Mechanic recommended MMO

[oldhp]

I've used it for longer than I can remember. Ticking lifters, locked up lawn mowers, cleaning and lubing fuel injectors etc.
I put it in carbs to keep them lubed with todays "great" gas. It works, period. I've never blown up anything with it. I use it in my lawn mower gas all the time, only way to keep a steady fast cutting RPM, if I don't use it mower goes up and down in RPM.
Use as directed, you will do no harm. Pour a gallon in you gas tank you might make it smoke but you won't blow it up.
It won't turn oil into metal acid eating that destroys your engine.

 

[morris]

MMO is more lube than solvent. been useing it for 30 years. unlike don says the right amount will NOT harm an engine.

 

[EType]

Mystic, I am certainly not disappointed. I am glad you and others are taking the time to respond to me. I just felt bad that my question seemed to hit some sort of hot button.

Btw, have you actually seen ufo's?

 

[Mystic]

I just used UFOs as an example. If somebody has seen UFOs, it is easy for them to believe. If somebody has never seen UFOs, it is easy for them to doubt anybody who has seen UFOs and easy for them to say that there are no UFOs.

People who have actually tried an engine cleaner or oil supplement that has worked for them KNOW that there are products with no OEM approval that will actually solve problems. For example, I KNOW that a Lubegard power steering supplement worked for me. So I KNOW that some supplements with no OEM approval will work. But it is easy for somebody who has never had any positive results with a supplement to say that all supplements are a rip-off, a scam, etc.

 

[steve20]

been using MMO since 1976. I've never noticed a benefit to adding it to gas, but it has quieted many a lifter, and safely cleaned up many a motor in those 37 years.
It is currently in the Prius for 500 miles before the next oil change---but I have frequently let it run the full oci without any noticeable harm in many vehicles--

 

[EType]

I can believe that many of these things will work. The question is at what expense?

Aren't many automotive fluids like that? You can use almost any oil and any coolant in any car, but some are suitable and some are not.

How do I know these things will not have a detrimental effect especially if the manufacturers are advising against their use?

 

[steve20]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
skyship II ?



nope.....it's dip ship again

 

[Mystic]

If you are too worried about possible bad effects EType don't use MMO.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: EType
I think I will ask him to advise me how much I should use. It seems MMO is a solvent that can strip protection that oil is providing. Now I see why manufacturers and oil companies say not to use it.

Originally Posted By: EType
I can believe that many of these things will work. The question is at what expense?

Aren't many automotive fluids like that? You can use almost any oil and any coolant in any car, but some are suitable and some are not.

How do I know these things will not have a detrimental effect especially if the manufacturers are advising against their use?

That article was written at a high level, it does not address the actual contents of each additive. Too much googling can lead to decision paralysis. For every yes there is a no. Castrol is good, Castrol is bad. Oops I ran out of oil deciding which is right. Trust the mechanic not anonymous blogs on the internet.

 

[Mystic]

The only thing I can tell you EType is if you are very worried about possible bad effects using MMO then DO NOT USE IT!

You still have not explained, as far as I know, exactly what the problem is with your car and why the mechanic recommended MMO. If you have some sort of lifter noise or something like that your mechanic should be able to fix it.

There are a couple of ways you can go. You can stick to exactly what is recommended in the owner's manual. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a safe route to take.

Or if you are willing to try products like MMO then you can give such products a try. I am not an expert on MMO but I believe it is supposed to be used at a maximum of 25%. Depending on how much oil your engine holds you would use a maximum of 25% MMO and 75% motor oil. Again, I am not an expert on MMO but I believe in fuel it is supposed to be 4 ounces per 10 gallons of fuel. You need to go to somebody like demarpaint to find the exact amount to use. Obviously the MMO would not completely replace the motor oil. My car holds 5 quarts of oil so if I was using MMO I would replace 1 quart of oil with MMO. That would be 20%. I would probably use the MMO in the winter time because it thins the oil somewhat. And I would not drive too far with MMO.

Go to somebody who has a lot of experience with MMO to find out exactly how much to use if you decide to use the stuff. I am not an expert so I will not take responsibility for any problems you might have with MMO. The figures I have given above are accurate as far as I can determine. There should be directions on the container as well. Ask somebody like demarpaint how much to use.

I use MMO right now but I mostly just use a very small amount in my lawnmower engine gas.

I don't know what else to tell you. People have tried to help you here. If you are very nervous about using MMO or any other engine cleaner or oil supplement then DO NOT USE IT! That is the best advice I can give anybody. Have I not tried to help you?

 

[LeakySeals]

Not bashing, sorry if it appears to be. But if hes gridlocked on this decision, what about maintenance and oil change decisions? The mechanic probably looked down the filler and it was dirty which would explain the ticking and the MMO recommendation.

 

[Mystic]

We don't have enough information here. And you are right-how often is the oil being changed? Basic maintenance before worrying about any engine cleaners or oil supplements.

We have to know what type of car, mileage, how often the oil is changed, what the problem is, why the mechanic recommended MMO, etc.

Before anybody can really say much here EType you have to supply some of that information. Why did the mechanic recommend MMO? What is the mechanical problem? What is the type of car and mileage? How often is the oil changed?

Remember before you even worry about any kind of oil supplement you first have to worry about basic maintenance. The right kind of oil has to be used and the oil has to be changed often enough.

 

[EType]

Mystic, thank you for all your help.

What I am not understanding from anyone is how the solvent ingredients would interact with oil and its existing additives, fuel, metals and other engine and fuel system parts.

That information as well as testimonials would help me come to a decision.

I know that if I used something like Techron, its is manufacturer approved, tested and already in the fuel we buy from Chevron.

 

[Mystic]

I take it that you do not want to supply any information about the car, what kind of problem or problems existed, and why the mechanic recommended MMO. That is fine. But without some information it is very difficult for anybody here to help.

 

[Mystic]

Judging from what you are saying here I think you are very hesitate to try any product that has not been OEM approved. That is fine. But if you are worried about not trying any product that is not OEM approved or developed by a major oil corporation such as Chevron my advice to you is don't use any product that is not OEM approved. I have used Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner also. It is a fine product. I also use some OEM approved products and some that are not OEM approved.

The most recent question you have asked here would be difficult for most people here to answer. We would have to be research chemists involved in the development of MMO to be able to determine exactly how the solvents in MMO interact with motor oil, etc. MMO has been around since 1923. The only thing I can tell you is that MMO seems to have worked pretty well for a long time.

My advice to anybody who worries that much about non-OEM approved products is do not use non-OEM approved products. Maybe you should tell your mechanic you want a mechanical repair to whatever problem you might be having with your car, and not to use MMO.

Nobody here is trying to force MMO use on you. People have tried to help you. But you have not been forthcoming with any information about your car, whatever problems you may be having with that car, and why your mechanic suggested using MMO. It is your decision if you want to use MMO or not.

I for one am waiting to see how Artem's testing of MMO in Mobil 1 0W40 oil works out. I am not afraid to use MMO. I use it now in small amounts in my lawnmower and I have used it in the fuel of my car. As far as I am able to determine MMO is safe if used per directions. If it is not safe I don't know why the MMO haters here cannot supply data on all the destroyed engines. I might use MMO in my car motor oil this coming winter.

MMO is a product like any other product. People have to decide what they want to use and what they do not want to use. Some people here have decades of experience using MMO. I personally use it in limited amounts.

 

[LeakySeals]

I worked at a shop for 5 years to fund my IT degree. Not one time would a customer admit to obvious neglect. Its an ego thing, they just can't do it. They want to blame anyone but themselves. We didn't want to work on a sludge bucket, nasty work. MMO was a common recommendation to clean things up before repair. More times than not they never came back. MMO fixed it? I'm sure some of them because I cleaned a few of my own over the years.

 

[Mystic]

That is interesting LeakySeals. He sure will not tell us anything about the car, what kind of problems he may be having, or why the mechanic recommended MMO. So you may be right-maybe the car was very neglected and is extremely dirty inside.

But MMO worked for you right in a few cars?

 

[EType]

I can assure you there is no neglect.

I am simply interested in the science behind how MMO works.

If I give the details of my vehicle then I will get replies where people said something similar happened to them which I don't need because I can search and find post after post of anecdotal information.

I was hoping for scientific reasoning so I understood the products working mechanism.

 

[Mystic]

Then you need to ask questions at the Marvel Mystery Oil website and see if you can get your information there. There are people here with a lot of experience with MMO and that would be anecdotal information. Since that is not adequate for you then you would need to find out what you can from the people who make the product.

If you can't find what you want there you could check with the API and SAE and see if any research papers exist concerning Marvel Mystery Oil. I doubt very seriously if there have been engine sequence testing on Marvel Mystery Oil.

Or you could hire a research chemist to conduct a study of the product. I can't remember all of the history of MMO but I believe a chemist was hired to develop it because of problems they were dealing with back in those days with early engine design and fuel delivery.

You might find it a little difficult to find extensive scientific research papers on a lot of these engine cleaners and oil supplements. Some of these products were developed by chemists but whatever scientific documentation may exist may be unavailable to the general public (trade secrets). For example, a chemist from Exxon helped develop the Lubegard products.

 

[EType]

Ok I understand now.

I'm sorry but as a newb, I had assumed (incorrectly as it turned out) that after 10+ years of so many threads and so many posters, there would have been knowledge on MMO beyond anecdotal on this site.

I mean the MSDS lists the ingredients so how difficult would it be to have some opinions on how those ingredients esp solvents affect the oil, the oils existing additives, the engine and fuel system parts and components?