Disappointed with AMSOIL Engine Flush

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darkdan

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Alright, so I decided to use my AMSOIL engine flush since I had such high fuel in my oil and needed it change it anyways (so sad, decent wear numbers and 5.1 TBN).

So I rip off the valve cover to take a few pictures. I break a bolt while taking it out. Just great! So I take the pictures. Put the valve cover minus 1 bolt back on.

I put the engine flush in. Then I ran it for 28 minutes (instructions say 15 to 20). The oil filter was just changed 400 miles ago so I didn't see a need to put a new one on. The engine ran fine for about 5 to 10 minutes, then it started to run rough for about 5 minutes, and then it ran smooth again for the rest of the time. I figured it was breaking stuff up.

Then I take the valve cover back off and take more pictures. WOW! It looks exactly the same. Varnish is still there, dry crudge is still there.

So then I go to put the valve cover back on. This time my aluminum head is hot. Well great, I crossthread a bolt and snap it. Then I snapped another one!

Now I have 3 of 6 bolts holding my valve cover on. I had to go to two hardware stores and buy 2 taps and 6 new bolts. I had to get 2 taps because the first one was the wrong one.

Five hours and $15 later my car now has fresh oil and old varnish. I am not impressed and I will no longer recommend AMSOIL's engine flush to my customers. I'd post the pictures, but why waste the bandwidth. Visual the BEFORE picture as a dirty head. Now visual the AFTER picture as a dirty head.

I guess in a couple of months I'll get AutoRX.
 
Sounds like it wasn't your day! Before knowing of this site, I did use this flush once, which now I know is mostly kerosene. At the time, though, I thought I was doing wonders for my engine. Go figure.

Sorry to hear of your mishap, and with all due respect, after a having long day, reading your post made me laugh. It was entertaining. Regards!
 
Dan I love your profile Pix !!

Buy beer and guns ! You cover all the bases.


Regards, Terry
 
Whatever made you think Amsoil engine flush removed varnish???

I could have saved you the hassle: Amsoil Engine flush won't touch varnish.

Can't blame it for the bolts, I don't think.

AutoRx will clean pretty well, but may not get all the varnish.
 
quote:
Whatever made you think Amsoil engine flush removed varnish???

I could have saved you the hassle: Amsoil Engine flush won't touch varnish.
Click to expand...
Because it says so on the bottle. Right after "gums". Luckily my teeth haven't fallen out.
 
I suspect the reason Amsoil even sells a flush is to protect against those who are switching from petroleum oil in an engine that might have a lot of sludge/gel/grime attached to the engine and pan. Adding Amsoil or any PAO/ester oil will break the bonds slowly and release large chunks which will clog up the oil pickup and block oil passages which will lead to oil starvation to parts of the engine. the flush quickly dissolves the sludge so that it comes out in the drain and doesn't come out after you have run the Amsoil a few hundred miles and blocks off your oil passages.

I have my wonders about auto-rx and how it breaks down the sludge/gel. Does it release the bonds at the gel/metal barrier or disolve the surface layer by layer until the sludge is totally disolved. I believe this is a question for Frank and a little off topic.
offtopic.gif


Anything strong enough to remove the varnish in 15-20 minutes would probably eat through seals and gaskets too.

If you don't recommend the flush before adding synthetic then you may cause your customers engines more harm.
 
Have you ever put in a Teflon or other additive in the life of the motor? I remember one bottle saying that the treatment 'will leave a coating on the engine metals - this is the product doing it's job'. Imagine that, you could just as easily dumped some varnish or shellac in your oil with the same result - nice "protective" coating.

And don't some of them also claim the treatement is 'good for 50K miles'. So guess what, maybe you need to run you car for 50K, flushing every oil change with the Amsoil stuff, then it *might* be gone!
mad.gif


All I know is my son bought a Mazda Protege with 168K miles from a woman who proved she took the car to Jiffy Lube every 3K. You know what? Looking inside the oil filler cap, the parts look like they just came from a auto parts store. No smoke, maybe 3/4 qt between oil changes. In my current '96 minivan it looks like Minwax Dark Oak stain thanks to a variety of additives I've subjected it to over the years. And this van smokes with 125K on it. Maybe that's not comparing apples with apples. But I do have a friend with a '94 minivan with 160K miles, does the 3k oil change, and his doesn't smoke.
 
Was your engine "HOT" when you added the flush? From the way it sounds it was not.

If you ran this stuff with cold or warm oil, don't expect it to work very well. Also if you have any engine that is very bad with sludging and varnish what did you expect?
dunno.gif


Did you ever think it might take 2 or 3 applications to clean it. My advice would be to do several short runs with dino and doing an engine flush after those runs. Then see what happens.

Amsoil has been selling the engine flush for a very long time, if it didn't work why would they sell it. It's just not the Miracle Cure for engine build up.
 
quote:
Originally posted by msparks:
Amsoil has been selling the engine flush for a very long time, if it didn't work why would they sell it. It's just not the Miracle Cure for engine build up.

Did you ever think it might take 2 or 3 applications to clean it. My advice would be to do several short runs with dino and doing an engine flush after those runs. Then see what happens.
Click to expand...
They sell it because people will buy it. Slick 50 has been sold for many years. Do you buy it? Your logic does not compute on why AMSOIL engine flush should be bought. Try again to convince me.
smile.gif


If it takes several applications with dino oil, etc., then AMSOIL should say just that. Their marketing department is on dope.
confused.gif
 
darkdan,


Ditto's on your picture.


Even with ARX or LC or Amsoil Flush, you need to get the engine up to operating temperature.

Secondly, if the engine is really sludgy, you may need two or more applications.

Cleaners and flushes are not miracle cures for years of neglect.

[ February 27, 2004, 10:51 AM: Message edited by: MolaKule ]
 
Although I never used the Amsoil Flush, the GUNK 5 min. flush says to use in "cold engine" only. Are they not the same products? Why would the GUNK label want the product used in a cold engine. It can't possibly reach normal operating temperature required to help dissolve deposits in 5 minutes?@#$#
 
AutoRX cleans for 1500 miles. How much good can 90% kerosene (or however much) do in 28 minutes?

As far as sludge, I'm not sure if I had much. I got the car with 102k miles and it's was on Mobil1 until 111k and been on AMSOIL for 5k.

The rough running I was for 5 minutes was either sludge disappearing or the kerosene evaporating and burning off.

I did not add it to a hot engine because the directions didn't say to warm the engine up first. I was expecting a miracle, but I was expecting some visual results.

The real test is if my noisy lifter, rocker arm, valve, or whatever it is that makes that tick goes away on very cold morning starts. However, the weather is getting warmer and the ticking happens less and less.
 
Believe it or not, but what's been helping me with complete elimination of all ticking on cold starts is a bottle of STP Gas Tmt. with every fillup...along with occasional fuel injector cleaner as well.

A diesel oil such as Delvac 1 will also aid in cleaning things up oil wise.
 
The engine has it's problems. I'm trying to fix things from 102k miles of ol lady abuse it went through before me. Still trying to figure out why I'm getting white smoke out of the tailpipe. I thought it was a head gasket, but my oil shows no coolant/water in the oil. I guess my A/F ratio is off.

I think when the new oil I just put in is at the end of it's life it's time for AutoRX and from then on I think I'll be using AMSOIL S3k 5w30.

By request the before picture is located:
http://www.dantheoilman.com/images/flushbefore.jpg

The after picture is:
http://www.dantheoilman.com/images/flushafter.jpg

That's a tough battle for any cleaner to tackle.

Dr. T, is your ticking caused by injectors or something? Mine is definetly coming from under the valve cover.
 
I really don't like when a company puts Kero or Diesel in a container and sells it for a 600% mark-up.
Interesting, that in a similar thread concerning the use of Diesel or Kero, we don't have all these same naysayers chiming in here.
Try buying your Diesel or Kero at the gas station, it's a lot less expensive.
Also, there is a very good reason to use this flush on a COLD engine---if it's hot you have a flammable liquid danger!
 
My wifes Lasaber has heavy varnish by my standards light varnish by industry standards. It is ver dark varnish not the light translucent varnish you have. It is very hard and brittle. When I had the wifes upper and lower intake off I cleaned it!

I found that B-12 chemtool cleaned the varnish and carbon off all parts with ease. It did not matter if they wear steel,iron or aluminum. I did notice though that the porous aluminum that GM uses required more treatments and brushing then the other material.

So I know for a fact that with a solvent brush and the engine not running B-12 Chemtool will clean varnish with ease. I have used B-12 before in running engines for 15 minute flushing but I have to admit it scares the heck out of me. B-12 is so strong of a solvent that I almost would want to have some clean 20W50 in it just for the 15 minute flush!

I would not use B-12 now unless I had no other choice. I think I would lean toward Lube COntrol and Nuetra for routine cleaning and Auto-Rx for sludge beast or extended maintence like every 50,000 miles. This is just my $.02!
 
I agree with JohnBrowning. I used ChemTool B-12 in the past but never again. Heck, I gave away my can of Amsoil Engine Flush.

For engine cleaning I would prefer Auto-RX. But some people have used Neutra and are very happy with the results-and the Neutra is cheaper.

If I use any engine flush at all I think it would be the Lubegard Engine Flush.
 
Not being a chemist I often wounder what in B-12 makes it so good at disolveing carbon and varnish. It has a lot of tolulene and benzene in it. Whick one of these is the more power solvent? As a young man I would often soak carboned up valves in B-12. I would drop them in go take a smoke break and come back to clean valves! You spray this stuff on a varnished up carb and the varnish just melts away!
 
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