Snake Oil Experience

[visionguru]

I don't believe in fluid addictives, but sometimes I do add gas treatment (dryer/carb cleaner) to the gas tank, and once used Highly Friction Modified ATF to bring Dexron III ATF to Honda specs. There are no ill effects, but the benefits seem minimal.

Rencently, the gas mileage of my car has been horrible. It's like 180miles for 10 gallon (mostly local/occasionally highway). I tried all sorts of tune up stuff/carb cleaning, but the result are the same. At last gas stop, I tried Lucas Fuel Treatment, added 3oz for 10 gallons of fuel. The results are AMAZING. Now, it's been 160miles, and the gas gauge is at 60% full. I would guess at next gas stop, it should reach 350milles, and more than 25MPG based on my drive pattern.

Don't know what's in there. But it seems working as a charm.

[Soundy]

Interesting. The one thing I've found that's made a big difference for me is the "Wynn's Engine Tune-Up" - helped clear up the cold-engine-oil-burning thing that a lot of older Accords seem to develop and helps my power-loss issue a bit; from what I've been able to determine, I think the problem may be sticky rings, and this stuff seems to help loosen them up.

Other than that, most of these additives don't seem to do much for me either... except maybe 104+ octane booster.

[88Accord-DX]

I was thinking of trying the Lucas Oil in my rebuilt motor. Kind of curious of the benefits verses sythetic oil & 2,500 mile oil changes.

[AZmike]

You can learn a lot about oil, additives, etc by reading here:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

2500 miles seems like a very short interval to me.

[Soundy]

A buddy of mine swears by the Lucas Oil Stabilizer... personally I found with my oil-burning-when-cold problem, anything THICK added to the oil (all those stop-smoke additives, heavier oils, etc) just makesit worse... the Wynn's Engine Tune-Up is thin and smells almost like paint thinner, and that's the only thing that's ever helped.

2500 miles isn't that short... I believe the recommended interval has traditionally been 3 months or 3000 miles/5000 km. My 3G Helms manual states 6000 miles/10,000 km or 6 months for oil and filter change, but more often won't kill ya.

[86-accord-lxi]

The Wynns additive may have a certain type of alcohol in it,
I know a lot of those transmission stop leak additives do and that's
what makes the leaks stop, the alcohol swells up the seals. Once you
use an additive that swells up the seals, you have to you use it every time
you change your oil/transmission fluid. If the seals leak they should be replaced, The oil burning when cold is usually caused by worn valve stem seals and worn valve guides, That might be why the Wynns stuff works, because it is swelling the valve stem seals/guides. I don't think the lucas
stuff has alcohol in it. I am running the lucas with castrol gtx 10w-30,
and my car still does the oil burning when cold thing for about 10 minutes
upon start up on cold days after sitting overnight. on warm days it doesn't do it at all. In my case I am pretty sure it's the valve stem seals. Im just going to wait until next winter and have a cylinder head shop replace the valve stem seals and guides, do a 3 angle valve job, and mill the head.