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  #1  
Old 12-05-2002, 09:11 AM
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Any truth to PFTE aditives like Slick 50?

Any truth to PFTE aditives like Slick 50?I seem to recall a commercial where they drained the oil out of a Slick 50 treated airplane engine and still flew it...obvious PFTE additives are not going to replace metal, but do they work? I a m somewhat skeptical

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  #2  
Old 12-05-2002, 09:38 AM
moedip
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I personally won't run a car without Duralube - even my 560 sel is treated with it. Slick 50 I have heard also works but does something to the metal so that when you want to hone a cylinder at a later date - it makes it very hard as the honing stones have trouble cutting the metal due to the Slick 50 deposits. I started using duralube 10 years ago. I tried it in my lawnmower (not an IC engine - just aluminum bore) and that lawnmower as edged my 5 acres and trimmed around the trees and shrubs for 10 years and I have never touched the engine and it still does not burn oil and has good compression.
My daughter ran her Duralube treated VW Diesel dry because the valve cover gasket was leaking and she never checked the oil for 6 months. A lifter started knocking and it sounded like a pounded out main bearing. Only 1/2 quart of oil drained out of the oil pan. I tore the engine apart and there was no scoring or marking on the shells. The pistons rings had only a slight razor edge to them. I changed the lifter and reassembled the engine. That was 2 years ago. The engine uses 1 litre of oil every 3000 miles and still runs great. My 1980 Olds 350 4 barrel has been treated with Duralube and even at 30 below not plugged in - it cranks rapidly and fires. A friend of mine has a 5 hp air compressor that would dim the lights when it started up for 30 seconds (low supply voltage). We changed the oil to pure Duralube and the lights only flicker for a second or two when the compressor starts. That was 4 years ago - and it still runs great. He now uses Duralube in his 1967 Chevy that he restored. Last year my son got a "new" Jetta diesel that needed an engine rebuild. We rebuilt it and after it broke in - treated it with Duralube. The car uses 1/2 quart of oil every 4,000 miles. Do not use duralube on an engine that has not been broken in as it will never break in properly due to the reduced friction that will prevent the rings from seating.
Some out there still think it is snake oil. As you can tell - I swear by it. Cheapest insurance against engine damage I have found.
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  #3  
Old 12-05-2002, 02:00 PM
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There is an article about engine oil and additives you may want to check out -

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng12.shtml
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  #4  
Old 12-05-2002, 03:27 PM
Jackd
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I have never ran any of my engines with any additives and never will. Some additives marketers are shinning some miracle results by using their ''magic in a plastic bottle''. Some have been sued for false/deceiving advertizing (slik50) and all other have never been able to demonstrate any benefit eother in real life or in lab tests.
Any product containing PFTE can be disastrous for an engine. PFTE is a solid lubricant (like a powder) and can seriously block some small oil passages. Stay away.
I've worked for over 25 years in the lubricant business developing/testing/blending/analyzing/comparing/torturing all kinds of lubricants for a major oil manufacturer. I've worked in conjunction with car manufacturers and engine development labs (both USA and europe) searching ways of improving lubrication. I've seen/tested probably over 150 different miracle additives and NONE ever came close to providing 5% of their claimed benefits. Some of these additives are even incompatible with motor oils as their components will react negatively with the additive packages already part of all brands of the engine oil.
If you feel comfortable using them, fine with me, but from what I've seen, I'd say that all aftermarket additive manufacturers are excellent marketers but very poor tribologists.
Miracles never come in small plastic bottles.
JackD
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  #5  
Old 12-05-2002, 04:18 PM
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Agree with Jack.
Stay away.
I have never seen an additive withstand any credible independent testing.
What they do have going for them is unbelievable profit margins.

One more thing to consider. How many cars are actually sent to the junkyard because their well-maintained motor simply wore out?

I have not yet owned or seen a motor that died in this manner.
What typically kills a motor?
1)Overheating
2)Oil starvation
3)Oil not changed
4)Timing belt snapped
5)Head gasket failed

Low "Slipperyness" of oil does not make the list.

Of course, I live in the northeast, where electrolytic reactions always cause cars to 'meet their maker' long before the motors die...
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  #6  
Old 12-05-2002, 05:14 PM
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For what it is worth, I notice about a 5-10% fuel mileage increase when I add a can of STP to the oil of my diesels.
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  #7  
Old 12-05-2002, 05:28 PM
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Oil Additives

I used to run a BMW 750 and there ws a lot of debate on additives on the Bimmer.org board. The consensus was that they are an expensive waste of money at best and positively harmful at worst. It certainly put me off them for life. If anyone is interested do a search on the board - there are links to loads of other sites covering this topic. At least we can make informed decisions.

Andy
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  #8  
Old 12-05-2002, 05:39 PM
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For those running late model iron, beware. My owner's manual clearly states that using engine oil additives voids my new car warranty.
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  #9  
Old 12-05-2002, 05:49 PM
moedip
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Different strokes for different folks. I guess I have been throwing my money away on Duralube. If there is no advantage to using it you'd figure the consumers and sellers of it would smarten up since it has been on the market for 16 years. I guess the increased cranking speed, quieter operation, smoother idle, better gas mileage, and reduced heat after putting Duralube into my engines must have been figments of my imagination. Son of Gun - Live and Learn
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  #10  
Old 12-05-2002, 06:03 PM
BlackE55
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For a clunker on it's last legs, sure, why not?

Any other car, I agree with Jack and csnow, "no".

This topic can almost get as heated as the "is there a god debate" -- a cut 'n paste from one of my other posts on this subject:

It's all in the chemistry. Many of the compounds in those additives, such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphate are already in motor oil, so you're just adding more of a good thing, that can lead to deposit formation on your valves, spark plug fouling and deterioration of catalytic converters.

Some of those additives may "help" motors that have ALOT of miles and have low compression -- like a "band aid". But I don't see the need for their use in healthy, well maintained engines.

Slick-50 and the other additives that contain polytetrafluoroethylene (or Teflon) is a solid that coats non-moving parts like oil passages and filters. If it can build up under the pressures and friction exerted on a cylinder wall, so it stands to reason it should build up even better in places with low pressures and virtually no friction.
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  #11  
Old 12-05-2002, 07:42 PM
Jackd
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Mr Moedip: You said you've been using one of those miracle additive for 10 years and you still can ''feel'' a quieter operation, smoother idle, better mileage, reduced heat.....You have quite a memory.
DuraLube and a number of other miracle additive producers have been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive advertizing and false statements. Read this:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9905/duralub2.htm
and
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/05/duralube.do.htm

Duralube lost in appeal.
Sorry to dampen you illusions but you have been had by a very well designed marketing campain. A large number of companies have been in business for much more than 16 years selling lousy products.

JackD
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  #12  
Old 12-05-2002, 08:06 PM
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Never use PTFE in a Mercedes engine!!!

Frank King, the Technical Editor of The Star Magazine, wrote about this in the November / December 1992 issue.

"Mercedes Benz statements that additives may impair the quality of your engine oil, and that those containing PTFE are particularly unacceptable-have often been repeated.

Several tests were conducted on additives containing PTFE and increased wear developed in the critical area between valve stems and camshaft. The record showed no increase in engine power and no fuel savings, and a higher rate of wear on piston rings. PTFE is also a solid and can block oil passages, which are expecially critical in an engine engineered to such tight tolerances as a Mercedes Benz engine.

Castrol's experts have observed in their test engines a layer of fluoride, which causes higher friction and favors corrosion. In addition, substances which contain PTFE at temperatures above 400 degrees Celsius decompose and can give off poisonous hydroflouric acid.

Such alarms have also been raised by the German Federal Environment Office, which says, "The inclusion of PTFE as an engine oil additive leaves...toxic compounds from the expected decomposition...and is therefore....rated as detrimental.
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  #13  
Old 12-05-2002, 10:26 PM
Jackd
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A quick search on the NET will show you that, among others:
Castrol Syntec power System
Valvoline Engine Treatment
Motor Up
Prolong
Slik 50
Duralube
STP Engine treatment
have all been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for false and deceiving advertizing, unproven/untrue statements with the sole objective of luring customers.
Fines for some of them were up to $20Millions.
I rest my case.
jackD
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  #14  
Old 12-06-2002, 12:03 AM
Bud
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The conglomerate that now owns Quaker State also owns Slick 50. This company has rid itself of all it's processing plants and buys oil from others for remarketing. Quaker State is not what is used to be.
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  #15  
Old 12-06-2002, 07:56 AM
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uhhh, MoS2 - Molybdenum Disfulfide. see "Lubro Moly" in partsshop. this thread would not be complete without the granddaddy of oil additives (predates teflon/PTFE i'm sure)...

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