Engine Additives, do they work?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Does anyone have any experience with engine additives, such as Prolong, etc. Do these work and or are they worth the money to add to your oil. Just a question??

[hiwayman17]

Consumer Reports tested the oil additives and found they served no purpose at all. Don't waste your money.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jeguzik:
Does anyone have any experience with engine additives, such as Prolong, etc. Do these work and or are they worth the money to add to your oil. Just a question??<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Over the many decades I have worked with and around engines. I have found that Duralube and ER(enery release) are the 2 most usefull products.
1st wash the engine well using a little kerosene and running for no more than 10min.
Then drain well, add Duralube and 3oz. of ER.
After 5000 miles, drain and add normal oil and 2oz of ER.
From thereafter just add ER at 1oz. per oil change. And you can take your changes to 5K with no worries..
http://66.96.198.147/forum/images/icons/cool.gif
RZ

[The_Chosen_One]

What about fuel additives? Are they beneficial or what? I want to clean my injectors, but everone claims "let the pros do it". I would rather do it myslef, since they sell the stuff everywhere, and most mechanics are cooks here. I used STP one time, the real fancy stuff that cost close to $20 a bottle, and it seemed to work great. But is it safe??

[Nismo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jeguzik:
Does anyone have any experience with engine additives, such as Prolong, etc. Do these work and or are they worth the money to add to your oil.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Simple answer: NO, stay away from them. Most engine additives have problems.

Most additives are dino-based which means they will break down under prolonged (no pun intended) engine duty.

PTFE-based additives (Slick50, etc) use a solid suspended in a solution of oil which will partially clog your oil filter and reduce the efficiency of your oil pump. This will actually lower the effectiveness of the engine's oil system.

Non-PTFE additives typically just add a lot of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate. While some zinc in the oil is good during extreme-stess situations where metal contacts metal, it can hurt the engine under normal running: among other problems, it can form deposits on your valves and has been shown to reduce the life of your catalytic converter. Nearly all motor oils have a small amount of zinc added; however, adding more zinc won't make it work better, it will just prolong the amount of time you can spend making metal-to-metal contact before more serious damage occurs. Since no running engine should be making metal-to-metal contact anyway, there is little reason to add more than what comes in your oil to begin with. While zinc-based additives are definitely not as bad as PTFE-based additives, just remember that they have their downsides too.

Nothing you use (within reason) is going to make or break the engine; however, even slightly ill effects (reduced oil flow, too much zinc) can reduce the long-term life of your engine. Of course you'll always run across people who swear by the stuff (Slick 50, Prolong, etc.) but, unfortunately--just like the guy with a perceived 20hp gain from his new air filter--there is no real science to back up most of the claims being made.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I definitely agree. Just do what the manufacturer says. Get the lubricant and fuel fitting the service specifications, and follow routine maintenance schedules. That should keep the engine running for a long time.