Ring Free

[rx-1 blue reverse]

My 03 w/ 2300 miles on it has just started burning oil. I have searched and read most topics on oil useage and I am wondering who makes ring free. I did talk to my dealer about this problem and they said that this sled will burn ~ 1 quart to every 1000 miles :cry: , I am not real happy with this, but I will now watch the leval. I am done riding (1100 miles w/ 4 weeks in the shop because I hit a tree) for the year so I will not be able to use ring free till next year. Thanks In Advance.

 

[Mighty]

Yamaha actually markets their own brand, check at your dealer. I spoke with my dealers head mechanic and he said the stuff does work. He hasn't heard of problems with the Genesis but he has seen the problem in bikes.

 

[Snorover]

TRY "SEA FOAM" ITS A BETTER PRODUCT AND YOU CAN GET IT AT NAPA.

IF THEY DON'T HAVE IT IN STOCK THEY CAN ORDER IT.

 

[SUPERTUNER]

Anything "miracle in a bottle" is actually a Band Aid and not a cure. Personally I don't think the rings sticking problem needs a band aid...you need to disassemble the engine and find out why the rings are supposedly sticking. I have no technical data to back this up but I am doubtful that the rings are indeed sticking. I think it is quite possible that whatever this "stuff" is that you are using may simply just be seating the rings better and that may be why some are seeing improved performance and less oil useage.

Once again, this is not my "carved in stone" feelings as I have not seen any sticking rings personally but just an opinion at this time. If the rings are sticking this means that either the grooves on the piston are collapsing or the rings are growing. In either case, this needs more serious attention than something from a bottle.

Freddie

 

[ReX]

Anything "miracle in a bottle" is actually a Band Aid and not a cure. Personally I don't think the rings sticking problem needs a band aid...you need to disassemble the engine and find out why the rings are supposedly sticking. I have no technical data to back this up but I am doubtful that the rings are indeed sticking. I think it is quite possible that whatever this "stuff" is that you are using may simply just be seating the rings better and that may be why some are seeing improved performance and less oil useage.

Once again, this is not my "carved in stone" feelings as I have not seen any sticking rings personally but just an opinion at this time. If the rings are sticking this means that either the grooves on the piston are collapsing or the rings are growing. In either case, this needs more serious attention than something from a bottle.

Freddie

I always had the same opinion as you - until I bought my 2000 Saturn SL2. These engines have the exact same problem with carbon building up on the rings, causing them to stick. I've got a few friends (and read about many, many more on the internet) who went from burning over a quart per 200 miles and after an overnight soak with a strong solvent and an oil change or two, they now burn less than a quart in 3000 miles.

A number of the guys have pulled their engines apart, and soaked the pistons and rings in carb cleaner. This also works, but takes much, much more effort. Nothing seems to stop the carbon building up in the ring lands (other than driving the engine's wide open on a very regular basis - road course race track or towing heavy trailers).

With the Saturns it seems the harder you drive them the less likely they will burn oil. Also, running something through the gas (like seafoam) seems to only marginally help. The ticket with them is to get all the pistons 1/2way between TDC and BDC, pour in several ounces of strong carbon cleaner, let it sit overnight, and then suck out anything remaining on top of the pistons, replace the oil, run the engine a little, change the oil again and you're set.

It really does work and it takes a good 50,000 miles for the problem to come back. It is a band aid, but it seems the problem - at least with these cars - isn't fixable. Even the guys running non-stock EFI computers and running aftermarket performance pistons have the same problem, so it seems to be a fundamental problem with the combustion chamber/piston/ring design. No one has solved it yet.

I suspect the RX-1 has a similar issue and there's not much that can be done other than the above (and possibly driving them very hard - my SL2 doesn't burn oil after 140,000 very hard miles and I haven't had to clean the rings yet).

Steve

(BTW, I'll be ording a new 05 RX-1 ER in the next couple of weeks)

 

[Dukester]

Check with Misfit. He was using oil at a rate of 1 quart per 200 miles to no oil in 4800 miles. With the last 2800 run on the last oil change while on a bagger trip.

He used a can of Seafoam in each of two tanks of gas and then one can every 3 or 4 tanks. The oil got black during the first tank and he changed after the second tank. His oil gets much darker than before using Seafoam.

We have an 03 RX1 that has seen the same results and it has 14,000 miles and it hasn't used oil for the last 10,000 miles.

I personelly think it has some thing to do with the multipal valve engine and the rush of friget air into the cumbustion chamber following the escape of high temperature in a rapid manner thru multi exaust valves.

 

[Mighty]

You're on to something almost RX-1. I have 3 saturns in my stable, 02 SC-2-wife, 01 SC-2-oldest daughter and a 96 SC-1 for my youngest. The 96 with 100K used a quart every 500 miles. Before I bought the car I had our saturn dealer run the history of the car and it showed that the lady that owned it had the oil changed every 3K. The longest she had ever gone was 3,050 miles between changes. When I realized how much oil it was using I talked to the service dept. and they told me about a procedure where they run a solvent in the oil and then pour some directly in the cylinders and let it set over night kinda like you described and it supposidly works great. Only problem, they want $200.00 to do this. So I went to Wal-mart and bought a can of some type of ring free stuff and ran it in the oil at idle for about 10 minutes like the directions said to do. Changed the oil and now that car has about 1,200 miles with about a quarter of a quart to go before it needes more oil. A definate improvement over the quart every 500 miles. From what I've read about seafoam, I'm gonna buy a few cans of it and give it a try.

 

[ReX]

One thing I've always very much disliked about adding a solvent either to your oil or gas is it will break down the motor oil and it will reduce the oil's ability to lubricate the engine. How much of a problem this is can always be debated...

What I like about the overnight soak is the engine isn't running and doesn't run with the solvent in it. Also, the solvent does it's job full strength - no dilution in the oil nor fuel. After the soak, you can get almost all of the solvent out of the engine before running it. A final oil change minimizes the risk of running broken down oil.

It's more work than simply pouring the can of "miracle cure" in the tank, but it's my preference.

On the RX-1 (I don't own one yet) can the oil be easily drained from the crank area?

Typically after an overnight soak, a lot of solvent leaks past the rings and ends up in the sump on most engines. Where would it end up with the dry sump? Would it possibly fill up the crank area and end up getting in the bearings? Will it drain back to the oil tank without the engine running?

Maybe a solution would be to leave the crank drain plug out during the overnight soak?

Steve