Marvel Mystery Oil

[ttman4]

Been yrs since I posted & had to re-do everything to post......
MMO.......IMHO problem with it is it's got sooo hi in last 1 1/2-2 yrs.

Recently have a '69 Chev C30 that's got a Chev 350 in it. It's set for 33 yrs in NE Tx humid climate, not run or fired at all. Engine seized. Pulled spark plugs, filled them with MMO, poured some down thru carb, let set 2 days, pulled it to turn over engine without plugs & she turned over!!!!

Hauled her back to dry-land Oregon with MMO still in her.....had to change fuel tank & lines & fuel pump & plugs & oil & filter. New non-ethanol gas & new engine oil with MMO in both. Fired her up & run, very ruff.

Every time I fire her up she runs & sounds better & better. Going to do carb kit (4 barrel Rochester Quad) but I think MMO has helped me lots on her!

I run MMO in my 2 & 4 cyc engines gas & oil & had very good luck. Run it in my '90 Ford 350 Dually with my '94 Factory IDIT engine fuel & oil. I think I get bit better fuel millage with MMO but I wonder bout the cost.

 

[alaarp]

I have a can on the shelf but wouldn’t use it in an engine. I’m not a big fan of products that make a lot of claims. I bought it because I found a home made recipe for gun cleaner and oil and it was one of the ingredients. It works great for that.

Would you share that recipe?

 

[Bentrim]

Don’t quote me on this but I have read that Stabil works by floating on top of gasoline and preventing air/moisture interacting with the fuel. I wonder if MMO works in the same manner.

One of the many service schools I had attended for small engines explained to the class that yes Stabil works by forming a layer or scum on top of the fuel to protect it from air/moisture. Which worked well except when the unit was moved and the gasoline sloshed in the tank then they claimed the layer was broken up and did not reform. Of course this could have been a sales pitch for another product. But they did say don't use the red, but use the blue (marine) Stabil.
Still don't believe any of these mouse milks, especially at the length of time they say the fuel will be good for.

 

[5030]

I use 2 ounces of white bottle Power Service and 4 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil in every 5 gallons of road diesel fuel That I use in my 4 pieces of diesel equipment.

It seems counter productive to me that you have to add various elixers to just keep your diesel fuel viable. I agree the EPA is out f hand but then so are most bureaucratic agencies today. Same goes with regular gasoline.

 

[Gator6x4]

It seems counter productive to me that you have to add various elixers to just keep your diesel fuel viable. I agree the EPA is out f hand but then so are most bureaucratic agencies today. Same goes with regular gasoline.

I use it because of the low sulfur content of todays diesel. The Marvel Mystery oil also keeps the small computer controlled injectors in todays ag equipment. The Power House also raises the cetane number.

"Modern highway diesel engines tend to require fuel with a cetane number ranging from 45 to 55. Typically, regular no. 2 diesel has a cetane number of 40 to 42, while Cenex Premium Diesel has a cetane number of 47 to 52."

Those using Off Road Diesel should really in my opinion at least use use the Power Service. I use Road Diesel and still use it plus the Marvel Mystery Oil. .

A lot of the Over The Road Guys look for Truck Stops that dispense this.

Cenex Roadmaster XL® | Premium Highway Diesel Fuel for Top Performance

 

[OldArmy]

I used MMO in my 1946 Piper J-3 Cub with Continental C-85 engine. The older Continental engines were designed in the 30s for unleaded 73 octane gasoline. Today, only 100 leaded avgas is available at most airports. While considered low lead content (100LL) it still has four times the recommended amount of lead for the engine. As a result, they are prone to sticking exhaust valves.

In the aviation community it is widely debated as to effectiveness, not to mention not FAA approved. Still in the 30-60s the military bought the stuff by the barrel for air cooled aircraft engines. Old time mechanics swear by it.

I’ve had two stuck valves in Continental engines on two different planes. Since I began adding MMO to gas, I’ve not had another.

My dad was a career ag pilot beginning just after returning from WWII and A&P licensed FAA mechanic. He swore by the stuff and always said engine run with it were always cleaner and with less wear than those without…and he overhauled a bunch of aircraft engines.

So all that to add one more data point in support of using MMO. I tend to use Stabile in gas for my non-aviation stuff except my diesel tractor. I also try to run some Seafoam gas treatment to the gas engine items. It has eliminated recurring carb problems which plagued my Kawasaki four wheeler. I also only run non-ethanol in everything but cars and truck.

As for the earlier post by oldpilot regarding the Cub dying….that was due to improperly set up Stromberg carburetor. The ones on Cubs have no accelerator and will stumble and die if advanced too fast or with idle set too low. They aren’t terribly complicated being descended from tractor carbs, but they can be finicky if idle mixture and speed aren’t set correctly. BTDT.

 

[dlsclaw]

Been yrs since I posted & had to re-do everything to post......
MMO.......IMHO problem with it is it's got sooo hi in last 1 1/2-2 yrs.

Recently have a '69 Chev C30 that's got a Chev 350 in it. It's set for 33 yrs in NE Tx humid climate, not run or fired at all. Engine seized. Pulled spark plugs, filled them with MMO, poured some down thru carb, let set 2 days, pulled it to turn over engine without plugs & she turned over!!!!

Hauled her back to dry-land Oregon with MMO still in her.....had to change fuel tank & lines & fuel pump & plugs & oil & filter. New non-ethanol gas & new engine oil with MMO in both. Fired her up & run, very ruff.

Every time I fire her up she runs & sounds better & better. Going to do carb kit (4 barrel Rochester Quad) but I think MMO has helped me lots on her!

I run MMO in my 2 & 4 cyc engines gas & oil & had very good luck. Run it in my '90 Ford 350 Dually with my '94 Factory IDIT engine fuel & oil. I think I get bit better fuel millage with MMO but I wonder bout the cost.

A friend gave me a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil? I remember it from the 1960's but I have never used it. Where do you use it and what is it good for?

It was originally made as a top end lubricant. You can add it to your fuel tank and/or oil. It cleans and lubricates. They use to use it in big rigs to keep the coking of the injectors down. In the 60s they made an injector kit which consisted of a 1/2 gallon tank and a metering valve. It had a sight glass on it to adjust the dripping. You connected a hose from the tank to manifold vacuum, and at idle adjusted the drop to about 1 drip every 4 to 10 seconds. It would clean the top end and lubricate the cylinder, valves and rings. I worked in an auto parts store at the time and put one on my car. It is also a good air tool oil.

 

[eriejake]

A friend gave me a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil? I remember it from the 1960's but I have never used it. Where do you use it and what is it good for?

I've used many aftermarket products that have made crazy claims on how good they work, but they don't! However, there are at least two products I will have in my garage at all times ... Marvel Mystery Oil and Seafoam ... They DO what they claim, and then some. I'll substitute and add 1/2 qt. of MMO to an oil change just to keep things quiet and working correctly in my car and truck engines. Also use it in small (mower) engines as well. MMO has been around a long time for one reason ... it works!

 

[dodge man]

Would you share that recipe?

The recipe for gun cleaner
40% kerosene
40% mineral spirits
15% Marvel Mystery Oil
5% Rislone Oil

I forgot about Rislone Oil, similar claims to MMO.

 

[Zetorboy]

You seems to use it as a …. fuel stabiliser, isn’t it???

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I now use a different product in my modern "stuff" but would buy another bottle of MMO if I have any older engines.

My dad had a shop in which he repair farm equipment--and anything else that go dragged in--from the 1950s to his retirement in the 80s. Always a barrel of it open and one on hand for the open one ran empty. It went into the fuel on everything and into the crankcase on almost everything.

The salesman would say, "It's a marvel what it does, and mystery how it does it." ...but he sold a LOT of the stuff.

 

[JRH02]

Like many others I have used it for 50 years for multiple things. With machine tools as a cutting fluid with problem materials like stainless for drilling, cutting and tapping. Yes, I run some periodically (every other tank or jug) in the chain saws, and generator, gas or diesel ATV/UTV. In my opinion it is just OK for penetrant on stuck/rusted hardware but I think there are better options these days. Gun lube is a yes - as sparingly as possible.

I never put it in any crank case as I run Mobile1 in everything and that is good enough.

Lastly, it smells so good.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I used it to winterize an inboard boat engine.

My grandaddy was born in 1900. He always had it and so doeth I.

 

[benski]

Pretty um, Marvelous stuff. I don't add it to the Amsoil motor oil I use, but it goes into a lot of things around here as a fuel additive, stabilizer, outdoor tool treatment, air tool oil, and the occasional stew recipe. (Um, no...) but it is great stuff, especially for loosening up stuck/frozen stuff and off season protection. I'm a 50 year user, and there are things that it excels at.

 

[ncridgerunner1]

Haven't used it in years but back in 1986 I bought a 1969 Chevy pick-up with a 305 engine that had a bad valve tapping noise. Bought the truck for nearly nothing with the belief that I would have to do a valve job at the very least. A mechanic friend convinced me to pour MMO directly into the carb while the truck was running. It smoked like someone had set off a couple of military smoke grenades but ran quiet and smooth afterward. Wish I had that truck today.

How much MMO are people using to stabilize 5 gallons of gas?

 

[DJ54]

I wouldn’t think adding MMO to engine oil would be very good for any engine oil. Add it to fuel yes but I want my engine oil thick especially in old engines

Instructions say up to 20%, but I add maybe 10%, only one oz. per qt. And use SAE 30 in all of my air cooled engines, so it can't thin it that much, even when hot. Been doing that since the mid-70's hasn't seemed to harm anything yet.

 

[DJ54]

You could mix up a small batch of mmo and acetone for penetrating oil. you may have to add more acetone if it sits a long time

If he doesn't have a use for it, that would be a great way to use it up. I've got a gallon Dad bought back in the 80's. I called MMO's help line to check how long it was shelf stable, and they told me if over 10 years old, don't use it in an engine, but didn't say why. That's exactly what I'm going to do with it, once I get the 2 gallon jug of ATF used up, then starting on a case of Rislone I found he'd squirreled away.

 

[olenjohn]

Air tools

 

[olenjohn]

I could post it here but then it would no longer be a MYSTERY….

 

[joea99]

I've been using a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone as a penetrating oil which I am now a believer in/of. My nephew asked if MM would work as well.

Maybe give that a try and compare to Kroil, PB Blaster, etc.