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V8 Dakotas
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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2003
15:52:20
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 Subject: Engine Additives...
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I came back to check my post and it's not listed, so I am assuming it didn't go through. Anyways, I have a '95 V8 5.2L CC 4x4 with almost 100k miles on it. I've already decided that when I hit 100k, I am switching to AMSOIL for protection, but I am also being influenced by a friend and some mechanics to use zMAX. The zMAX site doesn't say anything about it being an oil-thickener like Duralube or Slick50, but what's the deal with it? I got a 12oz bottle of the small engine additive which I plan on testing in my 50hp 1985 US Marine (Chrysler) outboard on my '85 Bayliner, if it is not just an oil-thickener. So what's the deal with zMAX?
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/02/2003
16:11:40
|  RE: Engine Additives - Amsoil Response
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Sephiroth,
Read this thread ............
http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/v6/5846.html
I think you will find the answers you are looking for.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/02/2003
16:26:28
| Engine Additives... Amsoil Response
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Here is another .........
http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/gen/5796.html
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2003
16:33:20
|  RE: Engine Additives...
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I read that thread and the one linked to inside it, and see how it tells me what I knew, that Slick50 and such are not worth jack. However, I only saw one VERY SMALL negative thing about zMAX, and nothing more. I want to know what zMAX does, and base my decisiion off that and what I have read.
I did use some redline fuel-treatment a while back, and while it was in the system my truck got MAD gas-mileage. I'm talking 20-22mpg in a fraggin' V8! So I am turned on the the redline gas-additive, although I have not used any since due to financial situations and nobody wanting an IT professional or programmer any more. I forget the exact product I added, but I think it was called "RedLine SR-1".
As for the zMAX, what exactly does it do? It sounds MUCH thinner (almost sounds like water if I shake the bottle) than Duralube or Slick50, so I don't think that it is an oil-thickening substance, but then again, I have never used oil additives. You seem to have a pretty good knowledge of these additives, so if you have any web-sites with info on zMAX, no matter how technical, would you mind posting them?
Oh, and something I saw in one of the posts about teflon. The Fram oil-filters I have been using claim to have that crap in them, and claim it helps protect the engine. What is that and should I be wary of it? I also found out that Fram oil-filters do NOT void warranties unless you buy the super-cheap ones. The one I have always used has a rubber-seal in it to keep oil in the top part of the motor so you won't get an un-lubricated start. It's like the thing in a Wix filter. It just prevents oil from all draining to the bottom.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/02/2003
17:07:41
| Engine Additives ... Amsoil Response
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Thanks for reviewing the two threads. Here is what I will add ... sorry I don't have much.
First, zMax's secret ingredient, "Linkite", mixed with mineral oil, was used as a preservative against rust during WW2 on aircraft engines shipped by sea to England. The rest is " TV Infomercial Spin".
I try to keep my posts free of discrediting another manufacturers products. EXCEPT, when it comes to additives. The way additives are sold to the public really pisses me off ... so here goes:
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zMax Power System: Oil-Chem Research Corp., a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports Inc. (yeah, the guys who own all those NASCAR tracks), have been marketing this kit of three additives: one each for oil, fuel, and transmission. They claim rather impressive gains with the product, and claim that their results are laboratory-proven.
The FTC disagreed with this assessment, and in a suit for a permanent injunction the FTC accused Oil-Chem of falsifying the test results. The FTC also charged that zMax is nothing but mineral oil, and that it actually causes a 50% increase in bearing wear, proven by Oil-Chem's own testing!
Oil-Chem didn't take this lying down, and Federal Trade Commission v. Speedway Motorsports went unresolved for quite a while. One of the more creative assertions in defense of zMax was that the benefits of using zMax need not be backed by "competent and scientific evidence", but only "reasonable basis" (the "lower your expectations and we'll meet them" defense).
Finally, in one of the more convoluted additive rulings, both sides have claimed victory: the FTC has restricted zMax advertising and imposed a $1 million mandatory consumer refund, while Oil-Chem is ecstatic to still be able to advertise that zMax helps your car by reducing engine deposits.
Unfortunately the settlement doesn't address the issue of whether zMax is little more than colored mineral oil. The bottom line seems to be that zMax works as a solvent of some kind, so if you have a sludged-up engine it may help clean it up.
Oil-Chem apparently has documentation to back its claims but, for whatever reason, doesn't want the public to see it.
BOTTOM LINE ... this is what the FTC determined ...
... "zMax is nothing but mineral oil".
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Use any aftermarket additive at your own risk.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2003
17:17:08
|  RE: Engine Additives...
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Thanks, that's just what I needed. It won't be seeing my boat or truck engine then. I'll also warn my friend of the damage he's inducing on his bearings, and direct him to the FTC if he has any doubts.
Just one off-topic question for you. How is it that the fuel-additive I used worked so well? Is it an octane-booster, or a fuel-injectory cleaner, or something? Or is it genuinly something good? I only used it once, with a 20gal fill-up, and it did work, but I would like some info before I use it again. Thanks!
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/02/2003
17:18:43
| Engine Additives ... Amsoil Response
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To continue ...
Teflon (PTFE) was never designed to be an engine lubricant, and can actually clog oil passages. Dupont itself (owner of the Teflon technology) was quoted as stating that Teflon was not for engine lubrication.
I guess that when people see eggs "slipping" off the frying pan ... and then see Teflon on the oil/additive label ... think that Teflon in the mixture can only help an oil be more "slippery".
Another problem with FRAM Filters ... many have cardboard endcaps ... and I've seen inside engines using FRAM filters and the engines were full of little bitty bits of cardboard.
--------------------------------------------------
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/02/2003
17:39:17
| Fuel Additives ... Amsoil Response
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Fuel Additives?
I can honestly say, that in my humble opinion, that in a well operating engine that is basically clean, I have seen no perceptible difference.
(If the engine seems smoother, etc., it is probably wishful perception ... not fact ... and after several days or weeks of usage ... the reality usually sets in).
Few, ..... very, very, very few ..... additives actually show a difference in performance and those that do are usually associated with an engine that has been somewhat neglected for a while. Do I recommend gas additives, yes Amsoil Performance Improver Gasoline Additive, which is ideal for both fuel injected and carbureted systems. It dissolves and removes fuel system deposits and other contaminants for improved power and overall performance in gasoline engines and reduces PCV and EGR system deposits. It improves engine idle, response and starting, but only if the injectors were coked up, the intake valves were loaded up, etc. In a well operating engine that is basically clean, I have seen no perceptible difference.
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An increase in MPG would not usually be noticed unless you cured a mechanical problem, or experienced different driving habits, ... I doubt that any fuel additive would do it alone.
Perception can become reality ... especially in the additive's world.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2003
18:52:52
| RE: Engine Additives...
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Well my injectors may have been dirty. I hadn't checked them since I bought the truck, so it probably cleaned them out real good, and that's what helped me gain this improvement. Now that I am running regular gas with no additive, I am getting better gas mileage than before, but not as good as when I was running the product. I get about 17-19mpg average, and less in city-traffic.
About the Fram filters. The one I use is their big one (X2), and I don't think anything is cardboard that I can physically see. However, what you said DOES make sense, so what brands of oil-filters would you recomend for the synthetic I am switching to, that are not cardboard-related?
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Chuck
Dodge Dakota
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8/03/2003
11:01:32
| RE: Engine Additives...
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RE: Additives,
This info re-enforces my belief that if your current oil is not doing its job, then find a new oil, and not an additive to supposedly make the old oil better.
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jeremy miller
Dodge Dakota
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8/03/2003
18:11:56
| RE: Engine Additives...
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mobil 1...period!
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JasonB
Dodge Dakota
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8/04/2003
14:49:57
| RE: Engine Additives...
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I use Purolator or OE filters.
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Don
Dodge Dakota
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8/04/2003
16:39:02
| RE: Engine Additives...
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jeremy and jason:
We were talking additives here guys.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
8/04/2003
19:39:29
| Amsoil AMSOIL AMSoil Amsoil
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Sephiroth,
First, Fram is a product of Honeywell. Allied Signal owned Fram and Allied Signal and Honeywell merged a couple of years back - thus Fram is now a division of Honeywell.
If I was FORCED to buy a FRAM, the FRAM X2 would be it. I cut one up a while ago, and it looked pretty decent inside. Of course, it's pricey at $10+ a filter when its brothers and sisters in Fram's oil filter line-up have a spotty track record at best.
Even if the FRAM X2 Extended Guard is a good oil filter, for that kind of money you can buy an Amsoil Oil Filter (or Mobil1, or K&N if you prefer) for the same price or less. And ... in a recent oil filter test done by some people I respect, the FRAM X2 Extended Guard had a lot of flow restriction.
It would be interesting to ask Fram why they think cardboard end-caps are "great" in their other oil filters, but uses metal end caps in their premium product. Many manufacturers use metal in all their filters ... low end or high end.
The fact that Fram would put metal end-caps on what they claim to be their "top of the line" filter should speak volumes to everyone who thinks any Fram filter is a "good filter". A basic component of just about every other company's ENTIRE line of filters is only found in Fram's best.
Bottom Line: There are plenty of other filter manufacturers with equal or better insides and flow/filtration capabilities ... available at a lower price.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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LarryW
Dodge Dakota
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8/05/2003
09:21:34
| RE: Engine Additives...
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I agree with Steven on the Amsoil and K&N but disagree on the Mobil1. Perhaps Steven was trying to avoid flames from all the brainwashed Mobil1 users that believe what they hear on a commercial.
My favorite filters:
Amsoil: Filtration
K&N: Flow
Hastings
Baldwin
Mobil1 (much better choices at the same or less cost) The M1 filter media flows less, and the bypass may open at a relatively low pressure compared to other filters.
* SuperTech at WalMart for those on a budget.
Larry
Larry's Auto Care
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JasonB
Dodge Dakota
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8/05/2003
18:09:49
| RE: Engine Additives...
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Don, read the previous posts before you tell me I answered a question that was not asked.
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Nate
Dodge Dakota
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8/08/2003
20:57:30
| RE: Engine Additives...
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SuperTech's were on sale at WallyWorld today for less than $2.
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Sam W
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2003
00:50:33
| RE: Engine Additives...
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Walmart sucks, I have never seen so many overweight, lazy, and dental hygene challenged people in my life. And that is the customers!
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Mar
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2003
09:02:18
| RE: Engine Additives...
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I have a 1994 3.9 V6 and have always used Castrol 10w-30 in winter and 10w-40 in summer and FRAM filters. I have 122,000 and besides other issues, never had any problems with the motor. After reading this thread I am concerned with the Fram filters.
Any opinions on Castrol. I always had good results with this oil.
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Dex
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2003
09:53:40
| RE: Engine Additives...
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Mar,
You are drinking non-alcoholic beer dude.
They have all been lying to us. I just saw my mechanic cousin last weekend and we had a few pitchers of beer and played some pool at the local hall. I started asking him about motor oils for my dak. He told me some oils that are called Group 3 oils are are being sold to us as TRUE synthetics but they are FAKE synthetics.
Is this like non-alchoholic beer?
ALL FAKES >>>>>> Valvoline (Pathetic) Synthetic, Havoline (Pathetic)
Synthetic,OuakerState (Pathetic)Synthetic, Pennzoil (Pathetic) Synthetic,
and Castrol (Pathetic) Syntec are all FAKE.
Is this like drinking non-alcoholic beer?
And FRAM filters .... PURE $HIT ............
Dexter
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DannyS
Dodge Dakota
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9/01/2003
15:17:57
| RE: Engine Additives...
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Nothing much about Duralube here in the site's archives. Did a search and found nothing so Engine Additives seemed the best place to ask this? Is Duralube a PTFE treatment like Slick 50, what's in it? Also is it good for your engine or a waste of money or what ?
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