Topic: Lucas oil treatment okay?

[Schnell]

Any thoughts on this product? There is a disply on my local Canadian Tire Store comparing 2 rotatable gear trains, one in plain oil and the other in oil plus Lucas oil treatment. The fluid in the second gear train with Lucas seemed higher in viscosity or stickier than the oil only one. There was less friction/resistance felt while rotating the gear train with Lucas. So what do you think? Good for our old higher mileage engines or not? Will it adversely affect the clutch plates?

[kpier883]

subscribed.  Should be an interesting discussion.

[phil71]

I don't know about the benefits in a car. On these air cooled engines, oil is more than a lubricant, it's a coolant, and to some degree, it's even a cleaner . It carries clutch debris away, leaving it safely in the oil filter if it can. If oil clings to a part, it stands to reason that so would heat, and grit. And that seems like a bad idea.
   I'm sure this one is gonna get busy fast, but that's my 2¢

[Don R]

Lucas spends millions on drag racing, the concensus among the racers on the site I frequent is it's mostly a viscosity improver. If you already have the correct viscosity you may not need it. That little gear tool was the single best marketing device ever.

[trueblue]

I've used it in a few different engines over the years, some seem to love it others hate it and on others it doesn't seem to make any difference.  I haven't used it in my bike but the sales rep that comes into work (we sell the stuff) said to put it in.  As said before it is essentially a viscosity modifier, and I can't see the point considering I'm already running the correct grade.  I'm currently running their oil and the bike loves it, never run smoother since I've had it. 

[Terry in Australia]

I "discovered" Morey's (Lucas' main competitor) when I was hanging out with some guys who had a little car yard here in Melbourne selling cheap cars. They had a 44 gallon drum of the stuff, and any old banger that came in blowing smoke and terminally rattling sounded like a new car after they gave it the treatment. They'd put it in the engine, the gearbox, the diff, whatever it went in, it quietened everything down.

I bought my first K series BMW around the same time, and as they'd given me a gallon of the stuff, when I did an oil change I added a litre to the oil, and it did make it sound so much quieter. I'd done the valve clearances when cold the previous day, and was a little concerned about how dry the cams and valve gear was, so a few months later after using the Moreys/Lucas oil treatment I took the valve cover off again, and there was a nice film of sticky oil covering everything, which has to be good at startup, with no possibility of "metal to metal" grinding while the cold oil is making it's way back up to the top end.

I've just dumped a litre into my 450 dollar Subaru Liberty/Legacy, the car's done around 160,000 miles, and even though it still runs nice and smooth, I thought it wouldn't hurt. Some folks will probably come along and call it "Snake Oil" as usually happens on oil threads, but I've seen it work on rattly, smokey old engines, and I've seen it work on my first BMW K bike, so I'm happy to drop 20 bucks on a litre of the stuff once in a while, Geez, I spend way more on Booze and that doesn't do me any good at all!  

[01Thomas]

This has probably been said before but...
 As you no doubt know, motor engine oils from a reputable oil company (the likes of Mobil, Shell, BP etc.) are made to a specific formulation, being very simplistically their choice of base oil and additives in the correct proportions.

Those formulations are different for each oil, from one manufacturer to another. The base oils differ from one mnfr to another, and more importantly, so do the additives. And there are many additives which have the same particular function but which differ chemically.

These additives often clash with each other. For example: the detergent additives which a certain oil manufacturer prefers will likely clash with the detergent additive which another petroleum company chooses to use. The end product (mixture) is usually less effective than either of the components of the mixture.

It is for this reason that one shouldn't mix oil from different brands. Having said that, in an emergency "any oil is better than no oil".

Now a company like Lucas or Prolong  or who-ever comes along and sells you an additive to be added to your oil. My question for you to consider is twofold:
a. How do these additive sellers know what oil is in your engine, and
b. How can they possibly predict what the reaction between their additives and the additives in your engine oil is going to be?

Yes, it may well increase the viscosity of the oil so that it doesn't leak past your worn out piston rings - but what is it doing to the other additives in your engine oil, the ones that allow you to run your Toyota/VW/Mazda engine to 15 000 kilometres between oil changes? (1) The additives that prevent sludges and resins from forming in your sump and/or tappet covers? The additives that reduce/prevent the oil from foaming?

So the bottom line is lubrication professionals don't recommend putting such additives in your engine oil. And we haven't even started on clutch plates ...

I recommend you use one of the SAE 20W-50 high mileage-type oils from a reputable petroleum company - and make sure it has a decent API rating; your bike will benefit and you can sleep easy at night.
(1) The same additives are in your bikes' engine oil - but being air-cooled and also lubricating your transmission they should have more frequent oil changes

[Xnavylfr]

I'll add to this confusion!!
To begin with HIGH MILEAGE oils have a friction inhibitor ,CB750 clutch is lubricated by the oil even though it's called a DRY clutch and ANY type of friction reducers will REDUCE the effectiveness of ANY wet/dry clutch.
LUCAS treatment can be added to ANY oil as long as there isn't something in that engine that relies on friction to operate(CLUTCH). The treatment makes the oil stick to the gears so you have less gear clashing sounds in the engine.

http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=25&catid=2&loc=show

It's YOUR M/C and everybody has a choice to use what products they want, but just a headsup, ANYTHING that has  a friction REDUCER or IS a friction reducer will cause clutch issues.

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[Killer Canary]

Geez, I spend way more on Booze and that doesn't do me any good at all!  

It does plenty of good. It makes you a jolly good fellow!

[Bailgang]

I'll add to this confusion!!
To begin with HIGH MILEAGE oils have a friction inhibitor ,
Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

You sure about that? I was checking out some of mobile 1 high mileage oil and saw that it didn't have the "energy conserving" in the API spec logo in fact that part of the logo was blank making me assume it didn't have the friction modifiers we avoid for our wet clutch bikes. That didn't make sense to me because I figured you would want that in a high mileage oil.

Anyhow as far as the lucas additive, I can't say it would hurt anything provided you didn't add too much to your oil but I don't see how it would help if you're using the correct viscosity oil to begin with.

[KRONUS0100]

i learned about Lucas in the truck shops when i started my career.  drivers swore by it, so itried it in my old truck.  since then i hgave used it every other oil change in everything ive ever owned.  it makes a big difference.  i put 270 plus thousand miles on an old worn out OLDS 307 that i did everything to but pull pistons and hone and re-ring.  Lucas has spent millions by now perfecting the blend to be compatable with almost every oil out there.  just my 2 cent opinion

[Terry in Australia]

I'll add to this confusion!!
To begin with HIGH MILEAGE oils have a friction inhibitor ,CB750 clutch is lubricated by the oil even though it's called a DRY clutch and ANY type of friction reducers will REDUCE the effectiveness of ANY wet/dry clutch.
LUCAS treatment can be added to ANY oil as long as there isn't something in that engine that relies on friction to operate(CLUTCH). The treatment makes the oil stick to the gears so you have less gear clashing sounds in the engine.

http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=25&catid=2&loc=show

It's YOUR M/C and everybody has a choice to use what products they want, but just a headsup, ANYTHING that has  a friction REDUCER or IS a friction reducer will cause clutch issues.

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

+1 Chuck, I tried Castrol GTX in my K1 in 1981 and my clutch slipped like a bastaard!

i learned about Lucas in the truck shops when i started my career.  drivers swore by it, so itried it in my old truck.  since then i hgave used it every other oil change in everything ive ever owned.  it makes a big difference.  i put 270 plus thousand miles on an old worn out OLDS 307 that i did everything to but pull pistons and hone and re-ring.  Lucas has spent millions by now perfecting the blend to be compatable with almost every oil out there.  just my 2 cent opinion

+ Another one mate, I used it for thousands of miles in several cars and bikes, with nothing but good results. Cheers, Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

Geez, I spend way more on Booze and that doesn't do me any good at all!  

It does plenty of good. It makes you a jolly good fellow!

Damn! I forgot that, all this drinking is making me forgetfull..........

[Xnavylfr]

I'll add to this confusion!!
To begin with HIGH MILEAGE oils have a friction inhibitor ,CB750 clutch is lubricated by the oil even though it's called a DRY clutch and ANY type of friction reducers will REDUCE the effectiveness of ANY wet/dry clutch.
LUCAS treatment can be added to ANY oil as long as there isn't something in that engine that relies on friction to operate(CLUTCH). The treatment makes the oil stick to the gears so you have less gear clashing sounds in the engine.

http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=25&catid=2&loc=show

It's YOUR M/C and everybody has a choice to use what products they want, but just a headsup, ANYTHING that has  a friction REDUCER or IS a friction reducer will cause clutch issues.

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

As my quote says , YOUR M/C you use what you want!!  I use Rotella 20w-50 in my CB

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[ekpent]

Wonder if that stuff is similar to good ole' Motor Honey. Supposed to help out those old tired smoke belching engines that are on their last leg.   http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_motor-honey-oil-treatment-casite_7813595-p

[Xnavylfr]

Really, the MOTOR HONEY and STP oil treatment makes the oil THICKER and slicker.
The thickness is what helps to stop MOST of the engine rattles.  The way the motor honey helps to stop smoking ,is because it makes the oil thicker and harder to seep past seals and rings.. SNAKE OIL
 I once used some stuff called OVERHAUL-IN-CAN . It had about 16 oz. of THICK oil treatment and 8 small pellets of GRAPHITE for each cylinder. This was used in a 79 GMC CABALLERO (CHEVY EL CAMINO)350 v-8 smoked like a diesel.  Treated engine as instructions read!! Drove it normal , and slowly the smoking STOPPED and engine had more power.  At the time 7.95$ saved me lots of cash till I could afford to rebuild!

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[jamesb]

As my quote says , YOUR M/C you use what you want!!  I use Rotella 20w-50 in my CB

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)
[/quote]

Rotealla 20w-50 works good my chopper loves it. I was having some problems with the trans I used the rotella a d it helped a lot. I'm going to use it in my cb550 on its next oil change.

[lucky]

Cars do not have wet clutches. Motorcycles do.
What do you think will happen when that sticky goo gets all through your clutch plates?


See what I mean?

[Terry in Australia]

Wonder if that stuff is similar to good ole' Motor Honey. Supposed to help out those old tired smoke belching engines that are on their last leg.   http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_motor-honey-oil-treatment-casite_7813595-p

Yes Eric, it's a similar product, as Chuck states it thickens the oil, but it also increases the viscosity and helps the oil bond (stick) to moving parts to prevent metal to metal friction on startup, so it's not "Snake Oil" if it works, which Chuck agrees that it does. Cheers, Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

Cars do not have wet clutches. Motorcycles do.
What do you think will happen when that sticky goo gets all through your clutch plates?


See what I mean?

Nothing. I've used it in my Suzuki GS1000 and Honda CB750 and it hasn't affected my clutch at all. Try it before you repost another baseless opinion.

[lucky]

I asked a question. "What do you think it will do?"

I did not give an opinion.

I was just saying to be careful before putting that gooey stuff in your motorcycle
with a wet clutch.

[Stev-o]

Where's Dave with the popcorn?

[trueblue]

[CB750R]

Several years ago I called Lucas for input regarding use with wet clutch. I use one third to half a bottle for oil change. No effect on the clutch.  Looking how thin and hot the oil gets on a 34C day in the Cb, I don't mind a little viscosity modifier!

[City Boy]

Hi gang.I have used Lucas oil additive in my CB1100F with no ill effects to its wet  clutch operation whatsoever.
  I also use a similar product called STP as my engine assembly lube of choice and have since my apprenticeship days in 1973.A very "clingy" product indeed and originally brought to this world by Andy Granatelli of Turbine Indy Car fame and the Studebaker Corp.
     Your Results May Vary!