Very Newbie, Have to Pick the Brains of the Best

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First off, this site is a fantastic wealth of information - in some cases an overwhelming amount of information , so before I ask for your advice, I'd like to give out some basic stats on my situation:

I'm the 2nd owner of a 1997 Cadillac Sedan Deville, 94,500 miles, Northstar engine. Never been opened up, never had any head work, just your standard fluid change-outs. I do this every 4,500 miles. 9,000 miles ago I switched to MOBIL 1 synthetic 10W30 for the engine c/w K&N oil filter and MOBIL 1 synthetic ATF for the tranny. The car is stored for the winters.

As an aside, I have another Caddy (1988) that gets the winter driving duties and it's innards are regularly bathed (every 4,00 miles or so) in 10W30 oil and has had Slick 50 treatments, with no appreciable detriments or benefits. For the '97 however, I'd like to be a bit more proactive and protective of it's current rosy condition. I plan on keeping the '97 for many, many, years.

This car runs like the day it was bought off the lot, never had any issues with the drivetrain at all (and want to keep it that way). Regarding the mileage however, I think that I should now be adding something else into this mix ie; oil and tranny additives - just in case.

Now for the big question: Bearing in mind all the above info, what, in the opinion of this board would be my best bet re: additives? To just read all the info (and it is really golden info, believe me), there must be hundreds and hundreds of lotions and potions out there.

But for a regular guy, with a regular steed, that just wants to keep that steed in the best shape it can be for as long as it can be, is there one brand above all the others that you'd recommend? I have no pre-conceived notions or bias towards any of them, just want some peace-of-mind-in-a-bottle - if indeed one exists out there.

Thanks in advance for any and all considerations, guys.
 
The holy trinity of additives;

ARX - LC - FP

Although the function of ARX is similar to LC.

Not many people think much of the K&N oil filters. Not a bad filter, just not worth the money.

Shouldn't this be in the Additives section?
 
Even fewer people (including the feds) think much of Slick 50.
I will leave any additives for others to comment on, but for vinyl and rubber, I suggest 303 Protectant. Dry rubber and plastic will make your car feel and sound old, especially as it gets cold outside.
 
additives:
sfr...oil
schaeffer's#132 e.p moly...oil
sx-up...oil
pro blend...oil
lube control...oil
# 131 neutra...gas and oil
fuel power...gas
torco mpz....oil
torco asslembly lube...oil
these are what i have found to be the very best additives
 
Frostback,

If you want to clean out your engine's lube oil system because it is old, use Auto RX. All the other additives help to make an oil "better" but there is a lot of dissagreement as to whether the additives help the chemistries of the best oil. If you want to add something to your engine because it is "old" there is not real consensus there. OTOH, I don't think 94000 miles is very old for an engine.

For you fuel injectors you might want to try some Chevron Techron.

You might want to try some water injection to clean out the carbon from the cylinders.
 
sfr corp has one product that claims:
"employing a unique patent-pending synthetic formula that forms an "intermetallic compound" during the lubricating process, that improves lubrication and protects engine parts from wear"

I'll need a ream of evidence on my desk before I trust anyone who makes that claim.
 
If you run a modern motor oil, you don't want to stick in additives.

ADDITIVES ARE SNAKE OIL AND DO NOT BELONG IN A PROPERLY RUNNING ENGINE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!
 
quote:

ADDITIVES ARE SNAKE OIL AND DO NOT BELONG IN A PROPERLY RUNNING ENGINE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!

Not all additives are snake oil. VSOT has a lot of good stuff that is missing from modern SM oils. Likewise Specialty Formulation's SX-UP additive. There is a place for such additives, such as a '69 Chevelle with a built 396. That car will need more zddp to protect the valve train. One can look at the additives (the good ones anyway) as an extension of the already additized oil. True, most cars don't need any additives beyond what the oil company put in their oil, but certainly the use of quality additives will not hurt.
 
I suspect oil and dog food are much alike. I wish I had as good of a source for info on auto care as I have for dog care. Before my family started raising puppies for a dog guide school, I had no idea how much they know about the care of dogs. You would be surprised how much service dogs and cars are alike. they help people get around, and with good care, last much longer. You pay upfront for the car, and and it comes ready to use, needing no training. The dogs start out much cheaper, but by the time they are finally ready to go, you still have the price of a car in them. By the time they are 10-12 years old, many are looking for a new one.

Almost any modern dog chow will get the job done. What do the service dog schools recommend? Mostly brand name stuff, Pro Plan, Eukanuba, Iams, etc. What else, nothing. Of course many people with less experience insist on doctoring up the dog's diet with all sorts of things, trying to solve the problems of the 50's. ''Well, I have always added ... just like my dad taught me.''

Same thing for the oil. Modern oils have an additive package to meet the demands of modern engines. Maybe there was a time when the engine would last longer adding what dad taught you.

My 77 Luv is still going strong on its Pennzoil. I have upgraded it to 5W-30 maybe about the time Aster was a puppy. She just turned 12, retired as a dog guide 2 years ago, and was upgraded from the regular Purina she started on to Pro Plan. Neither gets any additives.
 
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