Engine additives

[scott916]

Do any of the high-mileage engine additives provide any benefit? Products such as Gum-Out High Mileage, Slick 50, Z-Maxx, etc...

 

[Arkaign]

The effectiveness of such products varies a bit, and the real question is how dirty is the inside of your motor?

The general attitude of most around here will be 'snake oil', but there are a lot of factors to consider.

I've heard good things about Marvel Mystery Oil.

Anyhow, most of those things contain PTFE. PTFE is a double-edged sword. In a really rough, gunked-up motor, it might help by smoothing the internal surfaces a bit, but it's also known to actually build up as well, forming a layer inside your motor that might inhibit somewhat the flow of oil.

My general advice = flush your oil, use a quality synthetic, and change regularly. If you've been using regular oil for a long time, a few changes of synthetic and you'll reduce a lot of the gunk and carbon deposits in your motor. This is even more true with the paraffin oils (Royal Purple, AMSoil, etc).

 

[chucky2]

With modern oil and a normal operating engine under normal conditions, few of the engine oil additives are really worth their cost. You could make a possible argument for SLOB (Street Legal Oil Boost) which is found for like $1 at Big Lots stores, or MLEP (Valvoline's MaxLife Engine Protector) if it can be found cheaply enough, but generally, modern engines and modern oil have all you need in them for long term operation.

If you want to clean out your engine oil system (or your diff's, trans, or power steering), then probably the best and safest thing to use is Auto-RX...it's about the de facto standard for cleaning lubrication systems over at BITOG. Go check it out if you like...there have been few displeased folks and many many happy ones.

Chuck

P.S. I don't work for Auto-RX, just yet another happy satisfied user.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Anyhow, most of those things contain PTFE. PTFE is a double-edged sword. In a really rough, gunked-up motor, it might help by smoothing the internal surfaces a bit, but it's also known to actually build up as well, forming a layer inside your motor that might inhibit somewhat the flow of oil.

It's not even a double-edged sword. It's a sword that you're holding onto the wrong end of.

PTFE is a solid. It expands greatly with heat. It has been proven to clog small oil passages and hinder or block completely the flow of oil, especially to the valvetrain. PTFE will never attach itself to engine surfaces and will provide no additional lubricative benefits. In order to get PTFE to attach ("plate") a surface, a technique is used that employs high heat (over 900 degrees) in a complete vacuum. Neither of those conditions exist in an automotive engine. Most of the PTFE particles are simply filtered out by the oil filter, clogging it faster and reducing its ability to clean the oil.

Do not ever put any PTFE additive in an engine. Never.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
I've heard good things about Marvel Mystery Oil.

I missed this before. Marvel Mystery Oil is beneficial mainly to older cars that were designed to run on leaded gasoline as an aid to the lead replacement additives that those cars have to use. I'd want it if I had a '57 Chevy, but not for an '87 Honda.

ZV

 

[Arkaign]

Good to know. ZV's input here in the garage is most valued, indeed.

 

[Pacfanweb]

As a general rule, most additives you put in your oil are worthless. Especially PTFE, as ZV mentioned.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Krex is not bad stuff at all, I've used it in the 4-banger of my work/commute car ('92 Cavalier RS 4cyl./5spd.) for quite some time now. And, they include a roadside service/emergency/towing program that is the equivalent or better of basic AAA. Total cost at my dealer is ~ $10. Only catch is that you must "renew" it every 90 days and you can't use the service more than 3x per 90 day period. Not a big deal if you change your oil every 3 months. So, for ~$40/yr., you get the Krex additive + their service program.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
PTFE will never attach itself to engine surfaces and will provide no additional lubricative benefits. In order to get PTFE to attach ("plate") a surface, a technique is used that employs high heat (over 900 degrees) in a complete vacuum. Neither of those conditions exist in an automotive engine. Most of the PTFE particles are simply filtered out by the oil filter, clogging it faster and reducing its ability to clean the oil.

Do not ever put any PTFE additive in an engine. Never.

ZV

Yeah, I've wondered about why they advertise that. If it's so hard to get teflon to stick to a pan, why would it be any easier to have it float around in oil and stick on engine parts?

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
My general advice = flush your oil, use a quality synthetic, and change regularly. If you've been using regular oil for a long time, a few changes of synthetic and you'll reduce a lot of the gunk and carbon deposits in your motor. This is even more true with the paraffin oils (Royal Purple, AMSoil, etc).

Question: If I drive a 2003 Dodge Neon, is there any advantage to putting in Mobile 1? I actually take my car to the dealer to get my oil changed. They send me coupons a few weeks before it's due for the 3 month checkup, which makes it several dollars cheaper than other places. Anyways, they offer the 'regular' oil and then the Mobile 1 Synthetic. Are you saying it may be best to mix up the oil I put in every now and then? Regular this time and Mobile 1 the next? Is one better than the other for Winter/Summer months? Mind you, it gets 100F+ in the summers and hits -40F and colder in our winters.

On a side note, I kinda skipped my 30,000 mile maintenance! It may or may not be the smartest move, but I just rolled over 42,200 last night and was thinking I'd get some preventative maintenance done. Now, the last time I got my oil changed, they recommended I get a tranny flush and several other things done. Is this worth it? Anything I can check myself? Engine seems to be working fine and has never given me any problems.

For this kind of work, I've been told to stay away from the dealers. A few car buddies of mine bring their autos to only one shop in town whom they trust the most. Any benefit to going to one place or the other?

Sorry for jacking the thread!

~Travis

 

[WTurner]

My car has run full synthetic engine oil since it was brand new so the insides should look ok (204k miles right now).

As for fuel system, I use Lucas Oil fuel system cleaner every 4th fillup and I have my car put on a motorvac once a year.

Car runs great.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Now, the last time I got my oil changed, they recommended I get a tranny flush

Generally not a bad idea ...

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

Originally posted by: Arkaign
My general advice = flush your oil, use a quality synthetic, and change regularly. If you've been using regular oil for a long time, a few changes of synthetic and you'll reduce a lot of the gunk and carbon deposits in your motor. This is even more true with the paraffin oils (Royal Purple, AMSoil, etc).

Question: If I drive a 2003 Dodge Neon, is there any advantage to putting in Mobile 1? I actually take my car to the dealer to get my oil changed. They send me coupons a few weeks before it's due for the 3 month checkup, which makes it several dollars cheaper than other places. Anyways, they offer the 'regular' oil and then the Mobile 1 Synthetic. Are you saying it may be best to mix up the oil I put in every now and then? Regular this time and Mobile 1 the next? Is one better than the other for Winter/Summer months? Mind you, it gets 100F+ in the summers and hits -40F and colder in our winters.

On a side note, I kinda skipped my 30,000 mile maintenance! It may or may not be the smartest move, but I just rolled over 42,200 last night and was thinking I'd get some preventative maintenance done. Now, the last time I got my oil changed, they recommended I get a tranny flush and several other things done. Is this worth it? Anything I can check myself? Engine seems to be working fine and has never given me any problems.

For this kind of work, I've been told to stay away from the dealers. A few car buddies of mine bring their autos to only one shop in town whom they trust the most. Any benefit to going to one place or the other?

Sorry for jacking the thread!

~Travis

Well, how long are you planning on keeping the car? If 100k+ miles, then you definitely want to be hitting every maintenance regimen you can, doing things in a premium manner doesn't cost much more, but may make the difference in getting some substantial increases in vehicle longevity.

Yes, changing your trans fluid is very important. Regular oil changes are crucial, whether you use synthetic or not, though synthetic certainly has more leeway in mileage between changes. You do have some extreme temp changes there, I'd probably get the advice of ZV on good weights to use for winter vs. summer for that 2.0 I4.

This is beside the point, but I had a Neon, a '99, and it died with ~70k on the clock after having a host of serious problems. I babied it and went the extra miles maintenance-wise, but I just got a lemon. Hopefully your experience is markedly better. Watch your CEL, and if anything at all triggers it, get it figured out and cleared ASAP. I had an EGR valve fail on a road trip, and by the time I got the car back to get checked out, it was already running badly. It never ran the same afterwards, and had the notorious head problems soon afterward.

I guess my best advice on that Neon, being that you're in a place that gets really hot and it's a Neon, is to make sure you get the timing belt/water pump done by a reputable dealer, using OEM parts (aftermarket timing belts aren't worth the minor savings, and get a good water pump as well), and ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure you have a good clean mixture in the radiator. Flush and fill with the mfg. recommended mixture, at least 1x a year, and monitor your levels. Heat kills motors in a big hurry, especially ones with questionable head/gasket design.

Best wishes.

 

[WTurner]

"Flushing" a tranny using a vacume flush machine is generally not a good idea. These machines only remove maybe 4-5 quarts of dirty fluid (my tranny for example holds 14 quarts) and stir up all the crap on the bottom of the pan.

The correct way to change your tranny?s fluid is to drop the pan, remove the filter, rotate the torque convertor so you can get to the drain plug and let the entire fluid contents of the torque convertor drain out. Once that is complete you can disconnect the lines going to the radiator and drain the remaining fluid from the radiator (most car's radiators cool engine coolant and a small amount of transmission fluid).

Any time you remove the pan you must install a new filter.

Jiffy Lube will NOT do this procedure for you, so don't ask.

 

[jamesbond007]

Arkaign, to be frank, my parents keep yelling at me to get something new. My mom, in particular, wants me to get something midsize. She fears for my life when I get in my sardine can. I would like to actually keep the car for a while to save for a down payment on a house. I love new stuff, so we'll see how long I can hold out. Haha!

I always get my oil changed on a regular basis. Whether I hit 3K or 3 months, it's in the shop. I'll give ZV a PM in RE: to the oil I should be using. I have never seen the CEL come on, but I assure you that if I did, I'd be bringing out my ped-bike to get around town.

I've never had the timing belt/water pump worked on that I know of. Perhaps it's in the list of parts to work on for my 30 or 45K maintenance checkups? My friends only tell me they trust one shop in town, so I'd probably go with their recommendations, as long as the shop uses OEM parts. (I believe they do, but I'll double check) I have never manually done anything with the radiator, but I know they check all the fluids at the dealer where I get my car's oil changed.

My biggest grip with the Neon is the infamous squeaky brakes. The winter is a joy because they don't squeak, but the design of the drums in back pisses me off to no end. It is so embarrasing to come up to a stop at a light and belt out a nice squelch. I asked the dealer and he flat-out told me it's a bad design. There's apparently some buildup in the rear drums that accumulates over time. Last year, I had to get new pads on the front, so I had them rotate the drums in the back, too, hoping it would reduce the seal. However, it didn't have any effect! The new pads are great, though...VAST improvement and I can stop much quicker without having to press down too far on the pedal.

~Travis

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

MMO is snake oil, but it smells good. lol

Seafoam is the greatest thing ever. Especially when you pour some in your lawn mower after it's sat all winter. I had to explain to the firemen that nothing was wrong. lol

 

[T2urtle]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

I've never had the timing belt/water pump worked on that I know of. Perhaps it's in the list of parts to work on for my 30 or 45K maintenance checkups? My friends only tell me they trust one shop in town, so I'd probably go with their recommendations, as long as the shop uses OEM parts. (I believe they do, but I'll double check) I have never manually done anything with the radiator, but I know they check all the fluids at the dealer where I get my car's oil changed.

My biggest grip with the Neon is the infamous squeaky brakes.

~Travis

at 30/45k it should be roughly 2 years

so most dealerships would recommend almost all the flushes they can. now some are rip offs and some are actually good. never had personal experience with neons.

30/45k will almost NEVER have anything to do with timing belt and water pump other then inspection on the list. 60k/80k/110k is where i normally see them at.

as for the trans flush i recommend you get someone to JUST drain and refill it with OEM fluid. Its a better method then a machine style. Its doesn't get it all 100% clean. i say your trans is a 10qt system and you will get 4qts out. but your fluid should be somewhat decent to begin with and stick with that method. Or maybe have the shop pull the pan at clean the magnets, replace the filter if it can be replaced and get new pan gasket. The shop should do this for under 100$. I'm sure the dealership wants 80-130$ for the flush thru the machine.

As for the brakes.. higly doubt its a problem that can't be cured. Brakes squeeling and it being a obvious problem would cause a TSB to come out and for them to fix it. Its just someone lazy to either adjust the parking brake cable or maybe you just need new shoes for the rear.

Oh so the list of flushes goes as this..
anti-freeze / coolant flush. --- can get away with not doing at all. or later down the road. just make sure your not low
brake fluid --- recommended every 2 years. might of gotten it with brake job. i know i always do it with brake pad replacement but i do my own work.
power steering --- POINTLESS. just top it off and go.
trans --- just about as important as oil change just you can go longer on it say 20-50k pending on trans and color of fluid.
oil - standard 3-5k is what i do.