Add transmission fluid to engine oil?

[bairjo]

I was at my local Toyota dealer for an issue and while i was there explained to him i was going to do the "Sea Foam Treatment" and wanted to know his thoughts on that. He stated that they have done that there and was fine with it. However, he suggested that rather than using the sea foam in the engine oil part that i throw a quart of automatic transmission in the engine oil then do a change. Has anyone out there done this and what were the results?

[bairjo]

Sorry but i should have posted this in the DIY forum...next time.

[Scubaru Steve]

i did this on my saturn, although i wasnt able to measure any results. atf just has a lot of cleaners and that is why the dealer recommended it to me.

[bairjo]

Thank you. Did you add the fluid and run it for 5 minutes and then drain it?

[bronsin]

Ive never heard of it and am inclined to be skeptical.

What is that trying to accomplish?

[bairjo]

I'm skeptical as well. but when it was the tech at the dealership telling me this i had to ask the question here. I'm leaning toward the seafoam still.

[Gogogordy]

Originally Posted by bairjo

I'm skeptical as well. but when it was the tech at the dealership telling me this i had to ask the question here. I'm leaning toward the seafoam still.

Marvel Mystery Oil.

Add to gasoline sometimes as directed, and to prechange crankcase oil. Used in our Scion xD, Yaris and Vespas.

Great stuff when used as directed, but I'm an old effer and Marvel Mystery Oil has been around since I can remember, and even before that.

YMMV

[CTScott]

AT Fluid is an old mechanics' trick for stopping oil leaks. It swells the seals and temporarily stops leaks, but eventually lead to them failing worse, as it breaks down the failing seals.

I am not sure if this would be the case for the Yaris' seals, but I would be leery of trying.

As for cleaning, both AT fluid and Sea Foam contain Naphtha, so the solvent is the same. The concentration of Naphtha is significantly higher for Sea Foam though.

[CoryM]

The idea behind ATF is it has a lot of detergents (to keep clutch material from clogging valves etc). When I used to buy cheap cars that were dirty/sludgy, I would run a diesel oil in them for a while. Diesel oil gets sooty, so they have more detergents to deal with it. It is a much gentler way to clean things up VS seafoam (which is very aggressive and can cause failures if done incorrectly.... or even if done correctly).

Why do you feel the need to clean your engine? It really shouldn't be required on a Yaris.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by CoryM

Why do you feel the need to clean your engine? It really shouldn't be required on a Yaris.

The car dealership hasnt taken enough of his money and he wants to give them some more?

The mechanic wants to demonstrate his knowledge?

The mechanic means well?

Where I work management is constantly coming up with reasons why it wasnt their fault our stuff doesnt work.

This is the same just in a different direction.

All the vehicles Ive had for hundreds of thousands of miles never needed the engine cleaned to get that far.

[bairjo]

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[bronsin]

Sorry to be obtuse. I did not mean to be insensitive.

Just what I meant escapes me just now.

I guess I do not believe adding ATF to an engine will do anything at all. Yes I know all about the sludge issue. Never happened to any car I owned. Never saw one. Unless its the result of failure to change the oil on a regular basis I dont know what could cause it. Ive heard of people who had it and SWORE the oil was changed. MAybe it was.

Nothing in my experience would lead me to believe adding ATF and changing the oil will do anything to help a sludge issue or a carbon build up issue.

To be honest it sounds like wishfull thinking.

Just being straight and honest with you on this.

[CoryM]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Sorry to be obtuse. I did not mean to be insensitive.

Just what I meant escapes me just now.

I guess I do not believe adding ATF to an engine will do anything at all. Yes I know all about the sludge issue. Never happened to any car I owned. Never saw one. Unless its the result of failure to change the oil on a regular basis I dont know what could cause it. Ive heard of people who had it and SWORE the oil was changed. MAybe it was.

Nothing in my experience would lead me to believe adding ATF and changing the oil will do anything to help a sludge issue or a carbon build up issue.

To be honest it sounds like wishfull thinking.

Just being straight and honest with you on this.

Ok, I'll bite....

ATF has far more detergents in it than regular oil so yes, it will help clean off some carbon and sludge. Whether one liter is enough, or if the other additives hurt the engine, I have no idea. Detergents do clean sludge/carbon off of the engine and suspend them in the oil (to keep them away from the engine surfaces). It's what they are designed for and they do it well. Run diesel oil for a service interval and see how much darker it is than your regular oil by the end of it.

Sludge and carbon happen in any and all engines. Just a matter of how much, and whether those previously mentioned detergents can deal with it or not. The days of pulling a valve-cover off, and having it totally packed with carbon/sludge are mostly gone (thank **** for that). That being said, running your engine too cold (stuck thermostat, constant short trip driving), and poor designs still cause buildup. In my case I regularly drive ~10min and then shut off the car. Makes for sludge in the crankcase, and carbon in the exhaust (some of which also gets into the crankcase). My rear bumper is black after a day of autoX.

[mr_miles]

I would occasionally run a quart of ATF down the carburetor of my RX7 to loosen any gunk up in the housings and such. it worked. I would blow carbon out of the exhaust after about a half quart lol. also ran it in my scout II for a bit, helped there also. on a newer car i dont see the issue - if you're worried about the classic toyota sluge issue which can still happen on our 1nz's (or at least in my buddy's ill maintained xb lol) i dont see it being an issue. run a quart in there for a very calm and smooth few miles and it'd probly help clear any goo up.

that's my 2cents, I say go for it. I'd try atf before seafoam - I am scared of that stuff. I've seen it destroy just as many engines as it's saved.

[jambo101]

A 2010 Yaris is a bit young to be having internal problems, i'd leave this kind of cleaning till the car actually needs it,which maybe never.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by jambo101

A 2010 Yaris is a bit young to be having internal problems, i'd leave this kind of cleaning till the car actually needs it,which maybe never.

In my experience the engines Ive owned that Ive taken apart to rebuild (VW Beetle and Bus) were just tanned a little inside the crankcase. No buildup, sludge etc at all. I changed the 2.5 quarts of oil every 2000 miles and commuted to work 30 miles away.

I dont know what to make of sludge buildup in the engine. They claim to have changed the oil.

Now that I drive my Yaris 3-4k miles a year with mostly 6 mile trips the oil comes out clean every six months...

[jambo101]

I've never had a sludge problem in any car i've ever owned which is quite a few going back over the last 50 years of car ownership,the thought of putting something in my engine oil thats supposedly going to clean my engine of built up sludge has me shuddering at the prospect of quantities of sludge now freely roving through the engine by now being in suspension in the oil..
As for 2000 mile oil changes?total waste of money and resources, i'd triple that interval..

[bairjo]

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