ARX made my lifters noisy?

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I like you - you're a funny guy.
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OK things have changed and I spoke too quickly: noise is back
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It went away for something like 3 starts after the oil+filter change (so I'm now into the rinse phase) and on the 4th and subsequent cold start, the bad lifter noise came back!

At least it does favor the hypothesis of something getting loose and that it wasn't caused by increased viscosity due to ARX. However it's still weird I couldn't find anything trapped in the oil filter on the clean phase... I will go on in the rinse phase and see if the noise goes away. Will keep you updated.
 
Originally Posted By: kilou
Originally Posted By: sprintman
We must listen to the Green goose who has been here all of 5 minutes. Gary you should see his campaign on Noria with his 'mate' Little Bear, it's really something. Terry Dyson rejoined Noria just to blow them out of the water which he did in his inimitable way. I'd post his email to me on MMO and Bear but it probably isn't PC and I won't do anything to upset Helen. People go to Noria and read for yourself.


Is it eventually possible to have an issue or not being satisfied with ARX and trying to understand why....without being considered stupid over here?

ARX seems like a religion on BITOG and like always with religions, hard facts and questions are being pushed away when they tend to compromise faith. Please guys don't start a flame war and try to forget for one moment your religious beliefs and come up with explanation for a stupid guy like me. Why do my lifters end up noisy on ARX while on the same time there is absolutely no evidence of cleaning taking place in my engine when looking at the filter? Why also are my lifters quiet now that I drained the oil and renew the oil filter?


I sadly do not think it is possible.
 
Originally Posted By: kilou
OK things have changed and I spoke too quickly: noise is back
frown.gif
It went away for something like 3 starts after the oil+filter change (so I'm now into the rinse phase) and on the 4th and subsequent cold start, the bad lifter noise came back!

At least it does favor the hypothesis of something getting loose and that it wasn't caused by increased viscosity due to ARX. However it's still weird I couldn't find anything trapped in the oil filter on the clean phase... I will go on in the rinse phase and see if the noise goes away. Will keep you updated.


I hope I don't get the protectors of A-rX hammering down on me, but here is my take. I never used the product my dad did a while back. He really can't honestly say it did anything because he takes very good care of his fleet. He did have a slight oil leak, it didn't stop it. He also understood that before using the product.

What Dad and I feel based on our discussions: In colder climates it thickens up the oil, dad had his bottle in a very cold garage and the stuff made STP look like water. he took it in the house and warmed it up so it would pour easily, no problem there. We read about it mixing into the host oil and not changing viscosity so take that for what its worth. I believe someone on Noria is testing that IIRC.

In the cases of engine noise it is quite possible hard and soft chunks of dirt grime etc are breaking off and finding their way into sensitive places like lifters and causing noise until it works its way out and gets filtered out. I also believe that a product like MMO does a better job disolving the sludge and junk that dirty up an engine, so you're less likely to have any noises.

I'm not here to bash A-rX, the purpose of this post is to help a fellow Bitog member sort out a problem, so go easy on me A-rX guys. As far as Noria goes, seems there are some angry customers, but that it part of business. When you use any kind of oil additive it is always hit or miss.
 
Originally Posted By: kilou
OK things have changed and I spoke too quickly: noise is back
frown.gif
It went away for something like 3 starts after the oil+filter change (so I'm now into the rinse phase) and on the 4th and subsequent cold start, the bad lifter noise came back!

At least it does favor the hypothesis of something getting loose and that it wasn't caused by increased viscosity due to ARX. However it's still weird I couldn't find anything trapped in the oil filter on the clean phase... I will go on in the rinse phase and see if the noise goes away. Will keep you updated.


Is it possible that you just got a bad batch of filters (ADBV)?

On one of the vehicles that I did two ARX treatments on (over 100K miles) I started using oil filters (brands) that I wouldn't normally use. Some were filters I had on my shelf that I had experienced start-up noises before and stopped using them. Some were Wix filters that I bought, but never used before. My old standby filter that never produced start-up noises was the PureOne PL10241.

I didn't plan to ARX the engine. I noticed that there was some reddish brown slime covering the valvetrain when I had the valve cover off of this Toyota 2UZ-FE engine trying to retrieve a PCV grommet that had fallen through the valve cover. So I dumped a bottle of ARX into the existing, relatively fresh fill of oil that had the PureOne filter. I used that filter for 1250 miles and decided to try the Toyota OEM filter to finish the 2500 mile clean phase. The start-up noises started almost immediately, even on 70F mornings. So I tried the K&N I filter I had next. This one did pretty well, but I couldn't make it to the 2500 mile mark. This is what I experienced with this filter before ARX though with this engine.

When I switched to the rinse phase, I started using Wix filters. They worked better than the OEM and K&N filters, but some developed start-up noises before I wanted to change them. I haven't had the valve cover off since ARX, but I did notice that the color of the oil at oil changes and filter changes sure looked awfully reddish brown.

Since finishing the two ARX treatments, I've gone back to the PureOne filters with a 4oz maintenance dose of ARX. No start-up noises have been noticed with 3-6K mile OCI's. I do admit that using ARX during the winter may be a problem as has been mentioned earlier. I think I may consider switching over to a six month summer use even here in Texas, and then leave the maintenance dose out of the sump during the winter. I already know that 3-5K mile OCI's with a quality synthetic oil will keep your engine clean isn't a universal truth, and I always cringe when I hear people saying that. It's maybe/maybe not for me.

So far, I'd have to say that ARX is the single best thing that I've learned about here on BITOG. It has already saved me thousands of dollars on un-needed transmission repairs, steering rack leaks, tranfer case leaks, and front differential seal leaks. And even though I haven't verified that ARX cleaned up me valve train, I'm going to go with the assumption that it did do some cleaning in this very difficult area to clean based on the noticeable color of the oil when I changed it. There is no evidence based on my useage that ARX isn't a very safe and effective chemistry to use when its use is indicated.

I'm not a shill, just a satisfied customer that hopes ARX is always available to me.
 
How do you feel about using A-rX in a transmission during the winter time? I realize you live in TX and don't really have a winter, how about the folks living up north? If it thickens oil I wonder what it will do to a transmission during the winter?
 
Dad has a bottle he'd send to me, but with winter coming the last thing I want is it to thicken up the ATF. I have about 2000 miles to go before I'm due for a service and wanted to clean things up (that's if anything is dirty). I guess I should just pass on it. Thanks! Reason I wanted to try is I have slight delay going into Reverse when its cold outside. It's been this way for years, and I know I few guys on the board I pm with and they have a similar situation with the Ford 4 speed OD transmission 3.0L v6 combo.
 
The transmission dosage for Auto-Rx is only half the bottle which is six ounces. Depending on your car, that's only a very small fraction of the amount of atf in your transmission. In a small car it's probably around 6 quarts and in a mid-size, probably around 8.
 
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It depends on how long it will take you to drive 1000 miles. If you can get it done before the freezing temps start, then go for it. I wish I had found ARX much sooner. It would have saved me from doing so many flushes trying to find a fluid that would do what ARX did. It would have been a lot less stress too!
 
Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
It depends on how long it will take you to drive 1000 miles. If you can get it done before the freezing temps start, then go for it. I wish I had found ARX much sooner. It would have saved me from doing so many flushes trying to find a fluid that would do what ARX did. It would have been a lot less stress too!


I'll probably hit the cold temps before I hit the 1000 mile mark. I have 2000 miles until I'm due for a service, I wanted to run the A-rX a little longer in the transmission I planned 1500-2000 miles. I base this on what I've been told via PM's. If I drive another 1000 miles, then add it for the remaining 1000 miles until I service it I will be in the coldest time of the year. Where I live it does hit freezing but I plan on making some trips into Canada where it gets really cold. Once I do the service I won't add the A-rX because I don't plan on servicing the transmission again for another 2 years.
 
Transmission fluid is a finely balanced formula, adding some snake oil which is not even designed for use in transmissions strikes me as a bad idea.

ADFD1, perhaps you could try that Lucas "Transmission Fluid Conditioner" that is sold at autozone? For just transmission cleaning, Seafoam sells a product called trans-tune, and according to Turtle Wax, you can add 1 pint of MMO to an automatic transmission.

Personally I wouldn't do any of that, and instead just have the transmission fluid changed and replaced with modern fluid that is appropriate (e.g not Dex/Merc III).
 
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adding some snake oil which is not even designed for use in transmissions strikes me as a bad idea...perhaps you could try that Lucas "Transmission Fluid Conditioner"


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I'd pass on pouring anything from Lucas in an AT. Maybe have the transmission serviced in 2000 miles as planned, then wait for spring time and add the A-Rx. At that point run it then do a line flush and leave the pan and filter in place. JMO
 
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