Marvell Mystery Oil

[Minerva]

Does adding a few teaspoons to a tank of gas really make any difference? We use this stuff around the ranch on just about everything from air tools to small engines.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Does adding a few teaspoons to a tank of gas really make any difference?

I doubt that a few teaspoons per tank would do anything at all.
A teaspoon is about 1/6 of an oz.
The Marvel site says to "Use 4 ounces for every 10 gallons of fuel"

 

[Minerva]

Ahahahaha yeah I forgot to mention that I'm used to fractions of an ounce for power equipment tanks which hold only a few oz. themselves. I'm sure if it's smoking or the plug fouls(!) then you've used too much. :laugh:

Boy it sure smells sweet though.

 

[Pacfanweb]

No, it does nothing but help clog up your fuel filter. It's snake oil that's simply been around a long time.

 

[Blain]

Obviously you haven't read the Marvel Tales. :shocked:

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
No, it does nothing but help clog up your fuel filter. It's snake oil that's simply been around a long time.

Do you have any evidence or is this hearsay?

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: Blain

Obviously you haven't read the Marvel Tales. :shocked:

in 1957 I had a large vessel sink in a storm off the so pacific coast, after retreiving from bottom engines were seized up due to the salt water that attacked the internal parts, I knew they where done for as after extensive work could not free up cylinders with starters, last choice of everthing available to try marvel mystery oil, every port possible I put your product let set over night went back to marina not really thinking to possitive & hit the start button & wow to my amazement they ran just great. since then I have used many gallons in fleets of trucks & heavy equipment & when a product is good you just have to tell who ever that needs to protect there investment. my hat has been off to marvel over a half century, & when my shop is out of your product its replaced in a hurry________(DON) -- Don Bova

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: Greenman

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
No, it does nothing but help clog up your fuel filter. It's snake oil that's simply been around a long time.

Do you have any evidence or is this hearsay?

Government regulations require a certain amount of detergent additives in gasoline sold in the US anyway. Top Tier Gas is even better from an engine cleanliness standpoint. Adding "fuel injector cleaner" of any kind in modern engines is pointless. Adding engine oil additives is BAD.

Listen people: Car companies know how to build cars. They come with owner's manuals for a reason. Have you noticed not a single modern vehicle recommends fuel or oil additives in their manuals? I wonder why.

Listen to the manufacturer. They know what they're doing.

 

[brblx]

Originally posted by: ja1484

Government regulations require a certain amount of detergent additives in gasoline sold in the US anyway. Top Tier Gas is even better from an engine cleanliness standpoint. Adding "fuel injector cleaner" of any kind in modern engines is pointless. Adding engine oil additives is BAD.

Listen people: Car companies know how to build cars. They come with owner's manuals for a reason. Have you noticed not a single modern vehicle recommends fuel or oil additives in their manuals? I wonder why.

Listen to the manufacturer. They know what they're doing.

:thumbsup:

about the only thing marvel can really do is clean carbon out of the combustion chambers. which can also be done by ATF. or water.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: ja1484
Listen to the manufacturer. They know what they're doing.

That's just sounds wrong in light of the financial mess the big 3 are facing.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: ja1484
Listen to the manufacturer. They know what they're doing.

That's just sounds wrong in light of the financial mess the big 3 are facing.

Detroit makes a fine car. Japan makes a *better* car.

Every vehicle is different. These "one size fits all" additives will work, at best, average for some vehicles and poorly for others. More likely, there will be no difference beyond a placebo effect.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: ja1484
These "one size fits all" additives will work, at best, average for some vehicles and poorly for others.
More likely, there will be no difference beyond a placebo effect.

If that were true, there'd be tons of threads posted with that information.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: Blain

If that were true, there'd be tons of threads posted with that information.

I don't understand exactly what information you're referring to. Anyway, if you want to dump the stuff in your engine or gas, go for it. It's not my money.

 

[CurseTheSky]

My Mustang's 289 V8 has around 80k original miles with no complete rebuilds that anyone in the recent ownership is aware of (just the normal stuff like fluids, carb, starter, fuel pump, etc.). When I first got it running, the lifters (flat tappet) were extremely loud. It sounded like someone dumped a bucket of bolts down the intake after you revved it, and it stayed that way for several weeks.

I put about 4-6 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil and down the carb. Within a minute only one lifter was still making noise, and it eventually stopped after several days. It also had a lot better throttle response and didn't start to choke at high RPM (probably cleaned the valves a bit). Several other people were standing there when I first poured it in (all skeptical), and everyone had the same "wow" response.

This stuff won't work miracles, but I definitely wouldn't call it snake oil. Whether or not there's something else that's cheaper and works just as well (ATF), I don't know. I was impressed, though. I was using it in much higher quantities than it recommended though (when I was dumping it down the carb, the engine was probably getting 80% MMO, 20% normal fuel), and I have no idea how it would affect a fuel injected engine.

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky
My Mustang's 289 V8 has around 80k original miles with no complete rebuilds that anyone in the recent ownership is aware of (just the normal stuff like fluids, carb, starter, fuel pump, etc.). When I first got it running, the lifters (flat tappet) were extremely loud. It sounded like someone dumped a bucket of bolts down the intake after you revved it, and it stayed that way for several weeks.

I put about 4-6 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil and down the carb. Within a minute only one lifter was still making noise, and it eventually stopped after several days. It also had a lot better throttle response and didn't start to choke at high RPM (probably cleaned the valves a bit). Several other people were standing there when I first poured it in (all skeptical), and everyone had the same "wow" response.

This stuff won't work miracles, but I definitely wouldn't call it snake oil. Whether or not there's something else that's cheaper and works just as well (ATF), I don't know. I was impressed, though. I was using it in much higher quantities than it recommended though (when I was dumping it down the carb, the engine was probably getting 80% MMO, 20% normal fuel), and I have no idea how it would affect a fuel injected engine.

I find it hard to believe that your engine would stay running given your claimed ratio. Also, MMO is snake oil, plain and simple. There are plenty of lab results to prove that fact.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: ja1484
These "one size fits all" additives will work, at best, average for some vehicles and poorly for others.
More likely, there will be no difference beyond a placebo effect.

If that were true, there'd be tons of threads posted with that information.

There ARE plenty of threads around the internet about MMO and other things, like STP, being snake oil.

I don't need to show proof. Google is your friend. If you don't know that these sort of things are snake oil, then, no offense, but that simply shows a lack of knowledge and understanding about cars on your part. Sorry.

It's amazing to me that, as long as MMO's been out and has long been discredited as doing anything to help your engine or fuel system, that we still have this conversation occasionally.

Let's put it this way: ANYTHING you can buy at a parts store to put in your oil will not help. It's snake oil. ANY additive. Marvel Mystery Oil. Sea Foam. STP. Slick 50.
Anything that says it's "oil treatment", "oil additive", etc, is snake oil.

MMO has been known to be snake oil for so long, that it's like knowing the sun rises in the east. You don't need to watch the sun with a compass to prove it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Minerva
Does adding a few teaspoons to a tank of gas really make any difference? We use this stuff around the ranch on just about everything from air tools to small engines.

Yeah, it wastes a few teaspoons of MMO. Not sure why the hell you'd do this.

 

[natto fire]

Yeah, I used to use Slick50 when I first started driving until I learned that additives were a gimmick. I did use some stop leak oil stuff recently, which actually worked pretty good to stop a rear main seal leak on my '92 Jeep Cherokee.

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: ja1484
These "one size fits all" additives will work, at best, average for some vehicles and poorly for others.
More likely, there will be no difference beyond a placebo effect.

If that were true, there'd be tons of threads posted with that information.

There ARE plenty of threads around the internet about MMO and other things, like STP, being snake oil.

I don't need to show proof. Google is your friend. If you don't know that these sort of things are snake oil, then, no offense, but that simply shows a lack of knowledge and understanding about cars on your part. Sorry.

It's amazing to me that, as long as MMO's been out and has long been discredited as doing anything to help your engine or fuel system, that we still have this conversation occasionally.

Let's put it this way: ANYTHING you can buy at a parts store to put in your oil will not help. It's snake oil. ANY additive. Marvel Mystery Oil. Sea Foam. STP. Slick 50.
Anything that says it's "oil treatment", "oil additive", etc, is snake oil.

MMO has been known to be snake oil for so long, that it's like knowing the sun rises in the east. You don't need to watch the sun with a compass to prove it.

I thought Sea Foam was one of the ones that actually worked? Just what I've read.

 

[brblx]

if slick50 is the stuff that's like a mix of molasses and tree sap (i think it is), it's great for coating a cam prior to break-in, but otherwise it and the other stuff mentioned has no place in modern oil.

sea foam, marvel, et al will work fine to clean carbon buildup when poured down the throttle, but as i said above, so will WATER. and it's the not the kind of thing i'd generally advise people to do.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: BlackTigers

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: ja1484
These "one size fits all" additives will work, at best, average for some vehicles and poorly for others.
More likely, there will be no difference beyond a placebo effect.

If that were true, there'd be tons of threads posted with that information.

There ARE plenty of threads around the internet about MMO and other things, like STP, being snake oil.

I don't need to show proof. Google is your friend. If you don't know that these sort of things are snake oil, then, no offense, but that simply shows a lack of knowledge and understanding about cars on your part. Sorry.

It's amazing to me that, as long as MMO's been out and has long been discredited as doing anything to help your engine or fuel system, that we still have this conversation occasionally.

Let's put it this way: ANYTHING you can buy at a parts store to put in your oil will not help. It's snake oil. ANY additive. Marvel Mystery Oil. Sea Foam. STP. Slick 50.
Anything that says it's "oil treatment", "oil additive", etc, is snake oil.

MMO has been known to be snake oil for so long, that it's like knowing the sun rises in the east. You don't need to watch the sun with a compass to prove it.

I thought Sea Foam was one of the ones that actually worked? Just what I've read.

Nope. Sea Foam is not different. Just because something is popular and a lot of people use it doesn't mean it's not snake oil.

Sea Foam is no better than water for cleaning combustion chambers, and is downright bad to put in your crankcase.

There's a reason, folks, that huge oil companies don't make these products.

edit: I will say that for certain things, MMO is okay. Like if you buy an old engine, and the rings are stuck. Pour some MMO in the spark plug holes, and it'll free the engine up.
Then again, so will auto trans fluid.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
It's amazing to me that, as long as MMO's been out and has long been discredited as doing anything to help your engine or fuel system, that we still have this conversation occasionally.

Listen my friend...
Redundancy is the life blood of any forum.
Without that, the forums would whither and die. :laugh:
Just take a look at the plethora of "Help me build a cheap gaming rig" threads in General Hardware.

 

[LTC8K6]

The things that MMO does, such as thinning out your engine oil a bit to help clean up dirty or sticky lifters, or freeing other stuck parts, would be done just as well by any similar light oil.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Let's put it this way: ANYTHING you can buy at a parts store to put in your oil will not help. It's snake oil. ANY additive. Marvel Mystery Oil. Sea Foam. STP. Slick 50.
Anything that says it's "oil treatment", "oil additive", etc, is snake oil.

Eh, I'm still inclined to give Molybdenum Disulfide a pass. I've seen oil temps drop rather significantly when it's used in the old air-cooled VW race engines. Other than that, though, I do agree with you.

ZV

 

[herm0016]

we used it with great results. always brought our fuel milage back up when it was falling in our box trucks.

more detail:
we used it in our desiel trucks, a 7.3l international in a 20 ft box truck and a 366 BB chevy gas engine in a topkick w/ 20ft box both about 26000gvw. we would track the fuel milage with our fuel provider for each truck and as soon as the milage would slip to about 3 for the gas truck and about 8 for the desiel, adding this would bring the milage back up to 6 and 11.5 respecivly. this product more than paid for itself. I continue to use it in my vehicals, we also used this in our boats.

we conducted trials with other products in our trucks, fairly scientificaly, we entered the exact milage when fueling, using the same pump, parking in the same position on the sloped ground near the pump, filling to the same level, etc.