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Slick50, Dura Lube? any luck with these?

11K views 55 replies 23 participants last post by  bcfloater 
#1 ·
Dura lube is $15 bucks at walmart with a $10 rebate. Think its worth it? anybody have any luck with these engine treatments?
 
#5 ·
I received a email the other day about additives from Amsoil. I will need to find it. Most but not all are safe to use. Seems they give off a Sulfuric acid or something. I will look for it. Seems like Lucas was one of the ones that did. Now flame away till I cum back now.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I've used Slick 50, Prolong, Motor-up, Duralube, Sea Foam, and probably a few others.

ALL snake oil IMO.

Prolong and Duralube are essentially glorified paraffin wax.
I poured some Prolong into a BBC a while back, and within a week, the cam lobes disintegrated because the lifters stopped turning.

If those products did anything at all, manufacturers would require them.

In fact, the only motors I HAVE had problems with, were ones that had that crap in them.

I put Mobil 1 in everything I have with a motor in it.

Zero problems.

Oh, and the AmsOil lie about a 20,000 mile oil change makes me laugh.....gimme a break.
 
#8 ·
For what it's worth, 2 friends of mine have Olds 455 jets.
They use Rotella exclusively, and have for years.
15 years with no problems at all in both boats.

I change my oil every 2 trips to the lake.
Best insurance I can think of....
 
#9 ·
coolness, i just bought this boat last week and want to keep this motor strong. It only has 8 hrs on the rebuild. I did a compression test last night and it came out GREAT! 175 on the high and 170 on the low. everything else was right in between
 
#10 ·
If you are like me, and running a fairly mild engine and pump gas, you might try a bottle of double strength 104 octane boost. The stuff you get at Kragen, etc.

1 bottle to 30 gallons of 91 pump gas changed the entire sound of my engine(460), and made it run a LOT better.
The only shelf additive that I have noticed a difference with.
 
#15 ·
Yep. Very noticeable at high RPM.
I videotape a lot at the lake with an onboard camera, and you can clearly hear a difference on the recording, and by ear. Without the boost, the engine was slightly rattly sounding. With the boost, it has more of a deep rumble to it. Not a hint of misfire.
 
#29 ·
Yep. Very noticeable at high RPM.
I videotape a lot at the lake with an onboard camera, and you can clearly hear a difference on the recording, and by ear. Without the boost, the engine was slightly rattly sounding. With the boost, it has more of a deep rumble to it. Not a hint of misfire.
Are you sure that's not detonation ?

S CP
 
#16 ·
Believer....

I'm a firm believer in the "slick 50 type" additives. I have personal experience with Durolube.....An engine that had no oil pressure ran the last two laps in the final at Burley with the prolite on........Finished the race. Took it apart a few weeks later and all the bearings were "coppered", yet there was zero crankshaft damage, no cam damage, etc etc......That engine should have scattered, but it didn't. I try to add one of the many additives after the rings have seated...Sure wish I would've had it in the engine at Long Beach last year.........Ray
 
#20 ·
I'm a firm believer in the "slick 50 type" additives. I have personal experience with Durolube.....An engine that had no oil pressure ran the last two laps in the final at Burley with the prolite on........Finished the race. Took it apart a few weeks later and all the bearings were "coppered", yet there was zero crankshaft damage, no cam damage, etc etc......That engine should have scattered, but it didn't. I try to add one of the many additives after the rings have seated...Sure wish I would've had it in the engine at Long Beach last year.........Ray
I'm somewhat shocked :))eek:))
Ray, do you think it's at all possible the reason the engine didn't "scatter" was because of the oil that was in it and not the Infomercial additive?
Reason I ask...a friend of mine who has a 8 second v-Drive also lost oil pressure. He did a tear-down to find no damage to the crank etc...he feels the use of Mobil-1 saved the engine.
 
#17 ·
I have used Slick 50 in some of my engines and I firmly believe that it is beneficial and will cause no harm. I have driven several performance V-8 engines past 200,000 miles in cars- hard miles putting my foot in it every now and then- and when I rebuilt them there were no signs of corrosion or anything that led me to believe there was any oil problems of any kind. After that many miles it is usually ring seal going away and valve guides that caused me to rebuild. I view it as an extra bit of protection during cold startup and somewhat as a lubrication buffer if you happen to run an engine a bit hot by accident. Of course, I also run fully synthetic oil in all my vehicles. The additives won't make up for sloppy maintenance, but combined with good maintenance I think thay Slick 50 at least is beneficial. I have not tried the others.
 
#18 ·
Here is Amsoil TSB.

TSB: MO-2010-04-01
Date: 4/22/10
Product Description: All AMSOIL Motor Oils
Subject: Chlorine-containing potentially corrosive aftermarket engine oil treatments
Technical Service Bulletin
OBJECTIVE:
Inform Dealers of erroneous sales claims used by aftermarket
supplement companies and explain the potential
dangers of using these products.
ISSUES:
The use of aftermarket engine oil supplements that contain
chlorine can cause corrosive wear to a vehicle’s engine
and possible subsequent engine failure.
TECHNICAL DISCUSSION:
Aftermarket engine oil supplements are “treatments” advertised
to enhance an oil’s properties. Manufacturers
claim these treatments reduce friction, noise and wear;
maintain higher lubricity and break down sludge and varnish,
protecting the engine components. Many products
advertise materials like Tefl on, molybdenum or graphite;
however, most fail to mention that they contain chlorine,
which can be highly corrosive when mixed with water.
Chlorinated paraffi ns were once used as extreme pressure
(EP) additives in lubricants, but the practice has been
discontinued in most passenger vehicle lubricants due to
the corrosive side effects. These chlorinated compounds
are used due to their low cost and ability to provide EP
properties, but they readily react with water and combustion
by-products to form acidic materials that promote corrosion
of engine components and bearings.
Lubes ‘N’ Greases published an article in August 1998
outlining the effects of chlorine on vehicle engine components.
Author Maurice LePera explains the following:
Chlorinated additives are not used in modern, fully
formulated automotive engine oils. The environment
within an internal combustion engine consists of high
operating temperatures, combustion and blowby
gases, moisture, acid and oxidation precursors, wear
debris, unburnt fuel, etc. The combination of these
ingredients when combined with the catalytic effects
of metallic surfaces and trace soluble metals such
Submitted By: LJ Reviewed By: DP Approved By: AA Approval Date: 4/27/10
Distribution: Internal X All X
AMSOIL INC., AMSOIL Bldg., Superior, WI 54880 (715) 392-7101 © Copyright 2010
as copper will cause chlorine to hydrolyze – forming
hydrochloric acid and other associated reaction products.
Once generated, these acidic reaction products
can cause serious internal engine corrosion problems,
especially on ferrous and aluminum alloys.1
Furthermore, chlorinated paraffi ns tend to become more
reactive as temperatures rise, making them exponentially
more dangerous in hotter environments.
“Chlorine-based additives can be fi lm-forming even at
ambient temperatures, but as the temperature rises they
become aggressive and, with the release of HCl [hydrochloric
acid], can cause signifi cant corrosion.”2
Corrosion on the cam lobe or tappet face can also cause
corrosive spalling, outlined in an engine failure case later
in this bulletin.
Because of the side effects of chlorine breakdown, many
military and commercial specifi cations prohibit the use of
chlorinated additives. For example, military specifi cation
MIL-PRF-17331J specifi es, “[additives], if used, shall not
contain chlorine.”3 Furthermore, “SAE J357 (Physical and
Chemical Properties of Engine Oils) lists chlorine as a
contaminant.”1
AMSOIL INC. recently initiated an independent lab study
to determine if four engine treatment products contained
chlorinated ingredients, and if so, how much each contained.
The products tested were Dura Lube Engine
Treatment Booster, Motorkote Hyper Lubricant/Engine
Treatment, Motorkote MK Million Mile Formula and Prolong
Engine Treatment. Dura Lube4 and Prolong6 make no
reference to chlorine content in their product descriptions;
Motorkote5 makes no reference in some of their product
descriptions, while others specifi cally state “contains no
chlorine.” However, based on the lab testing, each contains
high amounts of chlorine as referenced in the following
table.
 
#19 ·
Dura Lube Engine
Treatment Booster
55,000 (5.5)
Motorkote Hyper Lubricant
/Engine Treatment
272,000 (27.2)
Motorkote MK Million
Mile Formula
207,000 (20.7)
Prolong Engine Treatment 304,000 (30.4)
Each oil additive contained signifi cant quantities of chlorine
as tested by ASTM D-808. Typical lubricating fl uids
contain anywhere from 0 to 150 ppm of chlorine, which is
considered a trace amount.
A recent AMSOIL Technical Services investigation on a
Cummins OTR ISX-485 engine failure revealed a high
amount of chlorine in the engine oil.
The Cummins parts analysis determined the engine failure
was the result of a corrosive attack to the cam follower
pins, causing valve and injector camshaft lobe failures
(see Figures 1-2). Five injector lobes and four valve lobes
were signifi cantly spalled, meaning the metal fl aked off
the surface of the lobes. Analysis of the injector pin and
valve pin showed corrosive attack in both the wear and
non-wear areas of the pins, while severe galling was observed
on the cams and cam follower pins. Galling is the
transference of material when moving parts are no longer
fully separated and protected. Furthermore, surface analysis
showed peaks of chlorine in the actual metal surface,
which is not normally present on a cam follower pin under
normal operating conditions (see Figure 3).
The chemical data on the lubricant and surface analysis of
the failed engine parts revealed the root cause of the failure
was corrosive wear. Acidic components in lubricants
directly lead to corrosive wear. In this case, an abnormal
amount of chlorine was found in the engine oil. Chlorine,
when combined with hydrogen and water in the engine,
can create hydrochloric acid. This, in turn, can cause severe
TBN depletion, which was the case with this Cummins
engine. It was determined that a chlorine-containing additive
was used when an oil sample from the engine tested
at 11,000 ppm of chlorine. The result was an extreme corrosive
environment which was responsible for the upper
end engine failure within 195,000 original miles.
RECOMMENDATION:
Aftermarket oil additives are not recommended for use
with AMSOIL synthetic motor oils. AMSOIL synthetic motor
oils are fully formulated to provide superior protection
and performance; use of aftermarket additives will detract
from their performance and possibly lead to engine failure.
Use of aftermarket oil additives not approved by AMSOIL
INC. will void the AMSOIL Limited Warranty.
REFERENCES:
1. LePera, Maurice. (1998, August). Chlorine & Engine
Oils: A Good Mix? Lubes ‘N’ Greases, pp. 16-20.
2. Rudnick, Leslie R. (2003). Lubricant Additives Chemistry
and Applications. New York, New York: Marcel Dekker,
Inc.
3. MIL-PRF-17331J. (2003, September 09). Retrieved from
http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/FEDMIL/prf17331j.pdf.
4. Dura Lube Products. (2008). Retrieved from https://
www.duralube.com/Galleries/Small/DL booster
sell%20sheet.pdf.
5. Motorkote Products. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.
motorkote.com/Products.aspx.
6. Prolong Super Lubricants. (2010). Retrieved from http://
www.prolong.com/A_ET.html.
 
#22 ·
Have a buddy that swears by Z-Max. Soaks parts in it before assembly.
The only experience I have with additives is Marvel Mystery Oil. I ran it in the 455 in my '72 Buick wagon. Defineitly helped that old mule; raised oil pressure, stopped buring oil, stopped leaking (as much) oil.
 
#23 ·
I have read some of the documentation and some of the court cases regarding the additives. I am just saying that after using it in several engines over the years and then actually first hand studying the engine components during a rebuild after hearing claims that the additives could cause harm I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that there was any reason for any concern about using it. I am a mechanical engineer and are somewhat knowledgeable about engines, metallurgy and corrosion.
I'm not recommending anyone use the stuff- I really don't think it does all that much outside of maybe a bit of cold startup protection- but if you have used it, I wouldn't worry about it corroding or damaging your engine.
 
#25 ·
Years back read an article about a couple ounces of prolong in the outdrive. It shifted like butter and the operating temp was reduced quite a bit.

I put some in and first shift was just like butter and the operating temp went down quite a bit.

Put any of them in an engine and? Who knows? Snake oil? Put it in something like an outdrive and see huge immediate results and not snake oil.
 
#37 ·
I could see the carbureted performance motors being changed more often. Would make sense with all of the fuel saturation and short-trips.

Most any EFI motor could easily probably double the change interval, safely. I've upped mine to 75 hours now, because that is still NOTHING for the oil. I've gotten tired of dumping great looking oil at 50 hours.

That's like todays vehicles with people changing oil at 3000 miles like in 1940. Hey, I used to do it too, but the oils and motors have come A LONG way since then. Sure, the oils don't have what the OLD motors need, but they are fine for todays motors. And change intervals are now up in the 7500 mile range.

Again, carbureted motors with fuel leaking into them, past the rings, into the crankcase all day long - change at will. EFI with little-to-no fuel making its way into the oil - not near the need for premature evacuation.
 
#39 ·
Didn't read the entire thread just skimmed it. Why not just invest in some quality oil from the get go? If you are in the synthetic arena it's hard to beat Red Line. Not a big fan of additives unless it's GM EOS. Both of these have the necessary contents unlike todays street oils.
 
#42 ·
I ran Mobil 1 5w 30 in my SBC(550 HP @ 5800) for 4 seasons and when I tore the motor down for a rebuild the bearings looked great.. I'm a beleaver :D
Good news. I am a believer that with todays better (although no zinc) oils, there is NO REASON to run such heavy oil. Especially in a boat motor that is equipped with an oil cooler. Why waste the HP?

If clearances are big, there will just be MORE of the smaller molecules stuffed in there than with the larger thick oil molecules. Same end result.
 
#41 ·
?????

I change oil/filter every season. I run Royal Purple synthetic oil in the boat. I'm a big fan of Lucas oil products and use it in the transmission in my truck. I was going to add a quart of Lucas oil additive with the Royal Purple for extra insurance but the Pep Boys mechanic said it wasn't needed. What do you guys think????
 
#43 ·
I change oil/filter every season. I run Royal Purple synthetic oil in the boat. I'm a big fan of Lucas oil products and use it in the transmission in my truck. I was going to add a quart of Lucas oil additive with the Royal Purple for extra insurance but the Pep Boys mechanic said it wasn't needed. What do you guys think????

What wt, RP? The Lucas might be overkill but I don't see it hurting anything. I've used Lucas over the years too, it might take a couple of HP but I do like the dry start protection with the properties of the Lucas.

S CP
 
#46 ·
As some of you Know I am an Amsoil Rep, I dont always agree with their marketing practices Bashing nearly every competitor. But I will say That I was a Skeptic in the 20k oil change too, Who wouldnt be. I just Changed the Amsoil oil in my Tundra after 12k and It was suprisingly Clean, I sent it in For an analysis after 12k, It still Exceeds The Requirements set by the A.P.I. My milage was 40 miles better per tank for the first 8k and tapered off to what I was getting before.

I would recomend Amsoil for anyone with a vehicle with under 30k or a new mill in the boat. Honestly If you can afford it Go Synthetic, if you cant Just get a Good Brand oil and change it regularly. Honestly A good Filter, Filtermag and or Pre oiler Is just as important as The oil that you buy.
 
#48 ·
I plan to run Valvoline synthetic, but my issue is what zinc additive to use since I run a solid flat tappet cam (.690 lift, 305 duration).
 
#50 ·
duralube

this stuff is the great for your four cycle air cooled engines, lawn mowers and such. I added some to my 318 John Deere and honestly had to turn down the idle. Let's put it this way" we don't know how much good it does but with the cost of replacement engines, it can't hurt".
 
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