Has anyone tried Engine Restorer that comes in a silver can? I have read some mixed reviews, and I wanted to see what you guys think of it.


Jim

I haven't used it on a J. I have used it on a couple of old mainstream V8's that had excessive blowby and ring wear. It did have some affect on oil consumption, but it's expensive and not something you'd want to depend on indefinitely. Like most miracle drugs, it's affects vary and only last as long as you use it or until your engine fails for good. Unless you have an emergency and need to buy some time, I'd pass and save to repair or replace the engine.

Mark,

Thanks for the reply. I put a can in when I changed the oil. Do you think that it will do any harm to the engine?


Jim

Jim, I doubt there's any risk. The car I last used it on was a '64 Studebaker 259 V8 with high milage, but I cheated and used the mid-size can (for 6 cylinder cars) since it was expensive. It was in there for a few thousand miles over the span of a year while another engine was being readied. Is your engine worn or did you put it in as a preventive treatment? If your engine is healthy, even with high milage, I don't think it's necessary. But for temporary oil control, it might work for you. Good luck. - Mark

Mark,

As of this post, the engine (2200) has 75,593 miles on it. I haven't had any issues, but I decided to try the product as a preventive treatment. Thanks again.


Jim

Although it's not likely to do any harm, I wouldn't expect much to change - but it sounds like you're more after trying to keep it good, rather than fix a problem.

After my experience with similar types of products in years past (although not this exact one), I had used them in two vehicles, and almost exactly 1 year after their installation, I had issues with ring failures. The explanation I read was that some of these products coat the parts with whatever chemical they're using, which is very slippery. Because it is so slippery, the oil that's splashed up there doesn't even stick as it normally would, actually reducing the amount of lubrication the parts are getting.

I read a report done once where they used two identical small engines (single cylinder), and ran each for 50 hours for break-in, then changed the oil, one having the special additive (one of those "miracle" lubes - not Restore) and the other just standard mineral oil. They then ran each for another 50 hours, drained them, and ran them each for 50 more hours dry (and yes, they did last the 50 hours!) The one with the additive previously installed showed significantly more serious scoring of the cylinder walls and piston - which they believe was caused by my above explanation. Of course I read about this AFTER replacing two engines, and slowly put two and two together...

I always take such reports with a grain of salt - but since it was actually not done by a lube company (it was a university), and it indicated negative results against the product, I figure there was likely some truth to the findings.

Current motor oils are such complex blends of additives already - that I like to leave the job of "chemist" to the guys that design these oils. Most of them will tell you that adding any foreign materials to their oil isn't likely to have positive results.

I wouldn't worry too much about what's in there now - your engine is much newer than the ones I had put the stuff into - and it's not the same product anyway. If you feel the need to run something "better" to help protect the engine longer, you're probably better off spending your money on a good quality synthetic oil instead. Most already will have a superior additive package in them, and will also flow more quickly at low temperatures to protect faster after startup. I truly believe though that the new breed of "conventional" oils are more than adequate for our applications. The only exception may be if you see average temperatures below about -35 - at which time a synthetic will certainly have an advantage. Synthetics will still outperform regular oils under some other extreme conditions too - but the performance difference between new conventional oils and the synthetics is much less than it used to be IMHO. I "feel" better using them in the winter in my car, but I somehow doubt that the car really "feels" much difference.

My 2200 has double the mileage of yours so far, and is just now starting to leak (more of a weep) from the rear main. Other than that, it's still running just fine - and it's never seen a drop of extra additive in the oil or gas since new.

John

that stuff does not work for me because it does absolutely nothing.

null

if you wanna get the best out of your engine, I would recommend changing the motor oil and filter every 3 to 5,000 miles check it once per week and keep it full.
people who drive with low oil and hardly change the motor oil in their cars they might need restorer inside their head.