Other Everything else not covered in the main topics goes here. Please avoid brand and flame wars. Don't try and up your post count. It won't work in here.

ATF in the crankcase??

Old Aug 3, 2004 | 10:22 PM
  #1  
westcoaster's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 476
Likes: 33
ATF in the crankcase??

Has anyone or does anyone put automatic transmission fluid in the crankcase of an engine?? for any reason??
I'm not suggesting to replace the oil in my new ctd with atf, however I do have this suzuki samurai that may benefit...
I understand the stuff can clean out the gunge in the crankcase. Much like the engine flushes the quickie lube places give. how long do you run it? how much do you put in? am I going to blow my (sapuki) engine??
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 12:41 PM
  #2  
apache's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,089
Likes: 1
Had a friend with a chevy 350 with stuck valves. ran 1 quart of Marvel mystery on a oil change and it ran like new. I hear ATF will do the same, theory is it completly will disolve carbon not just knock it loose as some of the additives will do, and plug oil passages. It will also loosen the carbon around the rings and youll probably start to burn oil. I wouldent get to excited about it, but if your down to the last miles on a motor what the heck. I would start with a 1/2 quart on a fresh oil change in the suzi.
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 12:52 PM
  #3  
Shovelhead's Avatar
Administrator / Scooter Bum
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,090
Likes: 52
From: Central VA
You could always check here for an economical higher out-put replacement engine.

Suzuki Replacement Automotive Engines
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 12:54 PM
  #4  
Eskimo's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 839
Likes: 0
From: Central PA
I did it to my fiancee's Toyota Celica. It's a '89 with only 28k on it when she bought it. Needless to say, it was never driven enough to break in the engine, and now consumes oil, and was sludged.

Ran 1 quart along with the motor oil at a change, and changed it 1000 miles later, and it did quiet some things down, and the oil was VERY dark when I drained it. Still consumes oil, just not as bad...

Mom's 1990 Maxima with 165k had a noisy lifter, and some ATF did quiet that noisy lifter, is still quiet at 180k... musta freed it up.

It was told to me that ATF is basically just 5wt hydraulic fluid with alot of cleaners in it... makes sense to me.
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 01:06 PM
  #5  
Mcmopar's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,833
Likes: 2
From: Raleigh, NC
I have heard of people using kerosene also Not me I need lubrication, not cleaning!!
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 01:22 PM
  #6  
bulabula's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,239
Likes: 0
From: Eastern & Western Merryland
If you had a noisy lifter etc, I'd try that or some Marvels Mystery Oil, but if there's nothing inherently wrong with the engine other than you think its too dirty in there, I'd not want to risk anything by doing something rash or impulsive to it.

Depending on how dirty you think it is, I'd run a 50/50 mix with your regular oil and a good syn oil on a couple of drain intervals to clean out the engine. Synthetic oil is high detergent and its use alone is often good enough to gently clean out a dirty engine.

I have used kerosene in the crankcase to thin out the goop that formed in the engine when I sunk a boat a long time ago. Kerosene worked great. I did flush the engine out twice immediately afterwards. Engine ran great afterwards. My dad was pretty upset with me though ....
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2004 | 03:00 PM
  #7  
rharveysr's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
From: Visalia
I have a friend that uses ATF in his NV4500 and has for many miles. When he took it apart to check to see the condition in the internals..he found nothing wrong..

Go figure!

Rick
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2004 | 12:20 AM
  #8  
westcoaster's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 476
Likes: 33
Originally posted by Shovelhead
You could always check here for an economical higher out-put replacement engine.

Suzuki Replacement Automotive Engines
well, you have me stumped... I was looking for some witty reply and I just couldn't come up with one. The thing is, the hampster is just about right in the power department. someday I would like to drop a 1.6L vw turbo diesel in the thing. I understand the engine is about 75 Lbs heavier than stock. it is supposed to get around 35 mpg with larger tires and the stock gearing abd gobs of low end torque. At this point I can only dream....
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2004 | 05:15 AM
  #9  
Shovelhead's Avatar
Administrator / Scooter Bum
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,090
Likes: 52
From: Central VA
That would be a wild truck.
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2004 | 05:41 AM
  #10  
Dieseldude4x4's Avatar
Administrator
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,400
Likes: 1
From: Claremont, Virginia
I use to run about a quart in my old 318 gassers about 500 miles before I was ready to change the oil. Cleaned it up a little and freed up stuck lifters in many a case with the higher mileage engines. If the engine is gunked up real bad, the cleaner could do more harm than good. It could break big gobs of stuff loose and clog up the oil pick up and that is "ungood" as we say.

I would not consider putting it in my diesels though. I run the big A synthetic in my 99 with the dual remote filter set up. Engine stays super clean with that. The old 92, I just change the oil every 5k miles and let it go.
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2004 | 10:48 AM
  #11  
nickleinonen's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 0
From: markham, ontario, canada
diesel fuel makes a great crankcase cleaner. on a beater engine, pour a few liters in and run the engine at idle/low loads for a little bit [keep an eye on the lube oil pressure gauge] and then drain it all out, put in some cheap [cheapest you can get] oil and run it for a while [week?] and then go back to normal oil...
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2004 | 11:10 AM
  #12  
Dieseldude4x4's Avatar
Administrator
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,400
Likes: 1
From: Claremont, Virginia
Originally posted by nickleinonen
diesel fuel makes a great crankcase cleaner. on a beater engine, pour a few liters in and run the engine at idle/low loads for a little bit [keep an eye on the lube oil pressure gauge] and then drain it all out, put in some cheap [cheapest you can get] oil and run it for a while [week?] and then go back to normal oil...
Been there done that too.
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2004 | 01:26 PM
  #13  
gitchesum's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Originally posted by Dieseldude4x4
Been there done that too.
We had to do that on a Mercury Grand Marquis. It had 80,000 miles on it and only had the oil changed 3 times. It had also been overheated once. Sludged up would be an understatement.

I would do the diesel fuel thing every weekend, then run cheap 99 cent oil in it in between changes.

We sold that car with 182,000 miles on the original motor. Still ran great.
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2004 | 01:39 PM
  #14  
Dieseldude4x4's Avatar
Administrator
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,400
Likes: 1
From: Claremont, Virginia
I took the valve covers off a Chrysler 400 one time and I couldn't tell I had taken them off. The engine was gunked up solid. I don't know how it even ran. We cleaned it up using the kerosene and cheap oil method and put it on the lot and the people that bought it loved it and ran it another six years.
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2004 | 07:13 PM
  #15  
westcoaster's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 476
Likes: 33
it was this thread that got me thinking about this
http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbt...v=#Post1893890

One guy claimed atf is about a 10w30 oil. Any truth to that??
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:12 AM.