Gritty stuff from ARX rinse

[ChuckBerry]

184k miles on my 99 Crown Vic PI 4.6 liter engine, previous owner says he changed the oil religiously at 3k OCI.

I first used MC 5w-20 with Auto-RX for the clean phase, when draining that oil lots of gritty stuff came out some in sizable chunks. I used PYB 5w-20 for the rinse phase, added about a pint of MMO a few hundred miles ago and just drained it, it came out very dark with similar grittiness, but not with the larger chunks.

I am now running Quaker State Higher Mileage 5w-30 mostly because it seems to burn about a quart to a quart and a half per 3k miles. I have discovered a slight leak at the oil cooler lines which might explain at least part of the oil loss.

My concern is what I should be looking for to know that all of the crud is out of the crankcase. Will some grit always come out in the oil, or should that stop eventually? At this point does it really matter, and could I just switch back to a well regarded 5w-20?

I will not buy another bottle of ARX since it is costly and I believe MMO or some other less expensive product would be more than good enough should another cleaner be necessary.

 

[spasm3]

I'm betting any sn oil will have good cleaning ability, since it uses 1.5 quarts in 3k i'd use an inexpensive oil like pyb, mc or even supertech for short 3k oci's. I would run a good filter like purolator or motorcraft. If adding mmo, i would use a 5w 30 oil as the mmo will thin it out to a 20w or so

 

[electrolover]

sounds like the arx did its job man. dissolving alot of carbon is not gonna be pretty. i would run PP or PU and cut open your filters, they will tell you alot.
you could also try KREEN if you think there might be some stuff left

 

[electrolover]

+1 on the heavier oil with MMO.

 

[ChuckBerry]

Oh I am not bashing ARX, I think it did it's job too, but man that [censored] costs alot, and I do not have severe burning and the car has no performance problems, and is getting normal MPG for the 4.6, so there is not worrying problem to fix, therefore I just want to go with more reasonably priced solutions.

I wanted to run 5w-30 for the added thickness to see if it would slow or stop the oil loss. If it keeps losing oil I will top off with MMO for the added cleaning and to thin it out a smidge, as I know that high mileage oil formulations tend to be on the thick side.

 

[electrolover]

i would definitely fix the leak, and MMO is cheap so its not a bad idea. i got my kreen for 13 bucks from kano labs, so that might be another option.
as for the oil.. i run 5/30 in my 5/20 spec engine with no problems, even with 18 deg temps in the morning. its like people dont realize as the miles stack up they might benefit from a thicker oil. all those clearances grow over time ya know...so ya i would agree with the 5/30 100% especially with MMO

but i bet if you just run a good oil and keep the ocis down to 3k for a while your engine will look clean as new inside in no time. you got a pretty good start on the cleaning

 

[ChuckBerry]

Yes, fixing the leak from the oil cooler lines will be cheap (around 20 bux and an easy DIY item I am told), but I am still wondering about the gritty stuff. Is it something that will always happen, or will it eventually stop? Ought I bother with more cleaners, or will a few more 3k OCI's with, say, more PYB or some high mileage oil do the trick?

 

[electrolover]

its carbon releasing from the engine surfaces, it will stop eventually when it is all out.
i would run PYB and MMO or PU with or without MMO at 3k until it is all gone. you will know when its all gone by cutting open your filters, if the is no black specs of carbon its done.

i would use a quality filter as well, like the MotorCraft. its very cheap and very well made

 

[ChuckBerry]

Yes I use the Motorcraft FL820S...cutting open the filters will be a bit trick as I have nothing to cut them open with and I really am not interested in buying a filter cutting tool.

So...I think PYB 5w20 with MMO on the next OCI if the QSHM doesn't do the trick. I'll replace the cooler lines and hope that this is the largest part of the oil problem and hope that the rest of it is sticky rings that more cleaning will address.

 

[Greggy_D]

Originally Posted By: ChuckBerry


So...I think PYB 5w20 with MMO on the next OCI if the QSHM doesn't do the trick.


You may want to bump up to 5w-30 if you are using MMO.

 

[electrolover]

i just use a hacksaw. im looking for crud so i just over look the metal shavings. you could also poke a hole in it and use tinsnips

 

[JMJNet]

There is no telling when the gritty stuff is going to stop. Unless you do an engine autopsy. I would not suggest you to do that. Don't fix what is not broken. Old engines will be like that and we know it when you bought it. At least I would expect it like that.

So at this point, just move as planned and keep cleaning the engine. Hopefully, the car can last a long time or at least until you get bored with it and sell it.

 

[mpvue]

184K? shoot, if it's running good I wouldn't worry about anything!

 

[Eddie]

I would use a HM oil like 5w30 Pennzoil or ? HM oil

 

[Tempest]

Quote:
when draining that oil lots of gritty stuff came out some in sizable chunks. I used PYB 5w-20 for the rinse phase, added about a pint of MMO a few hundred miles ago and just drained it, it came out very dark with similar grittiness, but not with the larger chunks.

Exactly my experience with ARX, in 4 engines. All are still running just fine, and I'd say better after the ARX.

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

Quote:

Exactly my experience with ARX, in 4 engines. All are still running just fine, and I'd say better after the ARX.


+1

 

[ltslimjim]

Nice thread guys. I have gotten more of the 'grainy' stuff the OP mentioned when using Valvoline MaxLife and Amsoil's Engine flush product just prior to the oil change on my 2 personal vehicles.

I found it coming out on the last 3 oil changes I've done, including my dad's S10 pickup that I didn't use a flush/clean procedure in. I switched him to Valvoline MaxLife for a cleaning interval.

Never used MMO, ARX, LubeGard, LubroMoly, or Kreen products yet but I'm sure I will turn to them if need be. I'm interested in MMO as a cheaper alternative to ARX for slower cleaning. I believe LubeGard would be a gentle 'flush' if I used their engine flush, but I'm not sure how LubroMoly's engine flush would act(aggressive or conservative).