Practically Classics Forum

This is my favourite rant topic.

Oil additives that have teflon are useless. DU pont the inventors say it does not work in engines. The oil filter will strip out the teflon leaving the base oil (140 weight). So instead of 20/50 you get 21/51 oil.

If additives are good then Castrol and others would use them. They use a carefully engineered package of additives. Some snake oil uses the same additives like ZZDP a zinc phosphate based additive. ZZDP is essential in engines with tappets that slide on the cam lobe. However too much and plugs and cats will be damaged.
A bit like over egging a cake it turns mushy.

However some stop leak stuff is quite good. Power steering boxes like it but racks don't. I use the stuff until the leak has stopped plus 50 miles for luck then change the steering oil. This is because most stop leak has a chemical that softens lip seals. Unfortunately it will also soften hoses causing bits to block valves up. It can also overdo it completely and make the leak worse a year later.

This posting was prompted by a comment about Quieten Wilson putting his name to restore cylinders snake oil.

He said his mate used some on a Smokey RR Silver Cloud which cured the smoke. Thats a 10k engine rebuild if it goes wrong. liners and pistons are far cheaper.

If the stuff fills scapes in the bore and rings then what else will it fill in. Rolls cranks are very tough and don't wear. The bearings last about 300k miles. If the crank journals get damaged then the rebuild costs go up.

However due to strange Rolls Royce pricing structure. Under size brgs are cheaper than std so the cheaper undersize brgs pay for a regrind.

I just don't bother with additives I use Castrol oils instead which are of highest quality.

Regards
Bob Reddington.

I agree about some of the products that contain glycerin and can stop leaks from some areas, but sadly that green sh*te 20w50s - in the steel can - from Comma (Halfords "Classic" oil is an A.K.A.) contains enough of the stuff to soften good seals beyond the point where their springs are able to keep them in shape. In older engines, I'd risk it as seals that have simply dried out at the surface through standing can have their replacement postponed for a good while by that stuff.
Some exceptions among automatic transmission sealants too; Aisin-Warner 'boxes in Volvos (the B23-engined models with the 3 speed version that has an overdrive 4th selected by a button on the selector handle), some Toyotas and a few older Datsuns being among these. When they leak, it's always because the oil seal at the back of the box machines its own groove in the nose of the propshaft, which was too soft in many cases. No sealant can cure this so it's time for a call to Chicago Rawhide as one of their Speedi-sleeve kits will deal with the leak. Some applications have a fixed output flange that has a sliding section (Kittens, Foxes and Reliant three wheelers are among the cars whose shafts use this, there are plenty of others) so their gearboxes don't leak. Not unless some numpty overfills the 'box of course - later boxes have a spacer between body and selector fork, they never considered making the fill line on the dipstick lower to suit..

But the thing about these additives is that there's (always) a cheaper solution. Your local pharmacist's counter tends only to charge about 50p per pint for glycerin, so mix that at roughly 60% into a straight (not an Extreme Pressure blend), 90 weight gear oil (for manuals, even if they're designed to run on 20w50 like those in BMC cars of a certain age) or ATF that matches the spec for your car (autos or manuals with oil pumps) and whip the two parts together, then pour this - at a rate no greater than 30cc per litre of fluid capacity - into the device and wait a few dozen miles for the dripping to stop. The rest of the glycerin that you buy will be useful in the bathroom cupboard. I don't know where it goes but the sis-in-law beast always has a very shiny face since I used the stuff in the transmission of my most recent 240 estate, which was a very early, OHV (B20A) model with the Borg Warner that didn't have the propshaft issue. Should have kept that one, but it was from abroad so had the steering wheel on the wrong side and the constant bending over to reach it was playing havoc with my back.

I always asked punters whether they were prepared to try this approach and never used it without their knowledge only to charge the trusting souls for new seals and fresh fluid! That trick was associated with a certain chain of "specialist" transmission repair places which was - remarkably given that they'd been to court many times for similar acts of deceit - still trading in the Berwickshire & Northumberland areas as recently as late 2009.

i usually run on belgian beer or wine.. sometimes both but dont expect any work the following day

rich. wrote:i usually run on belgian beer or wine.. sometimes both but dont expect any work the following day

I favour the humble banana myself.

I like toasted cornbeef sandwiches with Branston pickle inside, plus 1/2 pint of Yorkshire tea milk and two sugars.

I hate lager and beer. I much prefer spirits for medical reasons of course. Rum is nice.

Don't drink and drive because you will spill it.

Regards
Bob Reddington

Rum, oh yes! I favour the OVD but Pussar's is always acceptable when I'm somewhere that can supply the stuff. Come to think of it, OVD is exceptionally smooth, maybe it would make a good alternative to the glycerin as a pinch roller & automotive lip seal softener and reconditioning agent? Must try a drop in the old VCR some time.

i used to run on guinness but had problems with passing emission control tests

One of the plants in the factory where I did my year's student placement made oil additives. These were made for the oil manufacturers (though might have been sold to the additive makers). One thing for sure, the additives do make things slippery. Even with proper safety boots, going down the stairs was a dangerous exercise - apart from the metal steps, the handrails also had very low friction, so when your foot slipped, holding the handrail didn't help you!

I only use additive as an engine building lubricant (mixed with whatever oil the engine will be using) in an attempt to reduce wear at the first start up (though it does make it a little easier to find any tight spots), though did use some in the Fergy engine before I rebuilt it - it was so loose it rattled like a diesel and oil pressure was almost non-existent and I had to rig up an oil can so I could pump it to lubricate the valve gear while driving to and from its storage area!