Anyone ever use Resilone/STP/Engine Restore oil treatment?

[otto_kretschmer]

I have a 93 suburban 3/4 ton 4wd and I'm going diving in Mexico in a few weeks with some friends.

so I've been going through the truck to get it ready for the trip. I changed the oil yesterday and while at Autobone I saw those engine treatment snake oil cans

my truck has about 250k miles and there is a slight tick in the engine. Its not piston knock. It could be lifters or anything. I've been pretty good at changing the oil and filter (I use whatever filter there is, Fram, STP, NAPA..)

I'm very tempted to give a can of this snake oil a shot. I don't think it can hurt the engine. I changed the fuel filter last weekend.

I'm going to feel like a real Dbag if my truck craps out on this trip.

next weekend I'm having the tires balanced.

worthless snake oil? or do those engine treatments work?

[Nostril Cheese]

BG Products: BG 109 Compression Restorer Use this stuff. Works really well on stuck lifters.

[yellowperil]

GM has a product "E.O.S." (engine oil supplement) that I've used a lot. Every oil
change. Doesn't seem to do any harm, and at least GM recommends it.

[Jim Bremner]

I used to use it in my 1966 Fairlane GT's Toploader trans. Huge increase in shifting feel and just made the gear changes like butter.

[redstrosekNic]

You might want to try Seafoam.

[madmmac]

Drain off a qt of oil and add a qt of ATF. Drive for 500-1k and change oil.

[KNS]

I've been using Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant (fuel treatment) in my BMW daily driver (140,000 mi). With an occasional oil analysis engine wear (copper, iron, and aluminum) has shown to actually decrease.

[pwd72s]

Nothing on the snake oils, but I would strongly suggest you stop using Fram filters & switch to purolator...(hint: Ford motocraft filters are made by purolator)

[sammyg2]

Ya might wanna send me a $10 bill. Give it a shot, it won't hurt your engine (and the results wil likely be the same).

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Ya might wanna send me a $10 bill. Give it a shot, it won't hurt your engine (and the results wil likely be the same).

Says the oil man...

[RANDY P]

I dunno, I'd pack some head gasket sealer and a bunch water just in case. At that mileage anything can happen....

Do the ATF trick and go with straight 30 wt oil....That mileage, that heat just do it.

rjp

Or seafoam above is a good idea, just flush it before the trip.

[DanielDudley]

Rislone is an oil thinner/ detergent, that reduces viscosity and helps free stuck rings and lifters. Seafoam is similar. You would not want to use this on a long trip. Lucas and STP are supposed viscosity improvers, and they generally raise viscosity. They can reduce oil consumption and or raise oil pressure in an older engine. Restore is a product specifically formulated to improve ring seating and raise cylinder pressure in older engines.

Generally speaking, you would use the Rislone for a gentle driving period, to free things up, then change your oil and use one of the other products if you thought you needed one. Lifter tick can sometimes be cured with a gentle cleaning. The more aggressive the cleaning, the more important it is to do several rapid oil changes, or at least be aware that sludge can clog your oil filter and cause it to be bypassed.

[Hydrocket]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

BG Products: BG 109 Compression Restorer Use this stuff. Works really well on stuck lifters.

This. All BG Producst are excellent.

You other choice is is Auto-RX..another very highly regarded product.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Says the oil man...

One of my my main responsibilities at work is developing programs to improve the relliability of rotating equipment, to keep it running as long as possible between overhauls.
I've been doing it a looong time with good success.

If there was an oil additive that extended the life of a piece of rotating equipment for any significant amount I'd be all over it and yapping about it until you'se guys got sick of hearing it.
I've tried the snake oils, I've tried all sorts of stuff over the years.
A good, quality, well-matched synthetic oil is what I've found to work the best and the longest, without any fancy additives or stuff.
We stock just under 100 different lubricating and hydraulic oils for different applications and different types of machines, but no fancy additives.

We don't even allow teflon tape in the plant.

EDIT: the transmission fluid to un-stick a lifter works well, but mostly because it's a 5 to 10 weight oil with a huge amount of detergents in it and it cleans out the crap that shouldn't have been allowed to build up in the first place.
But it does work. I did it myself or twice in the olden days.
What works just as good is a good sythetic oil that doesn't gum up the lifters in the first place but if you find yourself the proud owner of a second or thind had engine that's been poorly maintained there are several products you can dump down it's throat to clean the insides. Like transmission fluid.

[craigster59]

With my Landcruiser, I'd pour some Seafoam into the vacuum line to the power brake booster. It would suck it into the engine and smoke like all get out. Quickly turn of the ignition and let soak for 20-30 minutes, start back up and run around till the smoke cleared. You usually want to do this right before changing the plugs because you'll burn off a lot of carbon and crud.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

One of my my main responsibilities...

Gonna have to consult the care meter on this one...



Guess what? Most people DONT maintain equipment. The BG 109 is VERY good at freeing up things that are poorly maintained..

[Nostril Cheese]

Otto, get a can of BG 109, add it to the engine when warmed up and right before you change the oil. Run the motor at 1500RPM for 15 minutes. Drain oil and re-fill.

[EarlyPorsche]

How about no additives and keep doing proper oil changes? Those old burbans will go 300-400k and I have two friends that are currently pushing that barrier. No need for additives.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by EarlyPorsche

How about no additives and keep doing proper oil changes? Those old burbans will go 300-400k and I have two friends that are currently pushing that barrier. No need for additives.

Certain additives are for certain applications. If you don't need them, you don't need them. If you do, use the right one.