Air_Adam

I want to say this just so no one has the same thing happen to them that happened to me.

I used some Lucas Oil Stabilizer in an oil change last weekend. Now I have no oil pressure and possibly a spun bearing(s) in my 350. Before I used this stuff, the oil pressure was fine and the engine ran pretty well.

I'm advising everyone here: BE CAREFUL USING THIS STUFF AND USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

There was a post a long time ago I saw on here about a guy who did a test of oil and oil w/ Lucas Stabilizer side by side in a blender type deal. The oil w/ the Lucas foamed up instantly and in a huge fashion, while the plain oil barely foamed at all.

I wouldn't use the stuff in anything I own.

DFI79MC

iTrader: (1)

I've owned over 25 cars, and with the exception of the 3 I bought new, I dont think there was a single one I didnt put Lucas in.

Makes me kinda wonder whats happening here....

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

That is the article I read on that site a while back. It does both a gear lube, and a motor oil piece on that link. Pretty interesting. I don't want foam in my oil...

Red Devil

Just keeping it in context. I don't like the stuff as it also makes it too 'clingy' as well as the other mentioned problems.

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

I agree RD. If its sticking to the rockers and such up top on the motor, then it takes longer to get down to the pump and the crankcase...

91formulaSS

can someone explain "sea foam"?

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

Sea Foam is a oil based engine cleaner. Some guys use it as a fuel system cleaner, some as a topend engine cleaner, i.e. carbon in the combustion chamber, intake runners, etc...

Cleans out all the goodies... I have used it a few times, only thing I didn't like is that I had to change plugs as soon as I used it b/c it fouled out a few.

Red Devil

Do a search in Gen Tech, you can make your own.

Air_Adam

Well, I got my oil pump off today. BOTH of the 'ears' on that the oil pump driveshaft fits into on the pump sheared off. The mechanic who took a look at the pump said it looked like it basically hydro-locked and snapped them both off.

Never again will this stuff go into my engine(s).

I kept the pump as a momento so I'll have pics later.

BTW - turns out there was otherwise no damage to the motor. Got a new pump in it, 5L of real oil, and she runs like a top with great oil pressure.

Jer82Z28

wow I just bought some for my smoking IROC, good thing I found this thread before putting it in. Is it worth it to add any of those 'stop leak' additives in a smoking motor?
I just hate driving a flashy car and ppl seeing it smoke like it's been flogged to death

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Been running Lucas in both my motors for the past 3yrs and no problems at all. Street drive them whenever time allows and beat the dog ***** outta them every weekend pass after pass anfter pass....Never had a problem with oil pressure other than the fact it picked it up 10psi in both motors once they were broke in and I was able to add the Lucas. Just about evey racer I know uses the stuff round here and swear by it.

Were you using the stock oil pump shaft? Not a real "fluke" deal that it broke. Hope you installed a good all steel aftermarket rod when they put it back together. Good thing you had the lucas in the motor otherwise you would've had problems with bearings with no oil circulation

drex

iTrader: (1)

i found this post and i see there are people on both sides of the fence here ...i used it in a few cars and just noticed when i put it in a few days ago my car feels like it doesnt wanna yank me up like it did...and the lucas killed the stock 305 4bbl. that was in my car 2 days after i put it in it thats why the 350 is in now 2 yrs later.. im gonna drain it

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

I've been using it now for 3 years in my 82 z with a 355ci in it. I've had no problems whatsoever in fact it took care of the problems I was having. I have a little blow by, thanks to the machine shop, that isn't bad till you really pull some high rpm's then it would. I started using the Lucas Oil Stabilizer and my oil consumption stopped and the blow by, though still there, is minimal now, has kept me from getting a new short block at least for another year or so. I too wind the motor to anywhere from 5800-6300 rpm and have found no foaming or other problems. I even used their trans product in the automatic of my daily driver which smoothed out the harshness of the shifts and improved its overall performance. Sorry you had the problems, but I too will continue to use their products.

CAMp3RO

i will also stand by there products. i've had customers get new life out of their near dead transmissions and i've never had a single complaint from anyone that i've sold it to. i will continue to use it in my motor

redliterunner

Funny thing about oil or fluid additives. Most people buy the stuff because they think that their aged or neglected motor or tranny is about to take a dump, and they want a 10.00 miracle in a bottle. Then when the poor motor or tranny craps out anyway, they blame the additive. Happens all the time.

primo

Every time you put an additive in your oil you are changing the original formula that the oil manufacturer spent time and money in R&D. If you feel you need more protection buy a different oil.

soulbounder

305 TBI with 110k miles, didn't burn or leak any oil. Hell, still had original paint on the block.

Used Lucas once. Didn't notice a thing.
Used Marvel Mystery Oil once. Didn't notice a thing.
Used Slick 50 once. Didn't notice a thing.

I have seen the tests and heard many testiments, both good and bad and it still feels almost impossible to make an informed decision. Just use a good oil and filter.

r90camarors

Hmmm. I've used the lucas oil stablizer for 3 years now on various vehicles, and have nothing but good things to say. Of course you will lose some hp when using it, the stuff is thicker than honey! It does however, up oil pressure signifigantly, and is a (temporary)cure to an engine's oil consumption.

With that being said, it is a bandade, not a cure, and there is no reason to be running it in a fresh engine

White93z34

iTrader: (1)

i tried a little of it recenly...

my car, used to make a big cloud of smoke at startup and use oil prety rapidly, i added in not even half a bottle of lucas and after a few starts the blue smoke is gone and it has helped the oil burning quite abit. i'm not the biggest fan of the stuff personally, but it works.

r90camarors

The problem I have with the test conducted in the link a few posts up is that no ratios are given. They do not say how much lucas stabilizer they added, or what % it brings the fomula to.

mars22

i have used lucas in a dozen cars and it works grat, ticking lifters quit down, the runs smoother,lucas is awsome .
ahell the lucas probably unstuck that bad bearing so he could hear it! and the ratio is 20-25% i use one bottle and the rest
good high mileage oil. and there transmission stuff got reverse and second gear working in my benz! great stuff, i swear by it.

1320 Right Ln.

does it matter whether the lucas stuff is used with synthetic oil? My 92 Z28 has about 6-7000 miles on it with nothing but mobile-1 used once the break in was done. I have a giant bottle of the oil stabalizer but havent' used it yet. I don't think it'll improve the 92 at all since there are currently no oil problems with the motor. My 91 V6 on the other hand, I may test it with cuz it's up there in mileage, although it still gets 60-80 PSI of oil pressure. It's just that i use mobile-1 in both engines, and i'm not sure if mixing the organic based lucas with the synthetic mobile is a good idea.

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

I recently changed to synthetic in my 92 and love it. My 92 has 90,000 and runs perfect. I used Lucas in my 88 Regal but I think it was too late to save the engine. I know the engine went south 500 miles later but I didn't blame the Lucas. However since my 92 is running great I will not add anything to the synthetic. Nowin my 86 I am switching to synthetic on the next oil change. I like the synthetic and don't think I need additives to make it better.

mars22

they do make synthetic lucas oil treatment.
if your worried about mixing synth and organic

Dizturbed One

Lucas, PowerPunch, etc...

They're all the same...

Either way, there are things you do and things you don't do.

I've ALWAYS used PowerPunch (same crap as Lucas but cheaper) in all of my old beatdown cars and it has done some AMAZING stuff.

The 305 in my old T-Bird was literally changing before my very eyes and ears after adding a quart of PowerPunch. The smoke in the exhaust thinned out, it stopped some pretty massive lifter tap, smoothed out the idle and stopped a bit of vibration, and got rid of a couple nasty noises I was hearing down low.

I used it in every oil change since then for that piece of crap car and I'm convinced that it's the only thing that got me another 3000 miles out of that heap.

It did my little 4 banger 86 Nova a great deal of good also, and quieted that motor down alot, even though it didn't seem to run any different. It DID quiet it down on startup though, which was a big worry for me since it was pretty loud under the hood when you first cracked her open early in the morning. That thing had 265,000 miles on it when I added the stuff, it caught fire at 270,000 miles due to bad electrical and burned up though, so I don't have much of a progress report on that, lol.

I put it in my Camaro and it didn't make the slightest bit of difference except for cutting back on the startup puff of smoke (which was already pretty minimal since it runs so good) but I'll put it in next oil change anyways, just because the motor is still sitting at a bone stock 135K miles.

My brother bought an 85 Firebird with nobody-knows-how-many-miles on it ( the 99,999 odo has been rolled, probably at least twice with how the car looks, lol) the other day and it SMOKE LIKE ALL HELL on startup and when you stomped on it, plus it had a real bad tick.

A little Powerpunch real quick cleaned that up ALOT.

Oil additives are for high mileage motors with worn parts and growing tolerances on the moving parts... Not for brand new motors or even cars that seem to run perfect before that.

If you add water to a plant that isn't thirsty, the damn thing dies 75% of the time.

Dizturbed One

I meant the 302 in my old T-Bird... All you damn Z-28 guys got my numbers all scrambled up... lol

bjordan

My 166k L69 has startup smoking blues, and I'm thinking about using a stabilizer until I can get to the valve guide seals. But frothing aside, how is that theoretically better/worse than using thicker oil?

porkyzilla

iTrader: (1)

i only have one thing to say

THERE IS NO MECHANIC IN A CAN

DanTheMan_smlk

i use Restore, works like a charm, i swear u will notice your engine improve after 10-15 miles



http://www.restoreusa.com/

u can get it almost anywhere...ive never changed my oil without it.

89Vert

I use Lucas in my car

I also have built many diesel truck engines for rigs and I use Lucas instead of assembly lube never had a problem

just my experience

Red Devil

Clingy=drag, among other things. Physics doesn't change for anyone.

Red Devil

Wait till you open up your motor. Yeck!!

DanTheMan_smlk

get over it

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

How in the hell did this post get drudged up from the archives?!?!

I love how people fall for the ole Mystery Oil gags. Just like back in the west where people bought whiskey and opium b/c it had wonderful tendencies to heal. Thats right folks step right up and buy this mystery healer... only cost you hard earned money for nothing.

1) Red Devil is right. The more the stuff clings the more it drags causing decline in hp etc. Physics doesn't lie.

2) The way the stuff clings, it does not actually fix problems, or solve issues. It just masks them. Ticking lifter... well the crap is so thick and clingy that while yes, the lifter isn't ticking anymore, but it didn't actually fix anything. Problem is still there...

3) Like I posted last year on this post. Go research the stuff on the oil sites. The stuff Foams. Great thats what you want in your oil is air pockets.

And why in the world do you need Restore every oil change DanTheMan_smlk? If you need that stuff to get the most out of your car more than likely its time for a rebuild buddy.

You can like our opinions or you don't have to. Really I don't give a crap, but don't be so closed minded b/c your uncallibrated butt dyno lies to you every time you change your oil!!! If you need to put this stuff in the car for it to run right... maybe other things are needed besides this "mystery" cure...

DanTheMan_smlk

i do what i want...im 19
im not rebuilding, i have 80k on the engine. You dont know about this, have u done studies on it?

r90camarors

But there are no mix numbers on that site. I may be wrong, but show me where they actually state the mix ratio.....

Sure the stuff may foam up on its own or on a crazy mix of 50/50, but if you use the proper mix, the "anti foam" agents in the oil will keep the stabilizer from foaming.

Shoot, I may not have the nice motorized gear set up that site used, but I do have a better much much more sophisticated set up.... it's called a dipstick. Oh yeah, and the complicated task of removing a valve cover Funny, no foam on my dipstick and everything is flowing nicely up top.....and I use lucas.....

Further more, IT IS A BANDADE!!!! But you know what?,it does keep my engine from burning the oil it used to, and for the extra $5 per oil change I can definetely live with that until I swap engines. Hmmm let me see...my "mystery cure" for $5 or hundreds of dollars of work to a 305....Yeah, I'll stick with lucas and spend my money on my 383.


Oh, and for those who are complaining about the viscosity robbing power......I really think loosing 5hp do to drag should be the least of your concerns if you have a knock, tick, or smoke...

Chris89GTA

iTrader: (2)

I barely had 90k when I started my 355 on the TA. I was 19 at the time... Ended completing the swap w/ about 115k and was 22. It takes time. Have I done studies personally... No. I had/have other things to work on like the degree I just finished or various other activities. Do I need to do studies myself. Not really when I can sit and read and see what other REPUTABLE people have already researched.

If you have a knock tick or smoke the first thing you need to be worried about is getting from point A to point B w/o breaking down. That is my point. People look to a $6 bottle of some mixture to fix a problem that is more than just a bottle of crap to fix problem.

r90camarors

Wow.
That is exactly what I said....
Listen. It is a bandade. But not everyone can afford to drop hundreds of dollars on their vehicles the minute a problem arises. $6 is much more feasable for a lot of people until they can save the money to do the job right.
Better yet, $6 allows you to slow/temperarily help the problem and save up for performance parts or what ever the case is.
You better believe I will invest my time and money into my 383, not the 305. It is pointless to double spend, and time is valuable.

HorseflyDF

I have used regular oil 10w30 on my 80 pontiac bonniville
89 celica gts 90 corolla and 86 camaro 350sbc..
Got over 200,000 with regular oil changes.

Ill change the oil every 1000 miles if Im taking short trips
everyday in the city. Theres continuous stop and go
traffic as soon as the oil gets dark its gone...thats all I every did.
oil and filter...just dont beat the **** out of your engine.



remember slick 50 ?
everyone is out to make a buck..
theres a sucker born every minute..

r90camarors

hmmm....considering some of our cars are older than the driver's and have had multiple owners, it's kinda hard to say that. Further more, it's obvious that you have never used a stabilizer, so what grounds do you have to judge it?You know, I had somebody tell me the same thing about POR-15. I guess we are suckers for using that too? I think not.

WhiteKnight

I put some lucas in with my last oil change when i replaced my sending unit because it was dead. Well no I have no pressure at idle. Maybe its the lucas to blame.... Maybe its time for another oil change already.

Poncho Villa

Oil pressure gauges can be dodgy---check your dipstick when you fill up. Anyway, my .02---I have found some oil additives to be helpful, eg. the "motor honey" variety, like Lucas, Valvoline High Mileage Treatment, etc, although the best of those, in my opinion, is Hyperlube Racing Formula--used to be called Hilton's Hyperlube back in the day, and it is very slippery stuff.

My oil has never looked milky or foamy, and the motor is definitely smoother with Hyperlube (same idea as Lucas, but different formula). So for those sold on Lucas, I'd give Hyperlube a try. Of course, as stated above, a new motor doesn't need it, but an older motor can use a bit o' honey between them bearin's. My motor doesn't smoke, leak, or tick, I just switched to more viscosity because I'm assuming a motor with over 100,000 miles could use some added cushioning beyond the recommended 5W30. Why wait 'till she smokes to give her a stouter oil? Whatever you do though, do NOT use Mrs. Butterworth's in the crankcase, even though it's thick and buttery.

As for stuff like Restore, and Slick 50, there's no evidence that it doesn't work, and lots of people swear by it--However, an additive which uses solids in solution, ie. Teflon, or the "microballs" or whatever in Restore, should be used sparingly to avoid buildup of weird stuff in your motor. They even recommend waiting thousands of miles between uses--50,000 for Slick 50, and I think Restore is good for something like 5,000 miles.

jimp2001

amsoil is the best stuff I've ever seen, I know this guy who is an amsoil rep, he drives an '87 suburban, when it was bought from the dealer back in '87, the oil was immediately changed to amsoil, and never changed ever again. the truck now has 270k miles on it, and no internal motor problems. that stuff is phenominal.

Derek The Great

i recently used a bottle of this STP stuff on my car, was thick as honey and took like 5 min for the little bottle to drain... I put it in because i thought, what the hell? i dont feel like workin on my 305 anymore than i have and it couldnt hurt me none if this changed nothing, foaming is scary though, and wonder if this stp crap will foam because if it does ill drain it right away. car has 104k miles btw

StreetRoc85 350

Kinda off topic but i recently used a bottle of lucas tranmission fix in my 75 K-10 pickup (350/TH350) and it completely fried 2nd 3rd and reverse. So now i have a badass mudding truck that wont shift out of first gear and cant back out of a parking space.

Worked fine before. Now i have to wrestle a 150lb transfer case and a 200lb tranny to do a rebuild. Thanks a lot lucas....

Repzard

Im not one to judge oil aditives

But one thing I can say is changing your oil every 3000 mile is the key to keeping your engine running great and clean

ive been using castol syntec blend oil in my 2001 chevy S10(Daily Driver) sense day one and my opinion it is better than adding any aditive to your oil you get the best of both worlds syn/conven

i think the Lucas stuff is good to hide a problem...that for sure but most cars today take 5/30 oil smaller jornals so i dont think its a good idea to add Lucas

For the people that use Lucus and other products like it
why dont you just add 20/50 or 30 to your oil cause its like doing the same thing and youll save money too..

Just a thought


**Chevy Let Camaro's Live**

xlwhellraiser

iTrader: (1)

xlwhellraiser

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to bring this one back , but I gotta chime in on my tests with the mystery oil crap.

My motor had 121000 miles when i bought it, and I never did a swap before so I went into reading about mystery oils.

My motor smoked bad at startup and it was eating oil a bit.

So here is what I did and what happened.

1. Lucas (the brand we are talking about).
-- I put it in after I did the rebuild of the whole top of my engine.
I noticed that my engine ran hotter, and my power went down.
my oil consumption also went down.

2. Engine restorer.
-- I put this sucker in as soon as I bought my car. It almost stoped the serious smoking, and my car ran like I just got some life put into it.
NOTE: I took the engine apart after 3cans of restorer in there,
and the baby looked clean. Later I came to find out that the previous owner put in all kinds of different oil in there and basically clogged the passages. Engine restorer helped with that immensly.

3. Straigh up oil, mobil on 7500 long life one.
-- I am using this one currently. My preassure is defently higher, and my car ran cool for about 600 miles after I put it in. Now, my car runs rather hot with 170 thermo, and a new cooling system. It might be related to something else, but thats what am getting. Also, my oil consumption has subsided quite a bit, but I am still adding a quart of oil ever 1800-2000 miles. The engine has very good compression by the way, and my heads have been re-built

So far this is what am getting from mystery oil.
I hope this helps.

redbird_400

lol thats great, I have to buy some now to do random tests on it.