Degreased the INSIDE of my engine

[billyshoe]

There is NO product availiable that will remove the baked on varnish inside the assembled engine that has been caused by long oil change intervals. Not without taking out every oil seal. That includes the products the believers here are claiming "Really works". The only way to do it is completly dissasemble the entire engine & acid wash/dip it. You don't want to acid dip the heads or other alluminum.

 

[TYSHO]

You might as well use B12 in the crankcase! I'd rather use that for 5 minutes before running the Auto RX or whatever.

 

[Rockledge]

I was a little skeptical at first, but I did a lot of my own research and also tried Auto-Rx a while back, and I now I'm a satisfied user. Doesn't harm the seals and does a nice job scrubbing the metal inside of engines and trannies. It doesn't dilute or affect the additive package of the oil or ATF, so you don't have to worry about the fluid breaking down because of it.

On every used car/truck I ever bought, before changing the oil for the first time, I also used to do the "ATF in the crankcase and idle for 5 minutes" trick ...it made me feel good about cleaning the motor out really well before I started using my own oil and filters. But, I see no reason now to ever use that method again with Auto-RX available.

I did a 1000 mile Auto-Rx treatment right before I dropped the oil pan to do the rod bearing job on my SHO, and I feel I was able to really clean out the motor very thoroughly, since the job entails draining almost every drop of oil out of the engine, and you get a chance to clean the bottom of the pan up real nice, too.

 

[DHMag]

billyshoe:
There is NO product availiable that will remove the baked on varnish inside the assembled engine that has been caused by long oil change intervals.

Incorrect. Aircraft Quality Paint Stripper. used it on my heads and they cleaned up nicely. even cleaned all the carbon out of the intake ports and runners and combustion chamber domes.

 

[SonicRiot]

This is all scarey. I've never performed any of these procedures to clean my engine because I change my oil every 3000 miles and the car has ONLY seen Mobile1 oil its entire life on the road. I feel this is sufficient, but maybe I am wrong. I was, actually, planning to clean my heads and intake this summer whan I do some major maintenence. But I planned on taking the top of the engine apart and thoroughly cleaning the parts.
I've heard of pouring in a can of water into the intake to "steam clean" the heads, valves and intake. I've heard of using Auto-RX and a type of diesel fuel substance for old school engines with larger-than-modern-clearances. ATF sounds logical because of its degreasing and lubing properties(but not sufficient for engine bearings), but SeaFoam?

WTF? Why?

 

[billyshoe]

billyshoe:
You can't run with paint remover in the crankcase.

 

[SHOman24v]

Well all i can say is my engine feels soo much better, you all dont have to go along with what i did, but it did make the difference.

 

[OzzmanNT]

*blinks* I don't like the sound of any of it. Spraying something called seafoam into one of my vacuum lines. uhh no I assume the Sea foam is suppost to be some sort of cleaner for the intake....take the intake off the car, doesn't take that long. I can pull the intake off my car faster than I can change my oil.

ATF fluid in the oil, I really don't see it cleaning or lubricating that well. shrug

 

[fred79]

my guess would be sea foam is nearly the same as the crysler decarbon spray that I used on my jeep.
I believe it uses a mix of water and amonia to clean and decarbon your combustion chamber and intake manifold. It sprays in a fine mist so you don't take the chance of hydrolocking your engine. this is also why you use a vacuum line to draw it out.

 

[MyFirstSHO]

I keep checking this thread for that, "My SHO went BOOM" post.

Nah but seriously SHOmav24v, When you do pour foreign fluids into the crankcase its just like opening a can of worms. You could loosen up decent sized chunks that could end up restricting oil flow, and then SHO-BOOM. Or that nice ATF (or seafoam, whatever) wont provide enough load-bearing protection, and then SHO-BOOM.

The one and only time I used/will ever use Seafoam, is on a last ditch effort to pass emmissions (after everything else is in proper working order) or on a motor that I just dont care about. I used it on my 170k mile small block chevy 2 summers ago. All it did was Leave a MASSIVE cloud of smoke for about 20 miles straight (Yep, 20 miles). I didnt notice any difference except for the black film of oil on the back end of my monte when i was done.

ATF is more of a Penetrant than a Lubricant.

 

[revhardSHO]

MyFirstSHO:
I keep checking this thread for that, "My SHO went BOOM" post.

Nah but seriously SHOmav24v, When you do pour foreign fluids into the crankcase its just like opening a can of worms. You could loosen up decent sized chunks that could end up restricting oil flow, and then SHO-BOOM. Or that nice ATF (or seafoam, whatever) wont provide enough load-bearing protection, and then SHO-BOOM.

The one and only time I used/will ever use Seafoam, is on a last ditch effort to pass emmissions (after everything else is in proper working order) or on a motor that I just dont care about. I used it on my 170k mile small block chevy 2 summers ago. All it did was Leave a MASSIVE cloud of smoke for about 20 miles straight (Yep, 20 miles). I didnt notice any difference except for the black film of oil on the back end of my monte when i was done.

ATF is more of a Penetrant than a Lubricant.

ATF is more of a lubricant. Automatic transmission fluid is specially formulated oil containing numerous additives to withstand grueling operating conditions inside transmissions. The detergent level is much higher than normal oils, and that is what cleans the internals.

 

[sdpatt]

Reading this topic makes me very thankful that I have been the sole owner of my car and with 92 oil changes of Castrol GTX over 283,000 miles, my engine still looks clean inside (photos taken at 269,000 miles).

 

[AutoSHO]

sdpatt:
Reading this topic makes me very thankful that I have been the sole owner of my car and with 92 oil changes of Castrol GTX over 283,000 miles, my engine still looks clean inside (photos taken at 269,000 miles).

I know exactly what you mean. I too am glad the previous owner just had the oil changed every 3k... no mystery oils, or wear inducing practices.

 

[Rob94]

You know, all this debate over ATF or Auto-RX (which I would NEVER use personally) can be put to rest quite easily. Would Ford cover the damages to a warrantied engine due to use of any of the above mentioned procedures? Not the manufactures of the "snake oil", but Ford itself? I didn't think so.

 

[SHOman24v]

I hear alot of "i wouldnt use it cause its atf or its sea foam" have you ever tried it?? my friends dad was a mechanic for GM (now works for BMW motorcycles) and said it was fine to this procedure, its just a cleaning process for the engine. im not driving the 3000mi with atf in my oil, im simply cleaning my engine. taking off the intake yes only takes 15 mins but how much can you clean without taking apart the entire thing??....not alot

 

[SonicRiot]

Has anyone thought of where the gunk goes when you "degrease" the engine? It isn't like steaming the intake where it burns it all off...so, yes, that's right. It frees the gunk up and it STAYS in the crankcase. Now what the **** good does that do but shorten the life of your rod bearings, seals, and ultimately, the engine?

If you need to degrease the crankcase, it is because you are not changing your oil frequenly enough, your filter is no good, or you are using the wrong oil and it is carmelizing inside(that's why SHO's should have SYNTHTIC oils only!).

And if it's that bad, you need a rebuild.

Just my $.02 after some additional thought.

 

[MyFirstSHO]

"I hear alot of "i wouldnt use it cause its atf or its sea foam" have you ever tried it??"

I have

And Sonicriot pretty much hit it on the head there.....

 

[Rockledge]

Rob94:
You know, all this debate over ATF or Auto-RX (which I would NEVER use personally) can be put to rest quite easily. Would Ford cover the damages to a warrantied engine due to use of any of the above mentioned procedures? Not the manufactures of the "snake oil", but Ford itself? I didn't think so.

I don't think anyone here is proposing to use any of the cleaners/methods mentioned on a newer engine. We are talking higher mileage types, or at least I am. Ford's warranty is the basic 3yr/36K deal. Even the extended warranties top out at what, 75K? So what Ford might have to say about my engine cleaning methods is not really a concern.

Also, speaking for myself, I know that if I ever suspected a bearing wear problem with my engine, and my vehicle was under warranty, you can be damn sure there would not be anything other than 100% 5W-30 Motorcraft oil in the crankcase (with nice white Motorcraft filter) when I dropped it off at the dealer for the repair. wink

P.S. Keep in mind also that Ford will use any old excuse to deny a warranty claim. So whether Ford would try to deny a claim based on some type of aftermarket cleaner being used in the crankcase at some point in time is not really a good indicator of whether the cleaner is a good product or not.

<small>[ February 07, 2004, 08:20 AM: Message edited by: Rockledge ]</small>

 

[Rockledge]

That's a clean pan for 270K! A testament to good maintenance and good oil, I would have to say.

 

[SHOZ123]

The Auto-RX will dissolve the crud and "encapsulate" it allowing the filter to remove it.