HPOP Reservoir... 7.3 psd

[Bikersmurf]

I’m recommending changing the oil in your HPOP Reservoir if you haven’t already. Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.


Initial impression is that throttle response has improved, but so far I’ve only driven around the block and not gone far.

 

[F350joe]

I haven’t ever done mine but have considered it. That looks pretty sludgy.

 

[Bbasso]

Did mine three years ago and the oil looked completely normal...
Go figure?
Quality of oil? Frequency of change? Type of driving?
I dunno...

 

[Bikersmurf]

Very sludgy.

Definitely worth doing at least once. It has almost 17k hours on it now. For the first 13k it was religiously maintained by the BC ambulance service with no expense spaired... next 3k, looked like well maintained, but on somewhat of a budget. Last 1000, well maintained.

It has about 200k miles... but the run time of about 300k miles. A fair amount of idle time.

 

[IdaSHO]

While it certainly wont hurt, changing the HPOP res oil doesnt do much.

After all, the oil doesn't just sit in there. It cycles thru and is replenished with filtered oil constantly.

Good oil and filter, and proper intervals is all that is needed.

 

[Bikersmurf]

While it certainly wont hurt, changing the HPOP res oil doesnt do much.

After all, the oil doesn't just sit in there. It cycles thru and is replenished with filtered oil constantly.

Good oil and filter, and proper intervals is all that is needed.

Four years of oil changes at standard intervals got it this far. Many Diesel mechanics feel it doesn't stay as clean as it was designed to... I'd agree. I can't tell you why, but this black gue can't be awesome for injectors.

Eventually it will be diluted and become clearer, but so far it is nasty. I'm planning to pump it out and refill it each oil change until it no longer looks like black molasses.

 

[5spd97]

I changed the oil in mine when I did my first oil change after I bought it and I agree that it looked terrible, much thicker than the engine oil. The engine had about 50k miles on it at that time, was 14 years old and I suspect the HPOP reservoir oil had never been changed before. I bought the truck with no maintenance records. I understand the debate about the need to change it but it wasnt a huge deal to do except that I dropped the screw into the engine valley and couldnt retrieve it. I'll probably change it again at the 15k mile interval and see what it looks like.

When a fluid moves from a restricted channel to an area of greater volume it loses velocity and heavier material falls out and collects in the areas of lowest velocity. It happens in fuel tanks, transmission pans, water heaters, oil pans, etc. I dont see why motor oil running through a 1/4" line into a half quart reservoir would be any exception. When the engine is not running the heavy stuff will settle to the bottom and maybe some of it will get agitated back into solution when the engine is restarted but likely not all and over time it will build up. Frequently when I change fluids in a vehicle I'll collect a sample of the old fluid in a clear glass jar and then it will end up sitting around until I eventually dispose of it. It's always amazing how much crap is in the bottom of the jar when I eventually dump it out. It doesnt matter if its engine oil, PS fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid.

My guess is the less a vehicle is used the more sludge will collect in the HPOP, at any rate I'll keep checking mine until I establish a comfort level.

 

[eblau]

While it certainly wont hurt, changing the HPOP res oil doesnt do much.

After all, the oil doesn't just sit in there. It cycles thru and is replenished with filtered oil constantly.

Good oil and filter, and proper intervals is all that is needed.

This is not 100% accurate. It circulates but doesnt drain when you change your oil. None of these trucks are new any longer and changing your top end oil needs to be routine. I just changed mine, ran a few hundred miles and pure sludge came out of the top end. I will pull some, replace with new, run and and repeat.

 

[Bikersmurf]

I changed the oil in mine when I did my first oil change after I bought it and I agree that it looked terrible, much thicker than the engine oil. The engine had about 50k miles on it at that time, was 14 years old and I suspect the HPOP reservoir oil had never been changed before. I bought the truck with no maintenance records. I understand the debate about the need to change it but it wasnt a huge deal to do except that I dropped the screw into the engine valley and couldnt retrieve it. I'll probably change it again at the 15k mile interval and see what it looks like.

When a fluid moves from a restricted channel to an area of greater volume it loses velocity and heavier material falls out and collects in the areas of lowest velocity. It happens in fuel tanks, transmission pans, water heaters, oil pans, etc. I dont see why motor oil running through a 1/4" line into a half quart reservoir would be any exception. When the engine is not running the heavy stuff will settle to the bottom and maybe some of it will get agitated back into solution when the engine is restarted but likely not all and over time it will build up. Frequently when I change fluids in a vehicle I'll collect a sample of the old fluid in a clear glass jar and then it will end up sitting around until I eventually dispose of it. It's always amazing how much crap is in the bottom of the jar when I eventually dump it out. It doesnt matter if its engine oil, PS fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid.

My guess is the less a vehicle is used the more sludge will collect in the HPOP, at any rate I'll keep checking mine until I establish a comfort level.

This is not 100% accurate. It circulates but doesnt drain when you change your oil. None of these trucks are new any longer and changing your top end oil needs to be routine. I just changed mine, ran a few hundred miles and pure sludge came out of the top end. I will pull some, replace with new, run and and repeat.

I’m certainly not an expert, and I’m not going to hassle anyone who doesn’t... or doesn’t need to, but if you could have thick black sludge inside your engine shouldn’t you check?

Now if there’s a fairly easy way to make the inside of my engine cleaner, I feel it should be done. I’ve got a lot of hours on my engine, and I want to keep it running as well as possible for as long as possible, so I’m willing to feed the line from the electric oil pump (I’ve recently inherited) nto the reservoir and drain it now and then. I’d much rather do a bit of easy maintenance than have to fork out for injectors... or worse. It’s a ********** to change an alternator... I’d hate to pull the engine (or even injectors).

 

[eblau]

i just finished my fuel/ oil refurb on my 96 F350 (fuel bowl, hpop reseal, return lines, oil cooler reseal) and my hats off to the van guys that can get to this crap through the doghouse and under that tiny hood!! i was whining because i had to lay across the engine bay of the truck lol

 

[TomsBeast]

I've owned mine for 7yrs and 50k miles, religiously change oil every 7k miles.

After watching Bill Hewitt's 7.3 maintainance videos (powerstrokehelp.com), I changed my HPOP reservoir oil 3 weeks weeks ago.

I found the same thing, the blackest, thickest, stickiest, nastiest, stinkiest oil I'd ever encountered, nothing like what I drained out of the pan. Nothing like I've ever drained from anything for that matter.

I sucked out 1qt through the (pipe plug of my 7.3 van) fill port with my mityvac. I refilled it with clean oil, ran it 20 minutes, sucked out another qt, refill and run, then a 3rd time. Refilled with 1qt Rotella, 1oz of revX. It ran noticably better.

 

[IdaSHO]

This is not 100% accurate. It circulates but doesnt drain when you change your oil. None of these trucks are new any longer and changing your top end oil needs to be routine. I just changed mine, ran a few hundred miles and pure sludge came out of the top end. I will pull some, replace with new, run and and repeat.

100% accurate it is.

Like I said, it isnt going to hurt, but it certainly isn't needed.

The % of people that actually care about this to the point of doing anything is TINY
Hundreds of thousands of 7.3s out there, ALL with high mileage at this point, with zero evidence of this so-called problem.

Simple point is, that isn't a problem.
But if you really feel like doing it, by all means.
Just don't claim it is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[IdaSHO]

I’m certainly not an expert, and I’m not going to hassle anyone who doesn’t... or doesn’t need to, but if you could have thick black sludge inside your engine shouldn’t you check?
.

Honestly, disturbing any sludge that accumulates at the bottom of the HPOP reservoir probably has more potential to do harm, than good.
Id say the chances are low, but I wouldnt want that now disturbed sludge making its way through the injectors, especially if everything was working 100% to begin with.
Under normal operation any sludge buildup laying on the bottom simply stays there, undisturbed, as new oil is cycled thru the reservoir.
I remember hearing something to the tune of 1-gallon of engine oil cycled thru the HPOP per 7-gallons of fuel burned.

 

[eblau]

Agree to disagree.

100% accurate it is.

Like I said, it isnt going to hurt, but it certainly isn't needed.

The % of people that actually care about this to the point of doing anything is TINY
Hundreds of thousands of 7.3s out there, ALL with high mileage at this point, with zero evidence of this so-called problem.

Simple point is, that isn't a problem.
But if you really feel like doing it, by all means.
Just don't claim it is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[5spd97]

100% accurate it is.

Hundreds of thousands of 7.3s out there, ALL with high mileage at this point, with zero evidence of this so-called problem..

So there have been no oil related injector failures?