32k on Toyota engine... worth using Auto RX?

[Boaz]

Would it really be worth it to use auto RX on my 04 4.0 Toyota v-6? THe first 15k miles were on conventional oil. The last 17k has been either M1 or Amsoil syn.

The engine has great used oil analysis. WOuld auto RX be worth it now or should I wait till 45-50K?

 

[2003TRD]

I wouldnt use it. What are you hoping it does?

 

[Boaz]

i dunno, keep the engine clean and sludge free!

 

[Frank]

WHAT AUTO-RX DOES ? YOUR ENGINE IS DIRTY AT THESE MILES CLEAN IT AND EXTEND YOUR ENGINE LIFE (MTBF)DEEP CLEANS YOUR OIL LUBRICATED ROTATING PARTS.OIL LUBRICATES AND MIGHT SURFACE CLEAN IT'S JOB IS TO LUBRICATE AND IT CAN'T DO THAT THROUGH DIRT.

 

[Boaz]

Frank, would 2000 miles during the cleaning phase hurt anything? Why is 1500 miles the magic number?

 

[ARB1977]

quote:

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Originally posted by Boaz:
Would it really be worth it to use auto RX on my 04 4.0 Toyota v-6? THe first 15k miles were on conventional oil. The last 17k has been either M1 or Amsoil syn.

The engine has great used oil analysis. WOuld auto RX be worth it now or should I wait till 45-50K?

---

Ive never used autorx in my 2002 3.4L V6 because ive been using synthetics since 9K and now she has 50K on her. I started using redline for most of its life and recently i swithced over to amsoil. The oil stays clean at 3K so to me my engine is staying clean.

 

[Frank]

1500 miles is cleaning phase at this mileage Auto-Rx chemistry is pretty much inactive.Time to drain oil and replace filter.There just are no benefits in running another 500 miles.

We have VW Passats with 40,000 miles and oil is pristine before and after first Auto-Rx clean A much different story after 2000 mile rinse is over and oil is drained. Oil does not deep clean if they put enough detergents in oil to deep clean oil could not lubricate.

 

[RichR]

I used ARX on our 8k '05 3.3 Camry.
It is on rinse along with a 75k'99 3.0 Camry and a 65k '02 v8 Tundra.
I figured clean it then use maintenance does to keep them all clean.Especially the '99 sludge prone short trip engine.
Pay ya now or pay ya later prevention.

 

[Chimay]

I agree with with both TRDUSA2002, & bobo, with that motor you will never tell any difference with that few miles. It wouldn't hurt but wouldn't help either. Save your money.

 

[Vortec_4300]

quote:

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Originally posted by Frank:
1500 miles is cleaning phase at this mileage Auto-Rx chemistry is pretty much inactive.Time to drain oil and replace filter.There just are no benefits in running another 500 miles.

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Frank - My truck has approximately 14K miles on the clock. I am currently adding 2 oz. to my engine oil at ever oil change in a maintenance regimen, as per your recommendation. I assumed that I was supposed to add this 2 oz. as I added the new oil, but if I understand you statement, this may just be a waste as the Auto-RX is only good for about 1500 miles.

Should I wait instead to add the 2 oz. of Auto-RX at a point just 1500 miles BEFORE changing the oil? As it stands, I am adding the Auto-RX as I add the new oil. Is this wrong?

 

[bobo]

I would hold off on the AutoRX until you have about 60K on the vehicle, particularly since you have used synthetic oil for half its life.

 

[87nissanKC]

My moms 95 toyota avalon 3.0 V6 has 100,100 miles on it and has never had oil changes on time. I just pulled the PCV today to put in a new one and while i was looking in the hole the PCV came out of i was shocked to see how much junk was around the valve hole. I was gently scraping stuff out of the engine with a screw driver. I just ordered 2 bottles of AutoRx for her car and it will be in her oil by next Friday. It is never a bad idea to give it a cleaning i would highly recommend it once every 2 years or so to just dump some AutoRx in there.

 

[Ethan]

If one were to use the maintenance dosage from 0 miles on up, would that negate the need for the full bottle cleaning cycle?

 

[JohnBrowning]

While it never hurts to use Auto-Rx I think it is silly and a waste to use it on a realy clean engine. If I just felt compelled to do it I with no real need to I would waite till 70,000 miles. This way you can still get away with useing just a single bottle unless you crankcase capacity dictates two bottles. You also increase your chances of getting your money's worth. If the engine is still fairly clean then you are basicly tossing money at a problem that does not exsist

If this was a used vechile with an unknown service histroy or if you abused it with extended oil changes with cheap conventional oil I could see useing it early. Even Frank has said before that deposits begin to form by as little as 36,000 miles. Their is a huge difference between harmful deposits begining to form at 36,000 miles and an engine full of deposits.

 

[Rick20]

Small deposits grow to large deposits. These deposits use up the detergent package in fresh oil, so that the detercency package is sometimes exhausted before the normal drain interval. Then the deposits will likely grow. In my estimation it is never to early to clean a motor.

 

[dbdeland]

Vortec 4300,

This is the web site maintenance program recommendations.
STOP and Read this Before Proceeding

Auto-Rx Maintenance Plan

The Auto-Rx Maintenance Plan is your assurance that the gains you received from your application will continue. Left unchecked, contaminants and sludge will return. For most engines a maintenance dose of 2 ounces with each oil change will maintain the benefits you received from your Auto-Rx application. For those engines that are prone to sludge, you should use 3 ounces as your maintenance dose. Once a full cleaning has been completed then you can maintain your engine on just the maintenance dose in the future.

 

[JohnBrowning]

To be honest I think that Auto-Rx has grossly changed how they market the product. It seems to me that it started out as a treatment for sludge and neglected enignes. Now it would appear that they would like it to be used as a routine maintence item. It is a no brainer that you can sell more product if it is used all the time as a maintence item instead of a treatment for a condition.

How can any one think that a vechile with 32,000 miles half of that being run with synthetic really need a treatment of ARX!This is a one owner vechile with regular maintence. I have torn down vechile with 80,000 miles that were run on conventional oil with zero deposits in the block and none in the combustion chambers either.

Maybe it is just me but it seems like anymore anytime any one ask's about ARX they need it if they need it or not! What happened to being objective? What happened to useing it to remove sludge and third party abrasive. Do not get me wrong I recomend ARX as much as anyone but I do not always recomend it! While we know that ARX works very well we also know that if you engine is clean you will not get any benifit from it at all! We have seen plenty of cases wear the filter was cut open and nothing out of the ordinary was found.

Lets not just recomend ARX just becasue! I think that this deminish's the product and it's excellent reputation for doing what it claims to do!

At any rate it is just my $.05 (inflation) and I might be way off in left field and totaly off base. I hope I did not offend any one. If I did offend anyone I want to take the time to apologise. I am not attacking anyone's credability,morality or ethics.

 

[Bio-T]

Auto-Rx has always suggested using a maintenance dose since day one. In fact I personally clean all my vehicles and my families vehicles new from the Dealer. Then a maintenance dose from then on.

I am not one to wait for sludge. I spent 25 years in aviation maintenance, with scheduled PM's. So I personally am very adamant about PM. I hate curing a problem. I would rather prevent a problem.

A 7.3 Navistar turbo diesel engine costs in the neighborhood of $7-11K. Owning 2 of these engines and looking at replacement cost, Preventive Maintenance makes sense. But I use the same principle on 2 Mazda 4 cylinder engines. And all my power equipment.

Buying 4 bottles of Auto-Rx at a time is less harmful on the wallet. Sludge is my enemy and I am winning this fight with it. I am sludge free on all my engines. (excluding 2 cycle and I use FP in the fuel on those)

 

[Jim 5]

Here's a compare and contrast:

I bought ARX for 2 of my vehicles:

-2002 BMW 330ci with 30k miles (because previous owner did the 13k BMW oil changes..Always Dino).

- 1998 Chev K1500 175k miles (religious and meticulous oil changes at 3k miles...based on the miles going on this truck early in it's life it was getting oil changes once and sometimes twice a month).

Anyhow.... Just about at the end of the rinse phase in the BMW (180 miles to go). No appreciable difference in oil color or MPG, engine sound.....anything. Not a big surprise at this mileage, but I had been really uncomfortable about those two (previous owner)oci's at 13k miles.

As for the Chev with 175k miles....about 500 miles into the rinse phase (first ARX treatment) my last tank showed a 6 mpg increase from around 17 to just about 23. I've run a billion tanks of gas through this truck and my consistent highway mileage (unloaded) was 16-17. My truck has NEVER delivered 23 in the last 100k miles.

I'm very pleased with the result....and I'll continue to record my fuel economy to establish a longer term and more reliable fuel economy track record. My view is that for a high mileage vehicle, you'll see more results than for low mileage. I would go for it after 60-70k miles. I wouldn't do it again below that. Instead I'd stick with Lube Control.

Just my own opinion.

 

[surfstar]

JohnBrowning,
I agree that some people are getting TOO anal (we're all a little on here) by using ARX with engines under 100k on synthetic oil. i have 176k miles with the last 96k on M1 and feel that ARX wouldn't do anything for me as my car doesn't suggest it would benefit from it (no oil usage and MPGs are above EPA estimates; good compression).

If you're using a good oil with acceptable OCIs I feel there shouldn't be a need for ARX unless the engine is a sludge bucket or you bought a used car with unknown history.