Additive OD?

[Spyder7]

This has been posted on a couple different Toyota sites I frequent, so I figure its fair game to lift and paste here for your reading entertainment:

"I own a 2001 corolla S ATM. I ran Seafoam through TB and let sit for a while. I started the engine up and instantly got a tick or nock that seemed to be coming from the valvetrain. At this time is showed no trouble codes. After about 300 miles and two days later it showed P0302, misfire in cylinder #2. I checked through tons of forums and videos and how to's. I have basically done them all except open up the engine. I have used Rislone to increase the oil pressure to help the hydrolic lifters(later found out the it is not hydrolic but solid and adjusted by shims), ran 1 quart of ATF through engine oil(ATF is a strong detergant) to get varnish off of lifters/valvetrain, ran degreaser through brake powerbooster vacuum line, ran seafoam again through the brake boost vacuum line, swapped ( one at a time to see if code popped up) coil #2 with #1(different banks) and injectors #2 with #1, sprayed two cans of Carb cleaner around vacuum lines and engine to find leaks(NONE), cleaned MAF sensor, Cleaned throttlebody, Check all four spark plugs. These all ended in a P0300 ONCE AND P0302 EVERYTIME AND KNOCK IS STILL PRESENT.

Guys i am at a loss, I am guessing i have a real issue. If i am correct, either i have some serious valve issue on cylinder#2 or worse a rod knock. What do you guys think?"

Thoughts?

 

[Bill in Utah]

If something NEEDS to be worked on, something in a can is the LAST thing I'd do.

Sounds like this guy did not learn. He has a problem that will require at the least the head to come off IMO.

People get so caught up on deposits this and sludge that when they don't have either. So they chase the boogy man around with all these additives and mess up a good motor.

Sometimes leaving things alone and PROPERLY maintaining them works...

Bill

 

[TurboJim]

I don't believe that ATF is a strong detergent.

 

[tinmanSC]

He was a tad vague with "ran Seafoam through TB and let sit for a while" Maybe he left out the part where he reved it to 10K and heard a loud clunk?

 

[widman]

ATF is not a strong detergent. The old ATF's were frequently naftenic oils. Those are strong solvents. So back in the days when motor oils had little detergency and ATF had strong solvency, the myth began.

I think seafoam, like MMO, is naftenic. Naftenics mad dissolve some things, but thicken and oxidize up quickly since they are not saturated molecules.

Right now it probably has a bad case of overdose and mixture. It needs a good CI-4 oil for a while, then maybe a full cycle of AutoRx in a CI-4, with no other chemicals.

Unless it is a knock instead of a tic. Big difference. The "Tic" might even be a spark jump from a bad plug or wire.

 

[Spyder7]

His post is pretty vague as to why he even decided to use Seafoam in the first place. On an (only slightly) differently worded version on another site I had the impression that there were no problems present prior to his application of these cleaners.

And then in creating a problem where none existed before, he worsened the situation by finding new things to pump through his engine and different ways of introducing them.

My guess is cylinder #2 is dead (hydrolock from the throttle body Seafoaming?) or damaged and a compression test will show little to none present.

He can be assured his engine is clean; unfortunately its cleanliness will be irrelevant in the small block rebuild I think he is in for.

-Spyder

 

[Bill in Utah]

That is a pretty good guess and one that I'd agree with on the reason for #2 to be not to 100%.

 

[Vikas]

You would have to try very very hard to hydro lock a cylinder with dumping *ANYTHING* through throttle body. Submerging the throttle body in a liquid (like river or stream) does not count

If you do it via induction, the rate would be self-limiting.

By the way if he wants our help, he has to come here himself

- Vikas

 

[Spyder7]

His threads have been inactive for awhile so I'm not sure what the outcome was. Best advice given to him was to have a compression test done and report back, but he never did.

Its the most extreme instance of additive dosing I've come across, and I posted it as an interesting read and a cautionary note as to the limitations of anything in a bottle. If anything, all of the different seafoam treatments, degreasers, atf, and rislone that he found various ways of introducing into his engine, just made whatever the original issue was worse. Assuming there was any problem there to begin with. He may have just as easily created one where none existed before.

Additive overkill on a massive scale (and despite the tons of research he says he did, you can tell he's in way over his head by comments such as the one referring to ATF as a "strong detergent").

-Spyder

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Oftentime playing with solvents or water for CC cleaning can dislodge a chunk of crusty bits from the CC and it gets stuck on the valve seat. This will hold the valve open a bit and its associated tappet will clack louder. Also you'll loose cylinder balance and the engine will develop a "roll" . You can (also) have "shorted" a plug or stacked deposits on the piston tops and on a zero deck motor with a large quench area you could also bend a rod or ding a rod bearing. Like Bill says - fixing problems with gunk in a can and using solvents all over the place is not a very safe practice and often you end up with not too delightfull results.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: Spyder7
..

Additive overkill on a massive scale.

-Spyder
I hope out new member HangerHarley is reading this

 

[sprintman]

I've got 30oz or 2 1/2 bottles RX in our just purchased Pajero (Montero). Now that's OD!