DO Kerosene/Naphtha based additives hurt anything?

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I see that Seafoam has a large amount of Naptha. I assume that MMO has something like Kerosene or Naphtha too.

Do these solvents actually hurt anything like seals or anything else if used repeatedly?
 
Fuel stabilizers Stabil and Star tron are both about 95% naptha. I hope naptha isn't bad for seals!
 
Boomer: Where did you get that information on what is in MMO? I could not find anything on it.
 
Google Marvel Mystery Oil MSDS to see that it's primary ingredients are Mineral Spirits (Stoddard solvent) Naptha, and Benzene.

Here you go:

http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:bvtL...lient=firefox-a

Looks like naptha is the key ingredient (70-80%) followed by mineral spirits (20-30%). Naptha is also the dominant ingredient in Stabil and Sea Foam.

Not such a great mystery after all.
 
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I wouldnt think so. Not in the concentrations you would likely expose them to.

Keep in mind, gas is around 15% toluene - which is of course a pretty strong solvent.
Also, most states have you using 10% ethanol.

Gasoline itself is a pretty good solvent overall as well. Seals and gaskets used in mondern fuel systems are designed to face pretty much all the common chemicals they will likely have to face in the course of their lives, so I think you are good to go.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Google Marvel Mystery Oil MSDS to see that it's primary ingredients are Mineral Spirits (Stoddard solvent) Naptha, and Benzene.


Dichlorobenzene, aka the old mothball chemical.
 
You're in the Oil Additives section, so I assume you're talking about the use of these compounds in the crankcase?
 
MMO does NOT have Naptha in it - it has Napthenic Hydrocarbons, which is a light aromatic oil as stated many times on their forum. Maptha is something else entirely and a part of Seafoam, etc.

Here is the real composition of MMO (as best as has been discovered through oil analysis) and MSDS filings - not all the heresay we always get:

70% Light Aromatic Oil (Pale Oil)

29% Mineral Spirits

38 parts per million (ppm) Boron

900 ppm Phosporous

1/2% 1, 2 ortho-Dichlorobenzene

1/4% 1, 4 para-Dichlorobenzene

Oil of wintergreen - for the scent

Red Dye - for the color


MMO is so vilified around here by so many that do not even accurately understand what it is - granted, it is hard to get details on it, so here it is, for better or worse.

For my two cents, I have used it for some time in the fuel and it works great to give the engine pep, clean things up over time (not designed to be a one-time cleaner), and to keep things well protected/lubricated.

As for use in the oil, I am not totally adverse to this in small quantities (1/2 quart per oil change, not the full quart they recommend), but prefer LC20 and use it regularly in all my vehicles.
 
That's a pretty accurate breakdown, as confirmed by the many independent tests I've been privy to. Also, the Napthenic compound has the same viscosity as a 5wt oil, which is why MMO is the OE recommendation for several different air tool manufacturers. The standard assessment that MMO is a ten weight oil that has Naptha and Kerosene is a myth.

Also, the Boron content is known to fluctuate between 33ppm-45ppm. It's still unknown if this is a QC issue or innacurate/non-standardized testing.
 
Originally Posted By: Jax_RX8
MMO does NOT have Naptha in it - it has Napthenic Hydrocarbons, which is a light aromatic oil as stated many times on their forum. Maptha is something else entirely and a part of Seafoam, etc.

Here is the real composition of MMO (as best as has been discovered through oil analysis) and MSDS filings - not all the heresay we always get:

70% Light Aromatic Oil (Pale Oil)

29% Mineral Spirits

38 parts per million (ppm) Boron

900 ppm Phosporous

1/2% 1, 2 ortho-Dichlorobenzene

1/4% 1, 4 para-Dichlorobenzene

Oil of wintergreen - for the scent

Red Dye - for the color


MMO is so vilified around here by so many that do not even accurately understand what it is - granted, it is hard to get details on it, so here it is, for better or worse.

For my two cents, I have used it for some time in the fuel and it works great to give the engine pep, clean things up over time (not designed to be a one-time cleaner), and to keep things well protected/lubricated.

As for use in the oil, I am not totally adverse to this in small quantities (1/2 quart per oil change, not the full quart they recommend), but prefer LC20 and use it regularly in all my vehicles.


Easy killa! I don't know why anyone should be impressed with the results of this analysis. I mean, it's cool that someone did an analysis. But the MSDS is nothing new. It's been widely discussed for years on here. The boron and phosphorus is certainly a nice little surprise. I have to say I AM impressed with that one part. But it's not like they or any other exotic compound are doing the cleaning. It's the stoddard solvent and di-chlorobenzene that are doing that. I can report that I used the "substitute for a quart of oil" method all the time in the crankcase of my old Probe. I don't guess it hurt but I don't know that it did anything either.

What I'd like to know while we have the great Mola watching this thread, and forgive me if this is a stupid question, is why is there phosphorus even though there is boron present? I thought the phosphorus was the real booger in zddp? Why would you toss the zinc and leave the phosphorus?
 
One of the interesting ingredients in MMO is oil of wintergreen, I believe. Accounts for the odor but it is a phenolic as I recall. This is where a lot of the aggressive cleaning action comes from.
 
True, but I wonder how much cleaning comes from it verses the other ingredients. I know di-chlorobenzene has a good reputation but just thinking about the total package here.... I'll put it this way, if you've ever tried to use MMO as a parts cleaner verses some of the harsher stuff like Seafoam and Chemtool, you'll see it's fairly lacking. Additionally, if these other agents are doing the lion's share of the cleaning, why put this stuff in a thin base that jeopardizes lubricity? Why not put it in a 30 weight carrier oil?
 
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