When I purchased my 2 bottles of Auto-RX, I put one in my 1990 Bonneville, and the other one in my daughters 1998 Corolla with 138,000 miles. This is the other story....
This car has an oil consumption problem. At first, I thought that it consumed about a quart every 400, but when she took it on a recent trip, it was probably more in the neighborhood of a quart every 200-300 miles! Yikes! I'm not sure how long the Auto-RX had a chance to function when she was dumping in new oil at that rate. She's gone through 6 quarts of oil in the last 1,200 miles according to her.
Anyway, the oil really is being consumed. The exhaust isn't a smoky blue color as one would expect because the oil is actually being burned. There is no leak that we can find. Given a car like this, I'm thinking that something really is wrong with the mechanicals and even Auto-RX can't perform this miracle.
What do you recommend that I do for the Corolla?
On another note, I've just purchased another Toyota, a 4-cylinder 2.2 litre 1994 Camry with 146,000 miles on it. I've not even had a chance to get it all serviced, but have noticed that it leaks oil. It's just enough to leave a 2.5-3" spot on the driveway if left there for a couple of days. The previous owner told me that he thinks it has a rear mail oil leak. I think I want to try Auto-RX in this car also to see if it will stop the leak. Given the experience I had with my Bonneville, I'm a little bit hesitant but I really do believe that Auto-RX is the closest thing to a miracle that can be poured into the crankcase!
You opinion would be welcome.
Thanks Again! Lou
Car # 2
Hi Frank.
Just wanted to let you know what is going on. After I sent you my last note from March, I decided to run it a little longer, topping off the lost oil from the seal leak. The car continued to leak and make a mess. The oil was being fanned and thrown over the timing cover and also getting all over the belt and pulleys. Not to mention the growing oil spot on the garage floor. My mechanic was genuinely concerned that the seal had a problem that wouldn't correct itself and also worried that I might lose a motor if the oil level dropped to dangerous levels (unlikely, but in theory possible.)
So, he changed out the seal with another new seal which seems to have stopped the leak. He said that the seal that came out showed some damage, like it had torn, but didn't know why that would be the case. Oil leak stopped, but the motor is still an oil covered mess. Not good. So, I continued to run the same oil with Auto-RX and in fact, now that the car has finished the 3,000 miles needed for the cleaning phase, I am ready to start the rinse phase.
Over the weekend, I changed the oil, following your suggestion to run Castrol GTX. When I pulled the oil filter off, it seemed to be very heavy indeed. I'd be curious to see what is inside that thing! So I'll watch it for another 3,000 miles to see if my engine has any noticeable improvements. I'm excited, although I know that I need to do the clean and rinse process a second time. This engine has 240,000 and I hope to get to 350,000 or more!
I'm going to send you another email detailing the experience that I've had with my other car in which I'm trying Auto-RX. Didn't want to confuse everything in one email
Thanks! Lou
ANSWER.
Dear Lou,
Sorry to here that you had to have your front main crank seal replaced. Auto-Rx can not repair torn or severely damaged polymer seals, such as your front crank seal. The million dollar question is why the front main seal got torn or cracked. In my opinion it was likely due from heat generation at the interface between the steel crank shaft journal and the soft polymer seal lip. Bear in mind that the steel crank journal is going to win out over the softer polymer seal every time if abrasive contaminants are lodged in between the nip or seal. Also consider that if oil contaminants had restricted the flow of lubricating oil at the interface between the seal and the steel crank journal, there would be much higher than normal heat generated at the nip. Also remember that heat will have a much higher negative impact on a polymer seal which could lead to cracking of the polymers elastomers, which may well look like a tear. The good new is that it is highly likely that the cleaning and rinse application of Auto-Rx will have cleaned your rear main seal and steel journal so that you are not likely to have to face the expenditure of replacing the rear main seal.
I am to assume that you are now in the rinse mode of your Auto-Rx application. That being that you are running a conventional or group III oil with no Auto-Rx added for 3000 miles, on this vehicle. One other tid bit I would like to offer is to check and be sure that the PCV system on this motor is working correctly. I say that because, excessive crank case pressure can lead to future seal leaks. Blocked or restricted crankcase ventilation systems put undue pressure on not only rotational seals but sealing gaskets as well.
I would suggest getting the front of your motor cleaned up, by either a steam cleaning or pressure wash. Oil residue is potentially life shortening for the external belts that drive your alternator, Air conditioning compressor or what applies to your motor configuration.
I know it might be hard to find the benefits of Auto-Rx after all of the garage floor cleaning, etc., but we are more than confident that your cleaning and rinse application will pay dividends down the road, by removing oil related contamination. Keep in touch.
Best Regards,
Rich Eklund
Auto-Rx Worldwide, Inc.
Chemical Consultant
-- Edited by Frank Miller on Tuesday 20th of April 2010 07:40:54 AM
