Engine Oil Additives Question.

[Numanme]

Now ive got my 166 TS I want to do my best to keep the engine as spot on as possible ive heard alot of people use additives to there oil to help improve the engines life and performance,does anyone use any of these in there alfa if so which do you use and what if any difference has it made to your motor.
Cheers all,
Trev

[Bodger]

I wouldn't use an additive in an Alfa. Oil should be pure and clean to do the best job.

I got a last lease of life out of an old camper using Wynns Supercharge. I reckon I got about 500 miles more after the big ends started to get noisy which got us home from the South of France so I am grateful & all that.

[Ralf S.]

Some of these additives contain viscosity modifiers and other chemicals that boost the lubricative qualities of the oil.

They're good if your oil isn't very good... most of them date from the days of mineral oils where ultimate performance under high load could fall away.

Most oil these days, especially the fully synthetics, will not have anything missing in them that an additive will add and there's stories that the additives may actually cause blockage or gumming problems in newer engines... typically these are designed for thinner oils, have narrower oil galleries and what have you.

If it was me, I'd just use a good semi-synthetic 10W40 oil and change it every 12 months or 6000 miles/10,000 kms. The engine will last forever. I've had variously Selenia 20K (designed for 20,000kms), Shell Helix and Castrol Magnatec in my old donkey over the years and it has no wear at all.


Ralf S.

[zulu ferret]

What RalfS said.: With plenty of oil and filter changes?

[PT14]

Originally Posted by Numanme

Now ive got my 166 TS I want to do my best to keep the engine as spot on as possible ive heard alot of people use additives to there oil to help improve the engines life and performance,does anyone use any of these in there alfa if so which do you use and what if any difference has it made to your motor.
Cheers all,
Trev

Who could trust an additive called "Motor Honey" for example. The people who use additives are usually rogues that want to drag a few kilometres out of a tired old engine/gearbox etc. so as to trap a buyer. (sucker), before the whole thing explodes. My brother bought a Vulvo that ran like a dream for 24 hours after purchase and then the engine, gearbox and diff. all were rooted very quickly indeed. He was a mechanic who became a lawyer and he still got taken.

Save your money for good oil, good filters and change every 10k (kms) as many have already said, in this thread. I'm a poet

[Ralf S.]

Originally Posted by PT14

...as many have already said, in this thread. I'm a poet

Don't we know it...

Boom! Boom!


Ralf S.

[norbert]

Yeah I agree. Good quality semi-synth and filter every 6 months.

[zulu ferret]

Only a hazarded guess, but could the variator problems be associated with the decline in oil quality, and the absence of regular filter changes? Further to this, so far, yes so far, we have had few problems of noteworthyness, with our Selespeed, just fortunate? Or borrowed time, or just the fact we smother her with service attention, in the extreme! She is beautiful.:

[belladonna]

use selenia 20k only as recommended by alfa romeo and nothing else & change frequently

[Alpha1]

Would agree that a good oil is normally the only answer, and came across a product called XADO after recommendation from a friend.

Used their XADO semi synthetic oil 10w-40 which had the Xado in it.

Despite my belief in just using oil I did stick my neck out and tried the XADO gel for gearboxes http://www.xado.co.uk/engine_treatme..._additives.htm. The intermittent problem of engagement I had has gone!!

What attracted me is the different way it is supposed to work without additional lead zinc or PTFE.

As it worked for me there is no reason why it should not work for others.

[gus1971]

We should also keep an eye on additives for transmission oils. Especially in cases of 4wd cars, gains should be notable. The Brera 3.2has been dynoed at around 185 hp - reaching the wheels that is. That's an astounding 75hp loss (not to mention consumption issues)...Surely, something can be done about it.

[mave]

Originally Posted by gus1971

We should also keep an eye on additives for transmission oils. Especially in cases of 4wd cars, gains should be notable. The Brera 3.2has been dynoed at around 185 hp - reaching the wheels that is. That's an astounding 75hp loss (not to mention consumption issues)...Surely, something can be done about it.

...Be especially careful with transmissions oil; synchros need friction to work, as do some of the central diffs fitted to 4wd cars.....

[Alpha1]

gus1971,

I subscribe to XADO uk's newsletter. For what it's worth their recent mailing mentioned transmission oils. If I have any more info I will let you know.

Alpha1

[Squadrone Rosso]

I've sworn by ZX1 for many a year. It's a metal treatment that you add to the oil and is NATO spec. Once the 159 gets properly run in I'll use it without doubt. I've always noticed better fuel consumption and a more free revving engine once used. It can be put in the fuel tank to lube the pump and in the header tank to lube the water pump. Good stuff IMHO

[renone]

As said by some. Good quality oil, quality oil filter and changed every 6000 miles with perhaps a engine flush every 20k. There are to many horror stories related to additives such as restricted engine oil flow or spools of ptfe in the gearbox let alone the cost of them.

[fantom alfa]

Originally Posted by Squadrone Rosso

I've sworn by ZX1 for many a year. It's a metal treatment that you add to the oil and is NATO spec. Once the 159 gets properly run in I'll use it without doubt. I've always noticed better fuel consumption and a more free revving engine once used. It can be put in the fuel tank to lube the pump and in the header tank to lube the water pump. Good stuff IMHO

I decided to give ZX1 a go in the engine of my 77,000 mile GTV 3.0 V6. I must say I am really impressed. It does seem that the engine is more free-revving and the car a little quicker. Most noticeable is the difference in cold starting. Normally the GTV feels very stiff and lethargic at cold starts in mid-winter, but with the ZX1 it feels like the engine is already warmed up, so I interpret this as the oil lubricating better from cold which can't be a bad thing.
I also treated by gearbox with Slick50 manual transmission PTFE treatment. I have a 6-speed 'box with a Q2 diff.
So far fuel economy seems better too. I have done 230miles on half a tank. It will be a few more weeks before I can tell how many more miles I will get to the tank, but often I fill up at 280miles. Of course the last 1/4 tank on the guage goes very quickly.

[renone]

Having rebuilt a gearbox which had been fed on Slick 50 for a number of years I am somewhat sceptical as to its virtues. As we took the box apart we found varying lengths of hair like ptfe and what can only be described as ptfe gunge which had congealed in all sorts of places in the box. It concerns what this stuff does to oil flow. I am sticking by my original suggestion, frequent oil changes with good quality oil.

[zulu ferret]

Buy Em', Try Em' if you like 'Em, use 'Em?

[Squadrone Rosso]

Originally Posted by fantom alfa

I decided to give ZX1 a go in the engine of my 77,000 mile GTV 3.0 V6. I must say I am really impressed. It does seem that the engine is more free-revving and the car a little quicker. Most noticeable is the difference in cold starting. Normally the GTV feels very stiff and lethargic at cold starts in mid-winter, but with the ZX1 it feels like the engine is already warmed up, so I interpret this as the oil lubricating better from cold which can't be a bad thing.
I also treated by gearbox with Slick50 manual transmission PTFE treatment. I have a 6-speed 'box with a Q2 diff.
So far fuel economy seems better too. I have done 230miles on half a tank. It will be a few more weeks before I can tell how many more miles I will get to the tank, but often I fill up at 280miles. Of course the last 1/4 tank on the guage goes very quickly.

Good to hear, from a near neighbour too

[fantom alfa]

Originally Posted by renone

Having rebuilt a gearbox which had been fed on Slick 50 for a number of years I am somewhat sceptical as to its virtues. As we took the box apart we found varying lengths of hair like ptfe and what can only be described as ptfe gunge which had congealed in all sorts of places in the box. It concerns what this stuff does to oil flow. I am sticking by my original suggestion, frequent oil changes with good quality oil.

Hm, that's somewhat worrying. Why was the gearbox being rebuilt in the first place? Catastrophic failure?

[renone]

It was for syncro failure on 2nd gear plus some new bearings. I know that it maybe a bit of a narrow view point but if these additives are so good why are they not added as standard? You can argue that they are used in motor sport, but they tend to rebuild engines and gearboxes with frequency.

[zulu ferret]

Funny one this! Used slick 50 in a sticky Fiat box, worked great! Clocked over110,000mls when I sold her. No problems whatsoever. It was the branded Slick one, and when I drained the oil, it was still detectable in suspension. New oil, fresh slick. Straight GL5 synthetic in the Sele' I have to admit, which it seems to like.

[AlfaLincs]

Basically people are chucking stuff into expensive engines based on claims. I have to say I used Molyslip in an escort Mk1 gearbox in my kit car with some success, but i'd be more wary now.

I recall a few years back having a chat with the senior mechanic at our then Skoda dealer and asking him how many engines they had changed under warranty in ten years. "One" he replied "And that one was clogged up with oil additives that had wrecked the crank. Skoda still paid up as the owner was an elderly gent who had bought five previous Skodas"

Oils have progressed so far I just don't think they are necessary now.Even assuming they were ever necessary.

SR..is being NATO Spec supposed to fill me with confidence...the French won't join and the Germans won't go anywhere dangerous these days

AlfaLincs