Slick 50

Medskipper

Medskipper

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Has any one used Slick 50 in their gearbox?

I have TAMD40B engines with shaft drives. I wondered if Slick50 will help wear and tear on the gearbox and possibly make it smoother when going into gear?
All comments gratefully received

Barry
 
If it's not broke don't fix it!


Have used slick 50 in old cars and in my opinion, it definitely, at least it felt like it. Killed the engines.

On one, it made a difference immediately, the engine did seem to rev far more easily and 'felt' smoother, until a week later it threw a rod through the casing.

On an old A series, after slick 50, the gearbox crunched.

I am not a big fan of the stuff anymore, neither are the motoring press, it has had some bad write ups.

Of course, my two experiences may have been coincidence, but, I am unwilling to try again.
 
Please don't read this as a professional opinion - as we don't test or analyse such additives - they are a retail item and do not cross paths with us in the commercial supply biz.

On a personal IMHO mode - I am not so convinced that applying a type of coating such as Teflon base to an engine or gearbox is a good idea ... I have heard reports of sticky valves / sticky gearboxes etc. etc.
IMHO it would be better to add a drop of Viscosity enhancer than such a treatment as Slick 50.

I remember the adverts of claims .... an engine run without oil round a race track - no ill-effects etc. Well I don't know how they could tell after a race track etc. and anyway - most I've heard has been later when engine fell apart etc.
It is significant that adverts have disappeared ????

I reckon spend the money on more oil changes ?

IMHO of course ....
 
Slick 50 got hammered by a few government and class actions in the US, and are no longer allowed to advertise many of the claims they used to make for it. Says it all really
 
Don't do it!
One of the maker's claims is that it reduces friction. IMHO it will have a detrimental effect on the clutches in the gearbox. For the same reason that most gearboxes use engine oil, rather than EP (Extreme Pressure) gearbox oils. Stick to what the maker recomends.



Meetings, the friendly alternative to work
 
Re: OK, I\'m Convinced!

Thanks for your replies, Iv'e always wondered about this type of additive and thought perhaps I was missing out by not using them. Looks like I'm not!

I always change engine and gearbox oils regularly, but Iv'e never used additives like this so I thought I would ask!

Many thanks

Barry
 
Re: OK, I\'m Convinced!

Just to add my twopenneth........this is an opinion btw, simply by being around engines for much of my life.

In the late 60s early 70s mineral enine oil was ok for the normal production engine, which were far from at their peak performance. When the work required to achieve this performance was carried out i.e. the engine was 'tuned' either by professional, or competent ameatures, the standard oil was not good enough, so additives were required.

If someone tried these additives, then worked the engine as a newly tuned unit (or tried to) if often broke. Don't need to be a brain surgeon to work that out /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As manufacturing methods improved, where today, especially motorcycle engines are produced with almost optimum performance, better oils were required, hence modern engine oils.

I saw a demonstration for an additive (STP actually) when the rep came to the garage I was at. (I spent my evenings and weekends there, didn't work there) He added the can to the warm engine, ran it for a few minutes, then drained the oil and took us for a drive. I was gobsmacked I can tell you. He didn't just tootle about, but drove normally, even quickly. After a few miles, and it was obvious the engine was ok, not rattling the big ends etc. we turned back. He refilled the oil and left.

Did the car have a secret oil supply? I don't think so. Was there a secret? No, I don't believe there was. I also know private weekend club racers etc. used it to good effect.

As I've said, this is just my opinion, based on the experiences I had with these products. But quite unnecessary in the older boat engine, not working flat out, and using good quality mineral oil.
 
Re: OK, I\'m Convinced!

Oh, and just in case you've forgotten, anyone can make a mistake.

When I got my first little Norman it had a 7.5 Honda 4 stroke outboard. We listened in a tub of water, and all agreed it ran very sweetly. One of these people is a racing engine builder.

It had a small oil light that was not lit. Should it have been? Was it broken? Did it require a battery?

Well I found the answer 10 minutes after setting off. The engine must have just lost oil pressure, the reason the boat was sold I imagine, because after a few minutes the engine rattled to a stop, ruining it.

So if you've a Honda engine with a small green oil light.....IT NEEDS TO BE ON to have oil pressure.

We live and learn.
 
Virtually all lubricants in general use contain additives of some sort, for a variety of purposes including anti-oxidant, anti-corrosion, anti-foaming, extreme pressure lubrication, etc. Adding some sort of chemical with unknown composition runs the serious risk that the additive package will react with the unknown stuff, with potentially serious risk. In particular, gear oils contain EP additives that reduce the risk of seizure of sliding steel components upon each other by laying down sulphur-rich materials upon their surfaces. Adding some unknown material could well compromise this process, reducing the life of components such as gear teeth and clutch cones.

See http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/snakeoil.htm for specific advice on PTFE additives. If you want to read up on the subject for a couple of days, just type "PTFE oil additive" into Google
 
related.......
I noticed that Slick50 now produce a Powersteering fluid that is claimed to deliver a solution to leaks in the system........so having (1) the need that moment for some PS fluid (just on midnight for a departure 0600h the next morning) due to a tiny oil seal leak in the PS pump I had no choice to get it (only PS fluid on shelf) and use it.
Don't know about it's effectiveness as a leak solution but I was, and remain, concerned about adding anything other than the recomended oils etc - and this thread hasn't helped!
Should I drain it out quickly or should I leave it and see whether it actually does what it says on the bottle - possibly saving me having to get the PS pump rebuilt with a new oil seal..............
 
Without knowing which oil you are using, hydraulic oils typically have a high EP loading, which I assume means there is a strong potential for reaction with foreign chemicals. (incidentally, several general lubricants made by my ex-employers reacted with their own hydraulic lubricants). Any lubricant that carries an API designation must withstand mixing with competitors' equivalent products but presumably this does not extend to additives such as you have used. I would do as you did to get me out of trouble but would drain down and replace at the first opportunity afterwards.
 
Leave it in! if it buggers up the pump you can let us all know!! and there is always the possiblilty of taking action against the manufacturer, might get a new car out of it! lol.

Barry
 
Jeez, you'd think the Slick 50 crowd would just dry up and go away. They were sued by several State attorneys general in the USA over false claims and products that didn't work.
 
No no and no. dont do it. You risk wrecking the boxes. Unlike vehicles most if not all mechanical marine boxes have internal clutches running in the oil. They are designed to work in oils of a given friction coefficient. Friction modifiers like Sick 50 will alter the friction characteristic of the clutches and cause them to slip with terminal and expensive results.

Even the good quality modifiers like Molyslip green which can reduce gearbox noise quite substantially in cars, can wreck a marine box within a few hours running.

This applies to any box which has any form of internal friction clutch, and applies as well to plate clutches as cones - any friction device in the drive train will slip in service if the friction is reduced. Slipping causes overheating, and overheating rapidly destroys the friction surfaces.
 
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