Clean dat baby out!
- Thread starter B192734
- Start date
TWDJ
New member
My dad used to tell me stories like that. I'm not sure that "detergent" was ever the issue. Remember that years ago motor oils were not what they are today ... low and no detergent, leaded fuel, single viscosity (20W and 30W), etc.
ATF was relatively thin and, as the theory goes, would be used to clean out oil passages and carry sludge and the like out to the filter not because of detergent (ATF has none) but because of it's viscosity. Keep in mind, you were not to drive far, if at all, while running ATF as it IS NOT a lubricant!!
All things being equal, I wouldn't think there were any reason to replace your lube oil with ATF for any reason.
ATF was relatively thin and, as the theory goes, would be used to clean out oil passages and carry sludge and the like out to the filter not because of detergent (ATF has none) but because of it's viscosity. Keep in mind, you were not to drive far, if at all, while running ATF as it IS NOT a lubricant!!
All things being equal, I wouldn't think there were any reason to replace your lube oil with ATF for any reason.
TWDJ
New member
I'd have to read the story to see what was being accomplished. I spent a number of years as a gearhead (gaso and diesel) including testing oil for metals due to engine wear and never heard anything in those circles promoting this kind of service.
By adding ATF, you've effectively thinned the oil and removed lubricity.
By adding ATF, you've effectively thinned the oil and removed lubricity.
Utah_jeepster
Super Moderator
Urban myth? TWDJ and B192734 might have answered it but with todays "cleaner types" of oils and detergents already in the mix. I wouldn't think you would need to do this. And with the fact of people changing there oils more often (3000 miles), the chances of getting sludge build up are rare unless your motor is heading down hill already...
I can picture a worn bearing journal and the oil film supporting the crank becomes thinner and its viscosity is compromised due to ATF coming through instead of pure oil.....
I can picture a worn bearing journal and the oil film supporting the crank becomes thinner and its viscosity is compromised due to ATF coming through instead of pure oil.....
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
I've heard of ATF quieting a noisy lifter. If you want to clean your engine sludge right before an oil change, buy an off-the-shelf engine cleaner and follow the instructions.
mud4feet
New member
All else being said, good advice as usual, all I have to add is that's a GREAT word!!!!:lol: :lol:
Saurian
New member
Now, my dad explained this to me... He said that if you put in a quart of ATF with the oil (5 qts. oil, 1 qt. ATF (4.0 L)), for one oil-change cycle, it will quiet lifter noise and such because it goes through and cleans out all the sludge in the oil system, particularly the itty-bitty passages that the oil should be going through 'roundabout the head...
THAT being said, it is not something I have tried, or researched farther than that... It should also be mentioned that IF my dad owned a garage, the motto would be...
Home of the 9,000 Mile Oil Change!!!
Preventative maintanance to vehicles is something that he's really NOT at all inclined to be bothered with. Based on that, I'm *usually* not overly inclined to seek advice regarding anything automotive... He's a smart man, no doubt, but, well... My engine doesn't sound like it's dying a horrible death when I start up the Jeep...
and that's all I have to say about that.
THAT being said, it is not something I have tried, or researched farther than that... It should also be mentioned that IF my dad owned a garage, the motto would be...
Home of the 9,000 Mile Oil Change!!!
Preventative maintanance to vehicles is something that he's really NOT at all inclined to be bothered with. Based on that, I'm *usually* not overly inclined to seek advice regarding anything automotive... He's a smart man, no doubt, but, well... My engine doesn't sound like it's dying a horrible death when I start up the Jeep...
and that's all I have to say about that.
PhattyX
New member
My brother (a mechanic) told me about this years ago. I did it on my first truck. A Toyota Pickup. What I was told (and did) was:
Drain the oil and leave the filter on
Dump a quart of ATF in the engine
Run the engine for 5 minutes
Drain the very nasty ATF out of the engine
Swap the filter, fill it with oil
Make sure you do the next oil change in 3,000 miles
I put another 50,000 on the truck before running into a deer. Man, I miss that truck.
-X
Drain the oil and leave the filter on
Dump a quart of ATF in the engine
Run the engine for 5 minutes
Drain the very nasty ATF out of the engine
Swap the filter, fill it with oil
Make sure you do the next oil change in 3,000 miles
I put another 50,000 on the truck before running into a deer. Man, I miss that truck.
-X
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Wow! I'd be leary about running an engine with only a quart of oil in it, much less only a quart of ATF!
On the other hand, I have heard from several mechanics (old time guys with street smarts, not the newer "book smart" kind) that this used to be common practice to clean up sludge. There are two ways to do it. First is to drain all the oil, add the proper amount of ATF (however much oil the engine takes), run the engine for 5 minutes, then drain it out, replace the filter, and refill with oil. Next oil change should be within 1500 miles, after that back to the usual schedule. The other method is similar, but you only drain out one quart of oil and add one quart of ATF, then run for 5 minutes and do the same as the first method to complete the task.
They also recommend pouring ATF down a carb to clean out the carb, intake manifold, valve seats, etc. You have to be careful doing this. Just dribble it in slowly, and you'll have to keep the RPM's up to keep from killing the motor. DO THIS OUTSIDE!!! It makes a TON of thick white smoke! I've done it before, and yes, it works!
slo-wrench44
New member
i dont know . atf down the carb... sounds like a fouled plug in the makeing. why would someone do this? you could just go buy a can of seafoam and spray that in knowing its made to do wht you want it to do. i am a self taught gear head with both book smarts and tried and true practical know how. i do know that ATF is automatic transmission fluid. thats where it should go. thats probly where it is belongs . my own thoughts on that. you want to clean the carb. live a lil and disassemble it and learn how to clean it. dont think you can do it on your own? have a buddie who can hang out and watch you. if all else fails spend $50 and have a carb shop put it back togeather and tune it. you wont know untill you try. i tried my first carb when i was 14 yrs old. my dad still has it on his pickup truck.he had to clean it once since. it took me 5 days to stumble through it the first time and now it takes a few hours. but it was worth 5 days to learn how to do it on my own and has saved me alot of money and made me a few bucks too. just my opinion. take it or leave it .
slo-wrench44
New member
by the way i am not talking down on anyone or trying to insult anyone. just thinking that i have seen quite a few old wives tales turn a perfectly good engin turn into an expencive paper weight. i would like to try to prevent that type of thing when i see it. once again not insulting anyone's inteligence. just saying i wouldnt try some of the stuff done by some guy 30 yrs ago.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Yeah, but the smoke looks soooo coooool!!!!!!!:lol: Seriously, I understand where you're coming from, but I also know that a lot of those "old timer" mechanics from 30 years ago know their chit. You're just as likely to foul a plug with Sea Foam as you are with ATF...you just gotta keep the RPM's up when ya do it, and you're not dumping a ton of it in, just a dribble of it.
One of these days I'll learn how to tear down a carb, but to be honest, I haven't owned a carbed vehicle in years.:???:
B192734
New member
On the other hand though, sometimes the things that the guys did 30 years ago are better working that the stuff now. Given, we have a lot more sensitive computerized equipment under the hood. I guess just take everything with a grain of salt, accepting that maybe it worked back then, and maybe it'll kill your "new-fangled" motor if you were to do it now. It is interesting to see the difference in how people did things though. One guy being purist about their engine, and another saying "I don't know, just dump it in and we'll see". That must be how we learn new techniques...and which ones we shouldn't use...
droopey
New member
The old trick I was taught by my dad who was taught by his mechanic friends were to rev up the engine, pour very slowly water down the carburetor to clean the valves and such, then to use the ATF to relubricate valve guides and such. Tried it on a car of mine that was running terrible and it made a big difference after i did it.
TWDJ
New member
OUCH!! Sparky-Watts ... 30 years ago OLD-TIMERS?! 30 years ago I was 19 and working in a service station learning the ropes. Managed them for a couple of years when there was more vacuum hoses connecting sensors than you could follow. I guess that makes ME an old-timer. :lol:
Here was another one I learned from my dad, who was the greatest "shade tree" mechanic of all time. Remember, this was in the time of leaded fuel, carburetors and ignition timing you could actually CHANGE!!
If you spent too much time putting around town, you could get a carbon build-up on the piston tops. After a short drive around town when you'd turn off the engine, the engine would keep running ... sorta. It would buck, clank, belch and kick like a mule. It was called "dieseling". The cure? Get the engine warm, revved to a high idle and SSLLLOOOOWWWLLLYYY pour a cup of water down the card. The water would not vaporize so the molecules would actually blast the carbon off the pistons. Worked every time.
Here was another one I learned from my dad, who was the greatest "shade tree" mechanic of all time. Remember, this was in the time of leaded fuel, carburetors and ignition timing you could actually CHANGE!!
If you spent too much time putting around town, you could get a carbon build-up on the piston tops. After a short drive around town when you'd turn off the engine, the engine would keep running ... sorta. It would buck, clank, belch and kick like a mule. It was called "dieseling". The cure? Get the engine warm, revved to a high idle and SSLLLOOOOWWWLLLYYY pour a cup of water down the card. The water would not vaporize so the molecules would actually blast the carbon off the pistons. Worked every time.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Well, 30 years ago, I was 12, so you're still an old timer to me!:lol: :lol:
I've read this thread. Thirty years ago i was 38. No one on here is an old timer to me. By the way I'm working my way through the entire history of threads on this forum to learn as much as I can about CRD air congestion issues. That's why I read this thread.
Here's one for y'all if you want a "how to clean it" story. Back when I was a kid, about a zillion years ago, my daddy had a service station after "the War." Some one said it right when he said there was no detergent oil, and only single viscosity oil. I remember filling the glass quart oil jars from a 55 gallon oil drum so the jars were displayed in a rack at the pump island. I also filled the glass pint or quart anti-freeze container in the winter from a 55 gallon drum. Anti-freeze was ethanol in those days and wasn't displayed but was only sold from galvanized pitchers kept handy for the occasion. Both drums were in saddles so they were tipped sideways with a spigot in one of the bung holes.
OK. So much for a history lesson on old service station methods and merchandise.
Here's the cleaning story. Drain all of the oil, remove and change the filter, fill crank case with kerosene and run at high idle for 10 to 15 minutes. That was done in the days when Kero was 15 cents per gallon and leaded gasoline was about 20 cents per gallon. Drain the Kero, change the filter and refill with oil. Change again at 1000 miles just as you normally would in those days of no detergent, single viscosity oil. Oh, and no one changed the filter with each oil change. They did it every third change. Any wonder why engines with more than 80,000 miles were thought to be unusual?
Here's one for y'all if you want a "how to clean it" story. Back when I was a kid, about a zillion years ago, my daddy had a service station after "the War." Some one said it right when he said there was no detergent oil, and only single viscosity oil. I remember filling the glass quart oil jars from a 55 gallon oil drum so the jars were displayed in a rack at the pump island. I also filled the glass pint or quart anti-freeze container in the winter from a 55 gallon drum. Anti-freeze was ethanol in those days and wasn't displayed but was only sold from galvanized pitchers kept handy for the occasion. Both drums were in saddles so they were tipped sideways with a spigot in one of the bung holes.
OK. So much for a history lesson on old service station methods and merchandise.
Here's the cleaning story. Drain all of the oil, remove and change the filter, fill crank case with kerosene and run at high idle for 10 to 15 minutes. That was done in the days when Kero was 15 cents per gallon and leaded gasoline was about 20 cents per gallon. Drain the Kero, change the filter and refill with oil. Change again at 1000 miles just as you normally would in those days of no detergent, single viscosity oil. Oh, and no one changed the filter with each oil change. They did it every third change. Any wonder why engines with more than 80,000 miles were thought to be unusual?
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Kerosene at high idle for 10-15 minutes sounds like spun bearings to me.
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