Best way to flush the "goo" out of an engine...

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I have an old 300 CID six cylinder Ford engine in my 1981 Bronco.

I got the engine used with about 85,000 miles on it. (Fifty bucks, I couldn't turn it down)
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. It runs pretty well for the most part, but until it gets really warm it appears to have a valve sticking just a bit--a slight miss. This seems to clear up after a bit of running.

Granted, I might be missing the diagnosis but that's what it seems like.

I put in a can of Seafoam (good, bad, or ugly I did it!
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) and that seemed to cure the problem for a short while, but it's back to acting the same way.

I'm thinking a thourough engine flush would help but am unsure as to how to proceed.

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Dan
 
I, too, would recommend ARx. If I were you:

ARx in crankcase
Your favorite fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank
Seafoam in the combustion chambers via a brake booster line or pouring in spark plug holes after plug removal
 
I've been using AutoRX in an 87 Nissan Sentra beater that was very poorly maintained. I'm nearly done with my first pass of ARX and am VERY please with the difference in the way the car runs.
 
I like to do three or four quick oil changes with dino and MMO. It seems to pulls alot of junk out of the engine. I have done it to about six older cars and never had a problem. It has fixed noisy lifters and generally made the car run smoother.

Most of the cars I own or have owned that have high mileage are not driven that much...not enough for Auto-RX, so I like to do something a little quicker.
 
How much seafoam was added? for how long? how many quarts oil capacity? what do the plugs look like?

If theres a miss, I'd look into an ignition issue unless you've located a weak cylinder(compression or leakage). Change the plugs/wires/cap/rotor/module....
 
I added a pint can of Seafoam. The plugs look good but I put a new set in anyway because those had been in there a while. No noticeable problems with the plug wires, but that is a possibility I suppose.

The reason I think it's a sticky lifter or some such is that the Seafoam did smooth things out immediately--it just didn't last.
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I'll try a couple of quick oil changes, perhaps even with a HDMO (no?) and see how that goes.

If I get no results I'll give the Auto-RX a try. I've been to the webpage and read up on that product. Folks seem to rave about it.
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Dan
 
I've been seeing the continued references to AutoRX, do you guys think it is safe to use in a severely sludged (but still sweet running) Studebaker V-8? This engine has a partial flow (bypass) filter only, that's part of the reason I'm hesitant to try it, worried about chunks breaking free and trashing the bearings.

Also, I've always cleaned out carbon in the cylinders by just doing the old "Italian Tuneup" method and then pouring water down the carb. Is this seafoam stuff better? worth the $$$? Water is free and us Studebaker drivers are notoriously chea^H^H^H^Hfrugal
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nate
 
quote:

Originally posted by toolboy62:
I've been seeing the continued references to AutoRX,

I think often on internet forums, people like to jump on the bandwagon. Probably many people haven't even used the product.


But I wonder if Amsoil Engine Flush would be safe to use. If an engine is really gummy, why not use Amsoil first then run ARX?
 
quote:

Originally posted by SamMan23:

quote:

Originally posted by toolboy62:
I've been seeing the continued references to AutoRX,

I think often on internet forums, people like to jump on the bandwagon. Probably many people haven't even used the product.


But I wonder if Amsoil Engine Flush would be safe to use. If an engine is really gummy, why not use Amsoil first then run ARX?


I have used it in a couple of motors (a very high mile Ford V8 and a Dodge 2.5) and the ARX works very well. It's slow cleaning and does not remove so much junk so fast that the pick up screen gets clogged up and damages the hole thing. No bandwagon here, it just works.
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Gee, back in the 50's we used to take 4 quarts of kerosene and add 2 cans of STP (the honey stuff) and run that in the engine for 15 minutes or so.

Boy would the crap come out the drain hole! And the filters were the cartridge type so we could see the crap in there too. Really a mess.

Never killed an engine back then but you have to remember those were the times when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ugly3:
Gee, back in the 50's we used to take 4 quarts of kerosene and add 2 cans of STP (the honey stuff) and run that in the engine for 15 minutes or so.

Interesting combination. 4 qts of solvent and a qt of VII. But 15 minutes on that gots to take a couple of years off the bearings. I could buy a minute or two. But 15 minutes?
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quote:

Originally posted by SamMan23:

quote:

Originally posted by toolboy62:
I've been seeing the continued references to AutoRX,

I think often on internet forums, people like to jump on the bandwagon. Probably many people haven't even used the product.



It's not a matter of bandwagon jumping in here though, as a lot of people on here have tried Auto-rx with excellent results. Many people have seen reduced consumption, less oil leaks, lower wear, higher MPG and smoother running engines. Simply put, Auto-rx does work! If someone tries and and sees no difference, it is simply because there engine was already clean. For those who have dirty engines, Auto-rx WILL WORK at cleaning it up, without a doubt.
 
but will it work *too well* is the question? I'd love to get this engine cleaned up ASAP but I am afraid of drastic measures. to show you how dirty it is, when I adjusted the valves and replaced the valve seals I took a gasket scraper and manually removed all the gunk from the surfaces of the heads and the underside of the valve covers. I filled up a cat food can with black goo!

I will say that the Rotella that I've been using is slowly breaking it down. I've pulled the distributor twice, the first time I couldn't get the varnish off the oil pump driveshaft, the second time a quick swipe with a rag soaked with Berkebile 2+2 and it looks like new. So it is working, albeit slowly.

I'm just concerned that if I use a product like AutoRX that I may cause more problems than I'm solving... I have a nasty feeling that I may end up having to do a complete teardown but I hate to do that because there's no mechanical problem with the engine...

nate
 
quote:

Originally posted by toolboy62:
but will it work *too well* is the question? I'd love to get this engine cleaned up ASAP but I am afraid of drastic measures. to show you how dirty it is, when I adjusted the valves and replaced the valve seals I took a gasket scraper and manually removed all the gunk from the surfaces of the heads and the underside of the valve covers. I filled up a cat food can with black goo!

I will say that the Rotella that I've been using is slowly breaking it down. I've pulled the distributor twice, the first time I couldn't get the varnish off the oil pump driveshaft, the second time a quick swipe with a rag soaked with Berkebile 2+2 and it looks like new. So it is working, albeit slowly.

I'm just concerned that if I use a product like AutoRX that I may cause more problems than I'm solving... I have a nasty feeling that I may end up having to do a complete teardown but I hate to do that because there's no mechanical problem with the engine...

nate


actually the claim to fame for Auto-rx is slow cleaning, they list that as one of their benefits so they seem to know the benefit of that approach unlike other cleaners. I'd trust them for sure, just wish it was easier to purchase OTC somewhere.
 
I am not a big fan of engine "cleaners" but the data I saw posted here just amazed me. As I recall, some guy had an engine that was really dirty and started the Auto RX cleaning procedure.

Ever so slowly the engine became cleaner and cleaner but more importantly the compression got better and better too. It is reasonable to conclude that the cleaning was effective where it really counts.

I really don't care if there is a half inch of crud inside the valve covers. A product that can clean the piston rings and grooves out can't be all bad.
 
Buy two things and use in the listed order.

1 Bottle of AUto-Rx!!!! Follow directions on bottle!!

1 Gallon of Lube Control! Follow directions on side of bottle!

Use the auto-rx as directed do the cleaning phase and the rinse phase! After the rinse phase I would follow the origanal instructions on Lube COntrol the first time or too you use it. Then I follow the modified direction from then on out! I would make the first two oil changes normal OCI's. After that you should be fine.

This should get the vechile functionaly free of sludge and varnish that could be hurting performance. If it is a mechanical problem then none of the above will help! By functionaly free of sludge I mean no slude or varnish pluging up oil galleys, lifters, seals, returns or oil pickup screen. Seeing how the engine is a low millage unit and the price was right these two items will be very cheap if they restore the ife to this engine.
 
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