Ran across this blog entry by "Searchbeam Focus" and thought it would be of interest. I have not used MMO in this application yet, but am going to try it... I have used the stuff off and on over many years (especially liked to use with an old carbureted Maserati that I owned) and usually have used it as an oil additive right before a change to "clean" out the engine... Anyway, this is not an endorsement, but just an interesting item that I discovered:

Saturday, April 7, 2007

What Can We Do about the High Cost of Gasoline?

The price of gasoline is going up higher and higher every day. It is taking a larger bite out of our budget. Some folks have to make serious compromises with their food and healthcare budgets just to keep on driving that car/SUV/Old Jalopy!

Is there relief in sight?

All signs indicate that there is none.

The best we can do is to cut down on our driving, try to combine chores so that we make fewer trips and generally be very conscious of every mile we drive so that we do not waste gas.

Even when all of these steps are taken, there is still that sticker shock when we see the pump showing astronomical numbers when we fill up. Companies like ExxonMobil are making sinful profits and some of their CEO's are taking half a BILLION dollars in paychecks while rest of us average Joe's are suffering! This is an economic calamity that is hitting every pocketbook!

When I got exasperated with this and talked to my mechanic Bob about this, he suggested something that sounded almost like an old wives' tale!

He suggested that I put 6 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank every time I filled the tank. he said that it would give me better gas mileage and help the engine run smoother and extend its life.

Being a skeptic about such claims, I took his advice with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, I decided to try it. The worst that can happen, I figured, would be a few dollars down the drain; on the other hand, if it works, it may be good for my car and my wallet, too!

Now, at this point, I must put a disclaimer. I have no financial connection whatsoever with Marvel Mystery oil, nor do I own any stock in this company or have a gainful employment with them. Neither does anyone in my family.

After I put the first 6 ounces in the tank when I filled up, I forgot all about it until I went for another fill-up. Being a finicky record keeper, I keep a meticulous record of the miles I get per tankful of gas on all of my 4 cars. At the time of fill-up, I noticed that my car got 60 extra miles for the tank of gas. I thought that my driving habits got better, there was less head wind, I probably inflated the tires just right, etc. etc. I figured another tankful would even the things out. But next tankful gave me similar results. Then I tried it in my other cars, one after another.
The results were the same - an average of 60 to 65 extra miles for the tankful. The cars seemed to run a lot smoother, too! I picked up a couple of quart bottles at Advance Auto Parts at less than $4 each!

Things were getting interesting! For about 65 cents worth of Marvel Mystery oil, I was getting 60 to 65 extra miles. You just couldn't beat that!

Being a Physicist, I had to know the reason why this was happening. So I started digging deeper to understand this. What I found out made a lot of sense.

Inside a car engine, a tight-fitting piston moves inside the cylinder. This piston has 3 sets of compression rings that prevent the combustion gases from escaping into the crankcase ( the tank that holds the engine oil). During the movement of the piston, the area of the cylinder near the top, between the top and bottom rings, does not get much lubrication. This causes friction, and therefore loss of energy. Translated, it means that we waste gas. Apparently, the Marvel Mystery Oil lubricates this portion of the cylinder, reducing the friction. This means that there is less wastage of gas, therefore better mileage! It also cleans the valve seats, reducing carbon build-up, and improves the compression in the cylinders, therefore helping burn the gas more efficiently.

When I admitted my skepticism and eventual acceptance of this additive to Bob, my mechanic (who also happens to be my friend), he just shrugged his shoulders and said that I should trust his judgment!

Ever since, I have been preaching the virtues to Marvel Mystery Oil to everybody I know, and they are getting similar results.

I felt I should share this experience with my friends on this blogosphere, with the hope that they can benefit from this and save money in this brutal gasoline warfare.

I found out something more about this company that makes it. This product has been on the market since 1923 - that is 84 years! - and THEY HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING!

That says something about good old American ingenuity!

P.S. Some additional information:

All 4 cars were fuel injected, however the information on the bottle says that it works equally well with carbureted engines, too.

All 4 cars had high mileage, from 75,000 to 130,000 miles.

The information on the bottle gives specifics regarding warranties.


Posted by Searchbeam at 11:04 AM 2 comments
Labels: Better Gas mileage, efficient running of car engine

 

I have been familiar with MMO for quite some time as i used it a lot in my older muscle cars and what not since they just aren't as happy all the time like fuel injected cars. My dad always told me it was good to help extend engine life since it was upper cylinder lubrication. He is an ASE Master Tech by the ways.

Granted i have never heard anything like there where you would see that much of an increase in gas mileage. One thing that i think should be taken into consideration is all the cars did have higher mileage meaning at this point they were lacking in compression and the MMO helped restore that and make the engine run better.

Id like to see someone try to log the results with a newer low mileage car. Heck i might even give it a try to see how it goes since i just got my xfire and MMO definitely will not hurt anything!

 

I too have used MMO for years. I have added it to the fuel in Cars, Motorcycles and Lawn tractors from time to time to lube the "top end" of the engine. I don't know about better fuel mileage but I have never had it damage an engine. Who knows, It just might work.

 

I have a sneaky feeling that Marvel Mystery Oil is nothing more than a high quality ATF lubricant. I always run a quart of ATF in my engines for about 500 miles before draining. If I remember correctly they have a lot of good additives in tranny fluid, which keeps all the seals soft and it has some great detergents that remove old gunky carbon deposits.
I don't know about you guys but I can get a quart of ATF for $2, compared to a little dinky bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil.

 

I run MMO in my fuel and have for years, I also put a 1/2 quart in the oil on the day before I change the oil. Do some more research, you'll find it is very beneficial to the longevity of the engine... Never heard that it improves gas mileage, only that it prevents gumming and carbon deposits which will eventually reduce gas mileage.

 

Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winner!
I had an engine teacher tell me the same thing back around 1992.
If you met this guy you would have believed him too.

 

The article strikes me as completely made up just by the tone of it.

The evil oil companies are making billions. The even eviler CEOs are making billions. People are skipping meals and dental visits so they can afford gas. The mechanics name is "Bob". The "author" is a physicist with 4 cars but none of them are under 75K miles.

I'm not a chemist but I would think that modern synthetic oil provides all the benefits of MMO. An older engine that's out of warranty may benefit from MMO but I would not use MMO in a modern engine still under warranty.

Brent

 

nevermind I just read the first post, duh.

 

Hi all... Not a Crossfire owner yet but I hope to have a Red coupe within a few months.

A friend of mine works for Phillips oil and he said MMO is very similar to ATF but it has a bit of Wintergreen oil in it to make it "different".

It does help clean out engines before oil changes but be careful because "Varnish" is not an enemy of engines... It actually prevents corrosion on internal steel parts. For each gallon of fuel burned, your engine must get rid of a gallon of liquid. Most goes out the tailpipe, but some goes into the engine with blow-by. As long as you get the oil temp above 212 degrees (it does in certain parts of the engine), water will boil out.

Use in the fuel does help provide some lubrication to the upper cyl walls where the rings provide alot of force and the oil film gets thin.

Another advantage is the heavier oil does help knock carbon loose from the combustion chambers.

I'll sure have to try it in my wife's Impala... It needs better gas mileage.

 

Back in the day, I had a Model A with an OHC head (Cragar?). A good dose of Marvel Mystery oil down the duel Stromberg two throat carbs every once in a while kept in running smooth. I had no idea this stuff was still around.

Pete