What is this stuff I found in an engine ?

[DaveB]

My neighbor gave me a motor that came off of a commercial mower. The engine had no compression and had been replaced. The motor was an 18 HP twin cylinder Briggs and Stratton. I decided to take it apart to see if it was worth fixing. What I found inside the motor was something I have never seen in a motor. It was completely full of black goop that looked like a cross between Jello and axle grease. It smelled somewhat like very old gas but I can't imagine how so much of it was in the motor. Here is a picture of what the goop looks like. Anyone ever seen something like this ?

 

[Kevin B.]

Reminds me of this: https://www.thedrive.com/news/31362...e-oil-sent-this-chevy-cruze-home-on-a-wrecker

 

[DaveB]

Reminds me of this: https://www.thedrive.com/news/31362...e-oil-sent-this-chevy-cruze-home-on-a-wrecker

That looks similar, they speculated antifreeze in the oil and overheating, this motor has no antifreeze but it was overheated since every cooling fin was plugged with dirt and grass clippings.

 

[Kiel]

I've seen similar in some car engines, I thought it used to be called sludging

 

[jeeper]

I'm assuming that is what the oil in my riding mower looks like. it's got to be 15+ years old, and has never even been checked

 

[Spork]

Stick in tub of diesel and let it sit... scrub out after a few hours...

 

[thefirstzukman]

Back in the day when I worked at Morris Motors In Provo we had an insurance company bring in a diesel truck that when we pulled the oil drain plug nothing happened. After a while goo that looked like that peaked out the hole. We put some kerosene in the engine and ran it and it started coming out more but took days and repeated flushing s for it to drain the “oil” out of it.

 

[Hickey]

My best guess is molasses.

 

[spaggyroe]

This is how I imagine my soul looks.