roadfrog

Another day of driving to and from work and again, the issue HAS NOT returned! I will aslo reiterate that the smoothness and throttle response are awesome.

So Devh......what do you suggest? Go back to Dino? This is only the second oil change this car has had with syn. The car has 75k miles. Also, hasn;t there been lots of people who have this issue abnd have only been using blended or straight dino oils? I'm open to any opinions and suggestions.

The way I feel right now, I'd buy EVERYONE donuts!

Where the heck are they at Lextrician? I drive to Seattle quite often.

Devh

I would not go back to dino oil, although it might actually suspend the issue, you are then contributing to a dirtier engine that will catch up to you at some point with leaking seals along with other issues like the one you have and it might throw a code for the vvt eventually. The synthetic is actually cleaning all of the deposits the dino oil has left behind as well as rejuvenating the seals.
Most people think the benefits of using synthetic oil is for extended oil intervals and efficiency but they neglect the fact that it keeps the engine cleaner so that it can last a long time which is the main benefit to engine life.

My recommendation is to continue to use synthetic oil however you should do an AutoRX treatment so it liquefies the deposits and catches them in the oil filter. Then continue using synthetic oil so you never experience this problem again.

roadfrog

I'd prefer to stick with syn, so that's what I'll do and see what happens.

As for the AutoRx...I read some scary reviews about it. Blown seals and gaskets etc. I'm not saying I'll have the same issue, but there are some very scary expereinces on a few sites. The treatment these guys got in return from the company (AutoRX), were unprofessional and condescending). They posted the chain of emails and it was a little disturbing, especuially considering they were from the CEO/Prez of the company. At one point the chem engineer stepped in and apologized on behalf of AutoRX. Not sure what that did for his career.....

roadfrog

Can't be WHAT? I'm missing your point. Are you referring to Devh stating that it could be viscosity?

Devh

You can use Synthetic oil and over time it will flush out the deposits . You can even use a dispersant flush like the one sold by Amsoil or Motul to speed up the process before every oil change.
As far as AutoRx goes it's true that in some cases it will uncover worn out engine seals. The reason why they leaked is simply because the engines seals were already rotted and the only thing holding it up is the deposits. If the same car was switched to synthetic oil it would have suffered the same fate. Also keep in mind your engine will not be anywhere near this condition because modern dino oil used today is a lot more refined and the engine seals are of a better grade that you will not experience this problem. I have used this product on multiple cars and it was so effective that the hard varnish etching on the dipstick was removed. The entire process is safe and effective and I have always recommended it to many when they tell me they wish to change to synthetic with any car over 60k miles.

Devh

I don't think I ever stated it could be viscosity although it does but it's a lot more complex then just stating viscosity. It's not even the cause of the problem since you are using a 20wt oil.

Also this has nothing to do with the oil pump, it has everything to do with the article I linked.
To sum up; oil has one new functions in a VVT equipped engine. Apart from lubricating and cooling it must also have a hydraulic function. The formulation of Toyota's synthetic oil fills this requirement well.

roadfrog

Great info Devh! I will perhaps try the AutoRx and then follow up with 0W20 Toyota synth. I think I'll wait for 5k miles or so (or November when it gets cooler) and then drain what I have and start from scratch and in accordance with the AutoRX instructions.

Devh

Don't fear AutoRx. It has some people yelling foul but their engines were already toast to begin with and if anything the AutoRx uncovered the problem earlier. In some cases the AutoRx treatment was so effective that it would remove the deposits around the seals which would cause a leak and then in time the leak would subside because the oil would rejuvenate the seal and swell up to it's original state saving the engine.
We are dealing with a very gentle organic ester that cleans over a period of time which is what you want.

Devh

I was using that product for over 10 years as an induction cleaner. We would have induction cleaning parties and make big Spy Hunter style smoke screens afterwards.

It does absolutely nothing in the gas tank as well as adding it to the oil. I stopped using it as an induction cleaner because it's not that effective as the crisper throttle response goes away after 50 miles. If you really want to clean up carbon deposits there is nothing better then distilled water injection metered carefully so you don't hydrolock the motor.
I have moved on to better methods and products that actually do something and besides the days of exhaust recirculation which was the major reason why intakes tracks were all crudded up are gone now since the advent of VVT. Now intakes get crudded up using K&N filters.

williakz

Care to comment further? I'm all set to install a pair in my 13 460 ...

Pamperme

Your 'mechanic?'
But what does the dealer/Lexus say? From my experience, Lexus does not recommend such things.
YouTube is littered with idiots revving their engines like crazy using this stuff. See link below. This idiot's Acura TL began blowing blue smoke near the end. No doubt, the mindless revving played a role in that. Engines are not supposed to be revved like this without a load.

If I ever caught someone revving my car like this, I'd be extremely pissed ready to show them the not-so-nice side of me.

Devh

I have used K&N filters for a very long time and they are more trouble then it's worth, the product is completely misleading.
These gauze impregnated oil air filters do not filter very well. They will let in silicon particulate which will stick to the walls of the intake tract because there is a light coating of oil from the blowby that is sucked in from the PCV valve to get burned by the combustion for emissions. This will over time roughen up the flow of air in the intake track and negate any performance advantage you would get with increased flow with the K&N.
In edition to this the mist of oil from these types of filters it finds it's way to the MAF sensor and can contaminate the platinum tip sending inaccurate data to the cars computer. This can manifest into poor idle and performance so the MAF will require frequent cleaning.

K&N has clamed these oiling problems are a result of owners over oiling their air filter which is not true. This is obvious to anyone who has bought one of these filters that it comes from the factory over oiled.

The biggest deception of all is the claimed performance which couldn't be further then the truth.
These cars were designed with the intake tract to conform to the right air fuel mixture for horsepower and torque. Some who have added an intake notice nothing more then sound while others did notice a difference, the difference was the power band had shifted and they lost torque down below. The only way to gain power from the increased flow of these air filters is to have the air fuel ratio and engine timing tuned on a dyno with a stand alone computer. Anything short of that is just kidding yourself that you got free power.

Devh

Although I agree there are a lot of useless idiots using this stuff as an induction cleaner it will not cause any harm to the engine, 02 sensors or catalytic converter.
Although Lexus doesn't recommend induction cleaning, dealers offer induction cleaning service. There is some merit to induction cleaning however Seafoam is not the product for it.

In regards to revving the engine it's not going to cause any harm. People including myself have been doing it for years without any ill effects unless you over rev to the point where you float the valves. That Acura TL takes it to another level where they fuel cut even earlier when the car is parked.
Revving a cars engine once in awhile can be beneficial especially in older cars.

Pamperme

Revving an engine in park or nutral (with no load) such as u indicated produces no benefits what so ever. It wastes gas, and increases wear and tear in the process.

Lextrician

There are a few locations mainly seattle bellevue

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Most of our cafés are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Our Capitol Hill location is open until 9 p.m. seven days a week.

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Seattle, WA 98121
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Seattle, WA 98115
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325 West Galer
Seattle, WA 98119
206-631-2120
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10600 NE 9th Place
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-457-7440
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Mill Creek, WA 98012
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