Kerosene in Engine Oil

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Guys, I have a buddy that bought an suburban with the 5.3L engine in it. He told me he is running half a quart of kerosene in his engine for 500 miles. I advised him against it but he is convinced it is okay. Has anyone done this? I know its common to add a quart and bring the engine up to temp then drain it but not run the engine. Does not sound like a great idea to me.
 
With the detergency of modern engine oils, that's a pretty obsolete practice. Driving on it for 500 miles is probably doing more harm than good. I wouldn't do it either.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
With the detergency of modern engine oils, that's a pretty obsolete practice. Driving on it for 500 miles is probably doing more harm than good. I wouldn't do it either.


It sure doesn't seem good to me. I think he is confused about ATF and Kerosene. It was common for people to drive 500 miles with ATF at 20 percent but I dont think Kerosene.
 
kero doesnt have enough lubricity.. it would be more for a quick flush.. maybe 10 or 15mins idling with 20% kero
 
Originally Posted by csandste
I occasionally buy MMO as a gas additive. I've occasionally poured in about 8 ounces a couple of hundred miles before an oil change. Does that count?


Different story with MMO. MMO is an oil to begin with, around 30 weight IIRC.
Unlike ATF, MMO actually has some detergent effect.

My 2¢
 
I am a big proponent of a kerosene flush where appropriate. But driving with it is bad. The engine should be unloaded and at low rpms.
 
Driving with kerosene in the oil is a bad idea. Idling, sure.. but not driving, especially not when putting the kind of load on it a Suburban would.

I've driven a 5,000 mile OCI with approximately 20% MMO in the oil, and that seemed to do some good clean-up, but as has been mentioned above, MMO actually has some decent lubricity

.. although MMO is nowhere near a 30-weight. more like a 10- or15-weight.
 
Kerosene added to oil was a OEM recommendation way before my time to thin out oil for winter use. I say your friend is about 8 decades behind the times.
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
Kerosene added to oil was a OEM recommendation way before my time to thin out oil for winter use. I say your friend is about 8 decades behind the times.


Yeah, I think we are all in agreement that we should not be driving around with kerosene in the oil. Im curious though, how much would it take for it to actually cause damage? A cup, 2cups ect. I imagine it would depend on what oil you start with. I figured I may have a hard time finding someone that has actually done it because it is not really a typical thing to do.
 
Geez your buddy must have read the directions on the bottle. I stopped changing out the 20w50 for winter. I just added a pint of MMO to a 4 L. crankcase on my last 528e. Engine outlasted the body. This is a 30 yr old car. MMO works best on older cars and OPE

Thank you for MMO FAQ. Use it with confidence
 
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Originally Posted by jstutz
Originally Posted by dave1251
Kerosene added to oil was a OEM recommendation way before my time to thin out oil for winter use. I say your friend is about 8 decades behind the times.


Yeah, I think we are all in agreement that we should not be driving around with kerosene in the oil. Im curious though, how much would it take for it to actually cause damage? A cup, 2cups ect. I imagine it would depend on what oil you start with. I figured I may have a hard time finding someone that has actually done it because it is not really a typical thing to do.



I'm not sure. The recommendation of I recall was one cup to thin out the oil was the maximum.
 
Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
Kerosene in crankcase oil and toilet paper oil/air filters. It never ends.


Silliness and Old Wives tales still exist.
 
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My senior year in High School, I took Auto Mechanics (easy A, plus it was a 2 hour block... win,win). The teacher was old school who advised one of the younger students to do a motor flush with 4 qts oil and 1 qt kerosene. The kid was confused and got it backwards. He had an early 70's Chevelle with a 454. Needless to say, it didn't have a happy ending.
 
Originally Posted by jstutz
Guys, I have a buddy that bought an suburban with the 5.3L engine in it. He told me he is running half a quart of kerosene in his engine for 500 miles. I advised him against it but he is convinced it is okay. Has anyone done this? I know its common to add a quart and bring the engine up to temp then drain it but not run the engine. Does not sound like a great idea to me.

Only a half quart, which is around 8% of the total sump, doesn't sound like enough to create problems. I'd only do it in the winter, because it thins the oil slightly, by about 1 cSt, perhaps for better cold starting.
If it was me, I'd only have it in there for the coldest 3 months max and certainly not over a pint.
 
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