Slick 50?

[anchoright]

Hi All,

Hey, I've seen on this and other sites that most people say that additives are a bad idea in an automatic Mini, and I agree. With the transmission and the engine sharing the same oil, one or the other kind of additives would be a bad idea.

But what about Slick 50? I have seen one person say that they use it without problem. Slick 50 will not gunk up the engine like a sealant, and will not clean necessary residue like cleaning agents, however it will coat the engine with teflon. Will the teflon also coat the clutch disks in the transmission, and will this be an issue?

Any help with with will be greatly appreciated!

[notamini]

One good question!!
It has been said that Teflon only works properly if applied under pressure and a certain amount of heat. However, I do know of a process using Teflon as a mould release and it doesn't require any more work than painting it on, as far as I am aware.

On the other hand, who wants a substance which has been said to be something with the least surface friction of any other materials known to man on a set of friction plates and bands?
Would this not happen if it actually does coat surfaces without heat and/or pressure? Also, this coating is only microns thick.

May just be another gimmick.

[jockduck]

Frankly I would not bother, car manufactures don't recommend it, some say the teflon gets trapped in the oil filter so therefore does not get a chance to do its work, some also say that it fills the etch grooves in the cylinder walls and prevents oil from being retained causing more bore/ring wear. Finally I don't think its a good idea to put in something that reduces friction in a gearbox full of clutches and bands that rely on friction to work.
That all said I have used the appropriate additive in a rear diff of and old car that was quite noisey and it did make a good improvement.
Jock

[notamini]

Long time ago, I added Lucas transmission aditive to my 1275 auto. It really never proved to make any difference good or bad. Chose this aditive because it was for auto trans and Lucas has reputable products.
Plse excuse my wording etc. I'm a lefty using only my right due to recent surgery. Might have all posts look this way for 6 wks. :-(

[anchoright]

Hey, thanks for the replies! I guess I won't put it in then - what you say makes a lot of sense.
Take care of that arm Notamini! Get well!!

[richard1]

I know it is an old thread, but since my specialty is oil and teaching about oil and lubrication (and filtration) I'll add a comment. Any additive like slick 50 or anything else designed like that will causa more slippage in an automatic transmission and while some formulas might reduce wear in the tappets of the engine, they will cause carbon build-ups. So stay away from additives in general.

The only two additives that have reasonable use in certain cases is an automatic transmission sealer (in "normal" cars) that contains synthetic ester solvents to clean varnish and expand seals and gaskets. Works wonders in regular automatic transmissions and I always recommend it before letting some mechanic at your transmission.
Second is an engine cleaner that works slowly (in about 1000 miles) like AutoRx, that also contains synthetic esters and can do the same in an engine. I have used it a lot to clean up sludge and carbon, quieting engines. But only after 50,000 miles or more, not "maintenance doses like sales people recommend.
Since I am still a few months away from getting my Mini on the road, and a couple of weeks from being able to take apart the engine and transmission to see how they are, I don't know yet whether I'll use anything other than a couple of frequent changes of the high quality motorcycle (MA2) oil I plan on using.
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