Date:         Tue, 17 Nov 1998 17:29:38 EST
Reply-To:     KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Subject:      Warning against engine additives! was: Strange Noise Fixed,
              I think
Comments: To: KBatzler@EMAIL.MSN.COM, vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

I am glad that Karl has found something to keep his van on the road and I
wasn't going to say anything until he started encouraging other Vanagon owners
to try this stuff.  I found no problem with Karl trying it since his van had
high mileage anyway (190k miles I believe) but I must warn you that as a
mechanic I would advise anyone with a halfway decent motor to please not put
any oil additives into thier motor (Slick 50, Motor UP, CD-2, motor Honey, any
Teflon based additive et al).  Why?  These additives usually do nothing
beneficial in a motor (usually find it in a big clump on the bottom of the oil
pan when it comes time to rebuild the motor) and can in fact damage a good
motor by restricting oil galleys and other orifices inside the motor.  I hear
very few good stories about these additives but many horror stories.
Just think about it: If that stuff you are pouring into your motor flows like
honey in the heat of the summer, what do you think it is doing in your motor
in the winter?
I can understand folks with tired motors trying these additives as a last
effort to try and get another year out of their engine, but to put this stuff
in a good motor would be a crime.
This is my 2 cents on this subject anyway.
Ken Wilford
Van-Again
John 3:16