bulwnkl

Some are good cleaners that don't also cause harm, some are good cleaners that do also cause harm, and most are nearly useless while maybe causing harm. The ones I know for certain are good cleaners and don't cause harm are: Chevron Techron, Red Line SI-1 (can be a little aggressive, though; be careful), Lube Control's FP-Plus, Renewable Lube's Bio-Plus (pretty good), I believe Amsoil's new formulation is also not harmful when mixed properly. The ones that hook directly to the injection rail are usually good, though there are exceptions. The notion that the engine is running on nothing but cleaner is just silly, since good (and safe) cleaners won't run a gasoline engine. Anything that's running the engine entirely on 'cleaner' is really running it on basically a fuel/cleaner mix. Still might work well, but if there's more cleaner in the mix (and if the engine is running on that mix) than what you'd get with one of the above when mixed according to directions, you'd better change the oil immediately after the cleaning to prevent damage.

Yes, it may have been HLAs, though there was no ticking sound change before and after because I didn't have any special ticking troubles. After I thought about it a bit it became clear that it would not have been an HLA stuck extended, because that would have meant a burned valve (which there wasn't). A thing I did not mention was the decrease in oil consumption. Thousands of miles of HD diesel engine oil had only the most minimal impact on that. Basically, at this point it seems to me that it was a ring deposit problem, but it may have been something else like an HLA. ATF, while often reported as an engine flush, has essentially nothing in the way of detergent-dispersant compared to engine oils (especially diesel oils), so any positive impacts it has outside of the psychological really cannot be due to anything but coincidence, people using way too high a viscosity oil in normal usage, or something not related to detergency or dispersancy. I do agree that high detergent/dispersant levels will help sticky HLAs tremendously. However, solvents are not similar to DDs, and though they may be effective for some things, they're just not 'safe' in an operating engine. They compromise lubrication far too much, they're too aggressive to many components, they can kick off chunks large enough to cause more damage, and they don't clean very thoroughly without disassembly and mechanical assistance. A nice fatty acid-ester mix will clean much better and more completely, and will let the DD package in your oil do its job to remove the gunk.

It's an animal fatty acid and lanolin ester base, but perhaps that means it has terpenes in it (as well).

I take a similar position as grossgary. However, I word it differently: "Flush" products are not safe to use in an engine. The only safe thing I know of is called Auto-RX. I have used it myself in fewer than half a dozen applications. It is similar in concept to the terpene products aircraft engineer referred to in that it works slowly (several thousand miles to complete the cycle). This is a primary part of why it is safe to use. Also, it does not compete with the oil to lubricate. In fact, it is an outstanding lubricant itself. Where I differ from many here is in whether a Subaru engine needs to be cleaned inside. My experience has been (and I probably have less Subaru experience than a great many people on this board) that Subarus get harmful deposits in them at least as fast as the general average engine. I do think that Subarus often mask the effects of those deposits better than some engines. The most severe case I can tell you about is my '91 XT-6. It had very low compression in one cylinder and borderline in another. However, the car did not show particular signs of a problem. Once corrected, it was certainly a quicker car. One might have thought the engine was just old and 'tired' when I got it, when in fact the issue was harmful deposits. So, personally I won't use any kind of 'flush' product. I've used nearly all of them in my life (they're mostly all about the same thing), and while sometimes they'll have a positive effect, they're just not safe, IMO.

In case you wanted info that may seem more confusing that helpful: There's no such thing as Dex III any more. It is not being licensed by GM any longer. So, it's a matter of trust that the oil manufacturer is still meeting all aspects of that now-dead spec; there's no testing of the spec-maker to verify. GM is only licensing Dex VI now, which is a significantly different fluid than Dex III. Dex VI supersedes and is to be used instead of Dex III according to GM. However, Subaru says that their new ATF supersedes and replaces everything they were using before. Know what's neat about that? The new Subaru ATF is not the same thing as Dex VI. So, which one are we Subaru owners supposed to use?

OK, so I've only scanned most of this thread VERY quickly, so this may be useless input. However, that's never deterred me before. I had a temperature fluctuation condition similar to that described in the initial post(s) in my XT-6 a few years ago. It was my thermostat malfunctioning (new within the previous month or three). Replaced that and the symptoms went away. That's a cheap, easy thing to replace and may solve this.

The color is produced by deposits from motor oil over time. It could be from 'poor' quality oil, or from not changing 'often enough,' from an engine running too-high oil temps, or just from the specific components of the oil. Frequently, one cannot prevent this discoloration because it's a 'feature' of the engine in question. However, you could probably prevent it in most engines by changing the oil every 500-1000 miles regardless of usage. The thing is, the coloration itself does not indicate a problem so long as you're talking about a fairly light general coloring. It can also be essentially impossible to remove without mechanical scrubbing or even grinding.

Hey, BB, did you ever figure this out?

The theory of them is solid, but the implementation of the theory may not produce noticeable results in real-world use. The company said they'd send me some for a fleet test at work and generating UOA data, but never followed through. I didn't bug them about it because we have plenty to do already. I just thought it would be a cool test that would generate some interesting data.

The specks are metallic deposits which are there from one of: Fuel component/additive, Motor oil component/additive, maybe a coolant component/additive. They are not spark plug conductor vaporization deposits, IMO.

Note to all late-model turbo owners: Do not just buy the PCV valve from Subaru. Buy the whole plastic assembly it's in. The valve alone is almost impossible to remove from the assembly, and the assembly is often cheaper from the dealer than the valve alone. Plus, arm yourself with some hose clamps since the ones used in that area are designed as one-time-use and may or may not be able to be re-used (though I was successful when I did it about 3 weeks ago).

Leaking injector(s)? Or very poor pattern? You could try E85. At least then your exhaust would smell like a still or a bottle of vodka rather than gasoline!

I'd be interested in the answer to this question as well, although my cost experience is backwards from the O.P.'s. I can buy a hitch, carrier rack for it, and some kind of tupperware box for less money than I can get just a Thule or Yakima roof-top box. Still, I'm interested in hearing what folks have experienced for mpg hit on the rooftops.

Is it really? I'd really like to know the combustion chamber volume on various Subie engines. Simply taking the displacement/cylinder and dividing by the compression ratio doesn't give you the right answer because you're starting with displaced volume. Actual volume above (or beside in the case of our boxers! ) the piston is higher than that at BDC. Still, I'd really like to know CC volume if you have it? Either way, a small amount of ingested water would vaporize under the pressure and heat in the cylinder. Once it does, it becomes compressible and there's still no issue.

Thicker gear oil will help keep it a little quieter for now. So, if you're running 75W-90, go to 80W-90, 75W- or 80W-110, or maybe even 85W-140.

Tailgate alone is rated for 600+lbs. Right on, 87GL!

Any update here? I have the same situation (CEL lit solid, cruise control light flashing). I was expecting a CEL for loose gas cap because I'm testing E85. Didn't expect the flashing cruise light nor non-function of the cruise control. Autozone/Schucks are not that near, but I'll try to get to them (if they're open today). If I get a code reader, I'll post the outcome, though it'd be nice if the O.P. would follow up with the resolution for him?

Ahh, here's the original post you were talking about! I've not used witchhunter, but I know some of the XT-6 guys have and have been pleased with their service. I've used local fuel injection shops for mine (often found in industrial areas and you'd think they only did diesel stuff, but they do gasoline as well). I expect that if you're getting no pulsing at all in one of them, the electricals may need replacing, and that will essentially be a replacement injector. Still, for me personally I'd take them all out and to the shop. They'll tell you immediately if one needs to be completely replaced or not. Even if you have to replace one, a cleaning/rebuild of the others will assure proper pattern and even flow from all your injectors, which will yield best performance and economy.

Sorry, I guess I didn't see your earlier post re: rebuilding them, Anon.II. Is that no longer an option for you? If it is, it may be very worthwhile. If you're having these kinds of troubles, I'd say you're wise to clean (ultrasonically or mechanically, not with a chemical injector cleaner run through the fuel) or just plain rebuild all of them.

Taking the whole thing off the car might make it easier to manipulate. When you were beating on it, how'd that go? I'm envisioning a heavy hammer (you said 8 lbs. didn't you?) that was not able to be swung fast enough to make a super-sharp blow, but instead was a heavy crushing blow. Is that about how it went? If the pin is rusted in there like you're saying, heavy crushing blows probably just deformed the pin a bit and locked it in there tighter. If you or someone you know has an acetylene torch, go use it. You should be able to do what you need to with a cutting tip. Be careful, though, because doing what you really need to will see you blowing molten steel and slag right back at your face and body. That's not fun if you're unprotected. You may end up having to cut the pin off and then blowing more of it out of the hole until the hitch can clear the receiver tube. A drill will also work just fine, but most folks don't have the strength and patience (not to mention the will to buy the good-quality cobalt bit that's work best here) to make that work, and it'll work much better after the torch cuts off the ends of the pin. If/when you go back to the hammer, remember: Very sharp, very quick blows are what will break things free. The heavy, crushing blows of a mini-sledge will make things worse in most cases if it's really, really stuck in there hard.

Correct-o. This is what I do. Cheaper, better, sometimes faster.

Yes, it is true. Don't be fooled into thinking that all 'synthetic blends' are labeled as such. To give just one example, it is common to make an SM/GF-4 0W- or 5W-20 with significant 'synthetic' components, but they're not labeled as a blend unless there's also a higher price tag on them. Also, do not confuse base stock class number with performance level. There are companies that succeed in making bad finished products out of Group IV bases. Group III bases can outperform Group IV without all that much trouble, and they're every bit as 'truly synthetic' (meaning performance, how pure and whether synthesized or extracted) as the IVs and Vs. I think most people would be very surprised as to what some of the better-quality 'conventional' oils are really made of vs. many, many of the 'synthetics' and/or 'blends.'

I'll second the notion of a very careful check of an off-lease vehicle. Personally, I think that rentals in general are pretty well maintained (IME). I'd go with an ex-rental over a car I knew was off-lease to a private party most any day. Again, I agree with the advice to check for repaired damage. It may or may not matter to you, but be aware that it's not uncommon.

These days conventionals have 'synthetics' blended into them, and 'synthetics' have 'conventionals' blended into them. The difference between the two is in the price tag and the marketing. Switch away and don't even think about it.

A true market (a relatively large number of buyers _and_ sellers) will not allow this to happen because no one has sufficient control/influence to make it work. The 'gaming' can only begin once there is disproportionate control by a few or one. Things like CAFE and fuel taxes are where the 'gaming' occurs in this thread's context because it's easier to mask that from end-use individuals. The 'gaming' is the reason for the universal failures of socialism you mention. Those who 'know best' end up primarily rewarding themselves over time. A person may be perfectly immune to this failing, but people are not. What's the saying? Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I agree that what's best for an individual is very commonly at odds with what's best for a group, and that causes lots of troubles. Still, history has proven time after time that starting with free markets and keeping them as open and free as possible is most effective and 'best' for both individuals and groups over time.