My 2004 V8 5.4 3V has (according to the dealer shop) a heavily sludged engine, to the point they didn't even feel a rebuild would do any good. Since I got the truck for a steal, I figured an internal cleaner wouldn't do any more harm, and may actually help. I went with AutoRX based on reviews here and at BITOG, figuring if it didn't help there's always Kreen.

So I'm done with the first 1000 miles of the fast track for heavy sludge, and here's what I found in the filter once I cut it apart. There's definitely particles caught in the filter, but I wonder if it's removing enough sludge. A lot of the particle drained to the bottom of the filter and can be seen in the last picture.

So, my question for those of you with experience with AutoRX, is how well is this stuff working?

 

Remove a valve cover and see what it looks like. This shop tells you rebuilding a running engine wouldn't do it any good because its gunked up? Thats an odd statement. What were they trying to sell you on? used? or a create engine? I've used auto RX but my engine was pretty clean to start out.. The filter might not get the stuff that sank to the bottom of the pan. I would run it through again..

 

I will say, that does look like a lot of sludge for a 1000 mile flush. It must be doing something right. If it is safe...... Run it again or until it seems no more sludge is appearing. Like jethat said, pull a valve cover and take a look.

 

they weren't trying to sell me on anything, or at least they didn't do a hard sell but they recommended a rebuilt engine swap. I had asked them to go over the engine and tranny and they came back saying the engine was all but shot.

I'll pull a valve cover at the next OC. It's not an easy job though.

 

The engine is all but shot hu?? So you did another 1000 miles? They were tryin to sell you somethin alright! I wonder if you get a kiss after they @#%$ you???

 

I always doubted the engine was as bad as they stated, hence the AutoRX.

The engine has never ran rough and the oil pressure was within Ford's spec even when they where telling me it was so gummed up I should just put a new engine in the truck.

Heck, since I started the AutoRX the engine ticking sound (guessing a phaser) has quieted down a good bit.

 

You're seeing what I would expect from a sludged engine with the Auto-Rx. You'll need a second and maybe a third does to get it clean obviously but you're on a good roll with this. DO NOT ever put Kreen in anything you want. It's nothing but solvents that strip lubrication. The base is a heavy naphthenic with alcohol, naphtha, ether, and keytone in the mix compromising about 75% of the formulation. Might as well throw diesel in there instead as it at least has some lubricating value.

 

should the second and third treatment cycles be a double bottle dose or a single bottle?

 

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...=873562&page=1

Can you look inside your Valvetrain.

 

I'll be pulling the valve cover at the next OC in 2k miles. Sorry but you'll have to wait until then.

 

Do not expect to see much if any cleaning when you remove your Valve Cover, auto-rx will not remove VARNISH or SLUDGE, it does not work in engines that are dirty, everyone who has used this product in there engines has been dissapointed. You can Google a thread called MOBIL 1 CLEANS BETTER THAN AUTO-Rx.

If you do not get any results and you try to get your money back from auto-rx, they do have a Money Back Guarantee, the owner of auto-rx will claim you did something wrong. There was a guy who got his money back, but he had to get a Lawyer involved.

Auto-Rx has worked for a few people, we call them Paid Posters For Auto-Rx, you can actually Google a thread called PAID POSTERS FOR AUTO-Rx.

 

There is a product I have used that works very well, and it's about $5. NAPA fast engine flush. You run it in your hot engine (while idling only, no driving) for about ten minutes before you drain. It's thin and smells like kerosene. If you do a shortened oil change interval, you can do this a few times.

Also, I’ve found that Valvoline seems to use pretty strong detergents in their oil. I would suggest using that during this process. It’s only $15 for a 5 quart jug at Wal-Mart.

To give you a quick example of why I use Valvoline for dirty engines, I had an ’87 Olds Cutlass. When I bought it, the oil rings were frozen and it would pour smoke out of the tailpipes when accelerating. Like nothing I’d ever seen. It was like a chimney. The previous owner used Quaker State 10w-40. I made the switch to Valvoline 5w-30 and within 30 miles, the smoke was completely gone. Drove that car for three more years and it burned one quart every 4,000 miles.

Anyways, that’s just my recommendation. I use Mobil1 personally, but I put Valvoline in other people’s cars. It’s going to take time to get sludge out. If the engine has good compression, runs quiet, and doesn’t burn an excessive amount of oil, it’s a keeper.

 

So here's the results of the oil and filter change after the first ARX cycle. I'm now on a 3k rinse cycle.

This time, I filtered the oil that drained out of the crankcase and the filter to see how much sludge was trapped. The oil itself was as dark as Coca Cola.

I know I promised pictures of engine with the valve covers off, but it's a serious time consuming job to just get one off, and since I don't have a before image, doesn't really help with gauging the effectiveness. I will say the engine sounds like it runs smoother, with less chattering.

 

 

I would have just used Kerosene.

...or ATF.


Then follow it up with a good oil change regimen using a good diesel oil (has a high detergent content) like Rotella T6 changed at regular intervals and that should clean it right up.