ATF as an Engine Oil substitute? Let's see what happens!
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- čas přidán 1. 04. 2018
- WIll automatic transmission fluid (ATF) work as a replacement for engine oil in the crankcase? Does ATF as good or better than engine oil? Does it "clean" sludge better than engine oil? Let's find out!
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I remember my father accidently topped his oil off with ATF. He was all upset and asked a guy we knew, who was a guy like you. He had a farm and fixed things all the time, and he said not to worry. He was right, nothing ever happened. So I was curious about this video, I really appreciate your work.
Thanks so much!
Your father didn't know that?.... I bet he cried alot too.
I did that once too, my dad is a mechanic and I figured it was fine, he confirmed that it's fine.
I did the same thing, a few months ago. I didn't read the bottle. Went to to it off again, and finally noticed the label.
You can use transmission fluid in power steering also. But don't ever use power steering fluid in transmission ever
You should buy a small DIESEL engine to test some stuff as fuel (used motor oil, veg oil, brake fluid, atf etc). THAT would be cool!
Great recommendation!
diesels love atf and hydraulic fluid
I agree, this would be awesome!
Like that idea
@@ruben_balea well i think the smell is more of the cooked oil more than the food, considering fries and burgers smell like oil, so the smell is actually the canola or veggie oil
Man, I'm on a PF binge today. I'm just so frickin exhausted of questioning whether or not I'm being lied to. Your integrity is a sanctuary.
Thanks for watching.
Awesome! Thank you very much!
When I bought my 2009 dodge ram 5.7 (15000 miles) it had a sticky lifter so I use 1 quart of transmission fluid in the oil about once a year before oil change and run it 100 miles. Sticky lifter gone havent had a issue since. Truck runs great have had it about 8 years there's about 170000 miles on it.
I have also use Marvel Mystery Oil to free up stickey lifters. It worked very well !!
His neighbors must be like "what the he'll is he mowing?!?!?!" As he keeps bringing home pickup loads of mowers, runs them but never cuts the grass. Lol
LOL!
I was thinking the same thing.. well sorta, I was thinking what they neihbors we're thinking of him making all that noise with the mowers
His neighbor must think he's a mad scientist. I say that in a good way. Thanks for your videos. You put a lot of heart into them.
🤣
Here I thought he just hates Briggs and Stratton engines???
You are a true stand up guy. An honor and pleasure it is to have your channel. We owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you. Keep the magnificent work going!
Thank you very much!
Yes i owe you a thanks my friend! So thanks for making such great in-depth informational and entertaining videos
Good news, now you can show your gratitude on patreon
certified technician. True believer of ATF on sticky Piston rings. had a 1993 Honda Civic 320,000 KM that smoked so much blue from the exhaust everyone thought the engine was done. Put a liter of ATF in ran the vehicle up to temp and drove it 5km performed a hot oil change, The vehicle never smoked blue and the engine lasted years more.
Thanks for the feedback.
Years ago, before synthetics there used to be a old mechanic at Ford who used to periodically substitute one quart of ATF when he changed the oil. It worked great with cleaning the lifters. Engine oil has now come a long way since then and now I would only use the recommended oil.
Did you know recommended oil changes per season?
Truth the be told even new engines benefit from the ATF for cleaning...the new guidelines for new cars with 10-20k mile oil change intervals are complete bs as evidenced by engine teardowns especially now that all cars use some sort of oil pressure actuated variable valve timing...even in some recent tests for engines that require 5w20...it may not be good to use it even if the manufacturer recommends it as eventually it will break down to a thinner weight the longer its in the engine before being changed which results in increased wear which is now extremely common on new cars that call for 0w20 5w20 or even 0w16 and 5w16 oils...they do this to squeeze out that 1 extra mpg for the window sticker and epa stuff...in the long run it's better to use some sort of 5w30 or 5w40...basically stay away from 20 weight and 16 weight oils so that you can actually get longevity from your engine
I normally don't reply to a 2 year old post but in case somebody else is trying to decide what to do for and to their engine I'll add my 2¢. I worked for a fleet and in automotive for over 40 years so I know a little bit. And if I had a sludged engine I'd use a pint of ATF mixed in with engine oil. Then run the engine a minute or two, and let it soak for an hour or two. Then drain the oil, change the filter and run the engine (as a "rinse" cycle to get all that ATF out!) for an hour. Then drain and refill as normal.
If you've tried to desludge the engine using aggressive solvents (like ATF) don't forget, the engine will still be actively desludging itself as you drive it anyway as what's already been done has surely loosened most of the sludge to within an inch of its slimy life. And I think the rest of the sludge will probably drain out with subsequent oil changes.
But I figure using my way, at worst you wind up with an engine with a trace amount of sludge left behind that will eventually dissolve and get drained out during subsequent changes. And you put the bare minimum amount of additional wear and tear on the engine to do it.
@@robertmaybeth3434 dude, I reply to 7 year old comments. You’re fine 😂
so for your rinse cycle tho, you run it for an hour after draining the oil/ATF and changing the filter. But you never said you added anything more?
@@LightsaberGoBrrrrrr I figure the simpler the better. Besides which, the less time my engine spends running with non-engine oil inside it the better! So that's why I'd only run it one to two minutes, just to circulate the cleaning chemical mix of choice, then let some soaking do most of the work.
The basic issue I have with solvent flushing is you are forcing the engine to run essentially unlubricated. It's not as bad as running an engine dry of oil but its the next worst thing to it! So I say a gradual approach to flushing is the way to go.
If the sludge really bothered me I'd at least remove the oil pan and valve covers and clean everything I could get to. But the obvious reason we do a flush is because we don't want to do that. So a gentle flush, to me, is the next best thing, (besides changing your oil often enough to prevent the sludge to begin with).
I appreciate how thorough you are with your testing methods.
Thank you!
And consistent as well. He runs the same tests every time while using different products to provide a good stream of baseline data. I wish more channels existed like Project Farm!
Agreed! You really take every step and break it down so there aren't any loopholes in the entire experiment
@Pennsylvania Mike Exactly. There was this "military" video that compared the AK47 and AR15. It was completely rigged to give advantage to the AR15 to the point where it insulted the viewers.
this is better than any bedtime story
Thank you!
without the slipines
It actually is to be honest I wish I could go live at project farm and help graze the cattle
You don't count sheep; you count RPMs.
Project Farm ur amazing keep up the good work keep those vids coming
You have really found your calling as these videos are the very best on YT and you have the perfect personality and your command of the English Language is perfect and is so easy to follow and understand and your type of interaction with the camera as though we are standing face to face with you is a very desirable trait. I wish you much luck and prosperity in the future and keep cranking out these outstanding "How To" videos~!!! You've answered loads of questions for me as just one person out of thousands and thousands.
Thank you so much!
Project farm is my go to for anything I’m Curious about
The detergent capabilities of ATF are very easily demonstrable and you've seen some evidence of it here, in fact in car engines it has been like wow! I also did it to one of my own vehicles years later after buying it used. The part that made me nervous is so much ending up in the oil so fast. The varnished OHC area instead of having varnish, had clean metal. I didn't run it long that way and made sure the oil was changed when it was good and hot. The guy at the dealership commented that it was very dirty and showed it to me but that was no surprise to me. (I do not do my oil changes myself anymore because for $8.00, recently raised to $15.00, the Honda dealer will change the oil if I bring my own oil and filter, and I don't have to dispose of the oil myself.)
On lubricity, we used to put ATF in engines because it doubled the wear allowing more wear in less time for testing purposes. However, we were not involved in establishing that. We simply accepted as fact in Automotive Engineering. However, to their credit, they debunked a lot of theories such as by putting batteries on cement vs. a board for each class, and other things to root out wives tales or situations that occurred a very long time ago when there was different construction and the old tales were still hanging around.
Another was detergent vs. non-detergent oil. The myth is detergent oils foam. That used to be the case when they first came out and before most people were born, but it was never the reason for the difference. Cars normally used flat head engines and splash lubrication with little dippers on the connecting rod bolts. In that case, the oil pan was a place for contaminants to settle and solidify. That was your oil filter. Every so often they would drop the easily accessible pan and clean it out. On small engines that aren't expected to have that type of lifespan, it is the same except you cannot drop the pan. With pressurized oil systems, you want to keep it in suspension so you can filter it out. Today, recommendations vary but often non-detergent is recommended and detergent oils OKed because of common availability and more frequent changes.
Some recommendations for oil are based on what is normally available. For example, you may have a car with a recommend oil of 5W-20. That same engine today will have 0W-20 because it is now commonly available. You want the first number as low as possible and respect the second number. 0W-20 is not necessarily 5 less than 5W-20. It may be far less than that, which is desirable. Oil is ALWAYS too thick when the engine is cold and is when by far most of the wear occurs. The upper number is its ability to maintain its scuff resistance at normal and high temperatures. The reason on new cars that number can be lower has nothing to do with precision and everything to do with their roller valve train, which adds significant fuel efficiency, which is further enhanced by thinner oil, and reduces wear in many other parts of the engine as well as contributing to longevity. I do get comments at oil changes that it isn't what they recommend, but they have since noted it and don't ask me anymore.
Another thing I learned from a friend who has owned tire stores his entire life is to go to the high side on tire pressures, and avoid large wheels which require larger tires. They wear better, ride better, are cheaper, and have much less rolling resistance. The 18" rims rims that came with it are in the top of the garage, and I have 16" rims that look just like them with the same offset and hub size. He was correct. I get great mileage, the tires last forever, and but the increased pressure makes it ride harder. Keep in mind that when you go around a corner, the inside of the tire and outside of the tire have to scrub the pavement, so you want the most pressure on the ground to be the middle because it is the only part that doesn't. Thus, I get better mileage and they wear evenly all the way across. I can tell at the pump every time when I have tires below my desired pressure.
Very good info, thank you sir
+1 on filling tyres with higher pressures than normal, this is recommended if you do a lot of high speed driving but even if you don't it's still preferable as it minimises tyre wear. Make sure you check the max pressure limit and account for the fact that air expands when it's hot so pressures will always be higher after a 30 minute drive. From what I heard, the ideal pressure is when the operating temps are 4 PSI higher than the cold temps.
Depends on the situation. I often drive in wide temperature and altitude extremes. Overinflated tires at one extreme is a complete blowout at another.
And I also drive off-road a lot. The major recommendation for that is the exact opposite of yours. Bigger tires and underinflate. Lost many a tire to normal pressures, but none to lower ones.
So for me, bigger and under-inflate is the rule. Losing a tire on the road is much more expensive and time consuming than the little bit more gas $ and tire maintenance I must do.
I worked at a Valvoline quick lube in Indianapolis a few years ago. One of the delivery drivers that brought bulk fluids on the tanker trucks had accidentally filled the bulk 5-w30 tank with ATF. Nobody noticed until about 50 cars too late. Surprisingly nobody ever complained or came back with engine damage.
Wow! Thanks for commenting on this!
50 cars of filling and nobody realized ATF was going in? Oh boy...
ts46176 I worked at a gmc dealer and a bunch of water got in the oil tank. No one noticed we've been pumping white goo into people's cars untill the end of they day when I accedently pulled the trigger on the hose outing it back up.
And these stories are why I do my own fluids! No one to blame but myself! :D
Had the top guys been following procedure and double checking the level before the hood was closed, they should have caught that pretty quick. Always double check your work!!
Thank you for experimenting with ATF. That is exactly what I was looking for! You clearly respect your viewers request's Thanks again!
Erich, Thank you very much! I get a lot of great recommendations, which makes these tests very interesting and fun!
I've used atf as a aid to clean out the engine. I put a quart in and run it for a day before a oil change. Never knew whether it did anything or not. The engines didn't seem to be negatively affected so i keep going it about every 3rd change.
Erich H I've been asking for a while I'm happy to see it to
Hmmm, is Marvel Mystery Oil and ATF the same stuff?
+Paul Smith
that's the marvelous mystery of their oil.
My dad used to add 1 qt of ATF and run the car for a few days on it before oil changes. He worked most of his career as an engine development engineer, for Cooper Bessemer, Continental motors, Deere, and Chrysler. Seemed to work well on sludge & varnish.
Thanks for sharing.
Seems like a good idea, but I wouldn't try it in my Honda Odyssey. I keep hearing how sensitive those engines are. The trans too!
@@cumshot247Hondas, Toyotas, and kia/Hyundai need solvents to prevent stuck rings and oil consumption.
I would say your Honda needs it more than the average car. Frequent redlining too.
@@corvairkid17what kind of solvents
@@corvairkid17I've had a few Hondas with high mileage and none used any significant amount of oil. I only ever used the recommended oil. I can't speak to their engines in the 1970's, but Honda engines made since don't need any special "solvents."
Wow, back in the '70 I ran a quart of ATF in place of one quart oil at oil change. This was in a F-150, 390. While a Ford from then could never have "clean looking oil" you could see the difference using AFT. It helps a lot in cold weather at start up. Got this from working the Oil Patch.
Thanks for sharing.
I've added transmission fluid to oil to free a stuck lifter. Then changed the oil after two weeks. Worked great.
Awesome!
We've used ATF to clean automotive engines for decades. That being said, I would never use only ATF in an engine. I can guarantee that the shavings were due to the ATF. When we use it to clean automotive engines, we generally use a 20% - 25% mixture. We always use 1 quart and the rest oil. Afterwards, we run the engine for about 100 miles. Since most of that gunk begins clogging up the filter, we change the filter, top the engine off with ATF again, and go another 100 miles. Finally, we'll drain it all, put in a new oil filter, and use good oil. We do this about every 25,000 miles and it has done wonders for the engines we work on.
Still, great video! Thanks a ton for your incredibly interesting channel and hard work!
Thank you!
20 years ago...But what influence does the ATF oil on the DPFs (diesel particulate filter) in today's modern cars? Some say that any other oil than the recommended one for the engine would clough up the particulate filter sooner, as some gets burnet up in the cylinder and leaves the motor with the exhaust gases...
Keyword high SAPs
@@HPaulAdrian most motors people are doing this to are 20+ years old
I love it when CZcams suggest some of your older videos that I haven't seen yet. This one was great!
Hey Project farm, long time viewer. Love seeing all the wild tests you do in your shop. Looks like a lot of fun. Just wanna say keep having fun and doing what you do. Keep up the excellent and knowledgeable videos.
Thank you very much! I appreciate the positive feedback.
Could you run a second test of ATF on the same engine? The reason I ask is, we couldn't tell if the metal shavings were caused by ATF or cleaned out by ATF from previous oil. However, if a 2nd run came back with more metal shavings, it most likely is causing damage and should be used with caution when cleaning!
Thank you for this recommendation!
Tyler S my thoughts exactly.
i would really like that to - i have a 3.4 gm with about 250.000 miles on it, and now valve ticking ( it comes and go ) i would love to try this atf , just to se , but i´m also affraid that it might kill the engine now it has ran that much
@@ProjectFarm yes please do this. I'm genuinely curious.
Try ristlone
Good vid
I had a noisy lifter when i bought truck...
Did an oil change (10w30) and new filter drove about 2000 kms, no change. I removed about a quart of oil from the pan, added a quart of ATF, and after about 300kms i dont hear the noisy lifter anymore! Im not sure if the ATF is so much a better detergent, but i believe its a thinner viscosity than the 10w30 and it must have gotten intothe small passages and cleaned out some sludge buildup...
I did an oil chamge once the lifter noise was gone, and the oil was very dark in colour. Replaced with new oil and filter, and so far no issues!
My grandfather told me yrs ago that they used to pour smalls amounts of ATF down the carburetors when they did tune ups. Says it helped clean the carburetor and carbon from the pistons and valves.
You should try mixing some ATF into your fuel in the container for the mower and see if it helps remove carbon from the cylinder head.
Thanks for commenting on how you've used ATF!
@@ProjectFarm That's the way it's supposed to be used for "cleaning". Also, since it's "thinner" than most 30wt oils...you should change the oil again after using it to free a stuck lifter.
Dont put it in your gas in a vehicle. It will gum up your cat and carbon up your exhaust valves. Use plain old water sucked up a vaccum line when the engine is warm and running.
water injection kits were sold over thirty years go to get rid of carbon build up..
ATF is a high detergent 10 weight oil
Doing a little binge watching of your channel. Love how thorough you are with your testing. I can see how you have improved your testing over time. My favorites are the comparison of products. Great job!
Thank you!
I LOL’d.
“This is the motor I ran with canola oil..”
Your channel is the best!
Thank you!
A buddy ran vegetable oil in his VW van and he said it made a curtain of white smoke two lanes wide behind him.
Multi purpose lawn mower for sale. Will literally run on piss if you put your mind too it! You are a mad man hahah I can’t stop watching
lol
Yeah dude same here. I'm always like, "ok last vid".. then the suggestion box pops up and I'm all "hmm interesting" *click* rinse and repeat.
Great work man, you've got a lot of patience and a great mind in that skull of yours.
Lol! Very smart!
Let's see if a motor can run on piss!
@@BretBunton Maybe after really good drunk!!
Project Farm, you are awesome with your research and engineered tests. I am so glad we mechanical minds have you to test for us. Keep up the good work. You help us save money by keeping our older machines running longer and better.
Thank you very much!
Your tests are the most realistic tests on here & make the most sense, keep up the great work doing them...
Thank you!
I have heard of this being done, but never tryed it myself. I have added kerosene to the crankcase and run it for one minute and completely drained. Removed all kinds of sludge and crud. This was an old Navy trick my Dad used during WW2 and Korea as an aviation mechanic. Never harmed any engines and Dad said they would be exceptionally clean. FYI
I would love to see project farm test this
Used to work in a gas station man named Charlie bring in old Ford pick up changed his oil this way every time. Owner made him sign a waiver that we weren't responsible for what happened.
I love your work. A sense of curiosity is a terrible thing to let die. Keep it up!
Thank you!
I love using ATF when cleaning an engine by hand during a rebuild. Especially when cleaning the cylinder walls it will get them squeaky clean while also leaving a nice oily surface behind. supposedly a tiny amount of atf in the cylinders on the first start after getting new rings can help them break in better
Thanks for sharing.
Provided that your cylinders were previously cleaned. There is a reason why transmission re-builders wash their parts in a cleaning booth.
I would enjoy spending time with you in your shop on some Saturday afternoon messing with small engines. You really do a great job!
Oh my god !!! A clear panel so we can see ! I’m hooked on this channel!
Thank You
He's the man!!!
I've used ATF free lifters/sticky valves. Now to watch and discover whether I'm idiot or a genius for doing so.
Thanks for commenting!
Have used ATF for sticky/noisy lifters in the past, learned it from the old man...it works.
Can confirm it works for my old Subaru
You are NOT in the idiot category, John!
I used to sell so many engine cleaning treatments at a shop i worked at, I would run out, and resort to using ATF to help clean engines. Worked pretty good too!!
Thank you, actually I have a question but the end of the VDO has answer me already.
Good VDO, Salute !
Thank you!
Wouldn't take a full crankcase of ATF, but I have used it in a .5 to 1 quart to clean up a motor as you have. And it works great for light cleaning and freezing up striction. You don't need much to get results with all the detergents in the oils to today. Enjoy.
I knew an auto mechanic that would drain dirty oil fill it with ATF and let the car idle for about 30 minutes with no driving. Then flush the engine and put in regular motor oil. It’s amazing how dirty the ATF oil came out after running through the engine for 30 minutes.
He mainly did it for freeing up, stuck lifters in the head.
Love how you always grin knowing you're doing something cool for everyone thats actually useful
I appreciate that!
I love your channel! I've been here since you only had about 10K subs. Just honest, simple and entertaining videos. Don't ever change! I love your stuff! Keep 'em coming good sir! Good day!
Thank you very much!
Travis Duff I'm with you. I really like this video's. Greetings from Italy and thank you to show also metric values
+Project Farm your videos are addicting lol
Same, been here since 2k 😁
Back in the 80's we used a quart of diesel fuel and had it come to temp and run for 15 minutes, then drain and change with clean oil and filter in our cars. Maybe you can do a video on using diesel fuel on a lawn mower.
Steve Hei sounds great in practice but the fuel attacks certain kinds of rubber seals because there are like half a dozen compounds for car seals. Would be great to see if that hurts them from the brief exposure
@@CorruptInfinityOfficial That's the problem with all additives. It's fun to see the Project Farm guy do all these tests, but looking at how well the deposits are cleaned is only half the picture. You need to test/check all the seals. This is why automakers never recommend ANY additives to oil any more. More risk of damage than the benefit of cleaning deposits. If you had a 30yo beater truck lying around, yeah: go ahead and try whatever gets it running better. But i would never put any of this stuff in a modern engine on a car that is worth anything unless it was in horrible condition and sounded/ran like it needed a new engine.
Javier Hernandez love the response man, appreciate how you explained the process of how it works and why it’s not a good idea to do it to modern engines too which is similar to something I was thinking but was a valid concern. All the new electronic systems and solenoids really do overly complicate some things, I’ll keep that in mind even though I likely won’t have diesel nearby for a few years hahaha. And I see some turbo 4 cylinders commonly running shell rotella diesel oil for their cars, and they are pretty clean besides the direct injected ones valves haha.
@stardroppercj the seals are fine but I had a customer of mine use an off the shelf engine flush I forgot the name since he thought he needed it because he had I think was 116k and had vct issues right affer, was way back in 09 but since he had an inline 4 i took the cam off easily and cleaned the solenoid.
Diesel fuel in oil won't damage anything short term, running on straight diesel would damage the engine (not good enough film strength etc.)
It doesn't clean anything really, but it does thin out the oil a bit and allow it to drain smudge a bit better.
I did flush my sludged up engine with 2 loads of straight diesel after an engine flush, and the oil did stay clean for a bit longer, but only disassembly and manual cleaning of the cylinder head and oil pan really made a difference- 4000km now and the oil is still clean (had to change the piston rings as well, it burned a lot of oil)
I added atf for the old motor seal softening. It seemed to help keep main seals from leaking. This was for junkyard motors for the first hundred miles then back to pure oil.
Thank you for the feedback!
@@ProjectFarm PF I'd love to see a video on this. Does atf revive old seals and gaskets. Basically paper gasket material, old front/rear main seals, and O-rings of various materials put through an aging process like cooked in oil. I realize this is an old video but I'll bring it up in other videos if I can.
High mileage MO uses "seal conditioners" to help stop leaks. Seems to help IMO.
I'm impressed by your methods of testing, being thoroughly tested.
Thanks!
This has become my favorite channel...right up there with Cleetus anyway lol. You don't needlessly waste our time with a bunch of crap that we don't need to see, you get right to the point. Very rare thing these days.
Last year I dumped a couple quarts of ATF in an old Ford 460 motorhome chassis to quiet down a tapping lifter that would not get its act together. That did the trick, but still had to leave it in there for a couple of weeks. in hindsight, I probably should have just dumped some diesel in it and idled it for a while
Thank you!
I would love to see a lubricity test between 10w-30 and 0W-20 oil of the same brand. Also test between Dexos certified verses non Dexos oil of the same brand. Also testing an oils anti foaming properties in a blender would be interesting.
Thank you for the video idea!
I LOVE how you started that mower with an impact gun!! Genuine genius pal...I have no clue why I have never seen it done before..it just makes so much damn sense! 👍 I just wish I had thought of it..about 45 years ago!! Thanks! Great video..as always! 😁✌
Thanks for sharing. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video. Came across it and had to watch again. Always great stuff. Your one of the best keep up the great work. We out here really appreciate you
Thanks so much!
Just crossed this experience while looking for another thing. Great initiative @Project Farm. Maybe the lawnmower isn't the most representative engine for this particular experience. Too few parts, too few exposure to "burn". I heard of the ATF cleaning about 10 years ago while I was trying to figure out how to rejuvenate an old Wrangler TJ with about 200'000km on original engine. I was hugely skeptical. What the heck, replaced 2lt of engine oil by Dextron II. Then forgot about it during an entire summer driving around. When I replaced the oil, it was like black paint. Filter was coated too. Replaced everything and engine was running like a charm. Few month later I had the valve covers removed to replace gaskets. Mechanic commented that the internals were spotless. Asked me if the engine had been reworked or replaced recently. After this, I did same treatment to 2 other Wranglers. And now I do this with my MB CLK 320 (W209). Very different engine, I agree. I replace 1lt (out of 8lt) and drive gently only about 50km with ATF. First time I did this on the CLK, I replaced the filter before adding ATF. I was curious. The filter came out clogged by some sort of black tar. Replaced oil two times to flush everything. Bottomline, ATF does cleanup something. That something is that black soot (or whatever) produced by engine operating. What does it do really? No idea. But my CLK is now well over 200'000km, running like a charm, no clicking or valve noises and passing CO2 inspections without any work done. And I can still easily give Subaru BRZ drivers a run for their ego lol
Great point and thanks for sharing your experience with ATF!
Watching before sleep. Always love ur videos
Thank you! Hope you sleep well!
I always enjoy your videos and appreciate your scientific approach. Thank you.
Thank you
I used to disassemble and rebuild 5.9 Diesel engines. No better hand cleaner for removing grime from your hands than atf lol. The detergents are very aggressive in it , designed to clean.
One of the highway tractors that we haul cattle with had a diesel injector sticking . We added 4 Liters to 100 gallons of diesel fuel.
I could see the smoke from over fueling out of the stack.
At 150kms it stopped smoking and the engine ran normal.
Thanks for actually showing me how it does actually clean inside a engine!
Keep up the great content and work!
Love your videos!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, will do!
I worked in a small Automotive repair shop. One customer had a Chevy S-10 with a ticking lifter. We substituted one quart Dextron ATF for oil and after few days customer came back the tick was gone. We continued this on that vehicle for several years as I remember.
Impressive!
Not related to the video, but I unabashedly love your "let's find out" videos. Even with the most bizarre suggestions - like lubricating an engine with Head and Shoulders shampoo - you present them in an entertaining and informative manner. Bravo.
Thank you very much!
I bought a new mower a few years ago fitted with a Briggs & Stratton engine. At the first recommended oil change at ten hours I found what I suspect by the colour and viscosity was ATF. This would have been added at the mower shop prior to delivery. It wasn’t dirty as you’d expect from a new engine and doesn’t appear to have caused any damage. I’ve been using 10W30 at yearly intervals ever since and it’s still going great.
I really enjoy watching your videos. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoy the videos!
Your channel is one of the coolest on youtube 👍🏻. Thanks for all of your work.
Wow, thanks!
Wow your testing has gotten way more streamlined in the last 2 years! Good job. My friend works on exotics and he told me if you have a sludged engine your replace ONE quart of oil with transmission fluid during the oil change and run it the whole 3000 miles most of the sludge should be gone but if you have to run another cycle so be it. The engine will remain unaffected.
Thanks for the feedback.
I also know of a guy that put a quart of atf in a car he bought to "flush" the oil. He blew the motor cause it was so sludgy it clogged his oil pick up screen, starved the engine for oil and caaabboom! Threw a rod.
In the 1980s, I used ATF in a small motorcycle engine, from advise in a motorcycle magazine article. Two things happened: 1) on a summer's day, the crankcase emptied itself all over the back tire. Never understood why. 2) that winter, the engine seized. Piston con rod needle bearing disintegrated, with bearing parts in the cylinder wall, piston, head, everywhere! Lesson learned. Stick with motor oil!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
from advice*. Advise is the verv. Advice is the noun.
@@zavatone Do you think any of us care? I sure as hell don’t.
YOUR absolutely a breath of fresh air in this 21st century world. Well done.. keep on keepin' on.
Thanks, will do.
Great video as usual Todd not sure how I missed this one
Marvel Mystery Oil has been my “Go To” oil additive (1qt mmo To 4qt of oil) to free lifters and clean sludge and I change it from 500 mi to 2000 mi depending on the amount of sludge build up. I’ve been using this in my repair shop (Performance Motorsports) since 1974 and it works good.
MMO is a great product!
Back in the olden days we would use ATF in the oil and in the fuel tanks of the old two stroke Detroit Diesel engines 238,318 and then the silver series. It helped keep injectors-freed up and keep the inside of the block a little cleaner. The old detroits were noted for converting diesel fuel into smoke and noise.
Love your channel and am a subscriber. Question for you, when doing these engine tests on the mower engines do you use a fresh head gasket each time ?
Would also like to know your opinion on the harbor freight 3400 jump pack. I have actually witnessed one start a commercial Cummins diesel in a road tractor and the batteries were flat! Have a great day !
First off, Great videos, my personal preferred way of cleaning an engine has always been to pour a quart of atf in the crankcase while I use an iv drip to feed it either seafoam or techron injector/intake manifold cleaner, usually a quart of the stuff takes 30 minutes or so with the rpms held at 2k, I've done this probably 30 times now with 100%, success and clearly a much better running engine after.
Thanks for sharing.
Love your tongue in cheek advice at the end .. ie not recommending anything ..
Your curiosity and testing is unique 👍
Still a lot of unanswers questions here, but it was good to see that the Compression improved .. loosening up gummed up Ring landings at least ... nice ..
Thanks!
Im excited for this! Thank you man.
Thank you!
Works great i did that in my 3/4 Dodge P.U. with the 8.0L v 10, no problems at all.....
Thanks for commenting.
Back in the day of Isuzu rodeos, I had a 97 Honda Passport with the v6 that made the loud lifter/rocker erm noise. I was advised to put a zero weight oil in and a quart of auto trans fluid, run it at least a couple hundred miles, then change it out. I will say, it actually DID quiet the noise down a large amount. Love the videos
Thank you for the feedback
The very 1st video I watched was sea foam in yr put. Been a fan since. As always interesting and detailed video. Well done ty
Thank you for the feedback
Another video idea, i know you use new spark plugs all the time, i was wondering if you could do a fuel consumption test of a standard plug, platinum, iridium, E3, and a Pulstar Pulse plug
Yes, I'll do it. Great video idea
@@ProjectFarm over several years time in 3 different vehicles I tried those bosch quad spark plugs ( four prongs ) . I don't know much about engines but it didn't make any difference. A mechanic told me they are a waste of money.
There is a couple other videos from someone else that did those tests and they got a tiny bit better gas mileage and better performance with the iranium
The gunk inside some old motors is what keeps them running. Had a friend with a GM 350 ci motor who got talked into having it "cleaned out" and it blew smoke out the exhaust afterwards due to piston rings not sealing anymore. I have found that frequent (every 5000km or 3000 miles) oil changes was all I had to do to keep my cars running trouble free. Cheers
Thank you for the feedback
Been a subscriber for long enough, and still finding old videos i never watched lol this is very cool
Thank you!
Always a great video from Project Farm!
Thanks so much!
The atf works well for cleaning oil paths, cam phasers, solenoids, and the like on modern engines. Used commonly to remedy variable valve timing issues.
Thanks for the feedback.
Great video! I have a 1986 Nissan 300zx with 200k miles. Every morning on cold starts, the lifters tick for a few seconds until things get going. Sometimes, hard highway pulls make them tick, too.
After putting in a quart of dex/merc iv, and driving it lightly for 100 miles, I noticed no more noisy lifters under any condition! Cold starts seem smoother and the engine sounds very healthy now.
Only 100 ish miles on that oil and I changed it. The oil filter seemed heavier than any other change I've done at 3-5000 mile intervals. I'm going to cut it open and invesitgate
Impressive!
You and I both do the same thing leave one quart of ATF and until the next oil change smart.
Back in the day transmission fluid was once called transmission oil they changed the name so people wouldn't 👍 make mistakes putting motor oil in transmissions.
I don’t claim to understand your methods but I find them interesting as hell. Once I hit play I can’t stop watching- even with the near continual commercial interruptions
Thank you very much!
Currently at school learning about heavy equipment and machinery. Mostly 18 wheelers but some cars and trucks but mostly diesel. My instructor always recommends atf to clean out a crank case and to stop noisy lifters. He’s been doing this fro years and he said he’s never had a problem and it’s always worked great so I’m actually going to give it a shot
Thanks for the feedback.
Diesel in crankcase.....
Uwe Sanz yeeas
Thank you for this recommendation!
I came here to suggest this. Supposed to be a good cleaner. Not sure about 1 hour of run time though 😂
Yes!
I have done this but only at a 3 to 1 mix and in an extremely dirty engine that had not had an oil change done in years but it did a great job and fixed my oil pressure issue
ATF in engine oil is fine in moderation. Using straight ATF in an automotive engine will result in premature engine failure as it does not contain several additives that modern DexOS or MST rated oils have. It may only take 20k miles off the engines life, or it may reduce the engine life to 20k miles. The more important distinction is the way it deals with combustion byproducts, ATF has nothing to deal with the acidic byproducts from combustion which means that in a short period the oil will begin to etch the metal (even in aluminium blocks) and eat away at gaskets, whereas engine oil has additives to neutralize the acids in combustion bypass.
However, in a 5qt engine, 4-4.5qts of engine oil and .5-1qt ATF has beneficial effects due to the far more concentrated detergents due to its intended lifespan and requirement to keep valve bodies clean and free from buildup. Several of my old instructors have used a 10-20% ATF mix in their engines for decades, and I have used a 20% mix in my engines for half a decade without any negative effects. I replaced the valve covers a few years ago and the rocker assemblies looked pristine, granted I have no clue what they looked like when I bought the truck.
This is great information! Thank you!
2009dudeman U think a 2 hour run would create excess wear? Agree w u that long term is no good. Also, the atf that gets past the Piston rings is not "ashless" when it combusts. Going to leave residue in the sparkplugs.
Ernest, I cant tell the intent of your first question but engine oil is not ashless either, every oil you can put in an engine is going to leave carbon when it combusts. A 2 hour run in a modern engine with straight ATF might brick the engine. Especially if it has turbos or cam driven injection pumps, it was not made to be run in an engine, its not an engine oil. ATF is a hydraulic oil, its primary purpose is to be used for applying pressure to things, be they pistons or hydraulic motors. Secondary considerations are lubrication, sealing, cooling, cleaning. Engine oil has a primary function of lubrication and secondary considerations of cooling, sealing, cleaning and a minor function of applying pressure.
2009dudeman Yup. I was agreeing w u. However from other users comments was under opinion that for short durations ok. Thanks for advising that this is not so. I would rather do a short higher atf concentrate than a longer more dilute. What is the max atf/ motor oil ratio u would advise? 4/2? Then, for how long till it has done it's magic? 1/2 hr? Whithin the next week will do this to my 87 MBenz 300D turbo OM 603. Has 3 lifters that are noisy. Replacing lifters on this motor is a PITA. Thanks for sharing.
I have run 1 qt. out of 5 in several older cars and had no ill effect. I agree the newer engines with turbos and such might be a whole new ball game. Like another poster, I'm not sure the atf did what I hoped, but sure didn't seem to hurt. Lastly I would never go above your 20% recommendation, and might be wise to keep it even to 10%. Thanks
You are creative as usual. Greetings to you from KSA ❤✌️
Thanks!
Used to change fuel filters on the Kenworth - hot engine, fill new filters with ATF, install, start engine and rev up to about 1900 RPM ... the amount of soot coming out of the stacks was amazing!
Thanks for the feedback.
That "Clear View" window was awesome learned a lot from
this video. You should try Transmission Fluid in the Gas mix.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Runs nicely in a idi diesel, little bit down on power so you mix a little acetone and petrol with it, brings the power back up.
MegaDirtyberty that sounds like a good way to blow the heads off a diesel engine lol
Not at all, using it most successfully. Have used 100% atf (without acetone/petrol mix) one day because I run out of diesel, power was down but it run.
bds1234 oh, like gas and 2T mixture, but instead of 2T oil, its atf? Ive done it on my old moped which was barely running, it wasn't starting so easy bcs I added a bit too much, but there was more oil in the cylinder than everywhere, that thing couldn't really burn
I didn't find the experiment where you said canola oil was used in the crankcase. I only found the one using soybean oil. Can you please direct me to it?
I'm glad you showed us you draining the oil prior to the test. It has an odd colour to it that the used ATF also resembles. I don't think the ATF or any other oil would have degraded so badly after just an hour of use. I think it's metal in the motor from the canola oil experiment.
I use ATF often when I buy any used car, only seen it have an effect once or twice on some really sludged up stuff.
Thanks! Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for the video, I’m trying it as a suggestion from an old school mechanic before we end up tearing apart my engine to adjust lifters
You are welcome!
would have been interesting to run the used oil you first drained through the paper filter to see if there were metal flakes there too
I'm thinking about adding some ATF to the oil in my old motorcycle engine, to help clean the engine.
when I was trucking ove the road once I accidently put a gallon of hydraulic oil in a 425 mechanical cat diesel engine when the mechanics switched the barrels on the racks position after 3 yrs working there, the truck went thru a gallon of oil every month, after I put in the oil the old maintenance mechanic asked me why I put hyraulic fluid instead of deisel, i was confused n went back to look at the varrel, and said i guess the same reasons you didnt out the barels back on the rack where they usually go, and got the hyraulic fluid by mistake since they switched spoys I had a rountine n knew where the oil always was for several years, i took it in for a oil change later that day, and damned if that truck ran smooth and had more power than ever before, and purred smmot as a cat should, they never had any engine problemsout of that engine, but did on another truck that was identical that never got the accidental gallon of hydraulic fuild to the engibe motor oil, maybe some diesel mechanic can chime in and tell me why that cat engineran so smooth n beter from then on?
I'm doing the seafoam cleanout on my ranger ! It runs so much better! Thank you very much
Great job!
Small 4 strokes are so fun. Your approach makes it even better. Good stuff my friend. All I can figure from the cylinder with the trans fluid is that its blowing by the intake valve seal since its less viscosity and cleaning the piston at the compression stroke. the plug showed it was burning more than fuel. Thats how it looks to me. Almost like it has a coolant leak but its air cooled :D Alot more crust around both valves with the trans fluid, especially the exhaust. May have crept past the oil ring as well. Trans fluid is water compared to even 5w20
Thank you!
ATF is really only used in engines with high mileage to get rid of the sludge free up the lifters but I would absolutely recommend it before anything else
Thank you for the feedback
Could I run straight atf in my mower instead of oil? I am very low on funds and motor oil in insanely high priced where im at but I also don't wanna cook the motor
@@jaceb7136 No, ATF is designed to not have combustion contamination introduced to it. It will break down faster than motor oil because of that.
@@jaceb7136 In PF film strength test you can see that the 10w30 prevents wear under pressure much more than 100% ATF. This makes me think the high load parts of the engine would get significantly more wear with ATF than with 10w30. Specifically the rod caps, wrist pin bearings, and cam lobes. You can also see a fair bit of scoring increase on the 2nd comparison of the cylinder walls after running 1 hr with pure ATF.
Also I can't confirm Joseph Hodges info about ATF breaking down when exposed to combustion gasses it certainly wasn't designed with that in mind. It might be lacking the correct detergents even though it has more of them and could be made of oils that are less stable at temperatures reached on the back of the piston.
When using ATF I've always used one qt with the rest oil. The atf finds it's way into the lifter and the detergents help clean the engine. Never done it in a new engine but have several old ones with success at making a lifter quiet down.
Thank you for the feedback
thanks! do you typically run the 1 qt for the entire oil cycle duration?
I have a 2003 Ford Focus ZTW wagon. Bought used in 2006 at 35000 miles. It now has 240000 miles on it and runs fine with no noticeable oil usage. I change oil about every 4 to 5K miles. I add 1 qt transmission fluid to the used oil and run the engine 15 minutes then drain. I add Duralube to the new oil. I now use Motorcote at the advice of a trucker and due to your videos.
Thanks for sharing
I personally have no experience with using ATF as a substitute for motor oil. However, I have friends who are into ATV and dirt bike racing. They regularly use ATF in their 2-cycle crankcases, swearing that it reduces drag. I thought it was interesting to see your lubricity test suggest otherwise. I will definitely be recommending this video for them to watch!
Thank you!
you should try testing the use of used atf as fuel in an older diesel engine.
I've been running used atf as fuel in my 1993 ford f250 7.3 idi.
Thank you
Poor man's Marvel Mystery Oil.
Idi's will run on just about anything, they really don't care what you put in them as long as it burns
I bet that smells lovely
I love these videos but I'm curious if any of these treatments hurt the gaskets in an engine. A good test might be to get a few valve cover gaskets, cut out the spark plug seals and let them soak in seafoam, ATF, oil, MMO, etc. for a few months, and see how it impacts their thickness, elasticity, and strength by hanging weight off of them. You could also cook some of them to see if that has an effect.
Thanks for the video idea.
@ Captain Awesome: I would also like to see the results of that test. I would also like AT-205 to participate in that test.
Hmm. I like that.
Then PF will do all the work, expenses etc and we just watch.
Thanks again Project Farm.
Enjoy your testing keep on testing the items you test
Thanks, will do!
I have a friend who was a truck driver forever... He suggested using Type F ATF in the fuel to deal with a miss on a 351 Windsor (fuel injected). I had tried fuel system cleaners, etc., but he put it in every 3k miles on his rig. I tried it and it cleared it up and ran amazing. The detergent in that stuff is really good. Don’t know about running it in an engine case however...
Thank you for the feedback
Try Vaseline instead of oil!
Might have to melt it to make it work lol
Thank you for this recommendation!
Uriah Siner agreed I had mentioned that awhile ago. Would really like to see it not melted
Project Farm
Yea maybe run it until it’s really warm, dump the conventional oil and pour in the heated vaseline and go.
Yeah, like to see that also :D
SFW replacement would include 'cable lube' commonly used in commercial cable applications. It's the same stuff 100% just packaged differently.
Any engine flush should only be run at idle up to temperature and drained, not driven using it.
I use 2 oil filters doing a flush, one before I run the flush after draining the oil so we don't wash anything out of the old filter and recirculate it and another one after the flush with new oil to get rid if any traces of it removed before new oil is used..
It certainly works to removing gumming, particularly in multi valve heads where oil is part lube part coolant due to lack of water jacket space, the gumming afflicts overhead hydraulic cam followers making them noisy that an engine flush can fix.
Likewise anywhere gumming can cause issues for example oil control ring expanders that gum up and cause the engine to start blowing smoke that isn't worn rings it's just that they are jammed in the gummed oil ring expander.
AFT would be fine at a pinch of you had nothing else but I would not drive around with it in the engine.
Its fine in a transmission including manual and transaxle and many vehicles use exactly that in them.
But they don't have the heat or the plain bearings an engine has.
In fact of Formula Vee racing we used ATF in the transaxle instead of gbox oil to reduce power losses in the gbox and less foaming since the engine is revving a lot higher than stock so it was fine in old transaxles under racing conditions.
Thanks for commenting on this.
Rocket Science ...oy
AuMechanic I have used 4 liter of engine oil 10w60 and 4 liter of diesel fuel in my mercedes 320 V6 petrol, and drove it for a week every day. The only result was a beautiful clean engine inside, and that run so smooth. I have to say that I change the oil filter twice that week to remove the sludge that was stuck on it. During this week,my engine running temp was good, and my engine was not noisy at all.
Diesel engine oil is high detergent and good for engine flush for older engines, and being an engine oil is suitable..
Air cooled VW engines are best run on it full time to stop tarnishing.
AuMechanic i have oil dissapear issue in toyota crolla 2004 can i use 50% ATF and 50% existing oil in engine for flush will it help ?
Thank You for all you do. You are a blessing!!
Thanks!
Back in the early to mid 80's, the oil would coke (carbon) up the oil drain back holes in V8 heads, causing the valve covers to fill up with oil and leak. After cleaning and flushing out as much as possible, we would add a quart of ATF to the new oil and have the customer drive it for a few hundred miles. When we changed that oil, large chunks of coke would be in the oil. That being said, Oil has come a long way from the 10w40 in the paper cans your dad used 30+ years ago and so have the engine cleaners. It may no longer be the best answer but it does work.
Thanks for the videos !
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this experience.
I would have liked to see you do a side by side with Marvel Mystery Oil to see if they do the same or no but as always great job.I’m watching the Lucas clear syn. Versus xmas next,can’t wait for results since I’ve always added the Lucas to oil at oil change along with two filters between changes
Thanks for the suggestion.
Atf is same as motor flush
Old trick was to use type f transmission fluid to free up stuck dirty parts
Thanks for commenting on this.
Type F auto trans fluid is GREAT for cleaning dirty guns. And way more affordable than the purpose made solvent.
I put in my 2 CT’s about this atf response , but had forgotten that type f was the thing to use. Don’t know if there still is a type f .
many years ago I picked up a 78 Camaro with a 305 in it that had a bad lifer issue. I had to remove the intake to clean the gunk away from the lifters and the drain back holes. after doing this I did a oil and trans mix to clean the engine out. I did this 3 times in a row with amazing results. the compression returned and the knock went away. the engine had about 200.000 km on it. I drove that car for 2 years without any issues and gave it to a friend who used the engine for a demolition car and won. I would highly recommend this treatment for cleaning. I have been taught to clean gently and slowly or the engine will fall apart inside. What's your opinion?Your Show is awesome ... thanks for taking the time to do teaching us what you know and learnGod Bless
Thank you for the feedback!
Love your videos because you are very detailed.
Thanks!