MMO “experiment” (1oz per gal of fuel)

[1 SX]

I was thinking about this as I typed it up in the “exhaust pipe” post

But I did something pretty reckless and out of character for me

I put in 18 ounces of marvel mystery oil in the Kia’s gas tank then filled it up with my normal e-0 91 followed by multiple 2nd / 3rd gear wot pulls and normal driving for days…

My results are this:

-There is not a speck of carbon on the exhaust…
- noticed no “ negative” difference in drivability.
- Can’t say I even noticed a “positive” difference

Last minute thoughts:
- The 2.4l engine is already “clean” (I have been using marvel mystery oil and ethanol free fuel in this 2.4l for many thousands of miles but at the recommended dosage) so the marvel mystery oil has nothing to “clean” and I am just benefiting from the “lubrication” properties of the MMO

-The marvel mystery oil even at double the dosages is a waste of money, and it has no beneficial properties for “cleaning” Especially on a daily driven car that already uses good quality fluids

Talk to me: am I wasting money for mmo in fuel? I remember picking up my first bottle at 16 and I have been using it since… but I have to be realistic with myself.

I am willing to put the bottle down… it will be hard but I have spent thousands of dollars on this product over my life and now I’m starting to feel like I bought into “snake oil” because I don’t actually know if it’s been “helping” all these years or not.

 

[Kira]

I'm pretty sure the consensus is that MMO is a light oil which will disperse in fuel and just be burned away.
I'm also pretty sure MMO's best use would be as a penetrating oil.
If my name was Michael Maurice Osborne I'd use the alphabetic logo as a tee shirt design.
Big yes on putting the bottle down.

 

[jeepman3071]

MMO isn't snake oil, it just isn't a cure-all like some people think. I have used it a lot in my life, and most of it has been for freeing up stuck engines on antique machinery. Pour some down the cylinder on a stuck old engine, come back in a few weeks and try to turn it over and many times it would be free. Diesel fuel and ATF can produce a similar result. It is great for uses like that, but I wouldn't put it in my fuel or oil expecting it to work miracles.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

I was thinking about this as I typed it up in the “exhaust pipe” post

But I did something pretty reckless and out of character for me

I put in 18 ounces of marvel mystery oil in the Kia’s gas tank then filled it up with my normal e-0 91 followed by multiple 2nd / 3rd gear wot pulls and normal driving for days…

My results are this:

-There is not a speck of carbon on the exhaust…
- noticed no “ negative” difference in drivability.
- Can’t say I even noticed a “positive” difference

Last minute thoughts:
- The 2.4l engine is already “clean” (I have been using marvel mystery oil and ethanol free fuel in this 2.4l for many thousands of miles but at the recommended dosage) so the marvel mystery oil has nothing to “clean” and I am just benefiting from the “lubrication” properties of the MMO

-The marvel mystery oil even at double the dosages is a waste of money, and it has no beneficial properties for “cleaning” Especially on a daily driven car that already uses good quality fluids

Talk to me: am I wasting money for mmo in fuel? I remember picking up my first bottle at 16 and I have been using it since… but I have to be realistic with myself.

I am willing to put the bottle down… it will be hard but I have spent thousands of dollars on this product over my life and now I’m starting to feel like I bought into “snake oil” because I don’t actually know if it’s been “helping” all these years or not.

View attachment 123730View attachment 123731

It’s much cheaper if you buy it by the 55 gallon drum. My dad’s ‘79 Chevy van I’m sure ran as long as it did because of MMO (the odometer stopped working at 369k and it ran for at least a decade after that); he was a “once a year whether it needs it or not” kind of OCI guy before it was cool, but he always used MMO in the crankcase and in the gas. I’m fairly certain it’s the reason his conventional oil didn’t turn to pudding.

 

[Trav]

I am a bit lost with this, give the car a colonoscopy then putting stuff in the fuel to see if it cleans the tail pipe make zero sense to me.
What is of more concern to me is the fact it contains tricresyl phosphate which is known to poison catalytic converters in larger amounts.

It is composed primarily of petroleum distillates, including mineral oil (60–100%), mineral spirits (10–30%), tricresyl phosphate

 

[RDY4WAR]

MMO isn't snake oil, it just isn't a cure-all like some people think. I have used it a lot in my life, and most of it has been for freeing up stuck engines on antique machinery. Pour some down the cylinder on a stuck old engine, come back in a few weeks and try to turn it over and many times it would be free. Diesel fuel and ATF can produce a similar result. It is great for uses like that, but I wouldn't put it in my fuel or oil expecting it to work miracles.

Acetone does a much better job of freeing up a stuck engine and does so within hours, not days or weeks. It also will eat rust where as MMO is prone to causing rust. Also unlike MMO, acetone will readily vaporize and combust to aid that initial startup.

In terms of engine oil and fuel, it's definitely a snake oil. It's 70% pale oil with small amounts of isopropyl alcohol, light naphtha, and a pinch of TCP and chlorinated paraffin.

In the oil, the isopropyl and naphtha have low boiling points (179°F and 194°F respectively) and thus evaporate the first time the oil gets hot. The light oil left behind just lower's the oil's viscosity until it eventually evaporates as well. The chlorinated paraffins are notorious for causing rust/corrosion problems, and TCP is an EP for cutting fluids that serves no purpose in an engine.

In the fuel, the isopropyl lowers the stoich value and is a weaker solvent than the 10% ethanol already in the fuel. The light naphtha lowers the octane of the fuel. Both increase the fuel's speed index making the fuel less responsive and more prone to hard starts. The pale oil, TCP, and CP serve no purpose except to make the emissions equipment wonder why you hate it so much.

 

[spasm3]

I am a bit lost with this, give the car a colonoscopy then putting stuff in the fuel to see if it cleans the tail pipe make zero sense to me.
What is of more concern to me is the fact it contains tricresyl phosphate which is known to poison catalytic converters in larger amounts.

I think it was more useful prior to the 80's as the tricresyl phosphate was useful since there was tetraethyl lead in fuel. Not much use for it anymore, maybe piston aircraft? But I don't think the FAA even approves of it's use in fuel.

 

[DwightFrye]

I can give you a real world positive experience with MMO.I used to own a Nissan 370Z. A known issue was wonky fuel gauges, they wouldn't register as full even when owners knew the tank was topped off. A dose of MMO (the recommended ratio, not an excess dose) would free up the float or whatever it was that was causing the gauge to read improperly and then the next few times I filled up the gauge worked properly. A few months later, the problem reappeared and another dose of MMO would fix it.

So it does have some useful solvent properties and the negligible cost of a bottle of MMO to be used every 3 or 4 thousand miles as preventive maintenance is not enough to make me worry about how much lighter my wallet was. I now use it in my Mazda CX 5 every few thousand miles as well. Just because.

 

[BISCUT]

I got off the MMO bottle many years ago. Has some use for unsticking in certain applications but not something worth it for a modern vehicle. Better products are available. If your engine and fuel delivery system is clean, I wonder why you feel you need anything? Top-tier gas seems to do a good job at keeping the fuel system clean.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

I like MMO, it has it's place.
These days I'm running TCW3 in fuel instead of MMO.

A long time ago my curious self wanted to see what happens if I put a full gallon of MMO into a 30gal fuel tank on 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe, with Throttle-Body-Injection 5.7L. ...yea, don't do that... That 350 V8 turned into a 175 V4.... Such a heavy concentration of MMO caused the spark plugs on the 4 outside cylinders (Cyl#1/2/7/8) to become too wet to fire, and only the center 4 cylinders (Cyl# 3/4/5/6) were keeping the Tahoe going.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

So what are the experiences from those who’ve used TCW3 in turbo engines? At first blush, it would seem that oil in fuel in a turbo with extremely high cylinder pressures would present a risk of detonation/early self-ignition. Is this the wrong thinking?

 

[demarpaint]

I can give you a real world positive experience with MMO.I used to own a Nissan 370Z. A known issue was wonky fuel gauges, they wouldn't register as full even when owners knew the tank was topped off. A dose of MMO (the recommended ratio, not an excess dose) would free up the float or whatever it was that was causing the gauge to read improperly and then the next few times I filled up the gauge worked properly. A few months later, the problem reappeared and another dose of MMO would fix it.

So it does have some useful solvent properties and the negligible cost of a bottle of MMO to be used every 3 or 4 thousand miles as preventive maintenance is not enough to make me worry about how much lighter my wallet was. I now use it in my Mazda CX 5 every few thousand miles as well. Just because.

It has worked for me more than once for bringing gas gauges back to life.

 

[Hermann]

MMO isn't snake oil, it just isn't a cure-all like some people think. I have used it a lot in my life, and most of it has been for freeing up stuck engines on antique machinery. Pour some down the cylinder on a stuck old engine, come back in a few weeks and try to turn it over and many times it would be free. Diesel fuel and ATF can produce a similar result. It is great for uses like that, but I wouldn't put it in my fuel or oil expecting it to work miracles.

Used it once 500 miles before a OCI. Put a qt into 6 qts. After a week or so the valvetrain got a lot quieter on a early Ford 4 valve with VVT. Stayed quiet till we parted with the vehicle. That's about as far of a plunge as I will take.

 

[RDMgr]

MMO contains dichlorobenzene which is used in gasoline/fuel additives as a burn modifier. Six ounces of MMO in 15 gallons of gas gives and effective amount of dichlorobenzene. TCP can have an impact on ignition as well.

I don't think an alcohol is present in the formula. There are no alcohols listed in the current SDS. They would be listed in Section 3 due to their flammability hazards,

I'm not a big fan of acetone as a fuel additive. Acetone is polar and gasoline and oils in general are non-polar. Acetone and these hydrocarbons are not soluble and would quickly separate without a coupling agent.

 

[Creekside]

When I was in school the instructor taught us to drain a quart of oil on the old worn out 350s with noisy lifters and replace it with a quart of MMO and let idle for an hour then do a normal oil change. It did seem to quiet them down but who knows for how long.

 

[jeepman3071]

Acetone does a much better job of freeing up a stuck engine and does so within hours, not days or weeks. It also will eat rust where as MMO is prone to causing rust. Also unlike MMO, acetone will readily vaporize and combust to aid that initial startup.

In terms of engine oil and fuel, it's definitely a snake oil. It's 70% pale oil with small amounts of isopropyl alcohol, light naphtha, and a pinch of TCP and chlorinated paraffin.

In the oil, the isopropyl and naphtha have low boiling points (179°F and 194°F respectively) and thus evaporate the first time the oil gets hot. The light oil left behind just lower's the oil's viscosity until it eventually evaporates as well. The chlorinated paraffins are notorious for causing rust/corrosion problems, and TCP is an EP for cutting fluids that serves no purpose in an engine.

In the fuel, the isopropyl lowers the stoich value and is a weaker solvent than the 10% ethanol already in the fuel. The light naphtha lowers the octane of the fuel. Both increase the fuel's speed index making the fuel less responsive and more prone to hard starts. The pale oil, TCP, and CP serve no purpose except to make the emissions equipment wonder why you hate it so much.

Oh I'm sure it will do a better job, this is also a non-critical application. More of a "hey that old 1940s tractor has been sitting in the bushes with a stuck engine for 30 years, let's dump this in and when we remember a few weeks later we will see if it turns over" type of scenario when I worked on a farm.

 

[andyd]

The recommended oil for my 88 BMWs was 20W50. Previous usage told me that 20W50 below 10F is a problem. On the last 528e, The garage queen, I just added a pint of MMO to the crankcase to thin out the oil a little. I did it for 3 winters with no troubles. ANd, I dosed my wife's '86 528e with some and didn't tell her . She asked what I had done to her car, it had more pep. I use it in all my OPE fuel, just cuz, and mostly I like the smell. OF course YMMV

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

I was thinking about this as I typed it up in the “exhaust pipe” post

But I did something pretty reckless and out of character for me

I put in 18 ounces of marvel mystery oil in the Kia’s gas tank then filled it up with my normal e-0 91 followed by multiple 2nd / 3rd gear wot pulls and normal driving for days…

My results are this:

-There is not a speck of carbon on the exhaust…
- noticed no “ negative” difference in drivability.
- Can’t say I even noticed a “positive” difference

Last minute thoughts:
- The 2.4l engine is already “clean” (I have been using marvel mystery oil and ethanol free fuel in this 2.4l for many thousands of miles but at the recommended dosage) so the marvel mystery oil has nothing to “clean” and I am just benefiting from the “lubrication” properties of the MMO

-The marvel mystery oil even at double the dosages is a waste of money, and it has no beneficial properties for “cleaning” Especially on a daily driven car that already uses good quality fluids

Talk to me: am I wasting money for mmo in fuel? I remember picking up my first bottle at 16 and I have been using it since… but I have to be realistic with myself.

I am willing to put the bottle down… it will be hard but I have spent thousands of dollars on this product over my life and now I’m starting to feel like I bought into “snake oil” because I don’t actually know if it’s been “helping” all these years or not.

View attachment 123730View attachment 123731

I don't think MMO has any "lubricating properties" gasoline doesn't already have. I do think it is useful in some circumstances as a mild fuel injection or carburetor cleaner. But Top Tier Gas renders it a bit obsolete...

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

Here's my put on MMO's MSDS:

70% Light Aromatic Oil (Pale Oil)

Serves mostly as base oil.


29% Mineral Spirits

General cleaner and solvent.


38 parts per million (ppm) Boron

Mild AW/EP agent, friction reducer


900 ppm Phosporous

AW/EP agent


1/2% 1, 2 ortho-Dichlorobenzene

A very good cleaner/solvent for varnish.


1/4% 1, 4 para-Dichlorobenzene

A very good cleaner/solvent for varnish.


Oil of wintergreen - for the scent

Oil of Wintergreen is in there solely for the SCENT to mask solvent smell. Not enough in there to aid lubricity.


Red Dye - for the color
- well this one just colors the stuff

For Sure.

Laboratory Analysis of MMO

While not a PCMO or HDD Oil, here is the latest analysis: Marvel Mystery Oil - Analysis by University lab (Any element with 2 ppm or lower is not reported) Phos - 631 ppm Use: Anti-wear Potassium – 60 ppm USE: Buffer and weak detergent. Viscosity – 2.3 cSt@100C, 7.9 cSt@40C Comment...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[RazorsEdge]

Anyone have a before or after results of MMO actually cleaning in lawn equipment?!