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Any PTFE additives are just snake oil, PTFE BLOCKS the oil filter and causes oil ways to become clogged. It sits in the oil filter and reduces the flow thru the filter causing oil starvation to bearings. Remember that test were they drove a PTFE coated car engine 4 miles before it seized? well the untreated car went just as far. Both engines were write offs.
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There is from this thread a concensus that it is snake oil. So, I ask the question, if it is useless and does not do what is claimed, how is it that Office of Fair Trading/ Trading Standards have not jumped in and taken it off the market?
DVD
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I don\'t know how to post a link, but for anyone who can be bothered, some interesting reading at
www.fordscorpio.co.uk/snakeoil.htm
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An execellent article, thank you.
DVD- The law of the land will not allow something to be banned just because it is rubbish. If it is proven seriously damaging to health and people want it (i.e. tobbaco)it's difficult enough even with hard hitting education to put it down. IMHO.
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There is from this thread a concensus that it is snake oil. So, I ask the question, if it is useless and does not do what is claimed, how is it that Office of Fair Trading/ Trading Standards have not jumped in and taken it off the market? DVD
i would like to think that it is because unlike the usa, uk oft and trading standards are either not proactive or lack the resources.
if you look up the usa
www.ftc.gov/ and
www.econsumer.gov/english/
links you will see that they are pretty tough on any dubious claims. they require manufacturers to provide rigorous scientific proof of claimed consumer benefits to allow claims to stand.
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DVD, Does this partly answer your question?
In addition, there is some evidence that certain supplies of PTFE powders (from manufacturers other than DuPont) are of a cruder version than the original, made with larger sized flakes that are more likely to "settle out" in your oil or clog up your filters. One fairly good indication that a product contains this kind of PTFE is if the instructions for its use advise you to "shake well before using." It only stands to reason that if the manufacturer knows the solids in his product will settle to the bottom of a container while sitting on a shelf, the same thing is going to happen inside your engine when it is left idle for any period of time.
The problem with putting PTFE in your oil, as explained to us by several industry experts, is that PTFE is a solid. The additive makers claim this solid "coats" the moving parts in an engine (though that is far from being scientifically proven). Slick 50 is currently both the most aggressive advertiser and the most popular seller, with claims of over 14 million treatments sold. However, such solids seem even more inclined to coat non-moving parts, like oil passages and filters. After all, if it can build up under the pressures and friction exerted on a cylinder wall, then it stands to reason it should build up even better in places with low pressures and virtually no friction.
This conclusion seems to be borne out by tests on oil additives containing PTFE conducted by the NASA Lewis Research Center, which said in their report, "In the types of bearing surface contact we have looked at, we have seen no benefit. In some cases we have seen detrimental effect. The solids in the oil tend to accumulate at inlets and act as a dam, which simply blocks the oil from entering. Instead of helping, it is actually depriving parts of lubricant."
Remember, PTFE in oil additives is a suspended solid. Now think about why you have an oil filter on your engine. To remove suspended solids, right? Right. Therefore it would seem to follow that if your oil filter is doing its job, it will collect as much of the PTFE as possible, as quickly as possible. This can result in a clogged oil filter and decreased oil pressure throughout your engine.
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I think that colloidal PTFE may be better suited to environments such as gearboxes where it may have a cushioning or anti-backlash effect, and most of the drawbacks seen in an engine are irrelevant. But even then, I'm sure lubricant manudacturers would adopt it if there was a benefit to be had.
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A gearbox oil has three very important functions. It must lubricate the bearings, not break down under the pressure between engaged gear teeth and allow sufficient friction between the syncromesh cones to avoid crash changes.
Adding any unapproved stuff to gearbox oil is likely to have a harmful effect on at least one of these functions. Please don't even think about it!
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