Anyone use a oil additive.
If so what kind or make.
Thanks Doug

I have a 261 engine with a lot of miles. I use Lucas oil stabilizer. It seems to have reduced some leaks and oil consumption.

It thickens the oil - like using #50.

If you need to use an additive in the oil it will only provide a short delay in rebuilding the engine. Personally I wont even wave a closed container near a engine.
Tony

Oil additives are at best a neutral situation. Some do no real harm but not much good as well. Others such as most that reduce oil consumption or leakage do more harm than good. Those are the ones like STP that increase the oil viscosity. Yes they reduce oil loss from a running engine but they also reduce the lubrication to many parts of the engine and increase the rolling resistance and therefore fuel mileage. It is the oil mist created by the rotating parts that is mostly affected. Why is that important? Because the wrist pins, cylinder walls, piston rings are lubricated by the oil mist not direct pressure oiling. Like most things today those selling something talk about what good it might do but never tell any of the negatives. Caveat Emptor.

Many years ago I went to a talk by the then owner of Penrite oil about old cars. He said the oil additives you buy are already in the oil and only cost a few cents to them, if they needed more additives they would put them in.

I can start of by saying I do not use oil additives in vehicles that are in relatively good shape and do not have mechanical issues that could potentially cost more that the vehicle is worth.

This said I have a friend that had a Saturn that the oil was milky. Drained the oil and coolant and added the head gasket fix snake oil stuff to it. He drove it another year before there was coolant in the oil again. I doubt the head gasket fixed itself and we know that since the issue came back it did not fix it long term. What we do know is that when it first started he could not afford a replacement vehicle and he had nothing to loose. When it went a year later he could and did replace the car.

If there is nothing to loose I am for trying the stuff. If it can be fixed cost effectively etc. then just fix it right.

Some of the snake oils do work for the "short term" but I dont know of any that work long term.
As Monty says fix it properly is the better option.
Tony

My old field mechanic always called anything like additives as Snake Oil. Miss him and his wisdom.