tranny fluid in engine (to clean)

[DavidT]

What are your thoughts on adding a quart of tranny fluid in with engine oil to clean it? What are the drawbacks?
Any gen.3 owners use auto r-x?

 

[shoteen95]

wow, i've never heard of this being done.

but that probably just goes to show that i'm young and don't know a lot of things..

i take it if it'll work in a gen 3, it should be a safe bet for many motors..hmmm

 

[MilTownSHO]

No you don't want to drive around with tranmission fluid in your engine oil. It can be used as a cleaning agent. For example, draining the oil, refilling with oil minus one quart, adding transmission fluid for the missing quart and running for a few minutes. Drain, refill with oil. Been used for years.

I'm not recommended doing or not doing it though....

 

[Ian Macoomb]

I don't think the benifit is worth the risk.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Are you thinking the inside is really dirty? The 20% ATX fluid is an old trick used to help loosen the sludge build up in old style motors. The kind that have .030 of oil gap, not the .003 that our and most other newer engines have.

I've used Auto RX on a Toyota motor with great sucess. Boy did it blacken the oil big time.

Tom

 

[Mr Anonymous]

What makes you think the inside of your engine is "dirty" and needs cleaning?

If you really feel it's necessary, I'd recommend the Auto-RX based on Paul Nimz' recommendation. We've had a handful of customers with real nasty crispy crunchy burned oil in the heads try it with a fair amount of success. If you're just trying to clean up oil staining and not sludge, then I think you'd be better off just leaving it be.

 

[DavidT]

actually, I think my Maxima needs it. If I drain all the oil and refill it, when I check the level on the dipstick, it still looks dirty.
I can barely see the level on the sho after an oil change

 

[Off Road SHO]

Oh, well if it's just a Maxima, go ahead,


Just kidding.

Tom

 

[SHOZ123]

Go with the Auto-RX. It is safe, works as advertised and easy to do. Here are some before and afters.

http://www.rms13.com/faq.htm

 

[Mr. SHO]

My Falcon sat for almost a year without having the engine run to keep everything lubed and clean. When I went to check the oil level, there was sludge on the edges of the dipstick, and the oil was black and thick. In addition, the rear main seal had dried up and oil was seeping out from other gasket areas as well (all around the oil pan, for example). Since I was down almost 2 quarts, I dumped in a quart of ATF and topped it off with 10W30. I ran the engine for a while until the valve clatter quieted down and the engine was good and warm. Then I let the car sit for a few days before dumping the oil and refilling with Castrol Hi-Mileage oil (regular dino oil with some seal conditioners). Everything has been A-OK since then.

Would I do this in my SHO or my SLO? Nope. But it's fine for a $30 motor made to 1964 standards.