My 89 Aerostar runs fine actually engine wise, execpt for a lifter tick until the engine is warmed up
small leak near the pan drain plug - I think it's above it, where the low oil sensor is (that gasket) - dime sized spot within 24 hours, so it's slow.
Also, same car - tranny is starting to shift a little harsh and slipps sometimes in 1st gear (if you gun it, which I rarely do)
------- 96 Explorer - 4.0L - 125K
Tranny is fine
Engine is ok - but I know I have a cracked head, and I get the white smoke for the first 3-4 mins, etc until the crack/head reseats....
I recently changed the oil, an added some of that STP honey stuff - but now, I swear the engine is running rougher than it did - louder on heavy accelleration, rougher idle - not a miss per se - more like a vibration in the steering wheel...
I noticed that one of the transaxles has a leak too... I never see it leak, but it is wet there... so it must be slow.
lastly, the Power Steering unit whines all the time... hate that... ----------
93 Chevy Lumina
engine is fine, just has a small front seal leak (couple of drips on the driveway once in a while... not like a huge amount
------
So, can I use this stuff to solve and or all of the problems above? and or, can it be used just for preventive maintiance, or should it only be used if you have a problem?
The below information will give you a better view of what Auto-Rx will do.
What will Auto-Rx do for my engine and transmission and improve my gas miles.
1.Will remove sludge and contaminants. 2.Clean ring packs. 3.Clean and restore un damaged seals 4.Will reduce oil burning engine. 5.Restore Compression & Combustion. 6.Stop seal leaks. 7.Auto-Rx is safe to use.
Transmission
1.Prevent costly repairs 2.Increase the life of transmission 3.Improve the overall performance of transmission 4.Clean torque converter
On the '89 Aerostar if the lifter is making noise because of a build up of contaminents there is a good chance ARX will solve the problem.
The low oil sensor leak is not something ARX can fix.
The transmission may improve with a ARX treatment, it's certainly not going to hurt it. Be sure and change the filter if you have one.
On the '96 Explorer ARX will not be able to do anything for your cracked head. I wouldn't even do a treatment until you get that fixed.
ARX might be able to improve the seal on the transaxle. It's worth a try.
I think ARX will make a difference in your P/S unit, making it's operation smoother. Will the whine go away, that I don't know.
On the '96 Lumina ARX should be able to stop that front seal leak.
"do people use this product even if they do not have problems, as preventitive maintience, or only when they have a problem with sludge?"
I personally use ARX for both reasons.
"in other words, if the engine runs fine overall, will this improve the performance, or is it only designed to fix a problem engine?"
If the engine is running fine, what is left to improve upon? ARX can't fix a problem you don't have. It's been my experience that it will improve an engine that has problems.
"so, how many people have used the product in an otherwise good running engine, to see the engine run better than it did before?"
When I've found that an engine runs better after a ARX treatment I've always been able to trace it back to a problem. Now that problem I might not have been aware of at first. Usually things like sludge accumulate over time and you're not aware of the slow loss of performance as it happens.
" understand that it will not fix a broken rod, etc - but I guess what I see here is that any engine over 100K would benefit from the product?"
I think the more miles on an engine the more likely ARX is going to be of benefit to you.
"is it a one time use sort of thing?"
It can be. Engine oil, as a for instance, keeps getting better over time because of higher industry standards. Many oils now are "semi-synthetic" just to meet those standards. While the oils are better your engine continues to rack up the miles. More miles means more wear and internal conditions that make it hard on oil to keep up.
I know you haven't asked yet but once you've done a ARX treatment you might want to consider following a maintenance plan. I look at it as cheap insurance.
Regarding your question about people using Auto-RX without problems, I ran an Auto-RX cycle in my Integra that had no issues before, no sludge, no leaks, no consumption, etc. just as a preventative measure. Switched over to synthetic afterwards, too. Still no consumption or leaks :) I just add 3-4oz. of ARX every oil change now as my maintenance dosage. It runs the same though as it did before, which was to be expected, nothing was wrong with it! :) It's great for the seals & rings especially, and also cleans hard to see areas so I'd still use it in a car without problems.
yeah, but how do you know? if you didn't notice a difference in performance, and haven't torn the engine down, you don't know if the product really did anything for your engine... (seals, etc)
I have read on here even, that people can make an otherwise good engine worse by using this product, since any of these types of products can loosen crud in the oil paths, and cause blockage problems, etc...
So, I'm opt to take the road of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" sort of approach...
But, then someone on the Ford forum told me they noticed a difference in MPG, and performance - I know it won't make the engine run like you bolted on a turbo, but it would be nice to see if it really did anything...
I guess my biggest fear, is that I don't want to cause a headache for an otherwise ok running engine.... (thinking about my 3.0L specifically)
I may give it a try on it eventually, but it may take my a year to put 5K miles on the engine, since it rarely gets driven.
Nobody who has used Auto-Rx properly has not come away saying they felt nothing. Nobody ever posted that Auto-Rx made there engine worse.
I don't know your agenda however Auto-Rx works if you work it.Based on your posts that seems difficult for you to comprehend. We won't be able to help you anymore.
Read my post on (valvetrain noise still there with Auto-Rx) actually found out tonite from the ElCamino Central site that it is my speedometer making noise, look at the number of filters I have changed, found out my cooling issues are trapped air which I will have to address tomorow, car runs better with more power, was it magic or the 2 cleans in a row ( my mistake) a rinse, then a clean and another rinse, with 355K nothing clogged up engine just filters, would love to send Frank all my filters but with the weight of the crud inside my shipping costs would be pretty high, this product does not loosen crud it liquifies it, before I bought this product I read a whole bunch of posts on BITOG and nobody ever said that it caused problems, I even talked to Frank at 8 in the morning and he gave me a money back guarantee, the notion of it ain't broke dont fix it is nonsense, my Dad and I have identical 04 Mercury Marauder's , his has 13K and mine has 21K, I use the Maintenance Dose, he does not, my oil is a little darker than his, my tailpipe is a little cleaner than his, we both drove our cars up to N.Y. last August, guess who had the better mileage, he averaged 23 miles per gallon going up and back, I averaged 28.5 going up doing 65 miles per hour, going home I averaged 30.2 miles per gallon doing 65 miles per hour, 2 exact cars with low miles and the car is rated for 17 city and 23 highway, right now driving around town and about I am averaging 24 miles per gallon, is it magic or Auto-Rx.
To address your question on to use or not to use, without having any prior problems. I say yes, I have extensive background with Auto-rx, please read my letter to Frank which was featured on the front page of Autorx.com awhile back.
--- Dear Frank,
I started using Auto-RX in my personal vehicle from the day I started driving at the age of 16. I am now 20 years old and have used Auto-RX in up to seven different vehicles. Starting with my 1990 Nissan Stanza, 2003 Nissan Sentra SER Spec-V, 1997 Pontiac Bonneville, 1993 SR20DET 240sx, and two different 2004 Subaru WRX STis.
In each vehicle I used auto-rx as either preventative maintenance or to help treat a problem, with each vehicle we received amazing results. The Stanza and Bonneville had transmission issues that were cleared up within the treatment amount following the specific instructions on your web page.
In the 240sx, and two STis we used auto-rx as a preventative maintenance item and witnessed a decrease in spool time from the turbochargers (Most likely due to cleaning out any oil coking), quicker revs, stronger pulls, and a overall "improved" butt dyno feel.
The Spec-V was a completely different case that received multiple bottles of Auto-RX as the QR25DE engine is known to be a oil consumption engine due to a defect in the precatayltic converter on certain models, after removal of the stock header and replacement with an aftermarket piece I noticed I was having oil consumption of about 1 1\2 quart every 2500-3000 miles. After using auto-rx with the oil burning\sludge usage instructions the oil usage was completely stopped and the engine regained some of its previous reliability.
The transmission on the Spec-V is known also to be notchy and hard to engage, with the use of Auto-RX and high quality transmission fluid I was able to cure the 2nd gear grinding I was encountering and having to deal with, the car was driven by other Spec-V owners and none could believe the smooth engagements my car had, thanks purely to Auto-RX.
On top of all of this in each instance, and each case I've noticed a 2-6 mpg increase acrost the board. Being younger with the price of gasoline today I keep VERY detailed gas logs, during but mostly immediately after the rinse phase I got results of better miles per gallon.
Leave it to me to say that Auto-RX is incredibly effective, and a great cost solution to save money in a time where gas is at a all time high.
Thank you for the great product, and amazing service, quick shipping and awesome forum. Engmus ---
In my STi I could view my boost gauge and was reaching peak boost far faster then prior to the auto-rx treatments.
so, how many people have used the product in an otherwise good running engine, to see the engine run better than it did before?
I understand that it will not fix a broken rod, etc - but I guess what I see here is that any engine over 100K would benefit from the product?
is it a one time use sort of thing?
Bob
I'll let you know how it goes in my 97 Saturn with 170K on the clock. The engine does burn oil but otherwise runs great. Starts on the first clik and have never had an ounce of trouble from the engine.
Now before I used the ARX I did a compression test and logged the results and will compare them after I'm done with the first application and then on the second application of ARX.
I also took photos of the DOHC, valve cover and will also do the same with the filters when it comes time to change them.
I also used some ARX in the wifeys 92 BMW 165K miles. No pics but did a compression test and logged the results. The engine also runs fine except for some small oil leaks. With this vehicle I have know idea on previous service and I'm the 3rd owner.
I'm anxiously waiting for my next oil change on both vehicles. If I see positive results I'll be sure and do the preventitive ARX thats described.
why are you so defensive with me? I just wanted to know if the product actually made an improvement of some type in an engine that didn't burn oil, or had noticeable power loss...
I wasn't saying that it didn't work - how would I know that? I'm only stating what I've read, and people like head south are the kind of results I was after...
I've love to try the product, but there are so many products out that claim this and that... I just didn't want to make things worse...
Frank has a product that works if you follow the instructions. Auto-Rx works it all depends how dirty you engine is but regardless it works your choice if you read the web page and it did not convince you to try it then do not order it simple as that.
a web site is designed to sell a product - but all I was looking for was similar applications to what I would be using the product for...
I'm sorry if me asking some honest questions gets people so upset.... I wasn't even saying that I tried the product and it didn't work - it may work wonderfully... but real people using it is who I wanted to hear from...
I'd love to try it, but I just wanted to be sure, by asking other people, if they have had good results using it, even as PM...
I guess I will have to ask these sorts of things in a car forum that is not being monitored by the owners of the product...
Frank's quote:
"Nobody who has used Auto-Rx properly has not come away saying they felt nothing. Nobody ever posted that Auto-Rx made there engine worse.
I don't know your agenda however Auto-Rx works if you work it.Based on your posts that seems difficult for you to comprehend. We won't be able to help you anymore."
First of all, the guy right above his post said there was no difference, thrideye, but his engine may have been perfect to start with, and no sludge build up, etc... so, of course it will be no change...
but, then the guy insults me.... and I'm not even a customer yet!
The web page says NOTHING about the questions I was asking - it should give examples of the benefits by using the product...
you need to sell the "sizzle and not the steak" - no one cares how dirty their engine is - People buy a product based on a performance increase, or some sort of added value, such as a longer running engine.... no one can "see" sludge inside the engine, but people and FEEL a difference if that sludge is removed....
I understand that everyone's situation is different, but stating "reduces sludge" won't mean anything to people that don't understand the benefit of why that is important....
people don't clean their windows because they are dirty - they clean them for the benefit of being able to see clearly out of them.... that is my point...
So, to thrideye above - thanks for being honest.
You guys should do exactly what headnsouth is doing - run some trail tests, so that you can show photos of the engine before and after using your product... photos are worth 1000 words as they say... you may have already done this, but you'd need to post those, and get specific on the data, and detailed photos and charts, like a dyno run, etc.... like, how much more HP does a sludge-free engine produce, etc... a dyno graph would show that.
all that said, I would still most likely try the product - and yeah, I can follow directions
MM67 the info you're looking for is posted in this forum or over at BITOG. Pour yourself a cold drink and read a while.
I myself as most anyone else is skeptic of any product making claims. I've read dozens of first hand experiences about the product from both at this site and BITOG (Bobistheoilguy.com)
Am I still skeptical? A bit but after all the reading I was comfortable with my purchase. Will I see results? I'd bet I do but to what extent well thats going to vary from vehicle to vehicle and depends on many factors.
You know how your car feels after washing it runs better doesn't it? At least it feels that way to me and I'm sure many people feel that way after pouring in a bottle of ARX. I wanted more than the seat in the pants feeling of improvement. Like numbers and photos which I have and I'll gladly post when I'm done.
Many other people using ARX have documented improvements in varying ways. Sign up over at BITOG and check out the oil additives section. :) That site has some real gearheads who really know their stuff as well as this site. Or you can just Google Auto_RX or ARX and I've found alot of info from different boards.
that is so funny - my Grandfather used to say that all the time, and it is a weird thing, but it is true about after to wash it, it runs better
I saw the PDF's, etc... it's all imperical - I think what you are doing is the real way to sell the product - I mean, a photo comparing even 2 oil pans, anything...
I guess there are just SO many products on the market that claim to do this and that, and many can actually hurt an engine... the product was recommended to me from another site, since I had a sticking lifter on cold starts...
I guess the bottom line is that worse case, it won't hurt anything to try the product, which I guess was really what I wanted to know...
The only reason I was upset was because I have used this product and it does work, like yourself I was skeptical too but after reading everything on BITOG and talking to Frank, I decided to give it a try, I had already changed my oil pan, oil pump, water pump, distributor, intake manifold, I had too much money in the engine to just give up and put in a new engine, the Auto-Rx process is cheaper than getting a new engine, the only other way to totally clean your engine is to take it apart, this product is not going to hurt anything, but if you do not keep after your oil filter you could have problems with it going into bypass and have stuff floating around engine instead of going to the oil filter, I have talked to certain salespeople at a top synthetic oil company who all swear by using Auto-Rx as a Maintenance Dose and to clean there engines over what they sell to clean there engines.
Auto-Rx will probably do wonders for the annoying aspects of your engines and transmissions. The thing is, most people who use it as a preventitive measure, have already used it as a remedial measure. They already know the product has merit.
Let's say you buy it and it cures your lifter tick and you note an improvement in fuel economy too ..maybe some perception of restored power. You then move on to using it with other applications in a prophalactic or preventive manner to avoid such issues in the future. Some also do a perpetual maintenance program with it.
I've used the product myself and have absolutely no doubts to its effectiveness. I've used it in a beater that I bought for my daughter at college. It reduced the consumption from "by the hour" of operation to months of operation. I've used it on my Mitsubishi 3.0 that smoked due to bad valve seals and had an annoying lifter tick. Fixed it where no other product had even altered it. I'm sold.
As far as "defensive" perceptions ..it did somewhat appear that you were perseverating on some obscure point that didn't seem to be easily defined. There are lots of hoaky additives out there. The all claim all the things that you pointed out. Just like PF Flyers (sneakers) ..they would make you run faster and jump higher due to their "action wedge".
Z-Max, Duralube, Prolong, CFR, and all the other junk is just that, mostly junk. A few of them may actually do half of what they claim ...but with side effects that aren't bolstered into the info-mercial. Chlorinated parafins ..etc..etc. One product, Oil Extreme, apparently REALLY did provide some radical friction reduction that resulted in increased mpg ..but only lasted 3,000 miles in usage. At $25/3000 miles ...it was a product that made no sense. The amount of mpg increase didn't pay for the product.
Back in the Carter Administration GE came out with photovoltaic panels. They stopped marketing them when they figured out that they couldn't produce as much energy as was put into them in their manufacturing (they've improved since then). Oil additive companies don't have such needs of sensibilty. All they sell you is the sizzle ..and no meat.
You do bring up some issues that are obvious. The average consumer is totally numb and could care less if their engine is clean. Maybe that's a bit simplistic ..perhaps more accurately stated, the average consumer doesn't think about how clean their engine is. That's the job of marketing ..but this isn't Castrol where there's a million $$ budget for the "sludge" type commercial. That's why, as of yet, this is a niche product. It's mostly spread by word of mouth. I never heard of this stuff before ..and then kept hearing it on a message board. Tried it ...the rest is history for me.
If you try it, the story will probably be the same for you <shrug>.
