Back from the abyss... :o

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Wow. It's been quite a while since I last posted here. Life got busy and retirement from truck driving came, I started a new business... time moves quickly...
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Let me duly apologize to everyone who has PM'd me over the last 2 or 3 years, for not replying.

And I have several pages of PM's it looks like. I didn't mean to ignore folks, I just didn't happen back by, and failed to realize there were all of those messages. And aside from that I'm probably not nearly as interesting as I may have been before, since retiring from tanker driving. I've not driven in close to 3 years now. I miss the big trucks for sure, but not the DOT regs and such; it was just getting too crazy to keep up with. And taking quite a toll on the old body, too.
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So how was it that I stopped back by anyway? Well... I was remembering a test that I did with Auto-RX at the behest of another forum member (Gary Allan I think) who paid for the product, and for my Dyson analysis. We ran the product through the 200k engine of my 1993 Escort (which is still going strong, though I've now given it to a friend who needed it).

I shared the pics of the condition of the sludge underneath the valve cover (before/after) and from the disassembled oil filter. And I shared my thoughts on the difference the treatment made for my little car--which was amazing, to say the least.

So I had decided to try some of the Auto-RX in my wife's 1994 Chevy pick up, with 255k on the 4.3 V6. And I googled the product name, and found BITOG threads on it... many of which were trashing the daylights out of the stuff!
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So... I'm left to wonder if all of what I "thought" I experienced with my '93 Escort was psychosomatic?
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At this point, I really don't think it was... the car's performance really picked up a lot. I attributed it to the piston rings loosening up from the carbon caking which had them trapped, dropping compression.

But heck... I'm not so sure now. Looks like I might be an idiot!
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Dan
 
Welcome back
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You're not an idiot. But AutoRx has had real mixed reviews. I tried it on my wife's Jag and nada ... I've had better luck with BG109 in more engines. So I have come to the conclusion that it all depends on what oil was in there prior to the treatment. The oil chemistry involved in the deposits and sludging ...

If the oil you were running is susceptible to AutoRx - cool. If it is not, you'll get zero results. I have no seen any in-be-tweeners ...

Over a number of years, I have had better luck freeing stuck rings with Break-Free, a carbon gun solvent. Big shot down each plug hole and let it sit overnight. Re-install plugs, fire it up and drive around the block. Drain oil and change. Sometimes it takes two treatments, but it usually brings the compression back up noticeably
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And now we are hearing good reports from folks using Pennz Ultra Platinum on some cleaning. But it's kinda expensive for old motors. I'd just rather run HDEO and a whole can of BG109 for about three oil changes ...
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Welcome back. I recall your posting one of the most informative threads on branded and unbranded gasolines.


Yes! One of the best threads ever on the forum!

Welcome back TM. What's your new business if you don't mind telling?
 
Having used a product and had good results with it, of course you'd use it again.
Many of those who've trashed ARX have never even seen a bottle of it much less used it.
Welcome back!
 
Welcome back.

Does the OP know a new version of Auto-Rx came out a year or two ago?

I think Auto-Rx will work in some sludge situations and not in others. And many who have tried it have probably not followed the directions.

It's not a miracle cure, you have sludge, add Auto-Rx and sludge is gone.

It's also a heck of a lot safer than using 50/50 oil and diesel fuel to desludge an engine. The Car Talk guys said that ruined the engines they tried it on.

The main sludge issue that people need help with is cruded up oil control rings. Hard to tell for sure and hard to clean with an additive. If you remove the pistons to check for it you minds well just clean off the rings with a solvent and scrape the slot for the rings with an old broken in-two ring.
 
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Originally Posted By: Donald
Welcome back.

The main sludge issue that people need help with is cruded up oil control rings. Hard to tell for sure and hard to clean with an additive. If you remove the pistons to check for it you minds well just clean off the rings with a solvent and scrape the slot for the rings with an old broken in-two ring.


The oil control rings don't suffer from sludge as such because it's too hot. In some cases, mostly with older engines run on oils that lack enough detergents (Or too long an OCI) they can suffer from what is a rather dark varnish (Probably patly Carbon) that causes them to stick.
The solution is to use an idle flush additive just before an oil & filter change, OR to just use a good oil like Ultra, M1 or Amsoil AND a few short OCI's.
 
When I went through 4 bottles of Auto-RX in my SAAB, there was absolutely zero difference under the valve cover when I took it off again.

The car didn't have any real sludge, though. Just a lot of dark tarnish. A bit of sludge roughly 1mm thick on a few surfaces, like bolt heads.

The oil pan had been dropped already and replaced with a custom pan with an opening under the oil pick up screen. Nothing ever materialized in that screen during the Auto-RX phase.

I don't think it did anything at all. But I think your results are plausible. It might help piston rings. I just don't think it does much to clean the engine out.

I know that the oil in my BMW came out much blacker than it had been on the dipstick after running Liqui-Moly Pro idle flush yesterday. No chunks, and a very healthy looking oil filter at a 6k* OCI with M1HM 10W40.

If I ever use anything again, I'll probably just use the occasional idle flush. Auto-RX didn't do the cleaning I expected. It didn't do anything perceptible at all.

*5,800 to be exact.
 
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Thanks for the welcome back, guys. I will try the AutoRX since I did order it already (before posting here)
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... and see if it'll help my wife's pick up. I have a way of knowing pretty quickly if the engine has gained any compression, as we have a long interstate hill to pull going north from where we live, and that truck drops off to
I'm surprised there are some here that remember me from before.
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I have a lot of catching up to do.

Drew asked what my new business is... for last 3 1/2 years, we've been running a long range rifle school, and have done very well. My younger son and I work together ever day, and life is good.
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Google "bangsteel" and you'll probably find us.

I'll share my experience with the AutoRX and let everyone know how it goes. OldEuroCarLover mentioned that his car really just had varnish, not so much sludge under the valve cover. To be honest, that was what I found under the valve cover of my Escort, varnish... but the power of the car went up very noticeably withing just a couple hundred miles, I could tell by pulling that hill that I mentioned. I'll do the same test again with this pick up truck and see if any change is noted. If it'll hold 70mph up the hill in OD, I'll say "awesome!"... and if not, my guess is that I'll have gotten taken.
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I did not know that the formula had changed, so perhaps it's not as apt to work well now. I will tell it like I see it, once I add the stuff to the crank case and run the truck a while.

You guys are great. Thank you for your kindness.
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Dan
 
Originally Posted By: fuel tanker man
Thanks for the welcome back, guys. I will try the AutoRX since I did order it already (before posting here)
shocked.gif
... and see if it'll help my wife's pick up. I have a way of knowing pretty quickly if the engine has gained any compression, as we have a long interstate hill to pull going north from where we live, and that truck drops off to
I'm surprised there are some here that remember me from before.
smile.gif
I have a lot of catching up to do.

Drew asked what my new business is... for last 3 1/2 years, we've been running a long range rifle school, and have done very well. My younger son and I work together ever day, and life is good.
smile.gif
Google "bangsteel" and you'll probably find us.

I'll share my experience with the AutoRX and let everyone know how it goes. OldEuroCarLover mentioned that his car really just had varnish, not so much sludge under the valve cover. To be honest, that was what I found under the valve cover of my Escort, varnish... but the power of the car went up very noticeably withing just a couple hundred miles, I could tell by pulling that hill that I mentioned. I'll do the same test again with this pick up truck and see if any change is noted. If it'll hold 70mph up the hill in OD, I'll say "awesome!"... and if not, my guess is that I'll have gotten taken.
frown.gif


I did not know that the formula had changed, so perhaps it's not as apt to work well now. I will tell it like I see it, once I add the stuff to the crank case and run the truck a while.

You guys are great. Thank you for your kindness.
smile.gif


Dan


When I used Auto RX, it was years ago. The original formula. If anything, I would think that the new formula might work better.

I hope it works out for you.
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Any chance of you taking before and after pics under the valve cover?
 
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I don't want to pull the valve covers... I'm too lazy.
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But I will report what the speed difference, if any, is in OD on I-77 North from my home near Wytheville, VA.

Dan
 
late report I know... but after 1000 to 1500 miles with the Auto RX in the crankcase of this truck, we can see a small amount of difference in the long pull up the mountain mentioned earlier--and air temperature and such could be accounting for that difference as much as anything. So I'd have to say I'm not going to add any significant horsepower to this motor, as did happen with the 1.9 Ford engine in my old Escort.

I apologize for the late report. We lost our older son in a car wreck not long after my last post, and I didn't have my mind on things such as this.
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Dan
 
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