There is no incompatibility with Auto-Rx and Mobil 1. However, M1 is a group IV, PAO oil base type oil. PAO oils require an addition of esters to hold the oils additive package in suspension. These esters are also polar or attracted to ferrous metals. These esters tend to compete for surface metal, as do the cleaning esters in Auto-Rx. To answer your question, yes you can. But for maximum cleaning and rinsing I would recommend that you run Auto-Rx with a Group III synthetic oil such as Pennsoil Platinum, for example, for absolute best results. After the cleaning and rinse, if you want to return to Mobil 1, I recommend running a maintenance dose of 3 fluid ounces with each oil change. UOA shows us that the maintenance dose helps the performance of M1, from both lower wear metals, and greater detergency, as well as neutralizing acid build up in the oil from unburned fuel seeping past the piston rings.
Hope this is helpful to you. Any further questions, please reply.
Rich Eklund Auto-Rx Consultant
-- Edited by Frank Miller on Monday 11th of May 2009 12:36:16 PM
You can run Auto-Rx with Mobil 1. M1 like any other PAO group IV synthetic oil, also contains esters for coupling additives into the PAO base. Auto-Rx is made up of 3 cleaning esters. All esters have polar tendencies, which mean they have an attraction to ferrous metal surfaces. In essence then you have coupling esters from the M1 competing for the same metal surfaces as the cleaning esters from Auto-Rx. So it is not the ideal situation for shear cleaning and rinsing. With that said a conventional oil would be better, or a group III synthetic.
If you are sitting with a fresh fill of Mobil 1, you can run the Auto-Rx with it. I would consider running the rinsing phase with a non polar oil such as a conventional or group III synthetic. After your rinse phase is complete, you may switch back to Mobil 1. I would suggest running a 3 to 4 fluid ounce maintenance dose of Auto-Rx with each oil change. It will provide some extra lubricity and tends to keep valve train wear metals lower. It will also help keep the ring pack working freely, maximizing performance and minimizing fuel dilution.
I choose Walmart SuperTech 5W-30 conventional Dino (group II) oil for the clean and rinse phase based on the recommendations of this site. Does the quote below indicate that a group III "synthetic" oil, such as Pennzoil Platinum would work even better than plain Dino, putting aside the higher oil cost?
Thanks,
Rumple
Frank Miller wrote:
But for maximum cleaning and rinsing I would recommend that you run Auto-Rx with a Group III synthetic oil such as Pennsoil Platinum, for example, for absolute best results.
-- Edited by rumpledoll on Tuesday 12th of May 2009 07:58:15 AM
What OCI would you recommend with Mobil 1 5W-30 and the maintenance dose of Auto-Rx? 5,000 miles? 6,000? I never went greater than 3,500 miles between oil changes and I have used Mobil 1 twice in the past year with the Auto-Rx maintenance dose. Since I'm paying more for the synthetic I want to get my money's worth out of it. And my engine seems to like the M1 quite a bit in the cold Northern Ohio starts and hot summer days alike.
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5000 miles with a clean filter. Your engine would like any oil better. Mobil 1 is a full synthetic with a complex additive package meaning it tries to coat the metal including the contaminants-dirt and various other particulates.
Coating has been around a long time it has been used to quiet engines of course in doing so they starve these worn areas of getting lubrication.
Auto-Rx stops coating of metal and makes the oil lubricate clean metal.
The problem with synthetics in a rinse mode is that one additive in there complex additive package job is to hold oil to metal, you don't want this when you want to rinse off every thing from the metal.
-- Edited by Frank Miller on Monday 18th of May 2009 03:15:55 PM
Regarding Auto-RX, Frank advises not using group IV or V oils for the "rinse" phase. The reason for this is that Auto-RX is a mix of three highly polar esters. In order to clean your engine, arx has an affinity for the metallic surfaces inside your engine. In its quest to bond with metal, it displaces and dissolves deposits that might already be on the interior surfaces ie sludge. BK ****rell
-- Edited by Frank Miller on Wednesday 20th of May 2009 08:09:22 AM
