2000 Altima with 160,000 miles carbon buildup in engine

Asked by GuruS6RNM Jun 16, 2019 at 07:24 PM about the 2000 Nissan Altima SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I am replacing the valve cover gasket on my old 2000 Altima with 160,000
miles. There is quite a bit of carbon buildup in the upper engine area. Should I
try to remove some of it with scraper and shop vac or should I not worry at this
point?

1 Answer

F_O_R answered 5 years ago

That is sludge from not changing the oil often enough. I would use an engine flush, change the oil more often and use a top grade oil filter with synthetic media. Cleaning the inside of the valve cover would be a good idea but you don't want chunks of sludge loose in the engine.

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