Auto-Rx Customers Questions & Answers

datsa · Member

Starting first rinse phase next week, but oil leak has gotten worse since starting ARX.

Frank Miller · Guru

Auto-Rx has no relationship to a bad or leaking head gasket. I don't know what a bad head gasket sounds like.

Try going with the Castrol GTX and keep us posted. Can someone comment on Formula Shell 10W30 ?

brent olsen · Senior Member

I think your problem is with the rear main seal that was replaced, I would have waited until after the rinse phase was over.

I would take it back to the shop, something is not right here. Do you have a bad valve cover gasket, this is what it sounds like.

Panthermike · Veteran Member

Frank,

Shell Formula is a good solid Dino oil and seems to be well liked over at BITOG, especially because it can be purchased quite cheap sometimes.

Frank Miller · Guru

Thanks Panthermike we can now add Shell Formula to good oils to work with Auto-Rx.

Datsa think Brent Olsen comments need to be checked out with whoever installed rear main seal.

brent olsen · Senior Member

If there is an oil leak, it does not matter what type of oil you put in the engine, head gaskets leak coolant, not engine oil.

Putting in a rear main seal can sometimes be a complex job, where did you take the car to have this done.

Sometimes when you have a rear main seal leak it is not the seal. You could have some wear in the bottom of the engine. It might be a good idea to check the condition of the Harmonic Balancer, if this has some wear in it, you could have leaks since the engine is not 100% balanced or it is not properly balanced.

What is the year of this car and are you the original owner.

I have said this before, so I will say it again, you need to check your PCV Valve and Breather. I would also check the PCV Hoses too. If any of these are clogged you will have leaks since there will be too much pressure in your engine.

You can have leaks because of this and it will show up as oil leaking around:

1) Valve Covers
2) Rear Main Seal
3) Oil Pan

Your oil leak sounds like it is coming from the valve covers, from what you have told us, are these the original valve cover gaskets.

Check everything in the PCV System and then get back too us.

This is NOT an auto-rx problem, or another way to say this is, auto-rx is not causing the problem.

sludge · Member

I have a cam seal leak right now...So far, ARX has slowed, not stopped, the leak yet. I am running Amsoil 0W-20 right now and Supertech [will be] for the rinse phase....See what happens. I hope it stops since I cannot afford a major replacment.

-- Edited by sludge at 17:30, 2009-02-26

Frank Miller · Guru

Substitute Castrol GTX -Penszoil in the yellow bottle-Formula Shell do not use any synthetic oil to stop a seal leak.

Please read the application for seal leaks. Sludge your causing your own problem.

Richone · Senior Member

Sludge,

Run a conventional dino for the rinse phase, or at least a group III ultra refined dino, labeled synthetic, such as PP. Rotational seals don not normally stop until a long way into the rinse phase. Do not use a group IV for the rinse phase.

Richone · Senior Member

datsa,

Like Frank mentioned ARX has no interaction with a head gasket. These are typically soft metal gaskets used to torque the head to the block. The gasket does seal the oil passages as well as coolant flow areas. I think Brent is likely correct in that it is more likely the valve cover gasket. ARX would have no impact on valve cover gasket materials either.

brent olsen · Senior Member

I can only think of 2 reasons that oil could be leaking out of the valve covers:

1) Bad Gasket
2) Too much pressure causing a leak

With this many miles and since it is a Toyota, could Datsa have some oil that is pooled up in the valvetrain, since some Toyota's had very small oil return holes in the cylinder head.

Another possibility is that the Valve Cover Bolts may be loose, every now and then I have to tighten mine up.

Frank Miller · Guru

it has been my experience that valve gasket leaks can be caused by filters loaded with sludge. Why don't you put on a new filter and wipe off excess oil from valve covers and see if leak has stopped. If so suggest you follow application instructions especially as they pertain to filters.

Auto-Rx does not cause leaks or do any harm .

sludge · Member

Richone,

I am only running a syn grp 4 since I had it already in the engine for 2K miles. So far ARX is working great. I just hope it continues to stop the leak. And I am switching to dino for the rest of the engines life.

datsa · Member

Thanks for your suggestions. Please understand that I am not saying that ARX is damaging the engine or causing gaskets to leak; in fact, I have already felt improvements in performance after just 200 miles, and here it is almost 2500 miles.

Instead, I was just wondering if after I do the rinse phase, should I do another clean phase and rinse phase and repeat that. Somewhere on this discussion board, I read that one may need to do 3 clean+rinse phases before any leaks may stop, assuming that a seal has not failed.

Below is where the leak is occurring.

-- Edited by datsa at 00:21, 2009-03-01

-- Edited by datsa at 00:22, 2009-03-01

Frank Miller · Guru

Your first post states this engine has 202000 miles. Auto-Rx will be needed for two complete applications (2 cleanings and 2 rinses)

When I posted i was thinking you had finished final application. Second Auto-Rx Application could remove a contaminant under your gasket ? I think it is to early to tell much until you finish.

brent olsen · Senior Member

Datsa, basically you need to finish this Rinse Phase, and then do another Clean and Rinse. I could not tell anything by looking at that picture, I did not see any oil leak.

Can you post us a picture showing us the actual oil leak.

I would worry about this leak after you finish your 2nd Clean and Rinse Phase.