I used the Marvel Mystery oil in my old '88 Ranger 2.9l that had 325k on it. Instantly I noticed the motor was quieter. I added the stuff to the oil until I sold it with 410k on it and I still see it driving around to this day 15 years later. I don't know if the motor was ever changed, but it ran great when I had it.

I still haven't used it in fuel, and will not use it in my 6.0, but I do believe it works.

 

We can leave the nutjob who pranged his plane out of it, he might as well have been dumping water or synthetic oil or whatever in the fuel tank. It just isn't a valid argument against the use of it.

Can't speak for diesel engines, tho clearly MMO has its uses in older gasoline engines and believe it shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. In the context for what is made and sold for it makes a lot of sense to try in lieu of a teardown. Have never been sold on "snake oils" either and always smirked at the cans on the shelves, have come to the conclusion over the years that despite the funny name, this isn't one. YMMV

 

I thought you read the report. The NTSB listed the lard. Maybe when Turtle Wax took over the company they stopped using pig fat.

Anybody who has torn engines down knows you will never loosen carbon with a mixture of stoddard solvent/mineral spirits/paint thinner and mineral oil. The only thing that mixture will loosen is sludge. But hey, if it works for you, great.

 

Well I read enough of the report to see it really didn't pertain to MMO, per se.

No, I don't know how it works precisely, but it's clear that it does. What's remarkable is that some people have a problem with this? If you've ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance the author relates how one of his buddies who wasn't very mechanically inclined was complaining about his handlebars slipping on a road trip. So he explains how they could shim it up.

Where do we get these "shims" the other guy asks? The author holds up his beer can. The guy was mortified. No way is he going to put a piece of beer can on his expensive motorcycle. There's just got to be some "special" shim stock, maybe with a "special" price tag to go with it, available from a dealer. So the guy finished up the road trip with slipping handlebars, he just couldn't wrap his head around fabbing up a fix that didn't include spending stupid money. I think that's what we're seeing a lot of times when it comes to stuff like this - it's just a knee jerk response.

 

It actually did.....

High compression gasoline engines can experience detonation if the fuel is contaminated with jet fuel, diesel or other light hydrocarbon.

The NTSB determined that the engine failure was due to detonation and was caused by fuel contamination (contaminated with MMO)

Engine failure with severe detonation is very common in reciprocating engines misfueled with Jet-A. (just about any mineral oil, kerosene or diesel fuel will do the job)

Maybe it's the lard that makes it all good!

 

Pilot error? No.. somebody didn't read the instructions. Oh well.

What I meant by that, Marvels didn't have anything to do with it insofar as any thing added to the fuel in that concentration would have caused trouble.

It's silly to claim a mistake on the users part indicates a problem with the product itself.

 

It was absolutely pilot error.

The pilot added or allowed to be added, a NON-approved "additive" to gasoline meant for an aircraft engine.

Good Instructions are, "Never add to gasoline" (Just about all pilots know this since the stuff is NOT approved for use as either a fuel or oil additive.....doesn't matter what it says on the can)

But, Since people have been "doing it for years successfully" and "never had a problem", "didn't seem to hurt anything", "seemed to make the engine quieter", "seemed to clean the inside", ETC ETC ETC ad nauseum,

And/or was told all that BS by their pet mechanic, uncle, brother, father, girl friend(boy friend) neighbor, and lawnmower/leaf blower repair guy, many think it MUST be ok because "everybody" says it is.....And of course, Tractor Supply still sells it! So it MUST be "good"!

Pretty much every (over the counter) "additive" out there gets sold to people using the above concept. (AKA Testimonials)

None of the auto manufacturers recommend using MMO. Try putting it in a new FORD, GM, or Dodge (Cummins) diesel, and then, after having a problem in the fuel system, watch them deny a warranty claim. (same thing would likely happen in a new gasoline powered car or truck after they tested the fuel for contamination)

Most, (not all) after market "additives" are "Snake Oil".

Some additives are of course, Ok. Lubrizol, Shell Chemical, Chevron, Castrol, to name a few multi-mil $$ companies, develop and manufacture additives that meet very specific ASTM and SAE specs...... and they sell them to refiners.



To the original poster.........Sorry for the Hijack.....

No, don't use it. There's no "Mechanic-In-A-Can" for injector "stiction" although there's certain oil additives that have worked and some synthetic oils seem to improve it.

Do a search on this site.

That question (and this one) have been pretty much flogged to death!


Regards,


Rick

 

The recip guys used to buy that stuff by the barrel. They didn't care whether it was "approved" or not, it worked for them. So they used it.

For folks who aren't slipping the surly bonds, It's simply light machine and penetrating oils in a cool can. It works great for freeing stuck lifters and rings and such in older or vintage engines. Why this is controversial is unfortunate.

 

In New Jersey roadside diners serve Mystery Meat; this too has become a source of great controversy.

Just Kidding