Engine additives?

[erocker]

So oil filters. Are they staying the same from 2023 to the 24's? As far as oil I'll probably be using Mobil 1 synthetic. It's what I've used and stocked at my shop the past 20 years. Unless the dealer gives me a really good deal on synthetic oil changes.

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[Skye]

If you care about your engine you shouldn't use anything with the Fram name on it

I appreciate your concerns and comments. They caused me to read up on any number of things. At the next oil change, I'm going to change to either a Fram Titanium, Wix XP or Mobil 1. Still rolling things around.

I studied the topic of Fram filters last night and this AM. In broad strokes, there are two camps in how they view Fram oil filters. One group of enthusiasts despise them. Worst oil filter ever made. An abomination. The other camp asks, "I've been using Fram filters for years and XXX,XXX miles / kms. What IS the issue?"

Visual Inspections. Countless videos cut open and compare filters of all kinds. My take-away is, at a given price point, filters at or close to that reference price are generally the same. Not exactly the same, but close. In the tests where they cut open filters, there are differences. One might have more media. Another might have less media, but a better drain-back design. One might have a thinner can, but a better gasket, etc.

Design. Some makers can be specific on their designs, filter, flow, etc. Drivers might appreciate a filter that traps smaller particles. Some, like a racer, might appreciate the one that flows the most or has a greater capacity.

Tests. Some were interesting. A lot were really subjective. "I dumped 16 oz of metal filings into the filter and it stopped up! Filter fail!" "I beat on this filter with a sledge and it fell apart! Filter Fail!" I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea. But a lot were, "I don't like the way this looks.", without any measurements of any kind.

Failures. I'm not doubting any manufacturer has failures. They all do. They know their failure rates. And as I randomly Googled different things, I found videos posted of almost every filter manufacturer, someone posting a video how their engine failed using that filter and that it was the worst filter ever made.

Materials. I found a few stories eluding to what others have commented on: while there may be many, many "filter manufacturers", there are only a handful of companies that might make the guts of these things. Some parts are more common that one might realize.

Getting back to Fram and why I might change, during research I found insight to the media design. The Gen1 Fram XG filter had media which was wire-backed, to hold its shape better. The Gen2 XG removed the wire backing. The new Fram Titanium has the wire backing. Is the XG Gen2 failing or crap in tests? I couldn't find any data to prove it. Buying the Titanium, the Wix XP or something else wire-backed is a step towards goodness.

While my own readings and comments are specific to Fram, it might be worthwhile for everyone to read up on their own brands. Going back to innards, manufacturers, inflation, material shortages, etc., many posts commented not just on Fram, but other makers changing components or design. Some due to saving money. Some changing appearance or marketing, touting how much better they are than another.

Is what I'm doing better than someone else or Ford? I do believe the long-term use of synthetic oils is better than dino or blends. Otherwise, no.

IMO, consistently using products that meet or exceed specifications and following the maintenance schedule is most important. Otherwise, unless their have been mods or the person is operating under unique conditions, it's more brand preference than anything else.

Edit: I re-visited this post after a recent comment. While I've been using TG, XG and now FS filters without issue, Fram does have a bad reputation for its Extra Guard filters, aka OCOD or, "Orange Cans Of Death". In the early 2000s, EG filters were found to have cardboard internals, glued bits and several reports of collapsed media and fails. While the OCODs have a horrible reputation, XG and now FS filters have a following. Given a handful of well-reviewed brands and individual types within their own lines, each has their own particular feature which some may favor. Be careful: there's a lot of information out there. You could spend forever considering a filter. With all that, it is a topic worth ocasionally re-visiting. The same brand you started with 5 years ago and are loyal to now might not make filters in the same manner, or to the same standard, as before.

 

[Hack]

I generally just try to change the oil frequently and keep it at that.

I have no idea if any additives are useful or helpful. I did own a 1990 F150 years ago with a 302 that I added Slick 50 to. At one point in its life it developed a really bad oil pan gasket leak. That was an expensive leak to fix and a lot of work to do it yourself, so I delayed fixing it. One day my wife picked me up from work to go out to lunch and I noticed the oil pressure needle was jumping between zero and some low number. Pulled the dipstick after shutting it down and you couldn't see any oil on the dipstick at all. We added oil, and it actually ran fine. Good power, no problems. That engine had over 175,000 miles on it at the time, and I continued using that vehicle past 210,000 miles - including towing a car on a car dolly from another state. It always ran like a champ. It did have a hint of piston slap on intial start up in below zero weather after being run out of oil, but that was the only thing I noticed.

I'm not sure why I haven't continued to use Slick 50 after that. I have no idea if it saved that engine, but it's surprising to me that the engine did survive. I don't know how long it was run with virtually no oil.

 

[LCDRChemEng]

I'm not sure why I haven't continued to use Slick 50 after that. I have no idea if it saved that engine, but it's surprising to me that the engine did survive. I don't know how long it was run with virtually no oil.

If you want to use Slick 50, I won't stop you. Just know that Slick 50 in particular has been proven to cause a lot of engine failures. This is because the Teflon in it did not actually improve lubrication, but actually the opposite. The Teflon particles, at least those that do not clog up the filter (and that's most of it) act as an abrasive. Even the Teflon manufacturer expressly disavows its use.

There's a new formulation of Slick 50 that supposedly addressed these issues, but is still doubtful. Below are some quick hits FYI, if so inclined.

BTW, I used Slick50 in a 1995 Mazda and the results were nothing short of catastrophic.

An explanation of the 'new teflon' put in oil and treatments. | Bob Is The Oil Guy
Quaker State Ads for Slick 50 Are False and Misleading, FTC Charges | Federal Trade Commission

 

[Hack]

If you want to use Slick 50, I won't stop you. Just know that Slick 50 in particular has been proven to cause a lot of engine failures. This is because the Teflon in it did not actually improve lubrication, but actually the opposite. The Teflon particles, at least those that do not clog up the filter (and that's most of it) act as an abrasive. Even the Teflon manufacturer expressly disavows its use.

There's a new formulation of Slick 50 that supposedly addressed these issues, but is still doubtful. Below are some quick hits FYI, if so inclined.

BTW, I used Slick50 in a 1995 Mazda and the results were nothing short of catastrophic.

An explanation of the 'new teflon' put in oil and treatments. | Bob Is The Oil Guy
Quaker State Ads for Slick 50 Are False and Misleading, FTC Charges | Federal Trade Commission

Good to know - like I said, I have no idea if the Slick 50 helped or not, but that engine got a single treatment of it probably with 70K miles on it at the time. It was run out of oil about 100K miles later and it continued to work great for many miles after that.

Can you prove the Mazda had issues that were caused by Slick 50, or was it timing that makes you believe the Slick 50 was the cause? I ask because I'm not saying Slick 50 saved my F-150 engine, because I certainly can't prove it.

 

[LCDRChemEng]

Good to know - like I said, I have no idea if the Slick 50 helped or not, but that engine got a single treatment of it probably with 70K miles on it at the time. It was run out of oil about 100K miles later and it continued to work great for many miles after that.

Can you prove the Mazda had issues that were caused by Slick 50, or was it timing that makes you believe the Slick 50 was the cause? I ask because I'm not saying Slick 50 saved my F-150 engine, because I certainly can't prove it.

Sorry, I can't prove it was Slick 50 that ruined the 626, not anymore than I can prove NOT using Slick 50 helped my current ride (2010 Acura TL, 310K miles). I do remember when that Mazda was new you could hardly tell if the V6 engine was running without looking at the tach, it was so smooth and quiet. I've always been very anal about maintenance on my cars since I don't have the wealth to afford cars breaking down. I do all the maintenance myself to make sure my cars get top shelf everything.

Being enthusiastic about my new Mazda (the first car I ever bought new), I sought the best for it, like many people here are doing for their trophy Mustang. I put in the Slick 50 thinking it would prolong engine life and within weeks the lifters started clicketing. It was downhill from there. Oil leaks from multiple gaskets, smoke, vibration, hesitation, drop in power...

At one point I took it to a mechanic to run some diagnostics, turned out the piston rings were so worn compression was down 25% across the board. When the mechanic removed the head covers, he immediately noticed the nasty gunk covering everything and said "what did you do to this poor thing? Did you add Slick 50 or what?" That's when I learned Slick 50 was actually harmful. The Teflon in it was made by DuPont, and they themselves expressly warned against its use as engine lubricants. It's made for coating frying pans via special process. In an oil suspension the particles do not adhere to any surfaces, and those that do not get trapped in the filter act as abrasive media.

Having said that, I reiterate: all I'm doing is pointing to you information you may not know about that may be of benefit. I won't judge if you use Slick 50 or Moly or diesel fuel. I hear the newest formulation of Slick 50 uses different teflon particles so it may be safe, albeit ineffective. Moly lube is talked about as a great additive in some circles, others put it in the snake oil category.

What most experts agree upon is that you don't need additives, just regular oil/filter changes. Being a friendly guy, my intent is to simply point out that additives may not be beneficial at all, and some - specifically the one you inquired about - have even proven to be harmful.

Parting shot: my very first ride was a 1976 Ford Granada 2-door, booger green Ghia edition, 302 engine. I loved that car to shreds, and I still miss it. The doors were like coffin lids and the seats like La-Z-Boys. And it also ran out of oil AND coolant a couple times, but that pushrod engine was like AIDS: invincible. The engine remained strong up to the day the car was traded. No Slick 50 on THAT motor. Does that prove anything? Not really, statistics are like bikinis: they reveal a lot except the most important.

 

[White Stallion 11]

Just change your oil regularly.

Agree fully--follow the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual.

RJ

 

[Dena]

My 96 mustang has never had additives and currently has 172,000 miles on it. The oil meets or exceeds the manufactures specs and it's changed at 5,000 miles which is the suggested change period. A few changes back the technician came to the guy who wrote the ticket and asked when was the last time the oil was changed. The answer was 5,000 mile ago and why the question. The reason was the oil looked like it had just been changed.
Now I had a problem in the quick lane. My car wants 5/30 regular oil but they put 20 weight synthetic oil in it. The synthetic oil is very high detergent and I think it cleans some the junk out fro around the valve seal causing the car to burn more oil. I knew they shouldn't have done it but the damage was done before I discovered what they had done. There isn't anything wrong with synthetic in a new engine but don't put it in and engine that has many mile on non synthetic oil. Rather than using an additive, I am now requesting 10/40 oil to help cut back on the oil consumption. It isn't bad at a quart every 2,000 mile but originally the engine would go 5,000 mile on a quart.

 

[Lutotarek]

I've been using TriboTEX in my car for a few months now, and I'm really impressed! My engine runs much smoother and quieter than before, and I swear I'm even getting slightly better gas mileage. It's definitely worth trying in my opinion!

 

[Zig]

Me myself and I are not overly enthusiastically clap happy with oil additives fuel additives a possibility but not to eager to mess with the lube.

 

[roadpilot]

Zero additives and NEVER a Fram filter.

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