quote:
Originally posted by bottgers:
I'm following the instructions to the tee, but that isn't going to gurantee ARX is going to cure my problem. If my problem is due to mechanical wear, ARX isn't going to help. If my consumption is due to gummed up rings or seals that need to be revamped, then it should work. I'm using the ARX for two reasons; one is to find out why my engine is consuming oil, and the other is to stop the consumption.
Auto-rx is a great product for cleaning and resolving situations due to dirt, buildups, etc. It is not a miracle cure - there is no such thing, regardless of product. You need to determine the cause of your issue. Auto-rx may not be able to fix the problem, due to the nature of the problem - but at the same time, your engine will be cleaned, and it will be an effective tool to diagnose what the actual issue is.
You can be assured that Auto-rx will clean your engine, so that it is enabled to run in an optimal way, as designed. I think that there are more than enough results shown, even more than enough pictoral evidence to indicate this. It is a cost effective cleaning tool, and in you case, a cost-effective, dual-purpose cleaning/troubleshooting tool... not too bad.
I know there are many situations on here where folks have followed instructions to a 't', and didnt note any improvements in the usual metrics - Ill be the first to admit that I am one of them (though there was a very slight oil drop on my BMW which it DID fix slowly during the tail end of the rinse phase and after the return to synthetic oil!). However, lack of MPG improvement, no dirt in filter pleats, no closing of a leak, etc, etc, doesnt mean that it was a bum batch, or that it didnt do anything. All that it indicates is that the cleaning that the engines it was applied upon either wasnt necessary because it was quite clean (which in my case I knew was so), or that any buildups that were removed were not troublesome to the point that they influenced operation of the engine.
I would say to first be patient and wait the whole operation out. Then, come back with a troubleshooting-oriented open mind - a null response from ARX doesnt indicate anything other than the fact that your usage issue was not due to something that ARX can influence and fix. Be sure that everything else in the engine is in good tune, the PCV, etc. have ben replaced, and so on... does this engine reccomend a valve adjustment at some point? Our 94 previa reccomends a valve clearance adjustment once every 100k or so (I dont recall the exact interval off the top of my head).
Good luck,
JMH
P.S. A friend has an older tercel, and he has an issue where it smokes blue at cold startup, for a few seconds. The car runs as good as it can (MT helps a lot) afterwards, and he is still happy with it, after he gets it started and running smoothly. He seems to be having better luck and less usage issues since he has changed to 15w-40 oil in his, from 10w-30.
[ September 06, 2005, 09:03 AM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]