Marvel Mystery Oil

[Guest straight shooter]

Do any of you use Marvel Mystery Oil in your cars. Most people nowadays do not even know what it is but a few old timers that I have meet throughout the years have sworn by it.

[cahartley]

Scroll down this page and look for "Similar Threads"........there's been LOTS of discussion about this.

[Guest straight shooter]

Thanks

[Guest cben09]

local hardware store carries 1 gal cans,,

here in Southern Maine,,Ben

[Guest AlCapone]

Walmart has it in quarts for about $4.50. I put about 4 ounces in every tankful of gasoline. My mechanic says it is the best protection money can buy. Wayne

[cahartley]

Some swear BY MMO and some swear at it calling it a waste.......and more....... :eek:

I swear BY it and my mechanics recommend it too.

[Dave@Moon]

I've got three cans in my garage and I haven't been attacked by a yetti in months!

Actually, the stuff is about the closest thing you can buy today to the oils that were sold for use inside S.U., Stromberg, and Solex carburetors. It does a good job of damping the needle without overdoing it and making their response sluggish.

[bhambulldog]

I add four ounces to every tankful on the Roadmaster. It might be the reason I've never had vapor lock, even in 90+ degree summertime driving.

It helps lube and keep the valves cool, something the lead free gas does not do, Especially flat head engines and the Buick nailhead engine that can't have the valve seats hardened.

Dad swore by the stuff. He had a 1940 Cadillac that had a Marvel Mystery Oiler on the firewall. It fed MMO into the intake.

I also add some to the crankcase a few miles before each oil change.

I get mine at NAPA. The new bottles don't have instructions on them.

Go to the website http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/

Edited November 10, 2014 by bhambulldog (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

We neither recommend nor recommend against use of any additives. We do what the customer wants. I do have to point out that 4 oz of MMO in 20 gallons (2560 oz) of fuel works out to 1 oz of MMO/640 oz of fuel or 1/100 oz/6.4 oz of fuel. Basically 1 drop in a teacup. In my mind it is difficult to understand how it can have the effects ascribed to it.

Edited November 10, 2014 by R W Burgess (see edit history)

[bhambulldog]

I understand your point

But, there's no denying that MMO smells good

[60FlatTop]

If it makes you feel good use it. The better one feels, the better the stories. And it is magic, you know, with a real neat label.

Bernie

Edited November 10, 2014 by R W Burgess (see edit history)

[R W Burgess]

Let's not get into politics again guys. We all should be sick of politics for one year.

[Lahti35]

I understand your point

But, there's no denying that MMO smells good

It does, don't it! To bad it doesn't make the exhaust smell like wintergreen, that would be something. I'll just have to be content running it under my nose once or twice everytime I crack a can open.

I will say that the fun factor decreased when they went to a plastic bottle instead of the metal can. Now I have to top up my used metal can from the plastic bottles I buy to keep everything kosher in the garage.

[Guest BillP]

I put a healthy squirt in the inlet of my air tools before using.

[Richard Lichtfel]

I put a healthy squirt in the inlet of my air tools before using.

Original mixture: 1 1/2 gallon ice machine oil---10 ounces synthetic oil of wintergreen---4 ounces technical chloroform--1 gal. kerosene--8 ounces carbon tettrachlorid

1/2 teas. red oil dye.

From Ketcham's automotive handbook.

[Marty Roth]

The "OLD" directions were to add 4 oz of MMO per every 10 gallons of gas. I still follow that guideline for my cars since I don't know the long term effects of no-lead ethanol (corn) gas. If it costs me a few bucks for the amount of driving I do, well I guess I might have wasted that on having pie and coffee a few times, or buying raffle tickets for a charity which gains more than I will lose. I believe that it doesn't hurt the car and MAY do some good. If it does not help,then at least I feel better about it. I usually but it by the gallon and repackage to travel cross-country with plastic quart bottles.

We drove our 1941 Cadillac more than 3,000 miles between Labor Day and Halloween, using Marvel Mystery Oil, Alemite CD-2's lead substitute, and Star-Tron (for the ethanol gas problems and for long-term storage). The car ran great, and is still doing so. A few years ago I left the gas tank of our 1988 BMW 528e with only ethanol gas and I'm still paying the price with having to replace the tank, fuel rail, injectors, etc -- very expensive.

My Dad always said that on ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure......

[X-Frame]

I always like Rislone Oil Treatment myself. This was after purchasing a 1963 Imperial LeBaron in the early 1980s (20-years old) and upon opening up the valve covers to replace a gasket it was just as clean as the day it was built because the owner (original owner I purchased from) changed the oil every 3,000 miles and used Rislone every time too.

[Guest sixball]

I use it for lots of things around the shop as well as in engines. Most recently I poured a good bit into each cylinder of my stuck Essex 4. Two days later it was free. Probably several other products would have done the same thing but they don't have "Mystery" in their name.:cool:

[bhambulldog]

If you don't believe, it won't work for you....

[Restorer32]

I always wondered, does Placebo come in different strengths and is there a generic version?

[TexasJohn55]

I always wondered, does Placebo come in different strengths and is there a generic version?

Yes there is a generic but buy the original, the more you pay for it, the better it works. That is just the nature of the product.

[Spinneyhill]

Original mixture: 1 1/2 gallon ice machine oil---10 ounces synthetic oil of wintergreen---4 ounces technical chloroform--1 gal. kerosene--8 ounces carbon tettrachlorid

1/2 teas. red oil dye.

From Ketcham's automotive handbook.

I was told years ago by a conservator/restorer that oil of wintergreen - methylsalicylic acid or methyl sour - is the best penetrating oil there is. It also makes your work smell nice and clears the sinuses while you are on the job.

No wonder people like it. Chloroform is an anaesthetic and highly volatile! Calms your troubled mind before putting you to sleep.

Take care using this stuff. Carbon tetrachloride used to be used in dry cleaning. It is highly carcenogenic. This will be where the purported cleaning action comes from, perhaps.

When we were put onto unleaded high octane fuel (no ethanol yet) I ran kero about 1 to 20 in my 1930 Dodge for a while. After a while I couldn't be bothered and noticed no differencee without it. After all, unleaded fuel was all there was in 1930. I also tried a lead additive - the spark plugs lasted 1000 miles and then failed. Pretty much all of them at once. So no more additives.

If I plan on leaving it for a while, I squirt some Shell Ensis into the carb. before shutting it down. Ensis has very high surface tension and wicks its way into small spaces. No stuck valves with Ensis. An aero museum in Christchurch inhibits the aircraft engines with Ensis. The only down side is the smoke.

[Rusty_OToole]

We neither recommend nor recommend against use of any additives. We do what the customer wants. I do have to point out that 4 oz of MMO in 20 gallons (2560 oz) of fuel works out to 1 oz of MMO/640 oz of fuel or 1/100 oz/6.4 oz of fuel. Basically 1 drop in a teacup. In my mind it is difficult to understand how it can have the effects ascribed to it.

Lots of 2 stroke engines run on 50:1 gas oil mix. If that is enough to do all the lubrication of a 2 stroke engine, I don't see why 640:1 wouldn't have some slight effect.

[HarryLime]

And don't forget......"one half of one GREEN M&M." per tank full.

[DAVID BABCOCK]

IVE BEEN USING MARVEL MYSTERY OIL MIXED WITH KEROSENE IN MY SHOP FOR YEARS FOR PENETRATING OIL WITH GOOD RESULTS. DB.

[bhambulldog]

Let's not get into politics again guys. We all should be sick of politics for one year.

Did someone do that?

I guess, the offending post was deleted?

[R W Burgess]

I guess, the offending post was deleted?

Yes, deleted!

[ted sweet]

worthless snake oil

[TexasJohn55]

worthless snake oil

Snake oil? So that's why they don't squeak and are so slippery.

[cahartley]

^I've been waiting for the snake oil response.......took longer than I figured.......

[Guest prs519]

Back in the day, I remember hearing from multiple sources that mmo cured stuck lifters. Does anybody know if the formula given is still the one used, more or less? I suspect they have at least removed the Carbon tet and the formaldeyde. I believe these were shown to result in the sterility of a great many navy veterans. The navy, I am told, used copious amounts of it for cleaning purposes. In texture, it seems much similar to the consensus about the best penetrating oil. (discussed at length on this forum), i.e., rubbing it in ones fingers, the mmo reminds me of the ATF and acetone mix which the members of this forum agreed was/is the ultimate penetrating oil. I also recall some saying that mmo works well for unsticking stuck valves, when added to the gasoline in small quantities.

[Guest AlCapone]

And don't forget......"one half of one GREEN M&M." per tank full.

I don't understand, please explain !

Wayne

[capngrog]

And don't forget......"one half of one GREEN M&M." per tank full.

Oh my, now you've done it! You've revealed the formula for the emergency rations for the crew of the Mother Ship! There's no turnin' back now.

Aghast,

Grog

[bhambulldog]

Back in the day, I remember hearing from multiple sources that mmo cured stuck lifters. Does anybody know if the formula given is still the one used, more or less? I suspect they have at least removed the Carbon tet and the formaldeyde. I believe these were shown to result in the sterility of a great many navy veterans. The navy, I am told, used copious amounts of it for cleaning purposes. In texture, it seems much similar to the consensus about the best penetrating oil. (discussed at length on this forum), i.e., rubbing it in ones fingers, the mmo reminds me of the ATF and acetone mix which the members of this forum agreed was/is the ultimate penetrating oil. I also recall some saying that mmo works well for unsticking stuck valves, when added to the gasoline in small quantities.

I have used MMO to un-stick lifters. I poured MMO straight into the quadrajet of an an Olds 455. The lifer came un-stuck. And the Olds laid a smoke screen big enough to hide a Battleship.

Along with you, I have to believe the Carbon Tetrachloride is no longer used.

The owner's manual for 1936 Buicks suggests Carbon Tetrachloride for the removal of stains on the interior fabrics...

Edited November 11, 2014 by bhambulldog (see edit history)

[Guest BillP]

PRS 519 says, "The navy, I am told, used copious amounts of it for cleaning purposes."

I was on the Enterprise in Vietnam. Only 3 chemicals were used on that ship. Jet fuel, Brasso and Coffee.

PRS 519 says, "I believe these were shown to result in the sterility of a great many navy veterans."

I have three sons and four grand-daughters. Now maybe that's because we had no MMO on the Big E.

[Jim Bollman]

Put me in the MM corner. I try to put some in my F1 and 8N every few tank fulls. When I run out or forget the 8N sometimes gets a valve sticking, I add a dose run it a little while and shut it off and let it sit overnight and no more stuck valve. Done this several times. Also a believer in Seafoam, it has fixed several carb problems.

By the way a mix of 50:50 MM and Kerosine works great to soak stuck engines and free up stuck rings in engines that have sat a long time.

[Guest prs519]

PRS 519 says, "The navy, I am told, used copious amounts of it for cleaning purposes."

I was on the Enterprise in Vietnam. Only 3 chemicals were used on that ship. Jet fuel, Brasso and Coffee.

PRS 519 says, "I believe these were shown to result in the sterility of a great many navy veterans."

I have three sons and four grand-daughters. Now maybe that's because we had no MMO on the Big E.

Thanks for the smile, but I think my musings were relevant to World War two

vintage memories (before my time). I believe there really was much sterility among navy personnel who cleaned with carbon tet during the

big war.

Perry

[Restorer32]

Uhhhhh....the biggest baby boom in US history was immediately after WWII. Carbon Tet was implicated in bladder and kidney cancer I believe, not sterility.

[Skylark4367]

When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s my father used it on the recommendation of a trusted mechanic. I still use it today and have a trusted mechanic who recommends it. We had a 2001 Chevy Venture that had a transmission problem when it was 8 years old - the transmission would buck and jerk after we put the car in drive. The mechanic said to pour Marvel Mystery Oil in with the transmission fluid. The transmission never bucked or jerked after that. We avoided an expensive repair.

You can't put MMO in the gas tank if you have a catalytic converter. In my antique cars I always put a pint of MMO in at each oil change and four ounces in the gas at each fill up. It's worked well for me for many years. I think the best thing about MMO is that it aids in lubrication and reduces wear.

[bhambulldog]

When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s my father used it on the recommendation of a trusted mechanic. I still use it today and have a trusted mechanic who recommends it. We had a 2001 Chevy Venture that had a transmission problem when it was 8 years old - the transmission would buck and jerk after we put the car in drive. The mechanic said to pour Marvel Mystery Oil in with the transmission fluid. The transmission never bucked or jerked after that. We avoided an expensive repair.

You can't put MMO in the gas tank if you have a catalytic converter. In my antique cars I always put a pint of MMO in at each oil change and four ounces in the gas at each fill up. It's worked well for me for many years. I think the best thing about MMO is that it aids in lubrication and reduces wear.

says MMO; "Not so!"

http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/index.php/site/faq/

F.A.Q

ADDING MARVEL MYSTERY OIL® TO FUEL

Is Marvel Mystery Oil® safe to use in today’s “high-tech” cars?

Yes! Marvel Mystery Oil is completely safe in today’s high-tech cars and provide the same benefits as it has since 1923-cleaner engines, upper cylinder lubrication, reduced acid and sludge build up, improved fuel economy, clean and lubricated fuel systems and many more!

Yes! Marvel Mystery Oil is completely safe in today’s high-tech cars and provide the same benefits as it has since 1923-cleaner engines, upper cylinder lubrication, reduced acid and sludge build up, improved fuel economy, clean and lubricated fuel systems and many more!

I use MMO in my 2003 Dodge Durango