Saw a news story the other day about a "Sludge " problem that has been affecting some car models . I knew about the Camery having the problem but it mentioned a few others as well , some Lexus models , VW's , Audi A4 , and also certain Chrysler models as well , Intrepid , Sebring. Don't Know if its engine design that causes the problem or what. Toyota has admitted to the problem but the others are still not steppin up. Say 'in its the car owners fault. Story ended up suggesting that people with these cars change there oil every 3,000
miles AND keep records that this has been done. So that if your engine seizes up you have something to fight with. Showed a guy scooping out an oil pan , oil looked like soft taffy. Really don't know what causes this but glad I don't own one of these cars . It mentioned the model years of the cars affected but I forget what they were. No Honda's or Acura's were mentioned.

 

Nasty. Anyone here experience anything like that? Not me... but I only have an 2003.

 

no "sludge" problems here

 

the toyota problem wasnt/isnt the fault of the owners not changing the oil at 3000 like toyota is claming, they are just trying to cover their buts on a bad engine design. if it wasnt a bad engine design every engine would have this problem.

No sludge problems here at previous 8-10,000 mile oil change intervals. and now im going to 15,000 change intervals.

 

Interesting. I bought my car at 50000 miles and it now has 60k. I took it in to the dealer for the 60K service a few weeks ago. When I came to pick it up my rep. told me my oil looked like black tar oozing out of the drain. He almost scolded me for not having my oil changed at the 3000 mile interval. I did not think that waiting until 10k was up for an oil change was that big of a deal, but apparently to him it was.

He is really stressing me to get my oil changed EVERY 3000 miles. Should I?

Or should I just switch to synthetic and be done with it?

 

IF your warranty is up ... you can do what fsttysm1 does and go Mobil1 (or whatever synthetic you wanna use) on an extended period. I'll do the every 6000km service as per the Canadian owner's manual (I have a deal with the local Honda dealership so I use the Honda oil).

I guess it's up to you -- you could save yourself a bundle and do it yourself (ie buy oil and filters in bulk). Just get your hands a little dirty but you'll have the satisfaction you did it yourself. I'll eventually get to doing synthetic oil one of these days. (BTW, changing oil is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car -- do it regularly!)

 

I have a first hand experience with this "sludge" crap. Before I bought my TL I was inspecting this A4 with 60k, the body and rest of engine looked great( even had mods). When I got to the oil the dipstick was covered in this oil sludge. It was such a dissapointment knowing the car was going to crap out soon. My brother being a mechanic told me it was almost impossible to clean out all the sludge from the engine at that late stage.

 

WAIT! my 2000 TLs owners manual says to change the oil every 7,500 miles but change it at 6,000 miles most times.

 

7500 id just fine on the tl. the engine isnt producing SLUDGE

 

That sounds eerily like the "Black Death" that affected Europe back in the 80's. Evidently certain types of synthetic engine oil would come in contact with a type of trace substance in the engine, (some type of synthetic sealant), and would turn itself into a black, tarry, sludge that would seize engines in minutes. I don't see how that could have possibly happened today though. Perhaps these effected manufacturers are using this type of sealant?

 

My RSX engine light was on and would not pass inspection. The car ran just fine. I took to the dealer who would diagnose for $125. I agreed. He sited sludge and said $950 to clean. I agreed. Went o pick up car dealer said Uh Oh car does not stay running. Said some of "sludge went into other parts of engine and car dies when idling. WHAT ? ? ? Dealer wants additional $5000 for new engine.
I am not mechanically inclined. Am I being taken advantage of ? But it sounds like the Dealership caused the problem by not cleaning properly. Am I wrong ? What should I do ?

 

You're getting hosed. What engine code was thrown? What exactly was done to clean "sludge" in the first place? Also 5G for an engine is hilarious.

 

Welcome RSXDonna !!!
If your CEL light was on, what were the codes which were retrieved ?
Any reputable dealership should give you the diagnostic results along with their estimate of necessary repairs. If the car was running fine and showed no signs of distress, you should have gotten another professional opinion. Had you performed the routine oil and filter changes as recommended ? Was the oil level low ?

While I'm unsure of any particular issues which may be specific to your RSX, it appears as though something may be a bit on the shady side, IMO. Perhaps the dealership is attempting to lure you into buying a newer vehicle ? IDK......but take someone more mechanically inclined, perhaps a trusted mechanic with you and talk to the service manager about the situation and diagnosis. It seems rather unreasonable and they should be able to provide you with more evidence to base the need for a new engine. Good luck !!!

 

RSXDonna, is it Regal Acura in Lakeland FL preying on you? They will try anything and everything on anybody.
Call the local news consumer helpline.

 

this is the TL section, for specific help with your car please post in the rsx area

its possible the tech got some gunk loose and it clogged or fouled the O2 sensor which would make it run bad
they also could have run a cleaner thru intake/gas and gotten crud on spark plugs
Basically whatever they did screwed you up and they see $$$$
at no point should you need an engine !!

have it towed to another private- not dealer- shop that specializes in Acura,,not just `imports` shop, see phone book ads for smaller ad

Also keep all records from dealer experience, there may be compensation in your future
a complaint to acura may help find out what the dealer thinks is wrong or did wrong
1 800 382 2238 x5 is acura care need cars VIN and file complaint

 

Yeah, the initial "CEL" codes are important with identifying a potential issue.

If the codes indicated carbon build-up within the EGR passageways, this is a common problem with our cars. The TB intake and EGR cleaning process should not have cost $950 to remove "sludge".

The potential for crud getting lodged down further as 01tl4tl stated is very possible. However, the 02 sensors......if they were causing the motor to run poorly, are easily replaced for less than a couple hundred dollars......not thousands of dollars for a "new" motor.

You need to seek help.....get a skilled mechanic and attorney as you proceed with this.

 

Hey RSXDonna, they gotta clarify what kinda "sludge" was being cleaned.
Was it the motor's oil or the TB intake/EGR ???

What year is your RSX and what is the mileage ? Have ya properly maintained the car ?

 

properly maintained means oil and filter change every 7500 miles or sooner
if you drive in stop and go or short drives most of the time, that's hard on everything

as we are not the rsx experts part of the forum, we have to guess when spark plugs are due and specific ones to use etc. So our info will be genral to acura
the rsx guys will know secret service bulletins and problems that cause your symptoms, how to do a job wrong and cause your new symptoms

As a former member of the repair industry, I know that many places will try to take advantage of female customers, the men too if they don't seem to know about cars!
Yeah see your camfibrillator is not properly engaging and the carbshaft bearings are worn beyond limits, and uh yeah you need a new motor,,actually I need to make a rather substantial down payment on a boat- oops did I say that part out loud?!

 

Yeah, I was just thinking .... now that the RSX coupe is no longer made, it could be that one of the guys took a liking to the car and figured a way to get it for cheap.

Did the dealership even offer to refund the $950 "sludge" removal charge towards a new motor ?