Project Farm Lucas transmission additive video

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I recently saw a project farm video that was about a high mileage honda accord v6 automatic that had some odd shifting going on. Some shifts were latent and appeared to him as slight slippage. He added the Lucas additive and the video showed overall shifting improvement. What I thought was interesting was the VOA from Blackstone on the Lucas. Basically, the Lucas has just about no additives but a very high viscosity index. So the conclusion was the Lucas makes the fluid thicker. As I suspected, magic transmission rebuild in a bottle is snake oil that raises the viscosity and nothing more.
 
I am NOT a fan of Lucas, but is the transmission product also a vI improver like the engine oil product, or something entirely different?
 
I just put some in a 2001 Saturn SL1. It was slipping real bad between 2 and 3 I added that bottle and the slipping stoped imediately. It don't fix anything but if it can prolong its life for a little old Saturn then it's worth it to me.
 
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I recently saw a project farm video that was about a high mileage honda accord v6 automatic that had some odd shifting going on. Some shifts were latent and appeared to him as slight slippage. He added the Lucas additive and the video showed overall shifting improvement. What I thought was interesting was the VOA from Blackstone on the Lucas. Basically, the Lucas has just about no additives but a very high viscosity index. So the conclusion was the Lucas makes the fluid thicker. As I suspected, magic transmission rebuild in a bottle is snake oil that raises the viscosity and nothing more.

Blackstone measures viscosity index? How?
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I recently saw a project farm video that was about a high mileage honda accord v6 automatic that had some odd shifting going on. Some shifts were latent and appeared to him as slight slippage. He added the Lucas additive and the video showed overall shifting improvement. What I thought was interesting was the VOA from Blackstone on the Lucas. Basically, the Lucas has just about no additives but a very high viscosity index. So the conclusion was the Lucas makes the fluid thicker. As I suspected, magic transmission rebuild in a bottle is snake oil that raises the viscosity and nothing more.

Blackstone measures viscosity index? How?


Maybe Im wrong on that, I watched it last night. IIRC he said in the video that it raises viscosity and makes it thicker.
 
They measured the viscosity, not the viscosity index. I think in general when you see a high viscosity oil in an application that normally calls for a thinner oil, such as transmission fluid, you could assume it's a VII instead of a thicker base oil.

A VII will not get diluted as easy as just a thicker base stock, and therefore more functional. The instructions say to use 24 oz in a transmission which in my F150 has a capacity of 16-17 quarts.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
It's just a bottle of heavy olefin copolymer with a really poor shear stability index.


This. It made the fluid thicker. It did not improve on any of the characteristics of the existing fluid and in fact it diluted them with cheap, heavy brightstock. But the thicker fluid changed the behaviour of the unit so perception is that it "works".
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
It's just a bottle of heavy olefin copolymer with a really poor shear stability index.


This. It made the fluid thicker. It did not improve on any of the characteristics of the existing fluid and in fact it diluted them with cheap, heavy brightstock. But the thicker fluid changed the behaviour of the unit so perception is that it "works".


Got it, that makes sense.

I also wondered why someone would use their oil product. Example; the vehicle specs 5w20, next OCI use 10w30 or maybe even a 15w40. This results in a full add pack and thicker oil instead of diluting the current fill with a quart of lucas.
 
By making the fluid more viscous, it increases charge pressure which puts more pressure on the clutch packs to grip. The problem with that is it increases pressure to every other part of the transmission including the torque converter. I've torn down a few engines with eaten up thrust bearings because of high charge pressure pounding the converter and flexplate causing the crank to want to walk forward in the block. This isn't a realistic issue with a small dose, but not a direction you want to go.
 
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I recently saw a project farm video that was about a high mileage honda accord v6 automatic that had some odd shifting going on. Some shifts were latent and appeared to him as slight slippage. He added the Lucas additive and the video showed overall shifting improvement. What I thought was interesting was the VOA from Blackstone on the Lucas. Basically, the Lucas has just about no additives but a very high viscosity index. So the conclusion was the Lucas makes the fluid thicker. As I suspected, magic transmission rebuild in a bottle is snake oil that raises the viscosity and nothing more.


No metallic additives. VOA won't show ashless additives.

Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
By making the fluid more viscous, it increases charge pressure which puts more pressure on the clutch packs to grip. The problem with that is it increases pressure to every other part of the transmission including the torque converter. I've torn down a few engines with eaten up thrust bearings because of high charge pressure pounding the converter and flexplate causing the crank to want to walk forward in the block. This isn't a realistic issue with a small dose, but not a direction you want to go.


I agree; I don't think it's a good idea to use it.
 
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Only trans additive I will personally use is Lubegard Red. I have heard good results of the Trans-X conditioner or whatever it is in the blue bottle for slipping transmissions, but I've never personally used it. To me, Lucas is just deceptive marketing speak for "don't use, avoid at all costs". They won't get any of my nickels.
 
Back in the day, I had a buddy who's dad owned a use car lot
If he had a car with a slipping trans he'd put a couple of cans of STP in the transmission to get it through the auction sale.
It worked for a short time not sure how it worked long term
 
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I recently saw a project farm video that was about a high mileage honda accord v6 automatic that had some odd shifting going on. Some shifts were latent and appeared to him as slight slippage. He added the Lucas additive and the video showed overall shifting improvement. What I thought was interesting was the VOA from Blackstone on the Lucas. Basically, the Lucas has just about no additives but a very high viscosity index. So the conclusion was the Lucas makes the fluid thicker. As I suspected, magic transmission rebuild in a bottle is snake oil that raises the viscosity and nothing more.


Before Forest Lucas started selling his snake oils, sawdust was used to do the same thing
 
I think it will help out a transmission on its last legs like the one in the video because the extra viscosity is obviously helping with the slipping clutch packs. It would be nice if there was actually thicker fluid than stock fluid available that still meets the specs for certain transmissions, that might help when the transmission is starting to get on the lazy side.

This might delay getting to the state where it's actually slipping badly like the one in the video. He admitted that it's still going to fail anyway, probably in the next 10-15k miles. That's the only case where I would bother with the Lucas. If you plan on rebuilding the existing transmission, the Lucas could be a bad idea if the extra viscosity and pressure hurts other parts of the transmission by the time you go to rebuild it.
 
I've used it on an older GM transmission that was not shifting so good. It actually helped a little bit. Assume it was thickening the fluid which would create more hydraulic pressure internally? Not sure.

OP assume it's this video which was published yesterday.
 
1-2 shift sounds fine...
2-3 & 3-4 shifts sounds problematic and slipping, maybe change solenoid switches on them? PF says the TCC solenoid was changed...

they need an advanced scan tool to read the TCM (transmission control module) stored codeds instead on relying on generic OBDII codes.

fluid looked burnt and dark, but then again the early Honda built transmissions have an inherent low flow rates internally, and will overheat the TC, plus the original Honda Z-1 fluid sheared fast to begin with...

if it was my tranny, I'd clean out the tranny first and foremost and change the external in-line filter - before ever trying the last resort/hail-mary additive Lucas Transmission Fix:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...onda-5-speed-automatic-trans#Post5252440
 
My best friend sold me his 86 Caprice as my very first winter beater. The 700R4 transmission had a sloppy 1-2 shift since the first time I rode in that burnout machine. He put Lucas in it and said it helped but I never felt the difference. When I bought it from him for $200 I changed the fluid with mercon 5. It worked exactly the same as before. Next change in like 20k miles I put in dexron 6. It still worked the same. About 2 winters and lots of full throttle and donuts it still shifted the same (fluid was staying clean longer though) and I fell asleep driving and wrote it off. I drove it hard and it kept going despite no lucas, just fresh fluid.

I had a 2004R transmission in a 83 Delta 88 which was missing 2nd gear. I didn't change the fluid but the trans cooler lines decided it was time and shed most of the fluid. I fixed that and drove it one winter no issues. Transmission still worked fine with no second gear, we destroyed the car when it was time to be a parts car and we blew the head gaskets on the 307 and took out the bottom end but the wounded transmission was still fine. I broke a motor mount that weekend too.

Another 2004R in another parts car slipped bad on the 1-2 but just seemed to keep going and be unbreakable in this state.

The rest of my 2004Rs have been perfectly fine with 270k on one and around 300k miles on the other. They only needed a lockup solenoid and a vacuum switch replacement for the lockup. No lucas in them ever.
 
While i would not put this in my tranny, not everyone can afford a rebuild or to just run out and buy a new ride. If you're driving a POS and your tranny's slipping, this might get you by until you can afford another better POS. ... In other words, i don't think the target customer (read: non BITOG'ers) for this product is really all that worried about "what" it's doing... they just need to get to work on Monday.
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
While i would not put this in my tranny, not everyone can afford a rebuild or to just run out and buy a new ride. If you're driving a POS and your tranny's slipping, this might get you by until you can afford another better POS. ... In other words, i don't think the target customer (read: non BITOG'ers) for this product is really all that worried about "what" it's doing... they just need to get to work on Monday.


Very true!
 
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