I've put an additional
1500 miles since my last report. The leak has dimished but it's still there! Overall, since the addition of the NOLEAK, the leak has been reduced. So it has done some good but I think the side effect that it produced should make other users take notice.
I started to notice that my oil pressure gauge required more engine RPMs (after the engine is fully warmed, 80C and above) to force it to full scale. For example, about 2500 RPMs.
Last week, a tick-tick noise started. It appeared to be a lifter on the right side of the engine. It was there at startup and at all engine speeds.
Note the ticking turned out to be bad OIL TUBES! Check this thread: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=37931&goto=newpost
There's a lot of reasons why this can happen but I believe it was caused by the reduced flow through the oil filter due to NOLEAK!! Can't prove it but it makes sense. Read on.
A little digression: We've all seen reasons for using an additive in the engine oil. These additives supposedly reduce engine wear and increase fuel efficiency. Do these products do any good? Probably not much. Do they do any harm. Sometimes!
Utah University's experimental station found after treatment with a PTFE additive that the test engine's friction was reduced by 13.1 percent and the output horsepower increased from about 3%. The fuel economy improved as well.
Unfortunately, the same tests concluded that "
There was a pressure drop across the oil filter resulting from possible clogging of small passageways". Oil analysis showed that iron contamination doubled after the treatment, indicating that engine wear actually increased!
In another test, a major oil company deformulated one of the PTFE-containing products. Physical and chemical analysis was done to determine the properties of this product. Performing a wear test, however, scientists found results to be only average, so the "built-in" added protection was not there.
The product was then monitored in actual engine use and during normal oil changes. After the oil was drained, the filter contained 50 percent of the PTFE. It is the function of an oil filter to remove suspended solids, so the oil filter did do its job by collecting as much of the PTFE as possible.
At the end of the test, one of the problems noted was a clogged oil filter and subsequent decreased oil pressure throughout the engine. Engine parts were evaluated, and no "plating out" on the metal surface was detected. In other words, product in, product out--with very little effect on the engine performance. The only effect this aftermarket product had was to dilute the API-licensed oil.
All of this is to make my point: I lost some oil pressure and that caused the 'sticky' lifter. Lack of oil to the lifter says that the lifter was not able to maintain sufficient pressure within the body because oil passage was plugged by some sort of debris, sludge or other foreign object. Also this problem could have been a 'hardware' problem such as a defective oil pump, defective check valve inside the oil pump or a combination of all bearing oil clearances in an engine. But in my case, I don't think so.
Since it was present at all speeds, some of many possibilities include: dirt or grit that gets trapped in between the lifter body and the plunger, lifters that get stuck with varnish or sludge deposits, badly worn lifters, bent pushrods, worn or scored rocker arms, rocker arm shafts or pushrods, scored and pitted lifter faces and camshaft lobes. Or just insufficient amounts of oil getting to the lifters, rocker arms or push rods.
The fix: Added a can of a popular engine degreaser. Ran it for 1/2 hour and drained the oil. Replaced the filter and added my usual 20-50 Valvoline. At startup, it was still there but greatly reduced. Road tested it at normal speeds (below 70mph) for about 10 minutes and it was gone. That was three days ago.
The oil pressure now is normal: after warm-up, it goes full scale at 1000 - 1200 RPMs.
NOLEAK says it doesn't clog passages. So does Slick50 and other popular additives. But it has been proven that they do! In my case, I firmly believe that was the cause but I can't prove any of this. It certainly makes sense.
Appreciate any comments.