I heard rumors about putting ATF fluid into the engine to "clean" it or fix a problem like ticking lifters... Is this possible? Could it not damage the bearings? A friend of mine is thinking of doing that but i rather ask first on the forum.

Greetz,

Bigster

 

yes ATF is like a "cleaner" would i do it > No... MMO , seafoam , and others like engine flush is safer ...

 

^^^+1

I knew people that poured ATF into their carbs thinking it was going to do something. All it did was foul their plugs and make a lot of smoke. I would try some sort of engine flush in the CC. Some people use Restore, Rislone, Gunk, etc. I also like to use high detergent oil to keep the varnish and gum down to a minimum.

 

ATF? ehhhh. Kerosene is a better means of cleaning and unsticking lifters. Use ~1qt of kerosene and drive around for 30-minutes or so, drain, replace the filter and add fresh oil.

Also, the best way to prevent sludge from building up in the engine is to regularly change the oil and use a quality filter.

 

Rislone is a very good product. I use it every oil change in all my vehicle's. Back in the day when I worked at my Father's auto parts store on L.I., we used it in all the delivery vehicles. When the 68 plymouth belvedere slant 6 -225 needed a rebuild at 375k, the motor was clean like you can't imagine. Same for the 76 F-150 6 cyl 300 at 325k. Of course today's regular oil's are way better than they were then.

 

i think its ok to use up to 1 qt of atf. its 10 weight oil, and its loaded with more detergents than oil is. i wouldn't race the motor or tow a heavy trailer, but it would be ok to drive it around for a couple of days.

kerosene is also fine, although i wouldn't leave the driveway with it in the motor. just let it sit and idle.

however, for cleaning sludge, i think its best to use a $3 quart of Gunk brand engine flush or seafoam or other similar product thats designed for that purpose. also just let it sit and idle.

 

Kerosene is a derivative of oil. It won't harm the engine if you drive around with it in the crankcase. All it really does is thin the oil.

The Gunk and other stuff are made up of *surprise* diesel and/or Kerosene. Don't believe me? Take a whiff.

 

Whats added to Gunk and all the other flushes? It all smells like kerosene.

 

the flushed are all some kind of solvent. they all end in -thane and if you drank it you'd die.

kerosene is refined from oil, but i don't know its viscosity weight. i'd guess its significantly less than 10 weight. i wouldn't be worried about idling the engine with it, but i'd be worried that it might thin the oil too much to drive around at higher rpm's. idling is fine, driving is unnecessary risk. why take the chance.

 

If it is an old engine I would not put anything in the oil. Strong possiblity this addative will loosen up all the crap and when that floats around the dirt can plug small passages and puts extra abasives in the oil circulation.

I once knew a guy that tried Mavel Mystery oil in an old engine and ended up with an engine change.