I went through gallons of Arco Graphite in my 1980's Oldsmobile diesel. Dreadful oil for a dreadful engine. Thing is, any oil rapidly turned pitch black in that converted 350 gas V8 from all the soot blow by, so you wouldn't know it was graphited to begin with. Surprisingly, the engine lasted over 100K and it was transmission failure that eventually took our much maligned Olds out.
Arco Graphite Oil
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I used it in my 1979 Cutlass Salon V8 5 Speed Manual..
A strange oil for a strange car!
A strange oil for a strange car!
Used it (and Quaker State 10W-30) in my 1963 Plymouth Valiant during the '70s. 170 cu slant 6. Never a problem. 2k mile oil changes. Car ran well till I sold it in 1980 with 165K miles. The first 10 years of its life my Grandmother owned it. I got it with 60k miles.
those old slant 6 engines run for a long long time
MolaKule
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Originally Posted By: Torkenstein
I went through gallons of Arco Graphite in my 1980's Oldsmobile diesel. Dreadful oil for a dreadful engine. Thing is, any oil rapidly turned pitch black in that converted 350 gas V8 from all the soot blow by, so you wouldn't know it was graphited to begin with. Surprisingly, the engine lasted over 100K and it was transmission failure that eventually took our much maligned Olds out.
Why would you want to add more carbons to your oil?
It was a passing fancy that was a marketing ploy.
I went through gallons of Arco Graphite in my 1980's Oldsmobile diesel. Dreadful oil for a dreadful engine. Thing is, any oil rapidly turned pitch black in that converted 350 gas V8 from all the soot blow by, so you wouldn't know it was graphited to begin with. Surprisingly, the engine lasted over 100K and it was transmission failure that eventually took our much maligned Olds out.
Why would you want to add more carbons to your oil?
It was a passing fancy that was a marketing ploy.
I remember scoffing at it then... and I continue to scoff 
I've never believed putting solid lubricants into oils was a great idea. It might be fine if you can absolutely guarantee the particles will always stay below ~10 microns or so, but even then I'd have worries about the solids filling in the crosshatch in cylinder bores and displacing liquid oil.
I've never believed putting solid lubricants into oils was a great idea. It might be fine if you can absolutely guarantee the particles will always stay below ~10 microns or so, but even then I'd have worries about the solids filling in the crosshatch in cylinder bores and displacing liquid oil.
I was told it would fill in the cracks and crevices in the cylinder bore and help control consumption. One look at the virgin example of it made me stop and take pause....
I let that opportunity just walk right by me!
I let that opportunity just walk right by me!
I used it in a 1978 Mazda GLC. Black and slick. When a seal went bad, the mechanic came out wiping his hands, "what is that stuff?". Only he didn't say stuff. I sold the car after 7 years to a guy at work. His wife drove it back and forth to college for another 3-4 years and they had north of 150k on it, when they traded for a Subaru. The car still ran well, but the rust monster had it in it's jaws.
I had one quart of Arco floating around. When I changed the trans in my Honda Civic, it took a quart or less. In went the graphite. Definitely easier to shift.
I had no problems with the oil.
I had one quart of Arco floating around. When I changed the trans in my Honda Civic, it took a quart or less. In went the graphite. Definitely easier to shift.
I had no problems with the oil.
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Having used some molebdenum disulfide additive in a 327 Chev motor in the sixties and watched the idle climb 150 rpm as it spread the stuff around, I jumped at this this new graphite oil to use in the 5-speed box on my 1977 Honda Accord. With the car so new I could not tell if the shifting was any better, but it made me feel good....
Hi,
y_p_W - I remember it well and used it for a while too - as a test
In the mid 1950s I was taught about engine rebuilding by a Master of the trade in New Zealand. I was about 13 or so. He used graphite mixed with engine oil as an assembly medium. This was particularly so with "run-in" white metal rod bearings etc. He always maintained that it greatly assisted with running in tightly assembled engines - especially at the crank and cam(s). He never had any failures
This was the time when bearing scrapers were used and people were "engineers" and not simply assemblers of supplied parts!
y_p_W - I remember it well and used it for a while too - as a test
In the mid 1950s I was taught about engine rebuilding by a Master of the trade in New Zealand. I was about 13 or so. He used graphite mixed with engine oil as an assembly medium. This was particularly so with "run-in" white metal rod bearings etc. He always maintained that it greatly assisted with running in tightly assembled engines - especially at the crank and cam(s). He never had any failures
This was the time when bearing scrapers were used and people were "engineers" and not simply assemblers of supplied parts!
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
those old slant 6 engines run for a long long time
Until you overheated them. Then the #6 rod would escape through the side of the block just above the starter. I had three of them towed to my shop in four days, in the early 80's during an unusual heat spell. All of them had a #6 rod through the block.
those old slant 6 engines run for a long long time
Until you overheated them. Then the #6 rod would escape through the side of the block just above the starter. I had three of them towed to my shop in four days, in the early 80's during an unusual heat spell. All of them had a #6 rod through the block.
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