berrymans chemtool

[dancran]

Hi.
I was reading the can of berrymans chemtool - the part about putting some in your oil before an oil change.
Has anybody done this?
My concern is with the oil sight glass at the bottom of the clutch cover.
I worry that chemtool might damage this.

Dan

[redliner1973]

It is not advisable to put anything in the crankcase except a good quality oil.

[DaveDanger]

There's lots of companies that make products that they recommend for helping to flush an engine at the oil change. Supposedly, it helps loosen up deposits, and helps rinse them out. What I think has to be considered, is that an engine is going to create deposits of carbon and sludge over time, and there's very little that you can do about it during normal operation. It's going to settle in those little odd out of the way nooks and crannies inside the case, and for the most part will stay there. I'd be much more concerned about breaking some of that crud loose by using one of these products, and the crud NOT draining out completely when you do your oil change. If for some reason you're feeling the need to flush your engine more than a normal oil change does, simply perform two oil changes in a row, maybe 50 miles apart. You'll not be introducing anything into your engine that's not recommended, and you will be guaranteed to have the full lubrication in there the whole time. I do have a more controversial method of flushing a crankcase, but I don't publish it lightly. 8O

[beby99]

I do have a more controversial method of flushing a crankcase, but I don't publish it lightly. 8O

Ah come on Dave....nothing new to talk about around here anyway

[Hoomgar]

Not in my bikes but in my older V8's of yesteryear a trick was to put a quart of auto trans fluid in the crankcase for a few hundred miles before an oil change. The extremely high detergent trans fluid did wonders for removing sludge and other buildups and then the oil change that follows would stay clean. Sometimes I would change my oil at the 3k mark and it still had some clear qualities to it.

I have not tried anything like that in my newer cars. And never in my bikes with a wet clutch, that just isn't a good idea.

[DaveDanger]

beby, this is probably a controversial method of flushing an engine, but it has worked for me on several occasions. I've never had it cause further problems.
IF, and I do mean IF...I have a suspicion of major contamination in a crankcase, I do the following: Drain my oil normally and replace the drain plug. Fill the crankcase with kerosene. Remove all the spark plugs, and spin the motor for about 20 seconds. Let the starter cool. repeat the spin cycle maybe 3 or 4 times. Drain the kerosene. (It doesn't hurt to have a battery charger connected all the way through this to keep the battery up). When I drain the kerosene, I actually try and strain the kero through a paint strainer so that I can closely inspect what is being rinsed out. (I'm generally looking for something specific if I'm performing this type of case flush). If I feel the need, I repeat the entire process till I'm sure I have rinsed out whatever I'm trying to remove. I then continue with my normal oil and filter change, and run the engine for about 10 miles and drain and replace the oil again. At that point, I'm usually satisfied that I've flushed that case as well as it can be short of disassembly. My point being that this is what I would do if I felt my only other option would be to disassemble the case to clean it out for whatever reason. This method does a thorough job of flushing the engine, without the risk of actually generating engine power or temperatures to do damage while not serviced with oil. The expense of the whole process involves a gallon or 3 of kerosene, and twice the amount of oil that you'd normally use for an oil change, plus the time spent doing the work.

[Anonymous]

sounds like you've got that down to a science, Dave.. i've heard some nasty stuff about people running a motor with kerosene mixed with worn, nasty motor oil. yuck. yours sounds much more appealing.

used to work in an auto-shop, and my favorite engine flushing type thing was this really awesome professional-use only stuff..really high detergent, extremely quick oil; fill the crankcase with it with a new filter. (then ditch the "flush filter) the oil after the oil change was soo clean, you couldn't see it on the stick. awesome stuff.

[redliner1973]

...The extremely high detergent trans fluid did wonders for removing sludge and other buildups and then the oil change that follows would stay clean.

Unfortunately for trans fluids, most all motor oils of today contain much more detergents than ATF. A product I recommend and have used is Auto Rx. http://auto-rx.com/ it is one 'snake oil' that actually does it's job, and does it well. It does have kind of a strange way to work, but it does!

[shortlid]

Have you guys seen this claim on Auto Rx? Where can I get this stuff?

Q: Will your product work in an air-cooled, 4-cylinder motorcycle equipped with a "wet" clutch? The clutch and transmission are bathed in engine oil.

A: The addition of Auto-Rx? to the host lubricant will have no harmful effect on the wet clutch pack surfaces. In fact, it may actually help by cleaning any contamination from combustion by-products that may have formed on the plate surfaces. The addition of Auto-Rx? will not adversely affect the sheer stability of the host oil. In fact, Auto-Rx? contains, as part of its formulation, an aliphatic ester, which is commonly used as the base oil in aircraft lubricants. This ingredient is designed to maintain oil film strength, so as to eliminate any chance of a dry spot within an oil film.

[GS_hoolagan]

im going to use ATF at my next oil change put in 1qt run for 10 min and drain change filter add my favorite brand of oil.