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oil additives just snake oil?
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berniedd1
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 9:37 am    Post subject: oil additives just snake oil? Reply with quote

Does anyone have any experience/comments about the beneficial use of oil additives like Slick50, MotorUp or DuraLube for the VW aircooled engine?
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Eaallred
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just motor oil. Additives are designed for one thing. To make money.

There are a few exceptions, and are usually recommended for engine break in. I personally like using the Lucas oil additive. It's a 'sticky' oil, and I like to break in a cam with that. I've had good results with that so far. A lot of guys like running the GM EOS (Engine Oil Suppliment) when they break a motor in. I haven't tried that, but a lot of guys really prefer it. Another is the STP additive that has a lot of zinc in it. Zinc in the oil makes cams and lifters happy.

Other than that, I wouldn't waste money on 'gimmicky' looking additives.
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Erik G
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will agree on the Lucas oil. It's like honey oil, thick, gooy, and slippery as can be.

once I really f-d up a motor, I had already used 1/2 a quart of the lucas as a preventive measure. I was driving on the freeway, and the stupid magnetic plug works loose. green light on, tons of smoke, and BAD knocking, so I coasted off the freeway, and every once in a while, started it up to get enough power to coast to a friends. of course the engine was just toasted, making bearing noises, but I really needed to get it home, and I knew I could get a motor at bugorama the next weekend. So my buddy drove me to pepboys, I bought a Qt of lucas and a couple qts of oil. I stuffed a rag in the drain hole, added the lucas and oil. the noise went away, and it ran fine, all the way home in traffic, about 20 miles. just as I came around the corner to my house the green light came on, so I shut it down and coasted down hill to my house.

the only reason it toasted a bearing, was because the magnetic drain plug punctured the rivit in the oil screen, and was allowing all kinds of crap to get into the bearings. I am now a beliver in the stuff. I have also used their power steering sealer/fluid on my brothers toyota that leaked about a bottle of PS Fluid once a week. It tottally sealed it, and it works great, havent had to add any fluid for a year. I hear great stuff about the tranny saver fluid too, If you think you have a bad transmission, add this stuff, it's only 12 bux, chances are it will work after you add the fluid

sounds like BS but it is all true.If I could get a job selling the stuff I honestly would
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sixfootdan
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have used the P/S fluid leak stop stuff. Worked awesome.
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crofty
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dumped some Risolene in mY bay the other day. It's a high milage motor and I was told this stuff works good to clean up the guts of the case.

It was only $5 so I figured what th hell.

ATF is supposed to be good for cleaning up your valve train! I haven't tried that yet.
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Eaallred
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Big rumor is that ATF is jam packed with detergent. I think the rumor was started because auto trannies don't have spin on filters and you don't change the fluid very often. Fact is, ATF is pretty much a non-detergent oil, designed to allow the 'crud' to settle in the bottom of tranny pan to be cleaned out come service time.
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Amskeptic
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eaallred wrote:
Big rumor is that ATF is jam packed with detergent. I think the rumor was started because auto trannies don't have spin on filters and you don't change the fluid very often. Fact is, ATF is pretty much a non-detergent oil, designed to allow the 'crud' to settle in the bottom of tranny pan to be cleaned out come service time.


ATF is jam-packed with all kinds of detergents and seal emollients and dispersants and anti-oxidants. Crud, however, does follow the rules of gravity in a low viscosity environment.
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Eaallred
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Of course ATF has Anti-wear agents, Rust and corrosion inhibitors, oxidation inhibitors, foam inhibitors, pourpoint depressants, and of course, some detergent-dispersants, but the level of detergents in ATF is less than regular motor oil.

You make it sound like I say ATF has no additives at all.

Motor oil will keep the innards just as clean as ATF will. I'm sorry, but this is fact. This is backed up by the fact that if you remove an engine oil pan, and a transmission oil pan, both being used normally, and serviced regularly, the engine oil pan will not have much of anything in the bottom of the pan, and the trans pan will have to be cleaned. It's the same way non-detergent oil works. ND oil allows the filth to lay on the bottom of the oil pan rather than stay in suspension to be pumped up through the system (to be filtered through the filter). Back in the day, the early cars, were driven with the oil topped off as needed. When it came time for service, the pan was removed, and the jank was scraped out of the pan.

The 'detergent' in oils keeps contaminants in suspension so they can be filtered though a system. The detergents themselves are NOT a cleaner in the sense that most people think they are. People hear the word detergent, and think that it cleans like a bottle of 409 or something. All the 'detergent' in motor oil does is makes contaminants swim rather than sink.

In short, adding ATF to the oil before an oil change will do NOTHING to clean the engine. Not one bit of good will happen. Nothing bad will really happen either. Adding a pint of diesel fuel and running it for about 5 minutes before an oil change will though. Wink

Change the oil regularly, and you don't have to worry about any of this anyway.
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crofty
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to be clear-

The Risolene gets added to the oil itself and the the ATF is squirted down the intake/carb; not added to the oil.
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Eaallred
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gotcha.

ATF down the intake works pretty good. Smokes like a mutha for a bit, but cleans well.

I've done the water down the carb trick too. Works well. Just gotta be careful not to add too much water too fast. I do it at about 2500 to 3000 rpm. Do this at your own risk, you do have to be very careful!
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crofty
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eaallred wrote:
Gotcha.

ATF down the intake works pretty good. Smokes like a mutha for a bit, but cleans well.

I've done the water down the carb trick too. Works well. Just gotta be careful not to add too much water too fast. I do it at about 2500 to 3000 rpm. Do this at your own risk, you do have to be very careful!


I haven't done the ATF deal yet it makes me kind of nervous!
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Jeff H
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Howdy;

I agree with what these gents have to say - as much as I hate to admit it...

I've used Lucas too, and like it - though I cannot absolutely say it has done miraculous things for me. My auto-parts buddy says it has a fantastic reputation. The other stuff, like Slick50, is pretty much over-hyped and over-priced junk.

Here's another trick I picked up. If you've got a tranny seal that's leaking, try pouring just a very little bit of brake fluid in. It causes rubber to swell, and just might be enough to seal a few little leaks. It won't overhaul your tranny, but it might get you some more good miles out of it. Anyone else ever heard of that?


JSH
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