This does not have to do with auto-rx but I was just wondering why they have not made a t-tech device for engine oil. In my thinking this might help flush out some of the sludge from the engine or at least get more oil out of the engine. I would think that in the oil pan is some left over residue that can cause issues later on like I am having now. I just thought this might be some thing good to help those that have sludge issues as well as other oil related issues.
I want to warn anyone thinking about doing this, that there can be problems as they use solvents in this process. A local shop in my area did not get 1 of these flush machines because during this service people were coming back a week or so later and there cars were leaking oil everywhere. This is what the shop owner told me, and he does not think this is a good idea.
I do not have leaks so this is not my problem. My problem is like the steam cleaners that they make. Some times the ball comes up to the top and stops the machine from working. Some times that water bucket is full and some times you just need to turn off the machine so that the ball drops again and you can then use it again. The is what my car is doing. If I drive a long distance with out stopping long enough before coming home then it picks up some thing that probably blocks the oil pump. Once the car cools down and the oil drops back into the oil pan it dislodges this and thus I can drive normal again. This is the reason why I would consider using some thing like this.
I have done a number of treatments with auto-rx. It was suggested by Frank that I just change my oil and go through the rinse again. To get my car where I can drive across town is one reason why I considered other options.
From the way you're describing it your best option at this point would be to drop the pan and have a look. It may be something irregular in shape, such as a piece of silicone sealant, that is not draining out when you do an oil change.
Yes I did but I was having issues after about 40 miles after getting the oil change. I still can not drive long distances because it picks up some thing that blocks the oil pump and then when the oil goes back into the oil pan it then works great again. Since this seems to be a fairly good size I thought some thing like this might help the situation.
What engine do you have, and just how difficult is it to drop the oil pan? Some FWD cars have the pan fully exposed with no crossmember to get in the way. These can be nearly as easy as changing a valve cover gasket.
I am not aware of any safe engine "flush" machine. As mentioned above, there are some that use strong solvents.
Are you basing your analysis of the situation by the oil light coming on after engine runs for a while? Does the engine get noisy as well (change sound from normal, quiet operation) if and when the oil pressure light comes on?
I have not gotten under my car. I know that for my 2000 Toyota Corolla that they have a plastic piece that needs to be bent back each time they do an oil change. I do not have the tools to do this myself and I know that most mechanics would take charge way to much to do this. I am saying what I am saying because my car is loud when the engine light comes on. Some times it runs great and you do not hear the engine get louder but the further you drive the louder it gets so I know some thing is blocking the oil pump from feeding oil to the engine. If I could get rid of this then it would be nice and quite. This is why I was considering this option.
That's what I was concerned about. If this routine continues, I would recommend that you do have the oil pan removed to clean it and the oil pick-up screen. When your oil pressure light is coming on and the engine gets louder, it sounds like you are not getting oil pressure to your engine (due to a restricted oil tube pick-up screen on the suction side of the pump)and this could lead to the engine's early demise. There must be enough stuff floating around in there that is getting sucked up to the screen as you drive for a while. Then when the engine is shut off for a time, the debris settles to the bottom of the pan, allowing some oil to get back up into the pump the next time the engine is started. As the engine runs for a while, the debris eventually gets stirred up enough from the bottom of the pan again and makes its way to restrict the screen on the suction side of the pump again. Please understand that this is just my theory, not fact. But it is based on years of mechanical repair experience and a good knowledge of how things work.
Outside of removing the pan to clean things up, the only other suggestion I have is to change the oil and filter AGAIN and no more ARX until this issue is resolved. The idea here is to work on getting whatever is blocking up the oil screen- out of the oil pan. Please drain the oil when hot/operating temp to get out as much debris as possible.
This is an unusual result as ARX is known to clean/dissolve deposits and sludge slowly and not clog things up. I'm thinking that in severe/rare cases such as this one, that there may be no way to get around pulling the oil pan to do some cleaning.
This oil pan has to be dropped to see what is restricting the tube or making noise, it could be anything, but since you are hearing a loud noise, it could be a piece of metal stuck in there. This is beyond auto-rx, this sounds like a mechanical issue.
