Jim

Good to hear from you, Jim.

I, too, have a 98 Sienna that I also bought used and I did tons of research prior to the purchase just as you did! The difference between you and I, although you didn't mention this in your e-mail but it may have occurred is this, when I looked at this used van, I noticed a small blue smoke puff upon startup. I pride myself on being mechanically literate but not a mechanic or mechanical engineer (Frank calls me a banker but I only work at a bank in the Information Technology area). It was at the point that I saw the blue smoke that I thought that it was no big deal and that I would purchase the extended warranty offered and make quick use of it. Later that evening when I got home and started researching the web on what caused this condition, it was then that I found all of the sludge talk you are now looking at.

Believe me, I have spent hours upon hours researching this on a large number of websites! Because we both bought used vans, we don't know the maintenance history behind our vans. My mother in law has a 98 Avalon and has about 35,000 on the car. Her engine is the exact same version as mine and hers purrs like a kitten but then again she is religious about changing her oil every 3,000 miles (how many kilometers is that?).

I have to admit that I found Frank's product and started using it and you can see that based on the attached photos. However, all of this was occurring with Frank prior to the 1st SPA policy that came out in February (not the 8 year deal you are talking about - that one is better!). Given the requirements from Toyota, I had the opportunity to get a engine rebuild at virtually no cost to me! To make a long story short, I could either use Frank's product to entirely clean the engine out - which it was SLOWLY doing (SLOWLY is the key word because that is how the product is designed to work) or I could get a free engine rebuild compliments of Toyota. As it turned out, the local dealer got into rebuilding the engine and it was determined that the block was shot! However, the new policy covered everything including a new block. Now I really am getting a new engine.

I haven't ditched Franks product because of this change of events. His product was doing what it was deigned to do. I just had a fortunate chance to speed up the process a bit! I am continuing to add 2 oz. to my new engine as I change the oil to be used as a maintenance dose.

I am not a chemical engineer but Frank originally developed this product to be used in these large printing presses. Apparently, these things tend to build sludge and other 3rd party abrasives that his product can clean out. The main benefit design for automotive applications is reduced emissions. The sludge cleaning is just a nice side effect.

Back to my rebuilt engine (I had a new thought!). When the dealership put a BRAND NEW block in the van, the only old parts kept were the oil pan and the cylinder heads. I was told that the heads were completely disassembled and a new valve job was done which includes inserting new valve stems. Also, the oil pan was completely cleaned as well. As soon as I got the van home from the dealer (with a brand new engine), I added 2 oz. of Auto-Rx and went for 500 miles. I wanted to experiment to see what type of stuff would come out of the engine. 500 miles is usually a good break-in period for an engine. I changed the oil and filter and was shocked to see what was in the filter (a Toyota OEM filter, no doubt)! I cut open the filter and stretch out the filtering element and found small pieces of metal (I expected this) but I found a lot of sludge! This really scared me - did I have sludge after 500 miles on a brand new engine? I decided to put fresh oil in and a new filter and 2 oz. of Auto-Rx. I then went about 600 miles and spun this filter off and it was completely clean! My only conclusion is that when the engine was rebuilt that not ALL of the sludge was removed and the Auto-Rx was doing its job and finished cleaning the brand new engine.

Jim, make your own conclusions about the product does. You can't beat a money back guarantee. I was hesitant at first as well and I read a testimony on Frank's website from a Tony Riek in Arkansas and that was enough to convince me that this product works. It's a shame that I couldn't run the Auto-Rx all the way to completion, that stuff was cleaning sludge out left and right.

I also use it in my 94 Honda Accord. I feel a definate power increase in the engine after an initial treatment. But don't get me wrong, it's not like going from a luxury car to a top fuel dragster! You just feel a different power increase.

If you feel comfortable with removing the from valve cover, I would highly recommend it! You can see for yourself if the engine is sludged up. Do you get blue smoke on startup or when you hit the gas hard on teh highway? Let me know about that...

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