[wdfifteen]

That cure may be worse than the problem.
You don't want to loosen that stuff up with the engine running, if it makes it past the oil pickup screen without clogging it up, the nasty crap will go to filter and clog it, when the filter goes to bypass the crap goes straight to the bearings. Myself, I'd take the pan off and clean it out and make sure the return oil passages from the head are clear. Put in new oil and new filter, change the oil and filter after a few miles of driving.