Marvel Mystery Oil

[John Berger]

Is it real or imaginery?

How many of you read Robert Patton's article on Premium Diesel fuel and aftermarket additives in Issue 36 of the TDR? I've used Power Service & Howe's mainly for cleaning the injectors. There was no mention of this as a requirement that must be met by the makers of diesel fuel additives. If the Cetane boost claims by the additive manufacturers are bogus, what about the claims they make about cleaning the injectors? I'm beginning to smell snake oil here. Has anyone ever read of a study of the contents of MMO? I thought about using this stuff, but now I don't know whether it would be worth the money.

 

[stseeber]

Just another . 02cents worth on MMO. My dad was in the automotive repair business for 40yrs and swore by it. They used to have drip kits for all the old flatheads. Anyway I would add different fuel additives periodically during my 1st 100k and never could get my 99auto 2500 over 20mpg. At 100k I decided to start using MMO after reading on it that it was among many things a diesel fuel additive. Right away I noticed a 1-2 mpg increase. So now I just carry it in back of truck in a handy place to squirt some in at every fuel up. I never let tank get under half due to lift pump pulling instead of pushing. Stock 99 2500 auto with 125k. Steve in N/ca.

 

[Pit Bull]

Wonder why they named it Marvel Mystery oil? Interesting what we will do to take care of these trucks

 

[Ncostello]

According to this, we need to do something...

http://usapc. army. mil/miscellaneous/Lubricity. doc



Kinda makes diesel look awfully dry.

 

[illflem]

What I know about MMO and why I don't use it

I think it's called mystery oil because no one knows what's in it and the company won't say. The stuff has been around for a long time and was very popular with military aircraft in the late '40s, you would see 55 Ga. drums of it at most airfields. I've heard it's use was banned in aircraft just because they wouldn't say what's in it. The way it works, MMO goes through the fuel system as a droplet, broken up like the fuel. When it enters the combustion chamber and ignites, it is vaporized and soaks into the carbon buildup on combustion chamber walls, valve guides and around the valve stem. It soaks into the carbon and eventually loosens it up and it goes out the exhaust system. It is highly detergent and is more of a solvent than a lubricant. Anything it contacts becomes extremely clean, works great as a parts cleaner. It can play he!l with an older rig that has never used it by loosening more deposits than the engine can eliminate and uncovering deposit sealed leaks. It definitely doesn't have the lubricity or anti-gel properties of a made for diesel fuel treatment.

I will neither recommend or not recommend MMO. I do know it will help when lifters start to be lazy and not do their job. When valves are beginning to stick, it will free them up. Some people swear by it, some people swear at it.

 

[redramnc]

Bill,

What you said makes alot of sense as far as the outcome when I have used it over the years. After reading the article linked above I now wonder if MMO is appropriate for use as a diesel fuel additive. In gas motors where fuel lubricity is not the issue it is with our injection pumps I can see its benefits. I have always thought that MMO in the oil would find its way past the valve seals and oil control rings and help clean up the combustion chambers that way.



The last thing any of us wants is to shorten the life span of our lift pumps and injection pumps.



Anybody know if lead additives like Bardahl's Instead-of-Lead do any good (or harm) to the pumps?

 

[E7mack96]

I have two large bottles of "Real Lead" that was produced before it was banned. Would that help with the lubricity issues??



I don't know of anyone using it as a diesel additive. The bottles have been in my garage for 15+ years.



Should I try it??

 

[Ncostello]

I'm not positive but I was under the impression that sulfur was the element missing in lubricity, not lead. I thought lead only basically cushioned valve seats in gassers.



A power plant down the road is replacing their sulfur injection for the coal burning system. They have about 3000 gallons of molten sulfur in a tank that has to be removed. Once the steam heat is gone, it hardens. Maybe I can make small pellets out of it and throw one in the tank to dissolve. I just wonder if that would actually work for lubricity..... I thought this was going to be funny at first but now I am really wondering. Need to call my buddy who is a chemical engineer.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Call me crazy but why not just run a product that is specifically made to add lubricity to diesel fuel? I run stanadyne performance formula personally.

 

[Ncostello]

Thats what I run too Steve...



Stanadyne Performance Formula in a Cat 3208 and an ISC 8. 3... and now in a Dodge 24V too. It has always worked great especially in the 3208. Stopped it from puffing a little white smoke on startup too. I started using it especially for cold weather operation. Now I just use it all year round.

 

[curatchko]

Where do ya get the stanadyne??

 

[Ncostello]

I buy it at Schied Diesel Service by the case. 1/2 bottle to the fillup is what I use. About 5$ per bottle. Kinda makes buying diesel expensive.

 

[illflem]

before you add sulfur

Originally posted by Ncostello

I'm not positive but I was under the impression that sulfur was the element missing in lubricity, not lead. I thought lead only basically cushioned valve seats in gassers.

Removing the sulfur itself isn't the problem, your engine doesn't need sulfur. The problem is the process that removes sulfur also removes lubricity. The refiners have said that when they remove sulfur/lubricity that they have been adding back the lubricity, it's just in another form. The early lubricity additive they used wasn't compatible with some rubber parts (o-rings etc) and caused a lot of problems. Things are supposedly squared away now and ultra low sulfur fuel can be run safely in modern diesel engines.

 

[slo-ryde]

Originally posted by Steve St. Laurent

Call me crazy

Okay, you're crazy!



Just kidding!

 

[badams1]

The Marvel Mystery Oil GUY

I conversed with the chemist, R. Kelly about the MMO's special abilities and he was very cordial with his information. They are owned by The Turtle Wax Co. and are considered to be a small oil subsidiary/ additive product line. The original(since 1927, I think), secret formula was changed in 1974 to conform to new EPA regs. ,protecting catalytic converters. He claimed that the product actually improved with the change. There is a well known claim that piston engined aircraft owners use MMO in their fuels. There are no benefit claims by MMO or recommendations due to FFA regs so this is just hear say. There is an FFA approved fuel additive that is very expensive as you can imagine that is primarily mineral oil but I can't remember where I heard that from. The product is what it claims to be on the bottle and that is as formal as it gets, other than testimony. When sulfur was reduced substantially in diesel fuel by the EPA there became a fuel lubrication issue that was addressed by many people and diesel manufacturing companies that actually recommended MMO (I think!), as an additive that may help. There is a new synthetic formula possible on the horizon maybe, but I am not sure. I seem to remember a Massey Ferg. mechanic recommend it to me so I have been using it ever since.

 

[The patriot]

I put 4 oz of MMO in this last fill up, which was 25 gallons.

It SEEMS as though the MPG's went up, and it definetly is quieter, even though I'm currently running (high sulphur)red on a long term test.

I noticed an improvement when I went to this fuel from regular ol pump fuel, and the MMO seems to have made made this (supposidly) hi lubricity fuel even better.

Oh BTW it does smoke more now too.

Eric

 

[badams1]

The MMO guy again

Ok! I went out and bought several of these products that we are all talking about, yes even the synthetic two cycle pennzoil. Everyone of these products claims to lubricate but when I poured a little PS in a coffee can I found out that the Powerservice would dissolve RTV. It really appears to be a solvent that is very harsh. Not what I would call a lubricant. You would not want to get this stuff on your skin if you know what I mean. It also smells very flammable. Not being an expert I would say that this is intended for low temperature starting and maybe a cetane boost but I read the same TDR article in issue 36, as you all did. The MMO smells like winter green and looks like an oil of some kind but the MMO chemist just would not cough up whats in it. It's a mystery? I emailed Pennzoil and asked what if I added some undetermined amount of the synthetic two cycle oil to #2 diesel fuel and if it would be applicable to increase lubrication and not cause any other problems because that interested me. No answer yet. I will probably get told to use Shell DFA because they were just purchased by Shell. They may be right! Anyway lubrication to the fuel pumps is what we are after but not at the cost of damaging our beloved Cummins powered trucks. The MMO does make more black smoke, I noticed it to. Keep talking guys.

 

[illflem]

Which Power Service did you use? The 9-1-1 PS is a whole different animal and should only be used in emergencies. It will definitely wreck your pump. The main ingredient in most diesel additives, 90%+ of the volume, is just kerosene.

 

[Whitmore]

I have never sean MMO in my life but I bet we could get some info from a M. S. D. S. sheet (material safety data sheet) it is required by law that a msds be present with a certain quantity . It should show weather flammable, combustable, flash point, boil point , freeze point, vapor density... ... ... . things like that... ... Kevin

 

[illflem]

Here's the MSDS http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msds/msdsdod/a214/m106642.htm

I think N/P means none provided



Ingredients: HYDROTREATED LIGHT DISTILLATE, PETROLEUM; C12-C15 ISOPARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS, SOLVENT-DEWAXED HEAVY NAPHTHENIC, MINERAL OIL, PETROLEUM DISTILLATES, SOLVENT-REFINED HEAVY NAPHTHENIC DISTILLATE

Doesn't give percentages though, just says each one is under 67%