What is an engine flush? Is an engine flush safe? What is the Best Engine Flush cleaner for 2023?

The best and safest engine flush you can use is a detergent-based engine flush. 

Amsoil engine flush has an advanced formula of light base oil technology, powerful detergents and dispersants that provide safe cleaning at a molecular level, ensuring the deposits are dissolved and properly exit the engine with the oil when it is drained.

Detergents are additives used in motor oil that clean and prevent contaminants from adhering to parts and neutralize acids. A detergent-based engine flush uses detergents that are used in motor oil but at a very high concentration. Motor oils alone have a lower concentration of detergents in order for them to maintain internal cleanliness and proper lubrication properties between oil changes. When AMSOIL Engine flush is added to engine oil, its powerful detergents mix with the motor oil in your engine which greatly boosts the motor oil’s cleaning abilities to clean sludge, deposit build-up, and help reduce oil consumption. AMSOIL Engine flush works in just one treatment. 

What is the best Engine flush kit? 

You can easily perform an engine flush on your car if you know how to change your own oil. To make yourself an engine flush kit first make a list of things you need to perform an engine flush.

What do you need to perform a proper engine flush?

1. AMSOIL Engine Flush
2. New Motor oil – Gasoline Engine Oil / Diesel Engine Oil / European Engine Oil
3. New Oil filter
4. Drain plug gasket

Step by Step: How to use and how to do an engine flush – follow the product directions – click to watch AMSOIL Engine Flush Video

1. Make sure your vehicle is ready in preparation for an Oil change
2. Start engine – allow the engine to reach operating temperature 
3. Shut off engine
4. Open the Oil fill cap on your engine
5. Pour entire bottle of AMSOIL Engine Flush into Oil fill port
6. Close Oil fill port cap
7. Start Engine
8. Idle Engine for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the engine flush to circulate throughout the motor oil in the engine
9. DO NOT REV ENGINE or DRIVE THE VEHICLE
10. After 10 to 15 mins of idling – SHUT OFF ENGINE
11. Immediately Drain the Oil
12. Allow enough time for the oil to drain out completely 
13. Proceed to Complete your oil change as normal
14. Remove old Oil Filter and replace it with a new Oil filter 
15. Refill engine with new engine oil in the viscosity grade recommended by the manufacturer.
16. Dispose of used oil – AMSOIL Engine flush is Easily disposed of with waste Oil

AMSOIL Engine flush benefits? Does an engine flush work?

 Yes, these are the benefits of an AMSOIL engine flush in only one treatment. 

1. Cleans oil deposit build-up and sludge 
2. Promotes reduced oil consumption 
3. Promotes lower operating temperatures through sludge removal
4. Helps to restore fuel economy 
5. Increases engine operating efficiency 
6. Reduces emissions in gasoline and diesel engines
7. Helps to minimize blow-by and reduce emissions
8. Detergent based engine flush formula is environmentally friendly
9. Prepares engines for new oil
10. Prolongs equipment life
11. Compatible with seals and gaskets
12. Compatible with both petroleum and synthetic oils
13. One-treatment results – Easily disposed of with waste oil

AMSOIL Engine Flush Before and After Test Pictures

What does an engine flush do?

An engine flush dissolves and disperses sludge, varnish, and deposits in engines. Deposits and sludge are removed instead of being circulated in the new oil. The result is cleaner lubrication and oil filter life is maximized.

The main difference between flushing your engine and a normal oil change to synthetics is the rate at which the built-up debris is removed from older engines. If you change to AMSOIL synthetic motor oil without flushing, for example, the detergents in the motor oil will clean accumulated deposits from the engine over subsequent oil changes. When you use AMSOIL Engine Flush, the cleanup is more immediate and helps ensure the engine is clean and free of any accumulated contaminants.

Why use an engine flush?

An engine flush more immediately removes sludge and debris accumulated over time. After an engine has had a long, hard service the oil passages in piston rings and pistons will likely become clogged from carbon or an accumulation of foreign matter in the oil. Clogged passages in rifle drilled rods or any clogged oil line will starve the engine of lubrication, promote wear and lead to high oil consumption. Amsoil Engine Flush dissolves carbon and deposits from these critical areas to help restore correct oil flow.

What causes engine deposits and sludge?

Engine deposits and sludge are caused by stop-and-go driving, prolonged idling, short trips that do not allow the engine to reach full operating temperature, towing, the ingestion of air-borne dirt, fuel dilution, water condensation and oxidized oil all can promote sludge build-up in motor oil. As it settles, sludge clogs narrow oil passages, restricting oil flow to vital parts, especially the upper valve train area. Oxidation can increase viscosity, acid content, sludge, and other deposits while simultaneously depleting additives. In combination, these processes lessen a lubricant’s useful operating life. Deposits such as varnish and lacquer form on hot metal surfaces that can further oxidize to form sludge and carbon deposits.

Is an engine flush necessary?

An engine flush is the first step toward restoring neglected equipment to top-notch performance or if you are upgrading your engine oil from conventional to synthetic. It only makes sense to use an engine flush on an engine to prepare it for oil that is higher quality than the original oil that was used originally. Poor quality conventional and synthetic blend oils can be the root cause of deposit build-up and sludge formation. A high-quality 100% synthetic oil will have greater oxidation resistance and a higher amount of detergents and dispersants that will help prevent deposits and sludge from forming because it’s always cleaning and preventing contaminants from adhering to parts while neutralizing acids. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants are formulated with base oils that have a saturated molecular structure, meaning oxygen is prevented from attaching. This provides inherent heat and oxidation stability over conventional oils that are unsaturated. Because AMSOIL synthetic oils do not contain contaminants like conventional mineral oils, their base composition does not accelerate oxidation. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants contain oxidation inhibitors that are far better than conventional oils. Oxidation inhibitors are sacrificial in nature, meaning they deplete, and are used over time. Since AMSOIL base oils have better oxidation stability on their own, oxidation inhibitors in AMSOIL synthetic oils last longer because they are not depleted as rapidly. AMSOIL uses a combination of oxidation-inhibitor systems for different temperatures and application needs.

Can I Use Amsoil Engine Flush in a Diesel Engine?

Yes! Amsoil Engine Flush is specifically formulated and engineered for both gasoline and diesel engines and automatic transmissions. This engine flush helps to improve operating efficiency, increase fuel economy and reduce emissions. 

Can I Use Amsoil Engine Flush if my vehicle has a turbo?

Yes! AMSOIL Engine flush liquifies carbon and oil coking deposits effectively by dispersing them safely within the motor oil. Once the deposits are dissolved by the engine flush they safely pass through the oil filter and the microscopic deposits are then drained out safely once you change your motor oil after the engine flush. 

Benefits Of Amsoil Engine Flush For turbochargers

Sludge or coke buildup in turbochargers is caused by hot shutdowns. Turbochargers experience extreme temperatures that can reach 1,000ºF (538ºC). When an engine is run hard and shut off without idling before shutdown the oil and coolant flow is also shut off to the turbocharger. Oil is the life blood of the turbocharger bearing system. The bearing system relies on a super thin film of oil that supports the turbine and compressor wheels as they rotate up to 100,000 to 300,000 rpm. Since the turbocharger turbine and compressor wheels are still spinning after shut down the remaining oil is the only source of lubrication available because the engine is not running. The oil with this extreme heat and no flow can become cooked in the bearing housing and clog up the turbine end oil feed like cholesterol in your arteries and starve the bearings of lubricating oil. On top of that no coolant flow means longer cool down time, which causes the oil to cook even more! This results in oil sludge or coke buildup. Using an engine flush will help clean oil coke and deposits that can form and build up in a turbocharger overtime. Amsoil engine flush will help clean every component that is lubricated by engine oil, this includes the turbocharger oil feed line and return line to the oil pan. Once you use Amsoil engine flush and make the switch to Amsoil 100% synthetic motor oil your turbocharger will benefit from the extreme temperature protection that conventional lubricants can’t touch.  

The Most User Friendly Engine Flush

AMSOIL Engine flush formula is a very user friendly engine flush product. It is a simple pour in, idle for 10-15 minute engine flush anyone can do right before an oil change!  

Will engine flush damage the engine?

Some people claim that an engine flush will free large chunks and cause an avalanche of debris to clog passages inside your engine. Don’t worry. AMSOIL Engine Flush cleans at the molecular level, ensuring the deposits are dissolved and properly exit the engine with the oil when it is drained. This helps the new engine oil get off to a “clean start” and allows it to perform to its engineered capacity.

AMSOIL Engine Flush is safe on parts and can be easily disposed of with waste oil. Using the correct detergent-based engine flush product is safe and should not cause damage to an engine. Now, remember if an engine has very high mileage and you have no idea of how well it was maintained, a flush has its risks. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” applies here. If there is nothing wrong with your engine and you are changing the oil on time you don’t want to cause problems you didn’t have before.

Homemade engine flush? Is it safe to flush an engine with ATF, Diesel, or kerosene? 

You may have flushed some deposits out with a “Homemade Engine Flush” but you can potentially flush your money out too if you damage your engine in the process. 

We DO NOT recommend the following list of ways people say they “flush” their engine with.

ATF engine flush?

ATF Transmission fluid does NOT have the proper detergents and dispersants to clean deposits, and sludge inside an engine because ATF fluid is only designed and intended for use inside an Automatic transmission. An automatic transmission does not have any exposure to combustion byproducts found inside an engine therefore it’s not effective to use as an engine flush.

Engine flush with diesel?

Bad idea. Excessive fuel dilution in motor oil lowers the oil’s viscosity and reduces the lubricants’ ability to keep metal parts separated during engine operation. Using diesel fuel as an engine flush could possibly cause wear on the cylinder walls and bearings. Diesel will also leave a residue that will end up getting mixed with the new oil you put in.

Engine flush with kerosene?

NO. Understand that kerosene is a solvent with the ability to remove oil and grease. If you use kerosene as an engine flush you can possibly cause damage to engine components that rely on lubrication. While kerosene is circulating throughout the engine mixed with motor oil it reduces the lubricant’s ability to keep metal parts separated because it could cause the motor oil to thin out during operation. 

In summary

Amsoil Engine flush works from my personal experience!

AMSOIL Engine Flush Before and After Test Pictures