Auto-RX

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diby 2000

diby 2000

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Threads
4
Messages
272
Location
Queensland, Australia
I have just come across this product by people recommending it via a search in this forum. I would like to get more opinions on its suitability for us diesel engined folks.

First off, how many have used it in thier diesel and what are you experiences with the product?
Would you recommend others use it or not?

Secondly, did you continue to use it as an ongoing maintenance type of thing or use it as a clean once or twice then stop?

I'm concerned that it may clean too well and block the filter quickly or that it may damage seals and develop is oil leaks.
I'm also concerned about the quality of oil or contaminants that may make thier way to the bearings (including my new ball bearing turbo) that may cause damage.

I like the idea of having a cleaner engine and the new oil staying clear for longer than it currently does.

Thoughts and experiences please.
 
I had amazing experience. I use it in everything now. Cleaned and improved the engine super slow over the course of a year. It does what it says it does. My oil weeps stopped. Compression increased. Blowby decreased. Cold start improved. Milage went up. Idle smoothed out. Power increased, especially in the lower rpms.
So for those who run IDI engines. After a year of doing this every time I changed my oil it would stay translucent for several hundred kms. So tell me what colour your oil is imediately after you put the new stuff in? ...always jet black. This is some high quality snake oil indeed.
g
 
Just bought some. Found a 15% off coupon: AUTOWEEK

Will report back in 2000 miles. Might take me a year to get there, but hopefully I remember to come back to this thread to talk about it.
 
It is indeed the snake oil factor that concerns me @gerg
I'm glad you have had such success with it. I can't find too much negativity for it online. That's always a good thing.

I find it amazing that it does all these things but its not well known. Well not to me at least lol.
 
I heard of it from a fella on the board that used it to unfreeze a frozen ring when he had low compression in a cylinder. the premise is not so far fetched actually. It's just a cleaner. The cool thing is that it does it really slowly allowing the oil to suspend the particulate avoiding bearing damage. My goal was to unburden the ring land and improve ring seal and compression. It did it for me. Other cleaners I used to accomplish the same thing were messy and extremely toxic. I like this cus it's so clean and simple to use. No one thinks twice about injector cleaner, but it's really just the same sort of concept.
 
I was that fella :)

I tried Auto-RX out of desperation trying to cure compression problems in the H diesel engine in my Troopy. I was fully expecting it to be snake oil but I figured if it worked it would be cheaper than an unplanned rebuild. It took two treatments of the stuff to free up the rings on this piston. I ended up disassembling the engine a year or so after the second treatment which is when this photo was made. Engine disassembly was an attempt to chase down a cooling system problem.

bad-rings.jpg


I think you can find some helpful discussion about the Auto-RX product on the BobIsTheOilGuy.com message forum.

I continue to use it every summer in all of my vehicles. I use it in my 2 Toyota diesels primarily for keeping the rings clean. Use it in our Suzuki SX4 because that engine is known to have sludge problems. I've used it once every summer for the past 5 years.

I don't do the maintenance dosage. Just the cleaning treatment. This is because I run synthetic in the winters and most synthetic oils don't work well with Auto-RX. It's chemically designed to work with conventional oils.

I think it's not well-known because the product has no distributors and it's not cheap. It seems too good to be true, and it might be for some applications. (I never tried it in the VW TDI we had because it was incompatible with the VW-spec synthetic oil.)

I'm very curious how well it will work with the new diesel oil formulations or if the new formulations will change anything related to Auto-RX. All major oil manufacturers have updated their oil in the past 6 months to meet the new API specs.

A while ago I read about the history of Auto-RX as a product/company. The chemical cleaning agent was originally designed to clean the rollers in high-volume production printing presses. Its use as an automotive engine cleaner was a secondary market. It's since been reformulated into a "Plus" version that's apparently designed specifically for automotive use. I think I read this on the BobIsTheOilGuy site. My memory of it is a bit hazy. This info is at least a few years old and things may have changed since then.

It's a very slow acting cleaning agent. I don't think you need to worry about plugging filters or screens. It's just really important to follow their instructions for your application. The type of conventional oil being used during the clean and rinse phases are critical. And change your oil filter at the recommended interval.

Another product that seems like snake oil but works really well for me is Diesel Purge.
 
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I had good result with Seafoam...Which is probably a similar product. Do you think it is ?
 
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Seafoam and Auto-RX are nothing alike. I've used both. I fill my fuel filter with Seafoam when changing filters. Does a nice job of cleaning injectors. A decent alternative to Diesel Purge but not quite as good. But I'd never use Seafoam in the crankcase even though the packaging says it's ok. I think the active chemical in Seafoam is Naphtha which is a high volatility petroleum solvent. It's the kind of chemical that will dissolve/dislodge deposits quickly and potentially clog filters and oil pump pickup screens.

Auto-RX doesn't smell like a chemical. It has the consistency of 75w synthetic gear lube and looks like molasses pouring out of the bottle. I just went in the garage and looked at the Auto-RX bottle. It's not labeled as flammable, caustic, harmful, etc.
 
Hmm. I was just reading the Auto-RX site and the instructions are completely different now with the "Plus" version. The old non-Plus was recommended for use only with conventional oils. I don't see anything about that requirement now. 6+ years ago the documentation was pretty emphatic about the types of conventional oils it was compatible with.
 
Thanks for replying with your experience and all the extra info @RufusTheDufus

I will have a proper read of the BobIsTheOilGuy forum. I came across this in my search but I was only skimming looking for negative experiences.
I have generally found that people are vocal about a product they are not happy with but rather quiet about products they are happy with.
 
To some folks autorx too good to be true. I'm ok with that cus I'm not selling anything. All I know is that it exceeded my expectations by a long shot.

Diesel purge is also one of those underrated amazing products. I get two cans and fill my fuel filter and let my engine run it straight until both cans fill the fuel pump. I then reconnect the fuel line and start and rev my engine up for about 10 seconds every half an hour over the course of a Saturday letting the stuff marinade in the pump housing while I do other projects. It's a really inexpensive cleaner that I get great results from.
g
 
Thanks.
I'm a big fan of products that do what they claim. Especially when it has little to no drawbacks apart from lighten the wallet a bit.
I'll have to have a look at diesel purge as well by the sounds of it.
 
Hey @gerg what's your maintenance dose with AutoRX? The latest greatest says throw a bottle in every 3rd oil change after your 1st clean cycle. I think I recall something about 2oz every oil change was the old maintenance dose?

After reading about and hearing some good feedback with AutoRX I have done this with my trucks (BJ42, BJ74, 1HD-T FZJ80). No compression test pre and post or other concrete data, but I do notice less build up of smoke on the 13BT when idling for a while. Still some, but not as much. I'd have to check my books but I think I did them all for the 1st time last spring so it's been a year now.

I've seen Diesel Purge work and do use it on my trucks. Just did a treatment on all three trucks this spring.

Lubegard Red is another product that gets consistent good comments. I run it in my A442F behind the 1HD-T. I started using it before I had a gauge hooked up so can not comment on temp difference. I do know people who have used it and noticed a temp drop with their ATF.

gb
 
Like rufus I run synthetic, so after my flush jobs i dont run it. Ill do another flush in a few months or so. I think ill schedule the flushes for spring or something when the weather is neither to hot or too cold where its nice to have the synthetic protection.
 
So I have had a chance to spend some time on the bobistheoilguy forum and while I'm convinced that auto RX won't hurt anything, I have found plenty of people recommending Marvel Mystery Oil which they claim does the same job with similar (better or worse depending on who you beleive) results.

The big benifit here is that it is much cheaper and easier to get a hold of.
Has anyone tried this or can compare the two?
 
I searched for actual before and after results of MMO in the crankcase there when the Auto-RX subject first popped up on Mud recently. I couldn't find anything showing conclusive results. Most of it was anecdotal, though I don't recall seeing anything negative.

I do use MMO in the gas tank on my 2001 Yamaha Road Star 1600 to keep the valves clean and lubed. It's an air cooled engine known for building up deposits on the exhaust valves. It works for me in that application. 1.5 to 2 oz per fill up. I learned of this through a Yamaha message forum 10 or 12 years ago. A mechanic that worked at a dealer posted before and after photos of his personal bike. I've been using it ever since.

I have not tried MMO in the crankcase on any engines.
 
gerg said:
Like rufus I run synthetic, so after my flush jobs i dont run it. Ill do another flush in a few months or so. I think ill schedule the flushes for spring or something when the weather is neither to hot or too cold where its nice to have the synthetic protection.
Click to expand...

Rotella T-6 was mentioned as a synth good to use with AutoRx for both application and rinse phase when I was looking into it last year. Specific reference to it is gone now, but the reference to Rotella T is still there: Diesel Application Instructions – Auto-Rx Engine Sludge Removal Found reference to the maintenance dose; It was 3oz each time. Now now it's recommended one bottle every 3rd oil change as opposed to 3oz per change.

No input in MMO.

Interesting info on oils and one fellows opinion on this site: DEBUNKING LUBE OIL MYTHS (PART 1) and read the following two on oils. There is one on oil filters as well.

hth's
gb
 
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