What abbout those engines you see running at swap meets etc without oil in pan ( drain plug removed etc) Is this snake oil?
Engine running without oil in pan
- Thread starter parky
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Any engine can run without oil for a limited amount of time. This time is based on the engine design & the load placed upon the engine while it is running. Next time you see something like this, ask the guy pitching the product to go drain the oil from his vehicle and drive around the block a couple of times.
His engine still may run fine after this, but he will have caused significant damage to his engine. I know of a Chevy Cavalier that made it almost 20 miles with no oil in the engine - and this car only had 1000 miles on the odometer, so the engine was still quite tight causing quite a bit more heat that a engine that has been broken in.
I don't know of any product that will allow you to run without oil in your engine.
Oh, I almost forgot,
BTW, where in WNY are you from?
His engine still may run fine after this, but he will have caused significant damage to his engine. I know of a Chevy Cavalier that made it almost 20 miles with no oil in the engine - and this car only had 1000 miles on the odometer, so the engine was still quite tight causing quite a bit more heat that a engine that has been broken in.
I don't know of any product that will allow you to run without oil in your engine.
Oh, I almost forgot,
BTW, where in WNY are you from?
Years ago when I was gathering info about additives to answer a vp's questioning why we didn't use them in our equipemnt, I obtained a letter from Briggs & Stratton where they addressed this 'test', because so many demos used a B&S engine. They said the same thing, the engines are very tolerant of running w/o oil under no load conditions. They also conducted a test w & w/o additives on their engines, and concluded that the additive (slick 50 I think) increased wear, particularly cylinder scuffing. I think they also ran them drained to failure, and the time to failure was very close w & w/o additives... My conclusion was forget any additives......
We've run the no-oil test several times in 20 years, always with the same result, bang! Once around 2000 we did it with Prolong and a Prolong salesman supervising. We poured in the Prolong, ran the engine at our dyno breakin speed of 2.5k rpm for half an hour and then at 2k rpm for another half. Then we drained the oil and started the engine. But as soon as we reved the engine just a little the Prolong salesman complaigned. We said that his video showed people driving the cars around a track. So we reved it gently to 3k and the engine went bang, a big bang. When we opened up the dyno room to spectators we could not find Mr. Prolong. In his haste to leave he left behind a case of Prolong. There were no takers and we gave it to the guy that pumps our our old-oil drums. Prolong may be good for something but we never figured it out.
I had a friend in college that attempted to change his own oil and filter. Unable to remove the filter by hand, he attempted loosen it by driving a screwdriver through the filter. That failed too.
So he decided to get in and drive it to the local garage, not even 3 miles away.
The engine seized leaving him stranded about 1 1/2 miles out. I guess if he had used the snakeoils, he might have gotten 1 3/4 miles out
So he decided to get in and drive it to the local garage, not even 3 miles away.
The engine seized leaving him stranded about 1 1/2 miles out. I guess if he had used the snakeoils, he might have gotten 1 3/4 miles out
How many of you guys knocking Prolong have actually tried it?
Here's some testicmonials from people who have actually used it.
Prolong Testimonials
Here's some testicmonials from people who have actually used it.
Prolong Testimonials
Once, in a shop I owned, a V-8 ford van drove away with no oil in the pan and a new, dry filter. It made it 2 miles before the driver stopped because "the engine was making a lot of noise". I drove out to the stalled vehicle and installed the missing 5 quarts of oil...It started, quieted down quickly as the lifters pumped up. By the time we drove it back to the shop, it seemed fine, smooth and quiet, no knocking, good oil pressure. The owner, of course, was skeptical...Two weeks later, the engine "seized up" (the owner claimed) and he had it towed to a Ford dealer who replaced the engine at my expence....
Anyone remember the old Motor Up informercials? One scene that stuck in my head was a 80s Toyota Starlet up on a lift with the oilpan removed. It was running, after having been "treated" with Motor Up. They even sprayed a garden hose right at the crank. I remember being impressed.
This is one of many reasons I no longer buy used cars. Sure, there is the remote possibility that a new car can be accidentally run before the manufacturer remembers to add oil, but overall I like knowing that my vehicles are treated right from day one. Its worth the extra money to me.
When I was at Ft. Stewart we had a guy selling Petron Plus that would run an old slant six I6 engine at idle with no oil pan or valve cover on it. He would run the thing all day long. Of course he claimed it was the Petron Plus protecting the engine!
I once ran an engine 75 miles with no oil. I had only owned the car a couple of days and did not know that none of the idiot worked. The car had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it new and by 75,000-100,000 I had to rebuild the engine. I am assumeing that the no oil issues was what killed it early. The valve train is what showed the most damage. Some of the lifters showed signs of mushrooming and the valves and guids were shot and the rod bearing were shot as well! Suprisingly the pistons and rings did not look that bad. It was a 1985 Canadian Spec. Ford Tempo!
I once ran an engine 75 miles with no oil. I had only owned the car a couple of days and did not know that none of the idiot worked. The car had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it new and by 75,000-100,000 I had to rebuild the engine. I am assumeing that the no oil issues was what killed it early. The valve train is what showed the most damage. Some of the lifters showed signs of mushrooming and the valves and guids were shot and the rod bearing were shot as well! Suprisingly the pistons and rings did not look that bad. It was a 1985 Canadian Spec. Ford Tempo!
I would conclude, more importantly I think
When I was a young lad, the top of the line snake oil was "Wynn's Friction Proofing". For all I know, they still sell it. Came in a little 4 ounce can. Thin as water. They ran this "test" where they supposedly removed the drain plug from a Ford Falcon and drove from N.Y. to Buffalo on the then new New York State Through-way, over 300 miles, with no engine damage. The rumor was, it was made from "Rape Oil". They sold a lot of it...The cars that used it have gone through the crusher a long time ago...
mike,
I used to work at a service station next to a Ford dealer.
It was amazing to see the FWD fords being delivered. Delivery guy would climb up to the car, start it, roll it off the truck (no braking), then when back on the tarmac, and suitably away from the truck...big revs, and dump the clutch.
FWD car would wheelspin until it stopped, then snake away tyres smoking onto the lot.
RWD cars they used the brakes.
Fuelrod,
I was commissioning an MDF plant quite a few years ago, and the closed circuit hydraulis were foaming terribly (wet).
Sent an oil sample to Wynns, and it camee back 5% water, and 0.15% salt.
Wynns offered to clean up the oil with their treatment plant (which I supported, as their system was great)...management decided to dump the oil instead.
This time when it came back from analysis, it was 1% water, .03% salt.
We used them to filter, clean, dry, etc the oil and they did a good job (and on the 3,000 litres from the first change).
Anyway, in a follow up, they brought out the timken machine, and asked us to bring out the "best grease on site", and they'd prove how bad it was.
The greaser came back with some (hideously expensive) klube product that is basically a suspension of teflon in a silicone oil, that lubricates the rollers and belt on the press, at 250C.
Didn't matter if they stood on the timken's arm, and it wouldn't even chatter.
It's off topic, but it was funny seeing an additive company (who performed a great service cleaning the oil), come unstuck using their weapon of choice...a timken machine.
I was commissioning an MDF plant quite a few years ago, and the closed circuit hydraulis were foaming terribly (wet).
Sent an oil sample to Wynns, and it camee back 5% water, and 0.15% salt.
Wynns offered to clean up the oil with their treatment plant (which I supported, as their system was great)...management decided to dump the oil instead.
This time when it came back from analysis, it was 1% water, .03% salt.
We used them to filter, clean, dry, etc the oil and they did a good job (and on the 3,000 litres from the first change).
Anyway, in a follow up, they brought out the timken machine, and asked us to bring out the "best grease on site", and they'd prove how bad it was.
The greaser came back with some (hideously expensive) klube product that is basically a suspension of teflon in a silicone oil, that lubricates the rollers and belt on the press, at 250C.
Didn't matter if they stood on the timken's arm, and it wouldn't even chatter.
It's off topic, but it was funny seeing an additive company (who performed a great service cleaning the oil), come unstuck using their weapon of choice...a timken machine.
These guys reckon with their PTFE treatment, they drove 700miles with no oil!!
www.nulon.com.au
Go to their 'Factsheet 105' for more details..
www.nulon.com.au
Go to their 'Factsheet 105' for more details..
Consumer Reports did a test several years ago in California. The had 2 identically rebuilt Chevy engines. In one, they broke it in using conventional oil. In the other, they used oil + snake oil (I don't remember which one, but I think it was Prolong). They then drained the crankcases and drove both cars until the engines locked up. Both locked up at almost the exact same spot, about 20 miles.
As a result of this test, CR petitioned the FTC to force the snake oil company to withdraw their adds. The FTC agreed with CR, and the company withdraw their deceptive adds.
As a result of this test, CR petitioned the FTC to force the snake oil company to withdraw their adds. The FTC agreed with CR, and the company withdraw their deceptive adds.
http://www.superslipperystuff.com/Press_Statements.pdf#search='ftc prolong'
Both engines failed at 5 miles (13 minutes)
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