Whether I think that something sucks or is great, if the research I do either supports or disproves my initial impression of any product, I'm going to give you the straight scoop on what I found out. This is what I found out so far.
First, the Moly that Steve (dakota) makes reference to not
made from Moly, but is Moly in a suspension of a
lithium base, and is commonly referred to as "assembly lube". I have a tube of Sta-Lube® Moly-Graph Assembly Lube that, as the name implies, also contains graphite. The product packaging says that it,
"Prevents contact friction, galling, & wear during engine assembly, initial start-up, & break-in. USE ON: Crankshafts, camshafts, gears, bearings, valve stems, lifters, push rods, & all areas of rotational or sliding contact". The manufacturer states that there is no reason to change your oil after a short period to avoid clogging anything (including the filter), as the lithium base and added Moly are both fully solvent within the crankcase oil. If anything, it should be left in the engine to allow the benefits derived from the initial application to continue. Their advice is to just change the oil at the recommended interval for the specific engine.
Now, just what do the experts say about MOS2? Here's some quotes from
http://www.netside.com/~parsec/experts.htm
Commercial Carrier Journal Article - “What sort of benefits will moly give in engines? Basically the same as it does in other types of equipment, i.e. reduced friction and wear of moving parts along with added anti-rust and anti-oxidant protection. The results are lengthened engine life and oil life, small but significant increases in power and fuel economy and easier cold cranking.” “...the addition of 1% moly reduced valve train wear some 85% to 99% over the performance of the base oil to which it was added. ...moly improved an oil’s scuffing protection by 4% to 34% depending on the engine parts evaluated ...moly inhibits oil oxidation and sludge and varnish build-up and improves an engine’s cold cranking speed some 12%.”
University of Michigan, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Ann Arbor, Mich. - Research Report - “...found that the coefficient of friction on MOS2 decreased with increased load up to a pressure of 600,000 PSI at which pressure it was 0.032 and had the lowest coefficient of friction of any material ever tested.”
International Industrial Lubrication Exhibition, Royal Horticultural Society, Westminster, London, UK - Technical Presentation - “Moreover, MOS2, useful by itself, also functions as an additive. It brings its own abilities to the lubricant system with which it is joined. Thus, MOS2 is a material that can be used to improve conventional lubricants, and as a lubricant itself.”
Society of Automotive Engineers Tech. Bulletin # 750674 - This data shows that 1% MOS2 engine treatment contributed to a reduction in sludge, varnish and wear, as well as reduced oil viscosity due to oxidation and an improvment in cranking speed at -20° F. In addition, neither new nor artifically plugged filters removed measurable amounts of MOS2 from the oil. The presence of MOS2 in the engine oil did not appear to adversely affect the emission levels of hydrocarbons, CO, or NOx.”
Clemson University, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson, SC in a review of existing technical and test data - “Moly has been well proven to be
a viable and effective additive to any lubricant in numerous applications and types of equipment. The addition of moly has been shown to improve fuel economy and more importantly, to increase the useful life of a mechanical device through the reduction of wear.”
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Cambridge, Mass - Statement based upon Existing Technical/Testing Data - “...the antiwear properties of the material (MOS2) are well known in the technical community...”
And for our members who are chemists, here's a website that outlines some of the major differences between
"...long chain molecules such as PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE, etc. (and)
Lamella structure materials such as molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide and electric furnace graphite...".
I don't sell this stuff, and I haven't even tried it yet, but I want to know as much about it as I possibly can before I do use it. That's what we're all here for, to share information.
[Edited by longston on 02-23-2001 at 02:39 PM]