Hi everyone, I have a 1987 Trans Am (5.7 TPI engine) that I just bought with 164k miles on it. This car is a resto project for me and is not a daily driver. The only problem with the engine is the valve stem seals are hardened which causes the familiar puff of smoke at start up. I intend to use MaxLife oil in it after the Auto-Rx is done with to hopefully condition those seals. Since I don't drive this car everyday it may take up to 6 months to reach 3k miles. Is there a maximum amount of time the Auto-Rx should stay in the engine regardless of miles? Is 5-6 months way too long to leave it in there?
Auto-Rx will stay good as long as the oil stays good. Auto-Rx will condition your seals and frankly using the Auto-Rx Maintenance Plan and WalMart Super tech would out perform any oil. Your seals would stay pliable .
I agree with Frank that ARX will do just as good a job, if not better, of resolving your stem seal leaks issues over MaxLife. With that amount of mileage you're really looking at doing two treatments. If after that you still want to try MaxLife go ahead. The oil of your choice plus 4 oz of ARX would work well too.
I would stay away from the Maxlife, my puff of smoke at startup went away during the 1st Maintenance Dose, no need to use the high mileage motor oil, my car has almost 200,000 more miles than yours and it runs better now than it did at 164,000 miles.
Thanks guys. This car is pretty rough so there's probably plenty of sludge in that engine. I'm just trying to make this original engine last as long as possible so I can get the body work taken care of first.
I am glad to know that it will stay good for a long time. I have an application in my truck that will probably take close to a year to rack up 3000 miles in.
