Best Engine Cleaning Additive?

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I see numerous ones talked about in the forums. Which ones do you like in order of effective, experience from actual use, tests done, etc...

Auto-RX, Rislone, Marvel Mystery Oil, Seafoam ,plain oil changed alot, Synthetic Oil changed alot? Any others?
 
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The biggest one you'll hear about on here is the Auto-RX. I'm still very skeptical but I'm sure that's the one that'll get recommended the most.

This probably should've been posted in the additive forum.
 
I believe unless your car has very high mileage, simply using Chevron, Shell or Texaco gas will help keep your engine clean. These 3 products have Techron in them (made by Chevron so Shell and Texaco probably can't mention this by name). Techron is also (I'm told) sold over the counter.
 
Originally Posted By: cristphoto
I believe unless your car has very high mileage, simply using Chevron, Shell or Texaco gas will help keep your engine clean. These 3 products have Techron in them (made by Chevron so Shell and Texaco probably can't mention this by name). Techron is also (I'm told) sold over the counter.


These would be fuel system cleaners but not oil system cleaners.
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
Auto-RX, Rislone, Marvel Mystery Oil, Seafoam ,plain oil changed alot, Synthetic Oil changed alot? Any others?

A load of Redline oil for it's high ester content.

Schaeffer's Neutra 131.
 
I hate to sound like a broken record but I know that oil will clean ordinary sludge-type deposits if given a chance, based entirely on my experience with sludged-up motorcycle crankcases. Change the oil, sludge goes away.

Harder deposits I will make no claim about.

However it seems to me that one of the oil's primary jobs is to encapsulate and suspend contaminants and that it will do so whether the contaminants are formed while the oil is in the engine or were already there when it was put in.

I know in some car engines sludge will remain, but to me that is more an argument that those engines are particularly prone to keep forming new sludge than that the oil is incapable of dealing with some amount of sludge in the first place.

My humble opinion, anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: glennc
I hate to sound like a broken record but I know that oil will clean ordinary sludge-type deposits if given a chance, based entirely on my experience with sludged-up motorcycle crankcases. Change the oil, sludge goes away.


Agreed. Change the oil regularly (3000 miles on a known sludger instead of trying for 5000) is the best medicine. That being said I've pulled neglected engines apart and been amazed that they looked better inside then my own engines I actually tried to take care of.
 
Originally Posted By: glennc
I hate to sound like a broken record but I know that oil will clean ordinary sludge-type deposits if given a chance, based entirely on my experience with sludged-up motorcycle crankcases. Change the oil, sludge goes away.

Harder deposits I will make no claim about.

However it seems to me that one of the oil's primary jobs is to encapsulate and suspend contaminants and that it will do so whether the contaminants are formed while the oil is in the engine or were already there when it was put in.

I know in some car engines sludge will remain, but to me that is more an argument that those engines are particularly prone to keep forming new sludge than that the oil is incapable of dealing with some amount of sludge in the first place.

My humble opinion, anyway.


I have had similar experiences with Motorcycles, I gave credit to the HDEO, but you have observed it with PCMO. PP is now claiming in an add, that it will remove existing deposits. I wonder how true, and what is the basis for their claim.

What about ARX, if not a solvent or a detergent, makes it clean?
Esters?....could you not just run a Group V oil then? And what about all the problems with PAO's cleaning the crud of seals and
the resulting weep, wasn't that "cleaning".......I know, sooo many questions
 
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Regular Penzoil also makes the cleaning claim, as well as Mobil Drive Clean which a lot of people here recommend.
 
Originally Posted By: Cmarti
What about ARX, if not a solvent or a detergent, makes it clean?
Esters?....


Yes, esters
 
Originally Posted By: Cmarti


What about ARX, if not a solvent or a detergent, makes it clean?
Esters?....could you not just run a Group V oil then? And what about all the problems with PAO's cleaning the crud of seals and
the resulting weep, wasn't that "cleaning".......I know, sooo many questions


Totally different classes of esters. I do agree that oils (some better than others) will clean and carry out loose/semi baked on crud, but beyond that - it will take a long time and a lot of oil changes to clean a nasty engine and no engine oil cleans rings. AutoRx is in no way perfect, nor a miracle but the different esters in it will dissolve nasty crud, not at solvent rates, but faster than straight oil.

Not sure why the second question is limited to PAO based oils. This would happen with any oil with the correct additives and great ability to flow.
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo



Totally different classes of esters. I do agree that oils (some better than others) will clean and carry out loose/semi baked on crud, but beyond that - it will take a long time and a lot of oil changes to clean a nasty engine and no engine oil cleans rings. AutoRx is in no way perfect, nor a miracle but the different esters in it will dissolve nasty crud, not at solvent rates, but faster than straight oil.

Not sure why the second question is limited to PAO based oils. This would happen with any oil with the correct additives and great ability to flow.


Classes of Esters?, I had an Ester in my 3rd grade class, but you have moved beyond my limited understanding of chemistry.

The second point was just a remark on the often stated here reason on why it leaks with syn, but not dino. If the oil did not clean, what knocked the [censored] off the seals? Giving it some thought, your position would appear to be correct.
 
Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Originally Posted By: glennc
I hate to sound like a broken record but I know that oil will clean ordinary sludge-type deposits if given a chance, based entirely on my experience with sludged-up motorcycle crankcases. Change the oil, sludge goes away.


Agreed. Change the oil regularly (3000 miles on a known sludger instead of trying for 5000) is the best medicine. That being said I've pulled neglected engines apart and been amazed that they looked better inside then my own engines I actually tried to take care of.


Sorry thats not good enough. I know from personal experience. 3000 mile oil changes STILL sludged up a 1999 avalon V6.
 
Pennzoil Platinum has very high calcium content which is a cleaner. Probably why they claim it cleans your engine. It is cleaning up the wifes lexus v6 nicely after 4 OCI's the fill cap crud is gone. But I wouldn't use it to clean a sludged engine I would try a cleaner like autorx because it is not a solvent based cleaner and won't damage anything.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc


Sorry thats not good enough. I know from personal experience. 3000 mile oil changes STILL sludged up a 1999 avalon V6.


Maybe a problem with the PCV system then. Those 3.0 engines arent known for being sludge monsters.
 
Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Originally Posted By: badtlc


Sorry thats not good enough. I know from personal experience. 3000 mile oil changes STILL sludged up a 1999 avalon V6.


Maybe a problem with the PCV system then. Those 3.0 engines arent known for being sludge monsters.


I replaced the PCV every 15k mi due to paranoia.
 
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