So, I'm a detailer at a used auto lot, and a lot of times cars that we get from auctions come in and have items that people have left in them. Well, the other day a car came in, and I found some lucas products in the truck. I have a qt of fuel additive, a qt of oil stabilizer and two quarts of transmission fix. Now my trans isnt slipping now so that is gonna be shelved for awhile, but I always like to make sure these additives are safe to use because I know some thinks (like chrysler rearends) you arent suppose to add anything to. I was going to use the fuel additive when i fill up (says 2-3 oz at every fill up for 10 gallons so id be adding probably 5 oz at each fillup since i usually fill up for 20 gallons) and at my next oil change I was going to add the whole qt of oil stabilizer to possibly slow down my oil burning. Are these additives safe to use in my truck?

99 ram 1500, 5.9l v8, 46RE automatic tranny

thanks all in advance

 

Oh and i'd like to add. I run synthetic castrol 10w-30. This past oil change I added a can of that silver can Engine Restore stuff to slow down the burning. It said on that can that it was safe to use in synthetic oils and 500 miles later Im not noticing any issues. Is the standard oil stabilizer safe to use in synthetic oil? I know it says on the bottle that it will blend with synthetic engine oil but I just want to make sure before I use that. I know I've heard that once you run synthetic in an engine, you cant go back. So I just want to be extra safe!

 

99% of the 'additives' for various fluids, are snake oil. A goodly percentage of them actually do more harm than good. MonteC, our resident transmission expert, (he does it for a living....) recommends that you ONLY put ATF +4 in your trans. NO additives. None, zero. The way they work, is worse than useless.

You can switch from synthetic, to dino oil, at every oil change, and your engine won't care. So long as there is some flavor of lubricant in there, of the appropriate weight, it doesn't really care about the manufacturing process it went thru.

If you have excessive oil consumption, you need to find out WHY. Not try and put a bandaid on the problem Have you checked your plenum? Where is your PCV valve from? Got any oil leaks? Is you engine blowing blue smoke all the time? Only at startup?

 

I used the oil stabilizer in my truck a few years ago because i knew i had a blown plenum gasket. I used it for two oil changes so i ran it in my 5.9l for about 3,000 miles each time. It really didn't help that much, but could have been because my plenum gasket was really bad. I ended up replacing the gasket and don't burn any oil now.

My grandpa swears by the transmission fix by lucas. He had an old VW passat that the trans was having troubles shifting into 2nd gear. He poured a bottle of the lucas trans oil and it fixed his problem. So i guess it doesn't hurt to try it. Good luck

 

The oil consumption isnt terrible. Its usually about a qt for every 1000 miles. I dont really consider that too bad with a 170k mile engine. my guess is the rings are worn so oil is slowly burning. I checked the throttle body and my plugs recently. Intake seemed clean and so did the plugs. I suppose the previous owner replaced the plenum gasket. I didnt do the magnet test though. Im going to pull the air hat off this coming weekend and check again though. Am I safe to run that oil stabilizer in synthetic oil though? I would like to see if It has any effect really.

 

I wouldnt run that crap if my motor if it was burning a quart every 2 miles...Its 50 weight oil and some soap.

I cant find the article, but it showed what adding Lucas does to you oil, basically turning it into a soapy mess.

 

I've heard a lot of negatives on Lucas products and I've heard a lot of positives. I figured i would try it since what the hell I got it for free. Im for sure going to try the fuel additive next time I fill up. Im not expecting anything but hell ill try anything once

 

The fuel additive isn't bad to run every 3000 miles or so. I do the Sea Foam thing myself, but the Lucas "Tune Up in a Bottle" and the Chevron Techron products consistently get good reviews.

As far as the oil additive, I wouldn't run it. Modern oils have a pretty extensive additive base in them and adding other chemicals to them just isn't a good idea. You can have anything from a reaction causing some additives in the oil not to perform their function to having a reaction that can cause harm. That's one reason why mixing brands of oils is a bad idea.
There was a day when engine oil was just oil and these additives like Lucas or STP were beneficial, but those days are over.

Generally, their transmission product will stop minor leaks, but shouldn't be used as a permanent fix, just as a band aid until you can properly repair the issue...

 

I'd use their fuel additive, because like most every fuel additive, they do their job...But their oil stabilizer, I wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole.

 

I see. Ill use the fuel additive then. I know the mechanic at the dealership I work at also says that Lucas is ****, but he swears by engine restore. For the most part he knows his stuff. He's old and wise. So maybe I'll just stick with the engine restore, and ditch this lucas.