Marvel Mystery Oil

[Mystic]

Long ago I used to hear about Marvel Mystery Oil. It was supposed to be an UCL and help keep the engine clean. I don't think I ever used it. It fact, I have not noticed it on store shelves for quite a while. But recently at a store somewhere (I can't remember which store) I noticed some of the old cans of MMM. This brought back some memories.

Did MMM really work? One of the things I heard about it was that it was popular with model airplane people.

 

[moribundman]

I've been adding a couple ounces MMM to my gas for a a couple thousand miles. Mileage seems to improve a tad when I use it, although it's hard to say if that's maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

Supposedly MMM, which has been around for a very long time (WWII?), works not only as an upper cylinder lubricant, but it contains a very effective detergent, one for which Shell paid in order to be able to use it in their gas.

Is it snake oil? I don't know for sure, but it cleans tools and bolts quite well.

[ August 01, 2003, 07:02 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]

 

[badnews]

Sounds like that would have been ok in the old carberated days, but with fuel injecters, sounds like a bad idea.JMO

 

[jsharp]

quote:

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Originally posted by badnews:
Sounds like that would have been ok in the old carberated days, but with fuel injecters, sounds like a bad idea.JMO

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I'd worry some about converters too. The flip side is, it's the best air tool oil going...

 

[moribundman]

Why should MMM be bad for the injectors? It's a lube, and it contains a detergent. I think it might be pretty much the same stuff as the Lucas upper cylinder lubricant. MMM smells better, though.

 

[Rick]

A friend of mine used it in his old RX-7 and he sayed that his oil did get dark realy fast.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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A friend of mine used it in his old RX-7 and he sayed that his oil did get dark realy fast.

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Normally, I wouldn't add it to the oil. I might remove 1/2 quart of engine oil and replace it with 1/2 quart MMM, if I were to suspect that the engine could need an internal cleaning. Then I'd drive the car for a couple hundred miles and change the oil.

The fact that your friend says the MMM darkened his oil quickly means that the MMM did loosen some deposits, I guess? That wouldn't be a bad thing, but I would do it right before an oil change to get the crud out.

I don't notice any (visible) effect on my oil when using MMM in the gas.

[ August 02, 2003, 03:18 AM: Message edited by: moribundman ]

 

[csandste]

I used MMM to clean up the fuel system in a first generation (Toyota) Chevy Nova. Seemed to do the trick. If I recall properly, that car had a carburator though.

 

[badnews]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
Why should MMM be bad for the injectors? It's a lube, and it contains a detergent. I think it might be pretty much the same stuff as the Lucas upper cylinder lubricant. MMM smells better, though.

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Well to "lube" something, a residue has to be left behind to act as the "lube", any type of residue that remains in fuel injecters is not good. It just seems to me that using MMM oil is similiar to using two stroke oil in the engine, something that I would never do with injecters. Please let us know how it turns out for you after you use it for awhile.

 

[Smoky14]

As someone said, It's a great air tool oiler and IT SMELLS GOOD. Ah there's no better way to start your day than the smell of air tool oil floating aroung the garage.

 

[Bio-T]

I used Schaeffer's Penetrol 90 in all of my air tools. Just another use for this product to help reduce the number of cans of things to buy. No MMO for me.

[ August 02, 2003, 01:42 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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Well to "lube" something, a residue has to be left behind to act as the "lube", any type of residue that remains in fuel injecters is not good. It just seems to me that using MMM oil is similiar to using two stroke oil in the engine, something that I would never do with injecters. Please let us know how it turns out for you after you use it for awhile.

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I don't know if "lube" and "residue" leads to buildup. I doubt it. I've been adding 2 ounces of MMM when gassing up (tank holds 15.5 gal), and the injectors are working at least as well as before. Two ounces for 15.5 gal is a pretty small amount.

As I said, mileage seems to be better, but I'd really have to drive the same distance a few times under the exact same circumstances to verify that.

And, of course, I'm keeping an eye on it...

[ August 02, 2003, 04:17 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]

 

[SmoothFlyer]

My dad was a test pilot and A&P mechanic in the Air Force during WWII. I learned most of the mechanical skills I have from him. I also learned about MMM from him.

He was involved in the transport of aircraft across the atlantic, and when I asked him about MMM he told me that he didn't really know what it was or how it worked, but that during that time (WWII), the only way to get engines to survive the flight across the atlantic was to use MMM in both the fuel and oil at the prescribed rates. Getting aircraft across without it was nearly impossible due to engine failures. That's what sold him on the product.

I think it's likely that the motor oil in use then was a much simpler and inferior product compared to what was available in 60's, which was still a simple product compared to what we have today. The motor oil used in WWII was probably just oil, and from I understand, refineries did not have much control over viscosity until the 70's when multi-viscosity oil first became possible.

I have little doubt that MMM was a superior product for it's time, and even now may still be usefull for certain applications. I wouldn't use it in the fuel of anything with an O2 sensor or catalytic converter.

I've used it the fuel of my 1988 Crown Vic Police Interceptor (with a feedback carburator) only to find the O2 sensor fouled shortly thereafter. But it did run smoother than ever for that first tankfull...

It's very usefull in the oil for freeing sticky valves and rings.