Using ATF to clean an engine

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Originally Posted By: Hethaerto
Originally Posted By: axjohn
I wish I could find someone local so I could get my hands on some Powerfoam without having to pay enormous shipping for it.
91739


Become a preferred customer. :)


It would still cost him $10 for 6 month trial and he'd have to pay shipping. Unless he plans on using Amsoil products it probably wouldn't pay for him.

If he's looking to do a piston soak there are other products that will work. Granted Power Foam is very good, getting it isn't that easy unless you plan on becoming an Amsoil user.
 
Originally Posted By: Hethaerto
Lucky for me a local shop carries the full line. :)


That's great. The only place I ever saw that carried Amsoil was a tire shop, and a parts store on Whidbey Island in WA. I don't remember the name of the stores, but they had a good selection of Amsoil products. No one in my area of NY carries it.
 
Napa locally in Kirkland, WA. carries a good variety of Amsoil products. Though the closer one for me, does not. I understand Pablo, lives very close to me though. If and when I purchase Amsoil (still have 1 case of Redline left), I will throw my business his way.
 
The two stores I visited when I was on Whidbey Island were selling the product for list price. If you plan on using it, pay the $20 PC fee, or $10 trial to get the better pricing. Their retail prices are pretty high.
 
Thanks for the information Demar..By chance do you have a child stationed at the NAS station? Crossing over the deception pass bridge is a beautiful view, then the park entrance that takes you to the beach.

The water there under the bridge can be pretty unforgiving for small or inexperienced boaters.

When I was younger I should have bought some property over on the island.
 
Yes, NAS Whidbey. Beautiful place! He loves it there, and the Navy. He's looking to sign on for another 4 years.
 
They used to fly p3 orien sub hunters out of their, and i believe some fighter squadrons were up their as well.

Best of luck to your son in his admirable profession! And if deployed, tell him to be safe!!

I remember driving on the main highway, and seeing a sign "Please excuse our noise, that is the sound of freedom" back in the late 80's I believe.
 
Just a funny story regarding the idea of ATF in the oil...

A friend of mine in high school (this would have been 90-91) had a late 70s Monte Carlo with a 305. The 305 leaked oil out the front main and rear main so badly that it used a quart of oil every five to ten miles...needless to say, he was going more broke keeping oil in it. He only changed the filter once in a while...it leaked oil so badly, he never pulled the plug because it was constantly getting fresh oil.

I happened to work at a gas station/service station then, and he would bring 2-gallon jugs into our station and fill them with our drain oil...drain oil that contained primarily motor oil and transmission fluid, with minor amounts of gear oil and brake fluid, etc., etc.. He ran drain oil for well over a year. If I had to guess, I would say about 70% motor oil and 25% ATF, and 5% everything else.

At some point, we got time (and he got the $$) to repair the leaks, so we did a complete gasket/seal on it. We figured we'd find a complete sludge bucket, but to our surprise; the engine was completely spotless. I don't know what mileage it had on it, but it had no ridge in the cylinder and it had the hatch marks in the cylinder. After fixing the leaks, it used less than half a quart between oil changes (I believe he changed on the 3k interval that was so popular back then).

I always thought that was impressive, to see the abuse that engine took and still ran like a top.
 
Originally Posted By: Wilhelm_D
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
ATF in oil is a thinning agent.


Most ATF is the same viscosity as 20W motor oil.

That wouldn't be much of a "thinning agent".





It starts as a mid 20 (but surely has an HTHS that's probably in negative numbers) ..but quickly shears to a sub 20 in use.

The myth was born from a GM TSB for small block engines with lifter ticks. It reduced the viscosity of the oil.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...;gonew=1#UNREAD


Oh, sure, it will give you nice black oil to drain after the engine is done with it.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
It starts as a mid 20 (but surely has an HTHS that's probably in negative numbers) ..but quickly shears to a sub 20 in use.


Not in my experience.

Generally the base stock of modern ATF is the same as modern motor oil, with a very high percentage incorporating Group III and PAO to meet current specifications.
 
..but you would not use a contemporary (and expensive) ATF to do this. You would find the cheapest dog dirt you could find.

Again, look at the non- M1/Amsoil/Redline UOA's for ATF. Hundreds of them if you go far enough back.

ATF never EVER was a cleaner. It has no detergent package of merit. Why would you need one in a non-combustion environment?

This dog never hunted.


..about the only thing that I can even loosely tie to cleaning would be if the Sperm Whale oil ester, (Spermaceti) which was used in ATF, did the cleaning. This was abandoned as an ingredient some time ago.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
..but you would not use a contemporary (and expensive) ATF to do this. You would find the cheapest dog dirt you could find.


I suppose all this obfuscation beats simply admitting that ATF is not an engine oil thinner and never was.
 
Originally Posted By: Wilhelm_D
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
..but you would not use a contemporary (and expensive) ATF to do this. You would find the cheapest dog dirt you could find.


I suppose all this obfuscation beats simply admitting that ATF is not an engine oil thinner and never was.






My friend. You've some how turned that "it's a cleaner" ..WHICH IT IS NOT ..into you saying "it's not a thinning agent" ..which is what it was used as.

It never EVER was a cleaner. Again, the oil will come out nice and dark after the engine is done with it.



GM issued the TSB for the (iirc or around) 1970 SBC to use it as a thinning agent. They weren't dirty engines. They were new. It's what started the whole myth. It thinned the oil to stop the lifters ticking. Nothing more.

..but have a nice day
55.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Trajan
I used to pour ATF down the carb of my 64 Buick. Sure did make alot of smoke....


That it will. A billowing white cloud. I used to rig the PCV hose into the passenger compartment and do it at highway speeds. Naturally you need to do this at low or no traffic time.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
My friend. You've some how turned that "it's a cleaner" ..WHICH IT IS NOT ..into you saying "it's not a thinning agent" ..which is what it was used as.


If you can find any posts in which I said ATF was a cleaner, I'll write a check to the charity of your choice for $50.

As to ATF being a "thinner", poppycock.
 
Ooops ....my mistake. I didn't know you had used it as a cleaner ..,since you know that it doesn't thin oil ..which it does ..and on top of that, you ended up on this ATF cleaner thread by accidentg ..since you now say that you (would) never say such a thing.

Again, have a nice day
55.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
.... since you know that it doesn't thin oil ..which it does ....


It's just not in you to admit you screwed up, is it?
 
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