Lucus oil-To add or not to add?

I really can't tell you much: some people swear by it and say it works great, but then I saw a Web site that did a test and proved it foams, which is NOT a good thing! (Yeah, EVERTHING on the Internet is true; not like perhaps the people who did the test had a bone to pick with Lucas...???)

WHY do you want to add an additive? High miles? Looking for added prevention?

Here's what I have been doing for 30 years, and STILL have one of the three High-Mileage cars in my driveway to prove it:

I add 1/2 quart of Marvel Mystery Oil to the 3 1/2 quarts of Castrol GTX I put in every 3,000 miles. Three cars well over 220,000 miles...

A good quality synthetic oil is, IMHO, better than the best additive added to dino oil.

justinm930 wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~ I use Mobil 1 10W30 full synthetic with Lucas 20% concentration in a

5S-FE, (4 cylinder) 1994 Camry with 130,000 miles. Also use their transmission product at 15% concentration in the automatic transmission, combined with Mobil 1 fully synthetic ATF - same in power steering, and a very small amount 5% concentration in the differential. ~~~~~~~~~~~ I also ran Auto-rx (auto-rx.com) in the crankcase one time for 500 miles and then drained. When I purchased the car with 84,000 miles, running conventional oil, I also changed more frequently a number of times, experimenting. I also changed the seal on the engine and transmission oil pans and cleaned the interior - although both were already fairly clean. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Lucas in the engine stopped the puff of smoke from the valve seals on cold start. In the transmission, quieted operation - and I like the extra protection for the planetary gears. I have never observed any evidence of foaming anywhere when checking oil levels or draining with engine hot. In the power steering, response at slow speed was improved. In the differential, I noticed an improvement in power with Mobil 1, but a decrease when adding Lucas there, so I scaled back the concentration. ~~~~~~~~~~~ In addition to no smoke on cold start, the engine uses a very slight amount of oil and leaks none - although I have changed all the oil seals and gaskets - it is the rear main seal I'm looking to preserve. ~~~~~~~~~~~ I do not use Lucas fuel treatment, because it references running hotter. I use RedLine complete fuel system cleaner which is safe for continuous use, and also keeps the valve faces clean.

I need to get better oil coverage to the top of the motor. I figure if lucus coats as well as they say it does, then its something I should try.

I also want to eliminate some of the burning. I heard that Lucus is great at reducing heat friction-less wear=less burning. My 91 4cyl camry has

155k miles on it so I realize that some oil consumption is innevitible.

On the same end I am affraid to stray away from my simple 4 qts of maxlife

10w30. I change the oild every 2k to minimize the slugging that takes place.

Is there a problem with oil coverage to the top of the motor? Why? Your running maxlife 10w30 in the summer in a 15 year old high mileage motor? I would go to 10w40 high mileage oil..2K is really too soon to change. I go 3000 or more between changes on a daily driven

97 with 200,000 miles. No oil leaks, uses about 1/2 qt between changes.

I thought thinner oil was supposed to travel more easily to the top then heavier oil?

Well thinner oil will pass by the oil seals and rings causing MORE burning. Again WHY do you think you need MORE lubrication to the top of the motor?

I hear a slight but distiguishing tick coming from the motor. I have been told that this is normal for this motor(2.0) but I cant Help but think its a lifter. I know going heavier just makes the engine work hard to circulate the oil so I'd rather go light with a product like lucus that will stick to the motor and mix with the oil instead of 10w40 which will just drain back into the pan and sit. Plus I know that going heavier will mean sacrafising gas MPG and we pay 2.50/gal around these parts.

The Camry uses a bucket and shim arrangement for its valves. I think the adjustment interval in the manual is 60,000 miles.You probably need yours adjusted. You think Lucas oil additive is lighter? Its like molasses. Its todays equivalent of that STP additive from the 1960s. People used it to dump in the motor to quiet them down and stop ring smoking just before they sell them! Fix the problem dont just treat the symptom. Your not hearing the ticking of the fuel injectors going off are you? The older ones were noisier. Whats the condition of the top end of the motor? Have you taken off the valve cover and looked for any sludge buildup?