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ATF in the engine?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Billyboy
  • Start date Start date
B

Billyboy

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A friend of mine suggested adding a half a litre of ATF to an engine and running if for about 15 minutes prior to changing the oil. The idea being that it cleans up a lot of the gunk in older engines.

Is this a good idea in a GS? Will it hurt anything? How will it affect the clutch?

I did this in my old pick-up and it seemed to work good.
 
Yep,
ATF, kerosene, diesel fuel all works well for cleaning oil passages. No harm, less fouling......:-D
 
On the GoldWing forum that I also visit frequently, many riders there recommend ATF or Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) in the gas tank every so often. Most add 3-4 ounces about every other tank to help keep the fuel system clean. Same recommendations are for SeaFoam (if you can find it).


.
 
When I got my "new" GoldWing, I was given the same advise. And I quote:

  1. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]While the engine is warm, drain the oil. [/SIZE][/FONT]
  2. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Replace oil filter. [/SIZE][/FONT]
  3. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Fill crankcase with a 50/50 mix of cheap 30W and Dexron auto transmission fluid. [/SIZE][/FONT]
  4. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Start engine and run for 20 minutes at 3500 - 4000 rpms on the center stand...DO NOT RIDE with this mixture in crankcase...any loading might damage your engine. This will clean your engine internals and free-up rings. Don't be alarmed...your engine may SMOKE quite a bit with this mixture! [/SIZE][/FONT]
I did it, it did smoke, and the mixture came out black, so I assume it did the job.
 
Hey Bill,
Don't see much sense in doing that unless there is a problem and you are hoping for a miracle cure so the engine doesn't have to be torn down. You might want to try it on your new $20 dollar bike (put some on the chain too) but if you've looked after the one you've got why bother? Modern engine oils have great detergent qualities. ATF is for transmissions. Ask the local dealership? Is it recommended by the manufacturer? This sort of practice is just a folk-wisdom solution to a non-existent problem.
dave
 
I don't know why you couldn't, but the question is, what is prompting your desire too?

Just to "Do it?" or because someone said so/

We used to do it to 4 cyl Rustangs we would pick up with low oil pressure.
boom oil pressure would come back and we would turn the cars.

It is not some wishfull thinking on whether or not it works.
Because I can assure you, it does indeed clean motors out, but whether or not it "Needs" it is more the point~

Been doing it to all kinds of vehicles for the last 20+ years.
NOT a CURE - ALL by any means/ but does help determine the condition or the motor, oil pump, etc etc/
 
The only reason I was gonna do it is because I didn't change my oil right away before I started riding it this year. I've only put about 200km on it, but the oil is black and nasty. I wanted to get all the crud out.

I just changed the oil. I did top up the oil with ATF, but only about 200ml. I ran it for a few minutes and then changed it.
 
I'd just switch to regular oil changes with a good quality oil, and let the detergent qualities of the oil slowly work their magic with your usual motoring. Myself, I wouldn't run ATF through an engine. :-|
 
I have ran kero and atf (1/2 qt atf/kero to 5 qts oil) in vehicles with no adverse effects, we used to use it as an oil thinner in low temps although kero/#1 fuel oil does evaporate fairly quickly in an engine. when using it just use you head because it is a low viscosity oil. atf is also a high detergent oil.
 
ccs said:
I've put 1/2 can of seafoam into the gas tank, but put it into the oil?
Are you sure?
TIA.
Charles...
Click to expand...
Although I have never done it, I belong to an fbody (Camaro/Firebird) forum where a thread recommends exactly that. If the oil comes out black, it states that crud has been cleaned out of your oil passages.
 
Marvel mistery oil was recommended by the Suzuki factory service rep when a customer with a Cavalcade had a loud lifter ticking in it. Fixed it.
 
Billyboy said:
A friend of mine suggested adding a half a litre of ATF to an engine and running if for about 15 minutes prior to changing the oil. The idea being that it cleans up a lot of the gunk in older engines.

Is this a good idea in a GS? Will it hurt anything? How will it affect the clutch?

I did this in my old pick-up and it seemed to work good.
Click to expand...


Lots of people suggest silver-bullets for all kinds of imagined problems. Your engine will be just fine only using the grade and viscosity of oil. Will adding ATF affect your clutch......maybe not.......but it wasn't designed to run in that so why experiment on yourself? An air cooled bike engine generally doesn't accumulate significant "gunk" anyway with regular servicing and good operation.
 
If the oil comes out black, it states that crud has been cleaned out of your oil passages.
Click to expand...
The fact is that with the good quality oils we have these days (and yep, that includes the 'el cheapo' oils) there isn't much gunk that can build up in our engines. A bit of 'varnish' or whatever won't hurt anything. It certainly won't block up oil passages. A far greater threat are beads of silicone from using too much on the gaskets, etc. which then travel through the system and block oil passages.

But I wouldn't run ATF in an engine to clear up imaginary problems, as sparkss suggests.
 
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