Unfortunately, the only direct testimonial on the ARX web site is from Tony as part of proof of value #33. Tony basically states that he had observed the same cleaning levels in a few VW TDIs as he had observed in his Ford Powerstroke diesel. I am glad that you brought the lack of small diesel information, that we have on display, from users of the product.
The first area that I see as deficient on the site is for application instructions for small passenger car turbo diesels. What is presently displayed only applies to light to heavy duty pick-up motors with large sump sizes. For a smaller turbo enhanced diesel such as one found in the TDI I would recommend the following.
Rule number one is to never overfill the crankcase of a diesel motor. Because diesels fire the fuel based on heat and compression, overfilling the crankcase can lead to the motor pulling oil up into the combustion chamber, acting like fuel and cause the motor to rev uncontrollably. Its not like a gasoline motor whereby you could kill the spark to stop the motor. In a diesel it would be an out of control situation. So when using any additive or filling the sump with fresh oil one must be very careful not to overfill the crankcase.
As you may have read on the ARX site, Auto-Rx has its best cleaning ability when the esters that make up ARX are the dominant polar components in the crankcase. Group IV oils(PAO based) utilize a heavy dose of esters used to couple in the additive package. PAO does not readily accept antiwear and other additive components readily, with out help from a coupling ester. In a typical PAO oil the level of coupling esters used is quite large. So to maximize the cleaning ability of Auto-Rx, it is recommended that either a conventional oil, or a group III(merely extra refined conventional oil), be used as the host oil for both the cleaning and rinse phase of the application.
In the case of the TDI motors, the recommended oil is 5W40. Of coarse there are no conventional oils within that spec. The closest are 15W40 diesel oils, of which 3 come to mind. Mobil Delvac conventional, Shell Rotella T, and Chevron Delo all come in that grade. These would be good choices if we were in the middle of the summer during hot outside temperatures. But would not be recommended for these small diesels during the winter months. For one obvious reason, you want to get oil pumped up as quickly as possible to the top end and turbo, in these motors. Going back to group III oils, being more refined conventional oil, have been clear for labeling as synthetic oils. This is for a couple of reasons. One is that most of the self contaminating components have been removed from the base oil, so that the oil lends itself to longer oil change intervals. The second is that other impurities are removed so that the pour point of the Group III is superior to what is labeled conventional oil. One oil that comes to mind that is well suited for an Auto-Rx application is Castrol Syntec, which is available in a 5W40 grade.
An application for a TDI motor would look like this:
1) Add Auto-Rx to a fresh fill of group III, 5W40, with a new filter at a rate of 2 fluid ounces per quart of sump capacity. Do not overfill the crankcase.
2) Drive the ARX enhanced oil for 3000 miles, then drain and refill, with a new filter.
3) When refilling with fresh oil use the same group III 5W40 oil.
4) Run this fresh oil change for 3000 miles.
5) Refill with fresh oil of your choice.
For heavily contaminated motors repeat the above application.
Hope this information is helpful to you.
Best Regards,
Rich Eklund
Auto-Rx Worldwide, Inc.
Chemical Consultant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmkHTkmj2_U
From: Frank Miller [mailto:auto_rx@bellsouth.net]
-- Edited by Frank on Monday 16th of December 2013 06:39:06 AM
