It has been strongly recommended by somebody who knows that prior to an oil change you should put a litre of paraffin in the engine and run it a bit (20 miles, say).
Just as effective as those more expensive treatments, and far cheaper.
Any views? Urban myth or top tip?
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Absolute Rubbish!!! Just make sure that the engine oil is hot before draining it.
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paraffin was used many years ago to clean engine components
untill it was discovered that the parafin left a residue on the metal which means the oil that went into the engine was breaking down much faster than it should.and so it wasn`t used again.it is not a good idea to use any form of flushing agent as it is difficult to clear once in the engine.unless you have oilway problems?
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Never heard of this before.
With modern engines using fine tolerances and closely matched engine oils to engine specifications, may I suggest your "friend" 's engineering knowledge is either non-existent or about 70 years out of date.
I read of this for Pre WW2 cars.. (no I am not that old:-) but this is the 21st century.
Does your friend also believe in fairies at the bottom of the garden.? Sorry for being so rude but that is the equivalent of what he/she is saying.
One way of ruining your engine quickly I suggest...
madf
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atf(auto trans fluid) is widely used as an engine flush..its high on detergents
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Mech1 rather agrees with my thinking. You (I!) only ever get 80%-90% of the oil out of a car when you (I!) do a change. That means that 10-20% of the gunk you put in for cleaning the engine for 20 miles sits in your engine for the next 6,000 miles.
All additives, with the exception of lead seem to me to be a fairies at the bottom of the garden job, best left around the water pipes with a magnet!
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There was a serious article in the Volvo Owners Club magazine a few months ago describing a method of freeing a sticking hydraulic tappet. This did involve putting a litre or so of parafin in the oil for a short while. But the article emphasised the importance of doing two flushes with oil-alone afterwards.
But as a routine flushing method, I'd say definitely NOT.
It would be much better just to increase the frequency of the oil change a bit.
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The trade use 'Forte Motor Flush'
Add to a hot engine before draining oil. Run at idle for 20-30 mins, then drain oil. It removes all the crud.
When new oil is added, it stays cleaner for longer.
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The standard warning is never to flush an engine unless it is already clean - which sounds a bit Groucho Marxist. If you loosen the crud it then gets circulated round the engine. Better to leave it harmlessly alone. Even better to have changed the oil frequently from new so that the engine never gets dirty.
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why dont you just buy a gallon of oil from the local supermarket about £1.99 change the filter put oil in drive the car for 20 minutes then change oil again for a better brand, that will flush it.
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If you need to flush an engine these days, you need a new engine or a different brand of oil. All engines I have ever had in my 13 years of motoring have been completely deposit free, and the removal of cam covers etc.. has shown a golden brown, clean array of cam lobes and bearings etc.... (except for my current diesel) which is jet black even right after two oil changes in a row (after I messed up the sump plug)
No deposits though, the black death/sludge ended in the 1980's .... I say change the oil more frequently given the rip-off prices of those tuppence-worth little cans of kerosene marketted as "motor flush".
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