Marvel Mystery Oil: Can it clean injectors?
C R Wright
In article <32e8d07b...@news.hal-pc.org>, al...@hal-pc.org (Al Kondo)
wrote:
> I have read in this newsgroup over a period of time that Marvel Myster
> oil can clean fuel injectors if added to my gas tank. Is there a
> particular kind of Marvel Mystery oil that does this, or, is it just
> any of the red can versions I pick off the shelf at my local parts
> house?
I'll start with a disclaimer: I don't like or use snake oil.
Having said that - there is (believe it or not) a product called "Marvel
Mystery Oil". Yes, it's sold under that label in an old-fashioned metal
cannister. Looks like something that would have been sold off the back of
a wagon in about 1890 in a small western town...
Rumor has it that it is nothing but straight 10 weight oil... So I can't
believe it would clean injectors, but there we are. It might lubricate
them.
If you want snake oil, I guess I would trust injector cleaners from
RedLine or Chevron (techron) - just because I know they are both
"officially" approved by BMW for use in cleaning and maintaining their
engines. The RedLine version is repackaged and sold by BMW dealers. (I'm
sure there are other cleaners approved by other manufacturers - this is
just what I have encountered).
Cheers,
Charlie
My apologies for the invalid return address, I was losing the war against the auto-mailers and SPAM junkies. Mail should be addressed to user: cw028212 @ bcm.tmc.edu
brett anderson
C R Wright <cw02...@bcm.REMOVE.TO.REPLY.tmc.edu> wrote in article
<cw028212-240...@10.0.2.15>...
snip
> Rumor has it that it is nothing but straight 10 weight oil... So I can't
> believe it would clean injectors, but there we are. It might lubricate
> them.
>
> If you want snake oil, I guess I would trust injector cleaners from
> RedLine or Chevron (techron) - just because I know they are both
> "officially" approved by BMW for use in cleaning and maintaining their
> engines. The RedLine version is repackaged and sold by BMW dealers. (I'm
> sure there are other cleaners approved by other manufacturers - this is
> just what I have encountered).
>
> Cheers,
> Charlie
I am not a snake oil believer either, but I had a Jeep CJ-7 that had piston
rings seized on cylinder 1, compression was at or about 45psi, as opposed
to 130 on the rest. I ran Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel for 4 tanks full,
the compression came up to 110 PSI, not perfect but an excellent
improvement.
This was after soaking the cylinder at BCD with Kerosene for days on end,
this usually will free stuck rings, not this time though
--
Brett Anderson
Endurance BMW
Mount Kisco NY
BMW and ASE master technician
CRAIG KEENER
Al Kondo wrote:
>
> I have read in this newsgroup over a period of time that Marvel Myster
> oil can clean fuel injectors if added to my gas tank. Is there a
> particular kind of Marvel Mystery oil that does this, or, is it just
> any of the red can versions I pick off the shelf at my local parts
>
> Thanks, Al Kondo
There is only one Marval Mystery Oil, and it is really not an effective product for
today's vehicels. The additive chemistry just isn't there. Dispite what you may have
heard, this product is a just a throwback to the good 'ol days of yen, and is slowely
disappearing from the market.
From a preventative maintenance standpoint, your best bet would be Chevron's TECHRON
line of products. There are actually four of these products on the market. The first
three are sold as the Pro-Guard series: Stay-Clean; Fuel Injector Cleaner; and Intake
Valve Cleaner. I don't know whether the fourth product carries the Pro-Guard moniker or
not, but it is sold in a bottle labeled simply "TECHRON". There is some debate over
whether there is any difference (other than price) between these products, i.e. the
Techron level. When I get the time I intend to have each product analyzed, which should
solve the question once and for all. Stay tuned.
"TECHRON" is actually a special form of Benzine that makes a good fuel injector
cleaner, and is partially effective on combustion chamber/intake valve deposits as well.
There are now several other products that contain a version of this chemical, some with
absolutely outrageous prices. A prime example is the Slick-50 Fuel Sys. Cleaner, sold in
an artfully shaped metal bottle for as much as $17.99!! I guess there's one born every
minute.
As for the Pro-Guard products, for now I'd stick with the "injector cleaner" variety,
using one bottle per 10-12 gallons of gas (for inital treatment, double that amount) for
three fillings to clean the injectors. Then you can drop to one bottle every third or
fourth filling. I think the retail price of this product is $4.99 per bottle, but I've
seen it for less than half that at our local Price-Costco.
Hope I've been of some help,
Craig Keener
P.S. I have a recipe I use on badly clogged injectors, when the customer can't afford a
standard injector cleaning. It works about as well as my "professional" setup, and is
certainly more effective than the job you'd get at your local quick-lube. It must be
used at your own risk and with great care to prevent damage to the fuel system. The
chemicals are probably available to you locally. E-mail if you want the details.
Dave Haugen
In article <32e8d07b...@news.hal-pc.org>, al...@hal-pc.org (Al Kondo) writes:
|> I have read in this newsgroup over a period of time that Marvel Myster
|> oil can clean fuel injectors if added to my gas tank. Is there a
|> particular kind of Marvel Mystery oil that does this, or, is it just
|> any of the red can versions I pick off the shelf at my local parts
|> house? Please reply to me at al...@hal-pc.org and post here.
|>
|> Thanks, Al Kondo
Al,
Over the past year I have been using Marvel Mystery Oil in my gas to clean
my injectors. The number six injector on my Ford 300 inline six was plugged
partially causing the spark plug to carbon foul and the engine to miss at
midrange rpm. I had tried Techron for at least 4 tankfuls with no improvement. After reading a post on this newsgroup regarding MMO I decided to give it a
try. To my amazement it cleared up my problem totally and the motor runs
smoother than it ever has since new. The improvement was noticed after 2
tankfulls of gas with around 6 to 8 ounces of Mystery Oil per tank. I swear
by this stuff now and it only costs around 3 bucks per quart. It also works
good added to your oil if your engine has some sluge built up. I would'nt run
it for more than a couple thousand miles though before changing back to your
regular oil and filter. It contains ingredients that tend to be quite solvent
like. I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Dave Haugen
Jim & Mary Tibbs
Hi,
A professor at my school did a "study" with his BMW K100 comparing
Chevron (with techron) fuel agaist other fuels. He was able to
show an improvment in gas mileage using the chevron gas and the guys
at the BMW shop (Iron Horse in Tucson) said that the intake system
on the bike was noticably cleaner (as compared to other similar bikes,
I guess) after prolonged and regular use of the Chevron gas. The
professor
was your hard core science type ... sold me ... I've been using nothing
but Chevron's pricey gas since.
FYI
Jim Tibbs
CRAIG KEENER wrote:
>
> Al Kondo wrote:
> >
> > I have read in this newsgroup over a period of time that Marvel Myster
> > oil can clean fuel injectors if added to my gas tank. Is there a
> > particular kind of Marvel Mystery oil that does this, or, is it just
> > any of the red can versions I pick off the shelf at my local parts
> > house? Please reply to me at al...@hal-pc.org and post here.
> >
> > Thanks, Al Kondo
>
--
-----------------------------------------
| Jim and Mary Tibbs |
| mti...@fls.infi.net |
| http://www.geocities.com/heartland/9222 |
| Fredericksburg VA |
-----------------------------------------
George Kalemanis
>on the bike was noticably cleaner (as compared to other similar bikes,
>I guess) after prolonged and regular use of the Chevron gas. The
>professor
>was your hard core science type ... sold me ... I've been using nothing
>but Chevron's pricey gas since.
Using gas to clean a bike? Won't that hurt the paint?
Brian E. Robinson
>> Then you can drop to one bottle every third or fourth filling. I
think the retail price of this product is $4.99 per bottle, but I've
seen it for less than half that at our local Price-Costco. <<
Holy Cow! Once every third or fourth filling? Isn't that excessive? I'm
sure that no harm will come of it but do the fuel injectors gunk up that
fast?
--
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KiN...@DeLTaNeT.CoM * WeLCoMeToTHeNeXTLeVeL * YouR aD HeRe * Go CHaRGeRS!
w...@netheaven.com
On 3 Feb 1997 05:26:48 GMT, KiN...@DeLTaNeT.CoM (Brian E. Robinson)
wrote:
>>> Then you can drop to one bottle every third or fourth filling. I
>think the retail price of this product is $4.99 per bottle, but I've
>seen it for less than half that at our local Price-Costco. <<
>
>Holy Cow! Once every third or fourth filling? Isn't that excessive? I'm
>sure that no harm will come of it but do the fuel injectors gunk up that
>fast?
>
MM oil, i.e. kerosene, is good for cleaning valve LIFTERS. I would
not use this for injectors, but would rely on a better grade of
gasoline, not higher octane, just a more reliable brand with
quality detergents to keep the injectors clean. 87 octane has
just as much detergent as the higher octanes.
>Craig Keener
I am the author of the snippet in question, and I NEVER said
that MMO was good for cleaning injectors. In fact, quite the contrary.
Please read the original thread in its entirety before posting.
As to Brian's question, no, using Techron as preventative maint.
every third or fourth filling is not excessive. Depending on the
injector design and fuel quality, that may not even be enough. Newer
injector designs like GM's Multech ARE deposit resistant, so if you have
deposit-resistant injectors and use high-detergent gas, you shouldn't
have much of a problem with INJECTOR deposits.
However, we also have intake valve/combustion chamber deposits
to consider as well. Such deposits have become quite a problem with many
of the newer engine designs, and gasoline detergents are not effective
on those deposits. Regular use of Techron or equivalent products HAVE
proven effective here, and are endorsed by the likes of BMW, VW, Jaguar,
etc.
Now, how 'bout we finally put this issue to bed?
-Craig
adamh
A great product I've found to work great, for those injectors "on their last legs" is the Berryman's B-12 CHEMTOOL. It's a concoction of aceton, Xylene, Lacquer Thinner, Isopropanol, and some other chemicals, and it works great at 1 oz. per gallon of fuel as a "shock treatment" - then MMO at 3-4 oz. per gallon of fuel every fillup there-after.
Don't get me wrong, I could see the potential of MMO "cleaning" injectors, since it IS a "light weight oil" it could likely "squeeze past" whatever crud/carbon/varnish may be affecting a fuel injector, so it probably could help, yes :) I live by it, every fill up I dump at least 4 oz. into the tank.
hls
"adamh" <aho...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7ba3629f-71e3-42bc...@glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com...
Look. MMO is not a total snake oil product. There is more
there than just a "light weight oil".. It is a little more gentle than some
formulations.
These products that contain acetone, alcohols, etc can be pretty hard on
some elastomers...O-rings, gaskets, etc.
Nothing is really simple nowadays. I feel that a gentle
cleanout is perhaps preferable to a kamakazi attack.
g
Years ago some fuel cleaners were like lacquer thinner. I have been
known to use a wee bit.
I have used MMO with unknown results. I'm trying to perfect the use of
sea foam.
Greg
g
Oh, I would usually dump stuff in on low tank, run it for a day and
fill up.
Greg
g
Seems like sea foam is more expensive but has a lot of similarity to
MMO.
I never tried it but toluline also probably cleans injectors. I know
some use it to increase octane.
Greg
g
I can learn a lot from reading.
Seems like high octane fuels ARE likely to clean injectors better, but
don't many advertise their fuel cleaning better.
Seems like higher octane fuels have Toluene as an additive already.
I use three or four cleaners around garage, and Toluene is one of
them. MEK, lacquer thinner, also use some enamel thinner for car
painting. Kerosene too. Acetone is great if you can keep it from
disappearing.
Greg