Do engine cleaners work?

[Pete W]

I'm thinking about using an engine cleaner. The kind that you add to your oil, run for twenty minutes and then drain. One guy said that an extra two quarts of oily junk came out of his engine after using it and it ran superb after. Other people say it can ruin an old engine.

What's your opinion?

Thanks,

Pete
61 Comet 144

 

[page62]

Don't do it. Doesn't matter if the engine is new or old...

If the engine is new and you've changed the oil regularly, it doesn't need it. Modern oils have plenty of detergents that prevent sludge buildup.

If the engine is old, all that sludge is probably holding the engine together and keeping leaks from occurring.

 

[LaGrasta]

I agree with page62. Unless you really need it to solve a problem, don't do it. A little sludge makes up for a lot of wear areas.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Pete:

To answer your question, Yes, internal engine cleaner oils do work, to some extent. They are usually a mix of high detergent and other solvent that work in contact with sludge and crud buildup. If an oriface is plugged an engine cleaner fluid cannot open it.

If an engine is badly worn and using oil, an internal cleaner will frequently make oil use worse. A more ideal use is on a relatively new engine that has been sitting for some time and oil and gas has turned to varnish.

When I get an engine of unknown maintainance I will use one of these products. Then follow with a high quality, high detergent oil change and filter.

That's my two cents, for what it's worth.

Adios, David

 

[JackFish]

Here's my penny's worth.
http://auto-rx.com/

I have used this and it works.
I "discovered" it on the forums at bobistheoilguy.com
It is intended to gently clean the engine over time, but you have to be driving it for a few thousand miles.
Most people consider additives to be nothing more than "snake-oil" but this stuff seems to be effective.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

edit: a bit more info:

What is Auto-Rx & What Does It Do?

The product ARX is a proprietary blend of three ester groups. One is fatty ester, lanolin type, that is the base of ARX. Raw material is derived from the washing of sheep hair. This unique ester has very good detergent properties and is responsible for most of the cleaning of engine deposits that motor oil detergents can't clean. A second ester group is an aliphatic ester, which helps in the oil film formation. Esters of this group make up the base of many aviation oils. They prevent dry spots or fish eyes in the oil film formation. This is obviously important while flying many thousand feet above the ground. It is also vital during the cleansing of deposits in your ground level motor. The other ester group is a polyol ester. Although is primarily used as a thinning agent of the ARX blend, improving pour point, they are biodegradable eco friendly extreme pressue agents. By green I mean chlorine free, phoshate free, boron free, etc.

...

Rick20

 

[BUZZ]

I'd be very careful. If your motor is very badly cruded up and you break it all loose at once, chances are its going to clog up your oil pickup and run your motor out of oil. I just replace 1qt of oil for 1qt of trans fluid every other oil change in my older cars. I've been doing it for years but I honestly couldn't say for a fact that it cleans out a motor. It just something that I like to do.

 

[kirkallen143]

Seafoam it! Everyone will have their opinions, but this stuff work purty darn good. You can put in your intake, via a manifold vacuum line, in your oil and in your gas tank. I used it on a full size bronco, that had been sitting for 10 years, a few weeks back and got tremendous results. Oil pressure was better at idle, engine ran smoother, and I only put it in the gas tank to remove some water and such. Good luck.

Kirk

 

[rbohm]

8) most internal engine cleaners work as advertised, however be careful using them as the others have stated, as it may cause more problems than it cures. if you do choose to go this route, i suggest using marvel mystery oil since it is designed as a lubricant first, and has a mild cleaning agent in it, much like automatic transmission fluid does.

 

[BENJENBROOKS]

I agree with KA, Seafoam does work. I purchased a motor that had been sitting on it's side for about 4 years uncovered (Western Oregon)as a core, decided to toss it into the 68 'stang to run while i rebuilt the original because I lost a head gasket in the original motor.

I got the motor in and running(put ~400 mi. on it), but smoked somthing terrible. I had ~80lb compression on 3 holes, I figured stuck rings (rusted cylinder walls...) and some valve seals had dried out. I had the engine running and put Seafoam additive into the oil, the idle smoothed out and after two days (140mi) the engine ran smooth with no visible smoke...

A cleaner is worth a try, Keep an eye on the oil pressure in case there is some heavy crud that breaks free and plugs the oil pickup tube.

Seafoam didn't work on our 302 car though, I have a well oiled valvecover whenever I run it... time for a rebuild on that one!

 

[CobraSix]

I stay away from that stuff in general. I did something like that on my truck after 180k miles. Since then, I've had nothing but oil pressure problems (as in it has 0 oil pressure below 1000 RPM). And yes, this happened as soon as I did it. I've replaced the gauge, checked it mechanically. Luckily 60k miles later the engine is still running, even with 0 pressure at idle.

 

[fordconvert]

If your oil (and engine) is dirty I would start by changing the oil much more often and see how it responds. Breaking too much loose too quick could be trouble like others have said. Fresh oil means fresh detergents and removing gunk is their job. If that looks to be helping then you can think about some additional stuff before a change. I have had good luck with a bit of ATF and I also like seafoam. The last 2 old cars I bought (mustang and cadillac) took 4 oil changes within about a month (only a few hundred miles) before the oil would stay somewhat clean for a short period of time. The 3rd change was the first one I added anything to.

 

[Bort62]

Drain oil, put on new filter.

Put in 50% oil 50% diesel.

Idle for 10-15 minutes

Drain oil/diesel combo and marvel at all the crap that is in it.

New filter, refill w/ oil.

Do it every few oil changes on an older engine until the oil stays looking clean.


Works great!

 

[mugsy]

I put in a qt. of ATF and run for about 50 miles before oil changes. Also, do not run it at highway speeds with the ATF in it. Keep the car under 50 mph. I have had mechanics tell me that my old engines are real clean for their age. Never had gasket leaks, etc

 

[woodbutcher]

My personal favorite is Marvel(R)oil.
Leo