Piston Soak?

[88Adventurer]

It had always leaked/burned oil, but I replaced the camshaft seal and the leaks there have pretty much stopped. Where the oil is getting blown up into the carburetor it leaks down on top of the engine.
Going up hill, you can hear the valves rattle. Is there a way to tell the condition of the valves? Color or such? It will probably be this weekend before I can get to it.

[darkdan]

Holy crap! 20 psi? How does it even run?

Did you block the throttle open?

Auto-rx will typically increase oil consumption during the cleaning phase, during the rinse, and once in a while the next oil change interval after the rinse phase. This is because as it's cleaning things are slipping past the ring packs as they become freed.

[88Adventurer]

Yeah, the gas pedal was pushed down while cranking. I'm thinking I didn't have the guage in tight enough. Need to try it again.
So the oil consumption sounds normal for a cleaning of the engine?

[Dave G]

Yeah, the gas pedal was pushed down while cranking. I'm thinking I didn't have the guage in tight enough. Need to try it again.

Yeah - I find it hard to believe the thing would run at all with those compression numbers you quoted...

[darkdan]

Lots of people report increased consumption during auto-rx.

But keep in mind it's not a miracle. If the rings are just physically worn to nothing or broken or something else it can't fix that.

It can only clean them to help with compression.

[88Adventurer]

I've put the last dose of RX in and have a few more miles before it needs to be changed. Car has just shy of 140,000 miles on it. Would anyone recommend using Sea Foam Motor Treatment for an additional cleaning? I'm somewhat new to these products, but the guy at Advance said he swears by Sea Foam. By the way, the seal leaks that had been there have pretty much stopped since the Auto-RX treatments. Thanks to all for the replies.

[darkdan]

No.

I would not add seafoam.


Seafoam is pale oil, naptha, and rubbing alcohol. It will thin your oil, evaporate quickly, and not clean much in the short time it was in there.

Auto-rx will deeply clean everything. That's why it's a 1500 mile clean, 2000 mile rinse, 1000 mile clean, 1500 mile rinse. It's a 6000+ mile commitment to cleaning your engine.

Seafoam in there won't do diddly.

Seafoam has its uses, but they aren't in the crankcase or in the gas tank.