2 Auto-rx treatments, now what?

[miked2]

99 Saturn DOHC, 104,000 miles, runs great, no smoke , no leaks, 3000 OCI's.
I am ready to drain my 2nd ARX treatment (1000 miles) & go into the final cleaning phase. I really havn't noticed any difference in oil consumption, still using a quart in about 1000 miles. I know that is not the end of the world nor is it abnormal for Saturns to use oil. The problem is it's my daughter's car & she will be going back to college a week from Monday. I check & add oil when she is at home, but when she is not I just don't trust others checking my oil.
I think I have done just about everything I could to miminize oil consumption, I have even tried an MMO soak as per the folks over @ Saturnfans.com. Normally (one would think) 2 ARX treatments along with an MMO soak would free stuck rings, aparently not. Unless it's not the rings?
Could it be something else, possibly the valve seals? If this is the case would High Mileage oil help?

Any suggestions guys? At one time it was a quart in 2000 miles, then 1500. I just don't want it to get any worse.
Thanks

 

[simple_gifts]

Where is she going back to college? Maybe you can convince a BITOG'r to swing thru campus and check the oil once in a while. 8)

 

[JohnBrowning]

I would something like Rotella-T Synthetic 5W40 if she is gone for long periods of time. It may or may not cut into fuel ecconomy a little but it has very good resistance to burn off and often slows consuption. At the very least I would consider Rotell 10W30. These are both HDEO's and if anything is going to slow consuption these will. IF she comes home often like on weekends and holidays I would consider TropArtic 5W30. All of the above can be had at Walmart so availability should be good.

 

[Trav]

IMHO MMO isn't going to help much in the ring dept,Its possible the oil control rings are still sticking.Try an overnight piston soak with GM top engine cleaner,for a 4cyl one bottle is needed pour 1/4 bottle down each slug on a warm motor,crank the engine sans plugs for a few revs and change the oil before starting, a lot of crud and cleaner are likely to flow down into the oil.This is a common GM complaint and for some engines i.e. N* is the standard GM "fix".

 

[GMorg]

If the rings aren't stuck, is the Bon Ami trick still valid?

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post666161

 

[Volvohead]

One of the first things ARX will clean out are the rings. After two treatments, I suspect they're as clean as they're going to get.

If it's not leaking oil, try using a thicker 30 such as GC. This will also provide a little extra protection under abusive conditions when out of your control.

Some engines just consume some oil. Yours may be one of them.

I would not try the Bon Ami trick on a modern engine unless you really know what you're doing.

 

[marc780]

Tell your daughter to either learn to add oil or walk?

 

[miked2]

Quote:

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Tell your daughter to either learn to add oil or walk?

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Gee, thanks for the advice....

 

[Stainless]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Tell your daughter to either learn to add oil or walk?

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Gee, thanks for the advice....

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Wait a min here. I am going to TRY to do this as nicely as possible, but this is a touchy subject with me:

That IS good advice. Your daughter is going to college. Do you mean to tell me, she doesn't have the intelligence to open the hood, check the dipstick, and add a predetermined brand, weight and amount of oil?

I am a fan of equality between the sexes. I have OFTEN said to MANY women, "there is NOTHING that I have as a man, that makes me ANY MORE QUALIFIED to understand car repair than a woman."

It infuriates me that there is still the attitude/mentality of, "oh, she's just a girl, she can't...." Of COURSE she can!

edited to remove statement crossing the line.

 

[miked2]

If I started my thread like this...
"99 Saturn DOHC, 104,000 miles, runs great, no smoke , no leaks, 3000 OCI's. I think I have done just about everything I could to miminize oil consumption, I have even tried an MMO soak as per the folks over @ Saturnfans.com. Normally (one would think) 2 ARX treatments along with an MMO soak would free stuck rings, aparently not. Unless it's not the rings?
Could it be something else, possibly the valve seals? If this is the case would High Mileage oil help?

Any suggestions guys? At one time it was a quart in 2000 miles, then 1500. I just don't want it to get any worse."
...would I have received different advice from marc780 & Stainless?

That was the purpose of my question guys. I apologize for even mentioning my daughter. I appreciate the suggestions.
Saturns are known for using oil, I am just trying to slow down or keep it from getting worse. Trying GM Top Engine cleaner & Rotella-T Synthetic 5W40 may be my next option.
Thank you Gentlemen for your advice.

FYI, my daughter has checked her oil, added washer fluid & checked her tires. I would just rather do it myself.

 

[Shelby]

OK, I am preparing myself for the reaming I'm about to take... I had a truck that used oil a while back, I owned it for a long long time. Ford told me that they were made to use a little oil and that was normal and healthy. I went for years just adding a quart every 1500 or so. One time I took it to a dealer for a change and the buttheads put a quart too much in there. It turns out that having the extra qt in there really really slowed the burning, for whatever reason. I put in an extra qt everytime after that and I can't ever remember needing to add a qt between OCI's. It was a v8 so maybe it had more wiggle room, I don't know if a Saturn can take an extra qt or not. Also, give the ARX a chance, it's a slow working product and maybe it will help in the next oil change or two. I also concur with the guys who said go up in weight a little and synthetic, add a couple ounces of that MMO for a little extra lube power with the heavy oil, and check your PCV system. Does your oil have a fuel smell?

 

[miked2]

I have just finished draining the oil from the 2nd Auto-Rx cleaning phase after about 1100 miles. The oil didn't seem any darker than normal but the filter (Wix) was abnormally heavy after just 1100 miles. When dumping the oil & excess from the filter into a container, I notice many metallic looking shavings in the bottom of the drain pan. I have never seen anything like it. My drain pan was clean when I started. Amazing!!!!

I really respect the opinions of BITOGers, but when you see something yourself it is even better. Whether my oil burning slows down or not, Auto-Rx works as advertized. I've been changing oil for close to 40 years (yes I am old) & I have never seen anything like it. Who knows, maybe the final cleaning phase will help reduce the oil burning. All you can ask for from any product is for it to perform as advertized. ARX certainly does that.

Thank you Auto-Rx for an excellent product!!

 

[Ramblin Fever]

There isn't a female in my family that doesn't know how to check their own oil; our parents raised us all to learn how to take care of our own vehicles - which included changing oil/filters, tires, spark plugs, etc.

She is in college and at a perfect time in her life to depend on her own trusts, so many woman turn this power over to men and then wonder why men in the car repair industry charge them $$$ because the female doesn't care or doesn't want to learn to protect her money or her interests in vehicle maintenance. And I have literally seen many women get ripped off going into your typical Firestone, telling her she needs to have hundreds worth of stuff done. When in fact, the car may just be half quart low on oil.

This is so VERY important for her to learn, even if it means running it too low at some point, she needs to learn.

My sister wasn't allowed to drive HER own first car that she bought and paid for at 17yrs of age, until she could prove she knew how to check her oil/antifreeze, etc.