Avoid Slick 50

Slick 50 contains particles. Particles cause ABRASION of engine parts. Therefore, Slick 50 slowly but surely wears out your engine:

http://www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-additives.html?uniq=1313

This conclusion seems to be borne out by tests on oil additives containing PTFE conducted by the NASA Lewis Research Center, which said in their report, "In the types of bearing surface contact we have looked at, we have seen no benefit. In some cases we have seen detrimental effect. The solids in the oil tend to accumulate at inlets and act as a dam, which simply blocks the oil from entering. Instead of helping, it is actually depriving parts of lubricant."

THE INFAMOUS "NO OIL" DEMO
Since some of these demonstrations were conducted using Briggs and Stratton engines, the Briggs and Stratton Company itself decided to run a similar, but somewhat more scientific, experiment. Taking two brand-new, identical engines straight off their assembly line, they set them up for bench-testing. The only difference was that one had the special additive included with its oil and the other did not. Both were operated for 20 hours before being shut down and having the oil drained from them. Then both were started up again and allowed to run for another 20 straight hours. Neither engine seemed to have any problem performing this "minor miracle."

After the second 20-hour run, both engines were completely torn down and inspected by the company's engineers. What they found was that both engines suffered from scored crankpin bearings, but the engine treated with the additive also suffered from heavy cylinder bore damage that was not evident on the untreated engine.

This points out once again the inherent problem with particulate oil additives: They can cause oil starvation. This is particularly true in the area of piston rings, where there is a critical need for adequate oil flow. In practically all of the reports and studies on oil additives, and particularly those involving suspended solids like PTFE, this has been reported as a major area of engine damage.

Just a comment about Slick 50.

I have a 1990 Mazda 929S. (DOHC V6)

I've used it 3 times on this car. Every 75K miles starting at 75K miles.

I'm now over 300K miles with no work having been done on the engine or Transmission other than routine standard maintenance. (even these I've stretched out)

I can't attest to all the specifics about the product but it sure has worked for me.


Murphman

it worked for ric woodruff too!

I suppose any product with a record of being fined and sued by the FTC is just good stuff

This is bad bad bad, as is pretty much every other single additive to the oil.

If your oil filter works well it will remove pretty much 100% of the slick 50 crap, that is unless you are using a FRAM filter and in that case you can't filter out anything other than large flakes of metal

When you are running Slick 50, it is best to simply install an oil filter bypass and totally allow all the chunks to bypass the oil filter at all times. Sometimes you can simply remove the oil filter itself and just allow the engine to run without a filter.

Almost all the millions of cars produced around the world prior to WWII did not have any oil filter anyhow and some of them made it to 50,000 miles prior to a complete overhaul with 2,000 mile oil changes.


Slick 50 should always be used full strength as 100% of the crankcase capacity since it is such lubrication, no need to dilute it with any kind of oil, just use it straight. Don't thank me, just thank yourself.

Hey, that one deserves the desert cheer: Yucca, yucca, yucca!!

Old B&S (Briggs & Stratton) here in Poplar Bluff, Mo is probably were that info came from. I know a few of the people down at the plant and even worked there for about 6 months after I first retired from the USN. How can anyone work on an assembly line I'll never understand.

Anyway the set-ups and QA people were always doing things like that.

Straight from the Slick 50 website FAQs:

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>
1). How often should an engine be treated with Slick 50® Engine Treatment?

Slick 50® Engine Treatment can be used at every oil change, every 6 months or once a year.

3). Can Slick 50® Engine Treatment be used in Diesel Engines?

No, for diesel engines you should use our Slick 50® Big Rig Formula.

5). Will Slick 50® Engine Treatment make the engine indestructible to thermal breakdown?

No, Slick 50® Engine Treatment is designed to protect against friction and heat. Slick 50® Engine Treatment cannot be used to repair parts that are at the failing point or any pre-existing problems.

6). After Slick 50® Engine Treatment is installed do I still need to change my oil according to the manufacturer?s specifications?

Yes, Slick 50® is not a replacement for regular scheduled maintenance.

&

Slick 50® Advanced Formula Engine Treatment combines Slick 50® Protection Chemistry with a fully formulated 10W-30 motor oil to provide protection against friction and heat. Slick 50® Advanced Formula Engine Treatment is compatible with all types of motor oil, is safe for all automotive gasoline engines and will not void manufacturers' warranties.

* Contains unique & proprietary Slick 50® Protection Chemistry
* Protects against friction and heat
* Will not cause corrosion of engine components
* Comes with a 50,000 Mile Engine Limited Warranty
<hr></blockquote>

Compared to Quaker States Oil Warranty:

QuakerState 250,000 Mile or 10 Year Limited Warranty



Now why is the oil warranty longer for "plain" Quaker State oil than for a car treated with Slick 50?

I think Quaker State is trying to tell you something with the short limited warranty on Slick 50.

And that FAQ #5 is funny also, they don't really answer the question.

---

Hmmm... QS will warranty your engine parts for far longer if you don't use Slick 50 than if you add a bottle of this junk every 6,000 miles.

Plus they say NOT to use it in a diesel on their website.

[ November 11, 2001: Message edited by: Sun Baked GL ]</p>

Another data point to this tale is that PTFE is the same thing as Teflon (R) which is a Dupont product. Dupont has some pretty decent chemical engineers and they researched the market potential thoroughly. They would not approve using their Teflon tradename if it were applied to engine "lubricants".

If the creators of the molecule wouldn't approve it's application in this field, I think that's saying something.

Well after working on Briggs&Stratton Engines and other's for a long time. I Can only say BS to the no oil running comercials, I have lots of broken rods,busted block's ect ect. To prove engine needs oil i Just sit back and LMAO at slick50 and other snake oil junk

Hmmmm. I ran a 25 year old B&S engine out of oil on my old lawn mower one time. The engine just seized one day while I was mowing. I thought, hmmm, have I checked the oil in this thing the last couple of seasons?

I added some oil, used the 12" Crescent® wrench and broke the engine free. Started it up and away I went. Doesn't say much for the operator, but says a lot about the engine!

What happened to Slick-50?

Hi,

When Slick50 (Petrolon) was bought out by Dupont in 1983 they bought the name but not the formula... which by then had already been changed.

The original formula is still available as Xcelplus: It's active ingredient is not PTFE. It does not harm engines.

Slick50 continued to use the original tests done with the old formula until the FTC settled with them for false advertising ~20 years later. Since then Slick50 have removed the original tests.

You can find all the relevant documents on the Xcelplus website including an interview with John Bishop the inventor of the original formula explaining what happened.

Wow, that's the oldest dead thread resurrection I've ever seen!!

16 years, must be a record. Even my jetta is saying WOW

There are all kinds of claims and theories about additives. My guide to that goes back the fifty-odd years and twenty or so vehicles I've owned, and comes from manufacturer's recommendations. There are very, very few additives that would go on such a list. I've seen dealers stock some additives, but that's a big difference from manufacturers actually recommending them. The only fuel supplement I have ever used in a gas car is Chevron Techron. I have used Opti-Lube and Power Service in our TDI, mostly for a lubricity supplement. I use the PS White in the winter for both lubricity and anti-gel properties. I wouldn't touch a viscosity modifier for engine oil with a ten-foot pole. My response to the ads and claims for oil engine additives is simple: use the correct oil to start with.

It comes down to - if you love your car - put the correct oil in it, without additives. It will keep going longer, with fewer problems (at least related to lubrication).

scooperhsd said:

It comes down to - if you love your car - put the correct oil in it, without additives. It will keep going longer, with fewer problems (at least related to lubrication).

Click to expand...

What scooperhsd said.

The only thing that should ever be added to the high quality diesel rated synthetic oil in your TDI is MORE high quality diesel rated synthetic oil to top the level off if necessary.

Indeed glad to see someone who was banned over a decade ago managed to bring themselves back to relevance from another member!

Wow. Just seeing some of the old names on this thread brings back memories of when I first joined TDI club. Talk about nostalgia.

Life move forward. Time marches on.

And yes- Avoid Slick 50. The only rebuild I had to have done was an 83 rabbit diesel that I used slick 50 on. They advertised that the additive would bond to the inside of the pistons, like some kind of oil shell, but instead these particles seemed to act more like sand paper once they dislodged. Or at least that's how my mechanic explained it to a 17 year old me.