I am the last person to believe anything I am exposed to from advertizers conserning engine addatives. Has anyone got first hand knowledge of Slick 50 or X-1-R? The X-1-R has a NASA endorsement and I have heard its very good for valve rattle and my 87 E 150 has a 300-6 with 315k is starting to rattle at cranking, and oil pressure is slow to rise.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 21, 2001

Answers

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

my experiences with Slick50 are that it does very little to help problems that already exist and who knows if it really prevents much if put in a new engine. If you've got worn bearings or lifters starting to go, it might quiet them down for 100 miles. Same for piston rings, you might get more compression but the effect if any won't last long. In some cases it does help ease friction but nothing you pour in is gonna repair worn out bearings.

The first thing I'd try for slow rising oil pressure is flush the engine out with mineral oil or diesel. Run the engine hot, drain half of the oil, put a new filter on, pour in as much mineral oil. You have to be real careful doing this, don't let it run long or you'll score your cylinders and bearings. Better to let it run for 20 seconds, let it sit for 5 minutes, repeat that a few times. Toss the filter, put a new one on and fill with new oil. Change the oil again or at least put a new filter on in 1000 miles. Stepping up to a heavier viscosity like 20/50 can bump your pressure up a bit. That thick as honey oil treatment like STP helps a bit too sometimes, especially for quieting lifters.

If none of that helps, I'd put in a new oil pump. They're alot cheaper than waiting til the engine needs rebuilt. It'd be fairly easy on that engine. At 315k it could probably use a new one.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

If it has 315k on it and the oil pressure is slow coming up i would say it don't owe you anything. Evrything wears out sometme and I would say it has found its time.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

mitch, how many lbs of pressure are you getting at idle once it's warmed up?

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

mitch, this is just hearsay on my part, but my uncle used to run a maintenance department for a school district. There were at least 60 different types of vehicles involved. He told me, in their experiments, that substituting two STP oil addatives for one quart of oil when oil changes were done, helped their vehicle engine life considerably.

I did that practice for 15 years, on my own Dodge 318 c.u. pickup engine, starting out with 88,000 plus miles on it. When I sold it 3 years ago, the truck had 360,000 miles plus, with NO overhauls, or other major internal surgery. Maybe just luck; maybe not. But I still continue that practice now. I also include Marvel Mystery Oil during the winter; seems to start easier.

I did use Slick 50 in my present engine, but did not notice any difference. Didn't hurt though.

-- j.r. guerra (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

Slick 50 don't work. Period. X-1-R may help (that isn't a NASA endorsement, it just says that nasa used a similiar made product, If your bored check out the indictments at ftc.gov)

Theres a product called Tech-4 Metal Conditioner. I put 4 ounces in my old dodge it helped the rattle. Don't know if its available in your area or not. IF NOT, look for a oil thickner called HY-TACH in the blue bottle. Worked wonders in my buddys jeep.

There are 1500 oil Additives on the market today. Some are just mineral oil, some have 20/50 oil with a enging cleaner in it. Some are just pure D junk.

Have a great day.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

Oil pressure is on a scale without pound listed, the indicator moves to 2/5th at start idle and to 1/2 at road speed.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

This isn't an endorsement, but somewhere along the line I started to add STP at every oil and filter change (3,000 miles), plus putting another container in before any long trips, both ways. I've gotten lots and lots of mileage out of engines, including eventually wearing out three Vegas (the body but not the engines went).

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

You sure don't see many Vegas nowadays.

I also put in STP oil treatment at oil changes. I run vehicles pretty hard at times and have never had any problems with bearings or rings. Most vehicles I've had I also run 20/50 oil. Even when I lived in Montana my 88 GTA would start up fine in sub-zero temps with 20/50 and STP. Not that it was much use in ice and snow lol, more like a suicide ride then and forget it if there was more than 6" of snow. I was lucky enough to live in MT while they still had no daytime speed limit.

I have a little Isuzu Amigo desert runner with 175k on it now, engine is still tight and has never needed a rebuild, still runs 65lb oil pressure at idle when it's warmed up.(165deg thermostat) Broke the water pump/alt belt a few months ago and drove 30 miles with hardly a bump up in water temp. I keep all kinds of tools, parts, water, etc in it but didn't think to have extra belts. I had expected that I'd need to pull over every 5 minutes to let it cool down but it made it the whole way without overheating. I really think the STP helped it do that.

I also learned with that event that with Izusus, if the alternator isn't turning, the relay for the electric fuel pump in the tank won't turn on. So when I first shut it down to see what happened, it wouldn't start back up. Any other vehicle I ever had you could run it off the battery(until it died). I had to wire up the pump so it'd run off the battery. This was a night too so I drove without headlights most of the way to conserve the battery. I just barely had enough juice left to make it home. I keep extra belts in it now. ; )

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 21, 2001.

Response to Engine addatives yes or no

I know a lot of people use Slick 50 in airplane engines, and those people are pretty fussy! Half the time you'd think those engines were their children. Sure can't hurt.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), December 21, 2001.

RESTORE is a very good additive for the oil. I have saved engines with it. It's about 8 dollars at each oil change but worth it. My Chevy truck is still going, I don't know how it's still going, but it is. I thought it had a blown engine when I bought it in 94. It takes 200 miles before it starts to work, but it's good stuff. Count the Restore as a quart of oil when you fill it up. Don't overfill.

My transmission is a used Camero 700R4 that had 100,000 miles on it, that we put in 6 years ago and it's still going. ??

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 22, 2001.

you must have gotten a good one Cindy, those 700r4 rarely make it that far. I had one in an 82 Camaro, didn't abuse it and it went out at 59k. Had an Olds with the 200r4 that barely made it to 100k. Haven't owned an automatic since.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 22, 2001.

I know Dave, it's a sissy transmission, but she's pulled up this hill hundreds of times. Steve brought home the 16 x 24 building in 2 trips last weekend, and the truck was squattin comming up the 1/2 mile gravel road. I about had a fit, the front tires were barely on the ground, but he went and got the second half the next day! He took her to town and got field fence this morning.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 22, 2001.

I found out the HARD way additives dont help already worn engines. They often lead to damage to the seals and gaskets- in fact,, I blew: one haed gasket in 6 places, the other in 2, the harmonic balanccer seal, all thanks to one of the engine additives. Using good QUALITY engine oil and changing the oil when it looks like it dirty is the best maintence. You (mileage wise are do for an over haul.. On the 300, do it BEFORE you have problems with it due to the expensive and (if its alum) oft damanged head. 318- well, my 200 buck 200,000 mile never rebuilt junk yard 318 was shoveled in my van 2 years ago> I had to be in NY the next day- and I made it. Since then, I did (120,000 miles ago) replace the main berrings and rod berrings, but the total miles on the rings (200 thousand of pulling a 6000 lb trailer no less!) is over 400k now. I change the oil every 8,000 miles and add a quart every 400 miles. Engine restores cant fix a worn engine- the reason oil pressure rises after putting these additives in- I have heard- it because there is wax present in the restores that (temporarily) fills the gaps in the berrings, making the oil pressure rise. BUT thats not really helping anything! its just a false reading- the berrings arent any better than they were before you spent the $ on the restore. As long as there is ALWAYS 10 lbs of oil pressure per 1,000 RPMs, your truck is fine. If you want to know for sure- go buy a gauge (they are simple to install). If it ever falls below 8 lbs per 1000 rpms, you are damaging the engine, and its eiter add oil in a hurry or rebuild time. To boost cold moring oil pressure: use 10 W 30.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 22, 2001.

I use only ROTELLA oil in my truck, with the Restore, changed every 2K miles. It dosen't cost much to change the oil and filter, an older truck should have it's oil changed more often, it really does extend the life of the engine. It is a 83, 305 4 barrel. I have done the valve cover gaskets, a water pump, and the modulator in the distributor, nothing deeper. And of course regular tune-ups with plugs and plug wires if needed.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 23, 2001.