ts with no ill effect. It's not nearly as harsh as some of the other sludge-cleaning additives.

In an engine that is in good condition it doesn't do any noticeable harm, but I have never seen any evidence of it doing any good.
With an engine in that condition it can only do harm, such as block the oil strainer and/or cause the camshaft to sieze.