Marvel Mystery Oil

[GR_CoB]

Oh I love it when those that have no experience with MMO, or got no results from it (due to using it in the wrong application), go to great lengths to bash on the product. It's pretty simple: use it, or don't use it. What's the point of telling people: YOUR GOOD RESULTS IS YOU IMAGINATION, MMO SUCKS, or something along those lines, if you never even actually experienced the benefits or downsides? I used it in many cars and small engines. See my earlier post in this thread. Don't want to repeat myself too much. But point is if it works - I keep using it in that application. If it doesn't work - I don't use it in that application. Usually the benefits outweigh the cost of MMO, or end up saving enough money to justify buying MMO.
It has it's uses, and it works, even in many non-advertised uses that people figured out over the years. Just like WD-40. All it is, is a Water Dispersant (40th formulation). But people found a lot more good uses for it over the years. Yet it also has millions of bashers.

Some people just exist to bash stuff, to bring balance in the universe I guess. To offset the rest of us who actually try stuff and figure out its uses, before claiming that it's bad.

Peace, to all users and bashers.

 

[RDY4WAR]

So what? Perhaps they were simply satisfied with the results. And the product achieved their goal. Which is exactly what some here have stated.

If you screw in a light bulb and it works, are you going to take it apart to find out why?

A lot of people give rave reviews to placebos every day. Anecdotal and empirical evidence carries zero weight with me. A result is mostly worthless without control of variables and repeatable before and after data.

Using your example, it would be like taking out a light that's already working, farting on it, screwing it back in, and claiming it's brighter now.

 

[nomas]

For every additive ( Or pretty much anything else ) you mention here , SOMEBODY will take exception to it .

 

[RDY4WAR]

Oh I love it when those that have no experience with MMO, or got no results from it (due to using it in the wrong application), go to great lengths to bash on the product. It's pretty simple: use it, or don't use it. What's the point of telling people: YOUR GOOD RESULTS IS YOU IMAGINATION, MMO SUCKS, or something along those lines, if you never even actually experienced the benefits or downsides? I used it in many cars and small engines. See my earlier post in this thread. Don't want to repeat myself too much. But point is if it works - I keep using it in that application. If it doesn't work - I don't use it in that application. Usually the benefits outweigh the cost of MMO, or end up saving enough money to justify buying MMO.
It has it's uses, and it works, even in many non-advertised uses that people figured out over the years. Just like WD-40. All it is, is a Water Dispersant (40th formulation). But people found a lot more good uses for it over the years. Yet it also has millions of bashers.

Some people just exist to bash stuff, to bring balance in the universe I guess. To offset the rest of us who actually try stuff and figure out its uses, before claiming that it's bad.

Peace, to all users and bashers.

I've used MMO to help free up a seized engine and it worked a bit. My father used it a lot. That said, acetone does a far better job of that.

MMO's exact contents have been posted here by Mola with scientific breakdown of component functions. (or lack thereof) The components simply can't do what people claim it does. It's like saying putting bbq sauce on chicken turns it into ribeye steak. It defies logic.

As far as just bashing to bash, that's not how I am. I care about concrete and repeatable data. "I poured it in the tank and the engine didn't explode" is not data. Knowing the chemical composition, I don't have to add it my oil or fuel to know it won't help. Just like I don't have to break my arm to know it'll hurt.

The 10% ethanol already in your fuel is a better solvent, in a much higher concentration, than the light naptha in MMO while also burning cleaner. The pale oil might act as a UCL, but a little TC-W3 would do a better job of that. Plus, the light naphtha in MMO has an octane rating in the 60-65 range which isn't something I really want in my fuel. In the crankcase, the alcohol and naptha (the "cleaning" parts of MMO) both evaporate at 178°F and 194°F respectively so they're going to evaporate out of the oil the first time you get the engine up to full temperature. How is that going to help anything? An oil with ester does a far better job of this.

 

[billt460]

A lot of people give rave reviews to placebos every day.

How is it a placebo if it cures the problem it was intended to? You're just P.O.'d that people have found successful uses for it. So you come back with...... It's all just there imagination, because they're just too dumb to know it really doesn't work. Or words to that effect. Preposterous.

 

[kschachn]

MMO came out in 1923, almost 100 years ago. It has been a good seller ever since. Most products that don't work, or have a limited purpose don't last that long. Especially in the engine oil / fuel additive market. This one has.

And it has managed to do so without a major, expensive advertising blitz, that normally accompany so many of these products. In fact it was on the market for over 20 years before TV even existed. So I think it's fair to say it has some satisfied customers along the way.

All of which says nothing about whether it does anything or not of course. Right?

 

[billt460]

All of which says nothing about whether it does anything or not of course. Right?

Exactly what is it you want it to do?

 

[vwmaniaman]

I mix about 4oz in a tank of fuel in my VW's. Seems to keep the carbs clean. they sit a lot and need something to counter the ethanol fuel. Figure too that it may help valve stems and seats.

 

[kschachn]

Exactly what is it you want it to do?

Nothing that I know of. I don’t use any sort of additives at all.

 

[hrv]

I remember the old JC Whitney catalogs in the 60s and all the gas saving products for your car.....The joke was I installed ALL of the gas saving products and additives in my car and now I have to drain 2 gallons of gas every night so the gas tank dont overflow from all of the savings in gas....

 

[PontiacHO]

Used MMO to free up slugged and noisy lifters in old flat tappet engines. Used it also to decarbonize pistons and combustion chambers on those older engines. FWIW automatic trans fluid will do just as well.

 

[Bobaloo22]

Why do people even give a crap what other people use? Use what you like, Rock on!

 

[Astro14]

I have an old hollow stick. Smoothed from years of use.

I shake it over the engine every morning, and turn around three times, while asking for positive energy from ancient spirits of the forest.

I’ve never had a fuel pump, injector, of fuel system problem.

Clearly, it works.

If you haven’t tried it, and experienced the results, you cannot argue with my success.

The stick incantation technique has been around since cars were invented.

Since it has worked so well, I will keep doing it.

I will not listen to the naysayers and bashers. I know they didn’t read my post.

 

[PontiacHO]

Why do people even give a crap what other people use? Use what you like, Rock on!

Obviously they don’t care…thus this forum is nonexistent!! You woke up from a nightmare. Go back to sleep.

 

[demarpaint]

Here's a question I have. You buy a used car, a beater, knowing the gas gauge is not working and hasn't worked for years, the seller tells you so. You drive it to a gas station add MMO, and a week later the gauge is working, why? Years later in another vehicle the same problem and MMO works again. Two months ago it worked for my nephew with a gas gauge issue why? Granted Techron and a few others might have worked as well, and on occasion they won't work but MMO worked more than once. Lifters ticking, add MMO, they stop ticking, why? Other products might have done the same thing, but for the price MMO is still the cheapest. So I wouldn't call it snake oil, I'd call it a century old inexpensive product that has some uses, still. My 2 cents............

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I have an old hollow stick. Smoothed from years of use.

I shake it over the engine every morning, and turn around three times, while asking for positive energy from ancient spirits of the forest.

I’ve never had a fuel pump, injector, of fuel system problem.

Clearly, it works.

If you haven’t tried it, and experienced the results, you cannot argue with my success.

The stick incantation technique has been around since cars were invented.

Since it has worked so well, I will keep doing it.

I will not listen to the naysayers and bashers. I know they didn’t read my post.

Many years ago I would have run out looking for my hollow stick. As cars improved, no need for sticks or to kick them in the right spot or to run a bar of soap across a fan belt etc.... I don't have any stories of MMO FIXING anything. I just used it in my gasoline. No magic occured.

 

[GR_CoB]

Here's a question I have. You buy a used car, a beater, knowing the gas gauge is not working and hasn't worked for years, the seller tells you so. You drive it to a gas station add MMO, and a week later the gauge is working, why? Years later in another vehicle the same problem and MMO works again. Two months ago it worked for my nephew with a gas gauge issue why? Granted Techron and a few others might have worked as well, and on occasion they won't work but MMO worked more than once. Lifters ticking, add MMO, they stop ticking, why? Other products might have done the same thing, but for the price MMO is still the cheapest. So I wouldn't call it snake oil, I'd call it a century old inexpensive product that has some uses, still. My 2 cents............

I had the same experience in multiple vehicles with the fuel gauge. MMO worked. Don't care about how it "scientifically" shouldn't work, because in reality it definitely did work.

Bunch of loud ticking engines quieted down after a single application of MMO in the crankcase, and ticking hasn't returned for years, even if MMO has only been used that one time initially and never afterwards. Had a sludged engine (thanks previous owner), and MMO didn't clean they hard thick chunks of crusty sludge under valve cover, but did clean up all soft sludge, cleaned out some oil passages in the head, as result engine oil consumption decreased greatly and valve train chatter became as quiet as an exact same engine that was actually properly maintained.

I'm not here to convert anyone to MMO, gave up on that. But I will keep sharing my experiences and successful as well as unsuccessful applications of MMO. It's a great product, has it's place, and sure is hecka more effective than Lucas UCL or Seafoam, at least in my experience. Gumout Multi-System cleaner is quite a gimmick too, as well as its Super Tech twin. So yes - most additives are snake oils, but MMO is definitely isn't one as it delivers repeatable good results in vehicles with unknown or shady maintenance history.

If scientific proof is needed, go to the lab and demand it there. This is a forum where real owners share real world results. I know enough engineers to know how often their highly calculated lab-perfect results "in controlled environment" get absolutely crushed once equipment sees real world use. So I choose to base my opinions on product from my own experience, or real-world experiences shared by others.

 

[kschachn]

If scientific proof is needed, go to the lab and demand it there. This is a forum where real owners share real world results. I know enough engineers to know how often their highly calculated lab-perfect results "in controlled environment" get absolutely crushed once equipment sees real world use. So I choose to base my opinions on product from my own experience, or real-world experiences shared by others.

Nah not really. A properly designed and typically standardized test will demonstrate efficacy. Most of those “real world” tests are useless, with subsequent conclusions drawn from observations that aren’t substantiated. People don’t like to hear that but it’s the truth. The way you test things is almost never in the wild with its myriad of uncontrolled variables.

For all the things that MMO may or may not do there are already existing and statistically significant tests that can be run. Whether that has happened and whether the results have been published is another question.

 

[GR_CoB]

Nah not really. A properly designed and typically standardized test will demonstrate efficacy. Most of those “real world” tests are useless, with subsequent conclusions drawn from observations that aren’t substantiated. People don’t like to hear that but it’s the truth. The way you test things is almost never in the wild with its myriad of uncontrolled variables.

For all the things that MMO may or may not do there are already existing and statistically significant tests that can be run. Whether that has happened and whether the results have been published is another question.

Can't expand too much on what and how (for legal reasons), but my job is literally fixing engineer's mistakes and real-world surprises that they encounter, until engineers finally get their lab results and process recipes in line with real world results. I do agree with the last sentence though.

 

[billt460]

Here's a question I have. You buy a used car, a beater, knowing the gas gauge is not working and hasn't worked for years, the seller tells you so. You drive it to a gas station add MMO, and a week later the gauge is working, why? Years later in another vehicle the same problem and MMO works again. Two months ago it worked for my nephew with a gas gauge issue why?

I had the same experience in multiple vehicles with the fuel gauge. MMO worked. Don't care about how it "scientifically" shouldn't work, because in reality it definitely did work.

Bunch of loud ticking engines quieted down after a single application of MMO in the crankcase, and ticking hasn't returned for years, even if MMO has only been used that one time initially and never afterwards.

The general comeback here seems to be, among other things, is that there are other common products that might work just as well, and accomplish the same thing as MMO. Which could also be true.

If they want to strain the vinegar out of Heinz Ketchup, using Charmin Double Ply Bathroom tissue, and apply that to gunked up piston rings, using Q-Tips rotated counter clockwise, I say go for it. It's easier to just dump in a bottle of MMO.

And now, thanks to you guys, if my gas gauge takes a crap, I'm going to grab a bottle of MMO. Perhaps it will fix it the same way, that it settled down the idle on my chain saw..... I didn't have any Heinz in the fridge, and Charmin makes my butt itch. And no, I don't have a detailed data report from MIT as to why. It just does.