I am running the Auto RX for the same problem to buy some time replacing the seals. I have done the clean, rinse, now I am going to repeat for a second cycle. Time will tell.

As far as the ARX cycle, it is still just a bit too early to tell. I did the clean and rinse cycle, and now I am on the first real oil interval where I am monitoring consumption. I have 2500 miles on this oil change and it is about a half a quart low. So, it is looking good. Previously, I used about a quart per 1500 miles. I run my oil for the whole 7500 miles, so I will report the total consumption for the whole oil change interval. I do a little over 1000 miles a month.

As far as other observations; I looked at the oil filter after the clean phase and there were some gritty particles in the filter media. Not a lot, but some. After the rinse phase, there was not much in the filter media. The car seems to run a bit smoother with a bit more power, but I must admit that could all be the placebo effect.

All in all it was a fun little experiment, and I think it will reduce my oil consumption a bit. Based on all the reports on other forums, I am also convinced it helped clean "ring packs".

I decided not to do the second cycle. My truck has seen synthetic oil for almost its entire life, so I dont think it is that dirty inside. Who knows?!

You're not immune to the valve stem seal issue with a '95 LS.

Been there, done that as the t-shirt says. I replaced my seals last year and also spent a lot of time trying to find out if the SOHC 3.0 motor was as prone as the 3.5 DOHC. Short answer is yes.
I had similiar symptoms - oil consumption at about 1 qt/tank (400m) and smoke, especially after idling for a while and pulling away. The latter prompted the repair as it failed state inspection. Post repair, I using about 1 qt/ 3-4 tanks (1400m)and its leaking rather than burning (no smoke).

There are several tricks to ease the repair, but it does take time and patience. Parts are cheap but you need the right tools and it takes time.

I'll be happy to fill you in more if you elect to change them!

Paul

Mine just passed California smog a couple months ago. I don't have a smoking problem, so I do not think my seals are that bad. Plus, the most oil I used was about a quart per 1200 miles. This truck had only synthetic oil for the first 100k miles with 7500 mile oil change intervals. Maybe the syn oil helped?

Generally it's caused by the valve stem seals going brittle and cracking (Or just brittle - As what happens to almost all 10 year old rubber bits exposed to hot engine oil!).

Anyhow, the only way that I can see that a material or fluid would fix this is to change the structure of the rubber or somehow clog up the valve guide - someone tell me how this works!?

You can do the seals on the engine, you'll probably drop a valve - yes always move the crank so that the piston you are working on is at the top of it's stroke - we all get carried away when we are working on these things and often forget to turn the crank. Also the most effective way to test the guides is with the head off, no substitute to that one I'm afraid.

Thick oil may well work for a while too - but it is inevitable that this work has to be done really - right? (Do it now and it'll be good for another 10 years - right?)

Burning oil a problem? - as it gets worse you may go through a few spark plugs - if it is really bad. I've driven some really sick engines that would go through a liter of oil in a week (400 miles û thatÆs quite a lot - made a hell of a cloud behind me!), real damage though - not really, the engine runs a little hotter.

Check your plugs - how do they look?

Before replacing my seals, I was concerned about the guides and whether they might be shot. In the end, it came down to "prevailing wisdom". Not many folks reported having guide wear, but seals seemed very prone. You are correct though, that checking either the seal or guide really requires taking the head off. This was one of the least favorable parts of the overall repair - there was little beyond actually replacing the seals that could be easily done in-situ to prove they needed replacement.

As far as dropping a valve, there are simple ways to avoid this. Its not inevitable!

Paul

The chemicals in ARX are supposed to clean any gunk around the seal and soften it during the clean cycle. Then during the rinse cycle the seal material firms up again. This softening and firming up process is supposed to help reduce leakage from seals. Of course if the seal is too far gone it will not help. There is some interesting reading about this product on their web site. Even more interesting is the reading of the patent for the product on the US patent office web site. They describe how it was shown that this product works. (actual engine teardowns)