Auto-RX Desludging a 4.3L

BlazerLT · 03-24-2005, 12:47 PM

Yes, I am a semi-converted skeptic on Auto-Rx but after seeing the material it left in the filter of the V6 Dodge engine, I just had to try this stuff out.

This is the truck I will be testing it out on.

Engine is a 4.3L with around 132,000miles on the odometer. The engine was rasied on a diet of Castrol GTX 5w30, Castrol Syntec 5w30 recently, and two oil changes with Esso XD3 Synthetic 0w30.

I am also going to be taking photos of the product and oil dipstick photos as I progress through the 1500 mile cleaning cycle.

Peeking down the long oil fill tube did allow me to se that the valve are sludged up pretty badly and there is a LOT of varnish.

Here are the photos:

Here are two of the three bottles I ordered. Frank didn't overcharge me for shipping which was really nice and the package arrived here in Canada in less than 5 business days. The one bottle is missing seeing it is in my truck now.

What does AutoRX look like, well, the photo above pretty well sums it up. It is extremely dark burgundy/red and at room temperature has the consistency of used motor oil if you needed a comparison. For some reason, I have to always smell things like this seeing I just LOVE to smell Castrol Syntec. :stretch:

It smells like a slightly chemical noted wine or a strong port.

The oil in my truck is Esso XD-3 0w30 synthetic and was recently changed about 300 miles ago so I didn't install a new oil filter before I poured the Auto-RX into the crankcase. The picture above is just after I pored it in and allowed it to idle for 10 minutes. To get the most of the Auto-RX out of the bottle, I recommend you warm up your truck and have the bottle laying on your front window defrost grill to get it really warm. It will practically pour out like water.

As you can see, the product does not darken the oil too much at all.

Here is a shot after 50 miles. I poured the product in, idled it for 10 minutes, took the first photo and then went for a nice long drive.

No difference was noted and the oil color has not changed nor was I expecting it to.

I will continue updating this thread as I go through the cleaning cycle with dipstick photos as I progress through the 1500mile cleaning cycle. I don't put a lot of miles on this truck and there is a lot of short trips hence why I am getting sludge buildup.

I will keep you posted.

BlazerLT · 03-24-2005, 12:49 PM

Ok, so I have the new 150mile photo I said was noticeably darker.

Here is the oil at 0 miles.

And here is the oil after 150 miles.

Pretty good difference over 150 miles. The product is safely cleaning the varnish and gunk out of the engine.

AlmostStock · 03-24-2005, 03:03 PM

I never heard of this product before. I know you said you do short trips and live in a cold area which would contribute to the build up of sludge, but I always thought that frequent oil changes would prevent this from happening. Not so? I am very interested in the long term effects of this cleaner. (leaks, lifter clatter, or oil consumption?) Obviously you must have done some research or you wouldn't be using it. Thanks for the test.

BlazerLT · 03-24-2005, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlmostStock

I never heard of this product before. I know you said you do short trips and live in a cold area which would contribute to the build up of sludge, but I always thought that frequent oil changes would prevent this from happening. Not so? I am very interested in the long term effects of this cleaner. (leaks, lifter clatter, or oil consumption?) Obviously you must have done some research or you wouldn't be using it. Thanks for the test.

It is an excellent engine cleaner and does a much more thorough job that the quicky engine flushes.

I'll keep you updated as I progress through the 1500miles cleaning phase and the 3000 miles rinse phase.

JParrott · 03-29-2005, 01:25 PM

Definently keep us all posted. Over at BITOG forums I've been skeptical but impressed at the before and after results. If this works well for you I'll probably seek this out myself this summer as I close in on 100000 miles on my 2000 LS. I've also got a 2000 Grand Voyager SE with close to 100000 that I'll try it on too.

MY VEHICLE MAINTENANCE DEPENDS ON YOU BLAZER LT!!!!

BlazerLT · 03-29-2005, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JParrott

Definently keep us all posted. Over at BITOG forums I've been skeptical but impressed at the before and after results. If this works well for you I'll probably seek this out myself this summer as I close in on 100000 miles on my 2000 LS. I've also got a 2000 Grand Voyager SE with close to 100000 that I'll try it on too.

MY VEHICLE MAINTENANCE DEPENDS ON YOU BLAZER LT!!!!

I will keep you posted.

Although I have no problem with the quickie flushes, I wanted to take a more gentle and thorough approach to getting the sludge out of my engine.

I will tell you one thing, the engine sure is getting alot quieter.

muzzy1maniac · 03-29-2005, 10:18 PM

BlazerLT - where did you get your Auto-RX??

BlazerLT · 03-29-2005, 10:31 PM

Ordered it directly off of Auto-rx.com.

Become a forum member there and you will get a discount.

muzzy1maniac · 03-29-2005, 10:42 PM

I was just visiting the site - thanks. What's your opinion on their statements about synthetic oil and will you continue using it after your treatment?

BlazerLT · 03-30-2005, 12:05 AM

You can use synthetic for the 1500mile cleaning phase, but you have to use dino for the 3000 mile rinse phase.

I am running synthetic with the cleaning phase right now but I will change to Castrol GTX 5w30 for the rinse phase.

After this, I will go back to synthetic.

blazee · 04-18-2005, 09:17 AM

update?

BlazerLT · 04-18-2005, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazee

update?

750 miles on cleaning phase.

Engine developed a lifter tap from 500 to 700miles miles on the odometer.

Total oil in the system for my 1995 should be 4.5 quarts ONLY. I was almost a quart overfilled.

Turns out I shouldn't have overfilled the crankcase like that seeing the crank was slapping the oil a little much and causing air to be sucked into the oil system.

This air is hard to get out and takes several miles to get out of the system.

Since then, the engine is back to normal.

No startup tap at all. Cold starts are just as quiet as hot starts. This is impressive.

Took a look through the oil fill tube with a flashlight and I could not believe how much cleaner it was. It is not perfectly clean, but it is a lot better than it was at the start which was dark and gritty and sludged up.

Oil has only gotten slightly darker than the last shot you see above. But I know the oil filter is starting to get to its limit. Oil pressure is pretty high for the 65f temperatures we are having here. This is normal as all the crap in the system is filtered out through the oil filter as it should be.

I will keep you posted as I move closer to the 1500 mile limit which should be soon as I will be undergoing a long 16 hour road trip within the next month.

On another note, I also added Auto-RX to my GF's 1994 Cavalier VL with a 2.2L.

This car is showing much better improvement over my truck with this treatment. The engine is so quiet that I could not even BELIEVE it when I started it up after 1000 miles with the treatment.

This stuff works wonders on higher mileage inline 4 and 6 cylinder engines.

I will keep you posted.

blazer94 · 04-19-2005, 09:30 AM

That is very interesting.. The guys down at the Dealership said pretty much the same thing to me, and said that the only real crap comes from running cleaners thru our gas and oil systems. On the subject of fuel injector cleaning, one guy said if you use a good quality gas w/ detergents, you should not have to have injectors cleaned, but went on to say that since a lot of people buy cheap gas ( ? ) and than run products like STP etc thru the tanks, a lot of crap can build up. He also recommended a flush like the snap on tool flush that hooks up to the fuel rails in a FI engine, and said once a year or so (depending on driving habits) was probably plenty, if that.

blazer94 · 04-19-2005, 11:10 AM

I would also like to add, after reading the back and forth between Blazer LT and TonyMazz, ( another thread (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=396043)That I would agree that this fourm is a good place to all these different opinions, as we learn more by being exposed to more info. The project here that Blazer LT is running makes me think, but when I changed my oil last time ( Mobil 1 syn, 5200K miles, ) it looked as dirty as the conventional I ran. I choose to run full syn because a) I drive mostly short 5-10 drives about 10 times a day, b) it gets kinda cold here in Chicago in the winter, especially with the NW winds, c) I want the protction that the syn gives my motor for reasons a&b. Since switching, ( I did do a flush when I changed to syn) I have a lower op temp, my oil pressure runs a little lower @idle and under acceleration (idle, approx. 30-35psi, accel/cruise approx45-50psi) and motor Seems a little quieter. Just my opinion.

BlazerLT · 04-19-2005, 12:33 PM

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