ATF Added To Engine Oil...Why?

[HammerDown]

Question...

What's the deal with adding ATF to the motor oil...especially if the oil is regularly changed?
How much do you add?
How long do you run it before dumping it?
Is there any harm or dangers of doing the above?

At times and sometimes for a few days (comes and goes) I have something rapping, not sure if it's an injector/fuel knock or a lazy lifter.

 

[franklin2]

ATF is high in detergents, so it can break loose crud that clogs lifters. They make stuff in the store that does the same or better. I have had good luck with Rislone. Be careful though, if you have a very dirty engine, it will knock a lot of stuff loose and it can clog the oil pickup screen.

 

[icanfixall]

The above is true. Whats the miles on your engine. Auto RX is expensive but it cleans up the internal engines slowly and safely.

 

[HammerDown]

The above is true. Whats the miles on your engine. Auto RX is expensive but it cleans up the internal engines slowly and safely.

Mileage is 205,000
Few years ago when replacing valve cover gaskets, inside was clean, zero crud, buildup or burnt oil residue.

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[FarmerFrank]

So like a quart or two quarts to add? My 6.9 burns a ton of oil so it probably wouldn't matter what I add, it'll just eat it anyway

 

[chris142]

Up to the mid 60's engine oils didnt have much if any detergents. Atf had more than oil did so people added atf to clean dirty engines. Todays atf has little if any detergents and adding atf to todays oil just dilutes the addatives in the oil and thins the oil out.

So your not doing yourself any favors adding atf to any oil made after the 60's. If you feel like you need to add a cleaner to your oil there are better choices than atf

 

[opusd2]

The only place I put ATF is in the fuel tank for a bit of cleaning.

But back in 86 when I resurrected my mom's old 68 Chevelle with 327/PG, my dad had my put ATF in the oil in the engine AND fuel tank. Cleaned things right up and the engine was ready to peel off the lugs on the snow tires out back. Nothing happier than a 16 year old with a fast Chevelle for his first ride.

(Needless to say, my Dad sold me his 73 F100 Highboy 4x4 with FE360 and 4 speed before winter. I think he knew how fast I was getting home from school.)

 

[trackspeeder]

Mileage is 205,000
Few years ago when replacing valve cover gaskets, inside was clean, zero crud, buildup or burnt oil residue.

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I wouldn't add anything to this engine.

 

[trackspeeder]

Up to the mid 60's engine oils didnt have much if any detergents. Atf had more than oil did so people added atf to clean dirty engines. Todays atf has little if any detergents and adding atf to todays oil just dilutes the addatives in the oil and thins the oil out.

So your not doing yourself any favors adding atf to any oil made after the 60's. If you feel like you need to add a cleaner to your oil there are better choices than atf

ATF is loaded with detergents. This is one of the reasons auto trannys are living much longer.

 

[chris142]

ATF is loaded with detergents. This is one of the reasons auto trannys are living much longer.

Actully its not. Its not designed to deal with combustion by products either. You can check out atf spects at bob is the oil guy. Maybe the old type a fluid had more detergents than todays atf fluids. Type a is what the old timers were using.

 

[79jasper]

I don't trust B.I.T.O.G.
Personally I've used atf in a v6 Chevy, seen some dark stuff come out, not metal.

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[icanfixall]

So we have some different opinions shared here. I have some reading to do.. As for the looks of the engine posted about. I may concur with not adding anything to that engine. At 205,000 miles and looking that clean inside I can't see any problems. But not knowing if the lifters are needle bearing or bushing bearing can change lots too. I recall this engine was having difficultys with injecters from Pensacola along with bad pumps from same company. Without actually hearing the noise I really can't say what it is but an injecter makes me think it might be the issue.

 

[79jasper]

I will agree with gary on that engine looking real clean.

Does it have much blow by?

I've used mmo also.
Heard risoline is good.
Used seafoam. Berrymans b-12.
With seafoam or berrymans b-12, I put half in the tank, half in the engine. But that's on 5 quart gassers.
When I did aft, I used half a quart.

Haven't done it to a diesel yet though, but I haven't seen one very dirty either.

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Chris, do you have any sources besides bitog?

 

[trackspeeder]

Actully its not. Its not designed to deal with combustion by products either. You can check out atf spects at bob is the oil guy. Maybe the old type a fluid had more detergents than todays atf fluids. Type a is what the old timers were using.

Detergents are added with the friction modifiers. This is why you don't use MerconV with a vintage C6. Detergent and friction modifiers will waste it in no time.

 

[HammerDown]

To answer 79Jaspers question, no blow-by but, it started leaking oil from under that IP timing-mount cover, the one people sat to NEVER remove! It leaks just enough to make me crazy.

I got 'new' Delphi BB's from Pensacola Diesel and personally pop-tested each one. There may be 8000 miles on them with my Baby Moose. The rapping noise seemed to start just under a year ago.

The ****** noise comes and goes, for whatever reason it will do this for a few days then, it's gone for a few days and the engine sounds very quiet, tight and right. Heck, sometimes this thing sounds like it's coming apart, and then other days it's as quite as a Church mouse.

Oil pressure via mechanical gauge is like day one/new (1988) always strong.

Could be an injector/fuel knock I suppose, but I don't know that a bad injector would 'on-occasion' act-up every couple days for a few days, then get better > just doesn't seen logical to me.
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