Auto-Rx Customers Questions & Answers

electrolastic · Member

Blue/white smoke at startup

Frank · Senior Member

This is from the FAQ located on www.auto-rx.com

Valve Stem Seals
There are many automobile engines that have worn or fouled stem seals without any appreciable loss in compression. Normally, a stem seal's lack of integrity results in burning oil caused by oil seeping down into the combustion chamber, usually causing a plume of blue smoke during cold starts, acceleration, or deceleration. Many cars run just fine with less than perfect valve stem seals. But frequently, with more than desirable amounts of oil being burned in the combustion chamber, it becomes much more likely that the piston rings will become coked up from poor fuel efficiency. When the rings, particularly the top two compression rings, get bonded together, they cannot work independently and compression suffers. If this is your case, then you can expect great improvement from an Auto-Rx® cleaning and rinse. Also, many times with oil burning from poor stem seals, deposits form at the interface of the valve and its seat at the head, resulting in poor sealing and lost compression. Auto-Rx® would help here also. Auto-Rx® can also clean oil contaminants from the polymer valve stem seal material. After cleaning, they sometimes rebound to good functionality.

electrolastic · Member

Thanks Frank. I thought I'd seen that FAQ.

I should say I am realistic and would not ask for miracle. Most of the mechanics I'd speaked to did not recommend me to have the stem seals replaced due to the high cost of labor, since the smoke lasts for only 10 seconds at startup. From repair database, it is a repair job of at least 16 labor hours. The lowest estimate I'd gotten was $1,600- $1,800 range, since they have to take the V6 engine head off the vehicle to perform the job. One mechanic asked me to try some engine additives first. He said it might not fix the problem but it might help. If the smoke problem gets worse then call him back to have the stem seals replaced.

That was the reason I would like to try Auto-RX.

-- Edited by electrolastic on Monday 25th of July 2011 06:42:56 PM

TurboJim · Moderator

Let me say right up front don't expect immediate results and that your results may vary. However there is hope that ARX can solve your problem. I have seen ARX eliminate this type of problem in three different vehicles within about 500 miles.

electrolastic · Member

Thanks TurboJim. It sounds like there is hope without spending too much money. I appreciate if you can give me more detail how Auto-RX eliminated the problem that you'd seen. I should be more than glad if I can see improvement within 500 miles after putting in Auto-RX.

Which track should I follow? Should I follow the basic track of cleaning? i.e. 1) after oil and filter change, put in 1 bottle of Auto-RX,; 2) drive 1,250 miles then replace the oil filter; 3) drive another 1,250 miles and change both oil and oil filter; and 4) drive another 3,000 miles and change both oil and filter. (**Note: I always use dino 5W30 oil and I DID NOT believe the previous owner used synthetic oil)

Please give me more hint. Thanks.

TurboJim · Moderator

I would follow these instructions - http://www.auto-rx.com/sealleaks.html .

Unless you feel you have a sludge problem, or a lot of contaminent build up, changing the oil filter in the middle of either cycle (clean or rinse) should not be necessary.

One thing I would also recommend is that you change your PCV valve if you have not already done so.

As far as my experience with ARX eliminating smoke upon start up, and take off from a stop, I speculate that the piston rings were also partly to blame. In any event the results came pretty quickly and I wasn't following any particular clean and rinse mileage cycle.

-- Edited by TurboJim on Tuesday 26th of July 2011 06:51:21 PM

electrolastic · Member

blankstare Today I took my ES300 to the shop for oil & filter change and got it ready for the cleaning phase. I told the mechanic to use 4 and half qts of Chevron 5W30 dino oil I brought in. Normally, it needs 5qts. After the oil change, he asked me if my car still smoked on startup. He asked me if I had tried Luxxx. I told him it still smoked at startup and I had tried some additives without any success. I showed him the bottle of Auto RX before pouring it into my engine. He said he would like to know the result. He has a lot of customers who have the same problem. I said I would let him know.

Well, I am eager to see the result too. I will be back in about 2 months.

By the way, I replaced the PCV valve myself back in early July, therefore PCV valve shouldn't be an issue. yawn

-- Edited by electrolastic on Saturday 10th of September 2011 09:33:31 PM

sunny441 · Member

Good luck. I had the same problem on my old Mazda with 115K miles on it. Auto RX did not work for me. I ended up replacing the motor with one that had lower miles. However with use of ARX - I am now able to get up to 41 MPG on the highway, which helps with my long commute to work biggrin

It'll be interesting to see your results!

electrolastic · Member

Sunny: Thanks for your information. My car is now only 200+ miles into the cleaning phase. Hardly can I say Auto RX works or not. However, I notice a few things. (1) It still smokes on startup with smaller puff, which disappears in 5 to 6 seconds. It may be due to lower ambient temperature at this time of the year. (2) The smoke puff smells different and the odor is stronger. (3) The engine runs smoother. However, I always feel that after oil change. blankstare

electrolastic · Member

It has been 500 miles into cleaning phase. For sure, smoke puff is smaller and it clears up in 5 to 6 seconds. I plan to change out the oil filter at about 1,250 miles.

Frank · Senior Member

Please post when you have completed necessary mileage for both cleaning & rinse phase. Thats when you can make a decision on the effeciveness of Auto-Rx in your engine.

Richone · Senior Member

I guess you may have answered your own question. It still smokes intermittenly on cold start ups. I interperet that to mean that sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. When you shut down a motor and it comes to rest, some valves will be in the open position, some completely shut, some either heading towards closing, and other could be heading towards opening. If you have just one or two bad stem seals, that are either cracked, defective, or worn and the particular valve comes to rest in the closed position, then the oil won't leak down into the cylinder head and top of the piston. If the valve is partially open or completely open then oil is free to run down into the cylinder head. Sounds like a bad valve stem seal to me, based on your description.

I still think that the PCV valve inspection is a good idea. Had you checked that out. Excess crankcase pressure that isn't being released out the PCV valve can force a higher amount of oil past the stem seal. An under performing pcv valve will also lead to sludging in and around the valve bucket creating a puddling effect, or preventing some of the oil from draining back to the oil pan when you shut the motor off.

electrolastic · Member

I have completed necessary mileages for both cleaning & rinse phases of my 2003 Lexus ES300. Can I post now ?

First of all, please do not get me wrong. I like Auto Rx, which performed very well on my other car, 2001 Toyo Sienna, with improved gas mileage and smoothness.

Auto Rx did not fix the smoke on starup issue of my 2003 Lexus ES300. It still smokes on startup intermittantly. I think Auto Rx did help, to some extent, with the smoke issue though.

I am still a believer of Auto Rx and will keep buying it for maintenance use.