Oil stabilizer

[ryanschoebel]

Hey all, I've developed a little engine noise over the course of the last year or so, and while i dont think its anything to be concerned about,i was wondering if anyone has ever tried, or had luck with using an oil stabilizer to reduce noise? Like Lucas stabilizer? i know it works well in cars, but would it adversely affect an fj because of the friction plates in the clutch? As always, appreciate it.

Ryan

[Pat Conlon]

[fj1289]

I wouldn't add anything to the oil because of the wet clutch.

[FJmonkey]

Did you Google  - Lucas oil stabilizer wet clutch - ?

[ribbert]

Totally agree with Pat.

I've been a mechanic for 50 years and seen it all. Have you noticed how advertisements for oil additives have disappeared since advertising laws got tougher?

I remember in the late 60's a TV ad showing a race car at the back of the field desperately trying to keep up, the driver pulls in for a pit stop and they add STP (or similar) to the engine. The car returns to the track and rockets into the lead within a lap and wins, not a bad feat considering no one else had a pit stop.

Not content with just one miracle, they then drain all the engine oil and show it lapping in the background while the presenter spruiks the wonders of the product, claiming the car is now running at race speed on nothing but the residual coating left by the wonder additive even after all the oil has been drained from the motor. Yeah, right!

I have in the following 50 years never seen any evidence that will sway my belief that all engine oil additives are bullshit.

People that attribute positive engine running characteristics to additives are merely describing how the engine would have run anyway, without the additives.

Automotive oil is a very competitive market and oil companies have huge R&D departments, it is highly unlikely that some small non oil company has come up with something they missed.

This is of course just my opinion and for those that swear by additives, good on you, you're probably not doing any harm so keep using whatever snake oil gives you that extra HP or cuts your oil consumption or makes it start better or shift better or run cooler, or improves MPG or......

And, as for the oil itself, I doubt there is a member here who will ever reap the rewards or otherwise of their choice of oil providing change intervals are observed.

Noel

[ryanschoebel]

Monkey, yes I did, and as i figured, its a mixed bag. Like Noel is saying, people wither swear by it, or refuse to touch it. And those are very good points Noel. I was just curious if anyone had tried it in FJ specific. I know, and trust it in cars (sorry!) but dont feel like i know enough about the way that the wet clutch, and transmission work in the bikes to know. Ex, an alternator in a car isnt wet, on the FJ, it is. So i dont know if adding anything would be bad for it, if that makes sense?

[FJ_Hooligan]

SNAKE OIL?!!!!

Blasphemy!  You obviously never used Marvel Mystery Oil!  Even the name implies supernatural properties.

You can use it in the fuel AND in the oil!  And it lasts FOREVER!  I'm still using up the bottle that I inherited from my father.

Great for cooking and keeps the pets regular.

Snake oil indeed.....

The ONLY oil additive you need to use is more oil when the level drops. 

Aa Noel said, modern oils do not need to be "stabilized." You could try using a heavier weight oil like a 20w50?

[ryanschoebel]

You could try using a heavier weight oil like a 20w50?

Maybe. I'm running 15w40 right now... I couldnt find 10w40 or 20w50 around me without paying out the arse

[CutterBill]

Oil additives. Reminds me of the time...

Back in the days of the Red Dog Saloon, I owned an auto repair shop in Texas. We would sometimes get a car in that had blown a head gasket, and the engine coolant had gotten into the oil. Wow, that makes such a mess. And the coolant mixture is not good for the inside of the engine; it would quickly eat the crank and cam bearings.  And just changing the oil and filter isn't enough. So the auto parts stores sold quart cans of Motor Flush, which was nothing but liquid ether. (Yeah I know, can you imagine trying to sell that now?) Anyway, ether is a very powerful solvent, and the instructions on the can called for pouring it into a warm, running engine and let it idle for 5 minutes. No revving the engine. Then shut off the engine and change the oil twice. It worked great but the can had very large print to use only ONE can. It really thinned out the oil...

So one day a kid brings his car in; I think it was a Fiat. Yeah, pretty sure. Double overhead cam 4-cylinder. And the engine sounded TERRIBLE. Like it was full of rocks. The kid pulls up in front of the shop; my guys run out and yell at him to shut it off. I mean it sounded bad. So come to find out, he had blown a head gasket and he and his buddies had changed it. And of course the engine needed flushing. But being teenagers, they were much smarter than the instructions on the can, so they DRAINED OUT THE OIL and filled it with FIVE QUARTS of Motor Flush.  Let it run for a good 10 minutes, then TOOK THE CAR FOR A SHORT DRIVE.  Of course, the engine quickly started tearing itself apart, and realizing their mistake, drained out the Motor Flush and refilled it with oil. Too late; the damage was done. We could see thru the oil cap that the cam lobes were wiped smooth off. Amazing it even ran.

But I gotta tell ya, the inside of that engine was CLEAN!
Bill