Duralube ... yes or no?

[mikem]

Has anyone tried Duralube (or equivalent) on these small motors ... after break-in of course?

 

[Pablo]

In a word: don't.

Which small engine are you thinking about?

 

[arceeguy]

IMO, "miracle" engine treatments are pretty much worthless. Check out the FTC website and you'll find that many of these slick oil salesmen have settled with the FTC and had to change the wording in their advertisements to stay out of jail.

In an engine with an oil sump, clean oil is the best oil. Keep with the manufacturers recommendations and you'll be fine.

For two strokes, once again, just stick with the manufacturers recommendations. For a HT engine, get a "TC" rated oil and mix per instructions. Some say not to use outboard oil that carries a TCW (water cooled) rating. IMO this is true for a high performance two stroke (dirt bike, etc) but for a bicycle engine or weed trimmer, a quality TCW oil will work just fine.

 

[Happy Valley]

Hi Mike, just to clarify, what "small motors" are we talking about?

 

[mikem]

Duralube for Robin/Subaru 35 Four-Stroke

In a word: don't.

Which small engine are you thinking about?

Thanks Guys ...
I was thinking of the Robin/Subaru 35, 4-stroke after a good, long break-in period.

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

I find that just having good regular dino oil and changing it often is the best way to go.

I run 10W-40 Castrol GTX High Mileage oil so it lasts a while between changes, but change it often. I run regular GTX the first two oil changes when new, then GTX high mileage oil since.

I use to try different oils and additives, thinking they'd make a huge difference in my brand-new 2001 Ford Ranger, but when I switched from regular dino oil, to Mobil 1 Synthetic, at around 40,000 miles, just after 50,000 miles the engine consumed way more oil afterward, and turned it dark much quicker. I went back to regular oil after that, but it still used more oil. It ran fine though, but it was obvious the engine worn more after the synthetic. WTF?

With an older car, (1986 Toyota Celica, over 213,000 miles) I ran 10W-40 or 20W-50 Castrol GTX with Lucas additive in it and got less smoking and blowby, and more power, but this engine is worn, so that makes more sense. Toyotas are awesome, they run forever if you take care of them!

Anyway, I just stick to one oil now with my bicycle engine, and so far I've had good luck. If you want to use the synth oil, do it immediately after 1st oil change or so, but pick an oil and stick with it. I find in a new engine, too many different oils wears it out more.

 

[BSA]

From what I've heard to a bit of teflon additive to oil does wonders....

BSA

 

[Skyliner70cc]

The makers of Duralube believe in their product so much that they settled with the FTC for bogus advertising (unsubstantiated claims).

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2000/03/motor.shtm

One of the things I love about our country is the number of idiots who are willing to buy products which make scammers into instant millionaires! These products include:

Extenze and other male "enhancement" drugs.
Slick-50
Duralube
Enzyte
Airborne-forumulated by a 2nd grade teacher because she knows more about drugs than researchers with PhDs, MD, and chemists. Airborne made her over 100,000 million dollars!!!

 

[Happy Valley]

Thanks Guys ...
I was thinking of the Robin/Subaru 35, 4-stroke after a good, long break-in period.

Ok then, a subject close to my heart since I just got 6 of those in this morning.

One thing for sure, these small 4 strokes hold a tiny amount of oil, 100ml.

The Robin manual has recommendations in various weights, single and multi, depending on ambient temps.

I've seen it mentioned here repeatedly that conventional wisdom holds 10W-30 to be the best all around choice.....dino for break-in then going to synthectic.

So, blasphemous as it is, let me add this. When I checked in last summer with the closest authorized Robin dealer I found it to be a mom/pop small engine repair a couple miles from me. The old timer running the place said 'that engine wants a good 30 weight'. I mentioned that here once and was chided that the old timers always say '30 weight' for everything.

Then, searching around for something else one day I found this:

Q: WHAT IS THE BEST OIL FOR 4-STROKE SUBARU ENGINES?
A: The best engine oil for your petrol-powered, 4-stroke SUBARU engine is a high-quality, mono-grade 30W oil and NOT a multi-grade. The rings on new engines will not bed properly if a multi-grade oil is used - you will just end up with a beautifully glazed bore!

Q: WHICH OIL SHOULD I USE FOR THE SUBARU EH025 & EHO35 SERIES ENGINES?
A: These engines are used on brushcutters, blowers, blower vacs and portable vibrator shafts. The owners manual suggests 10w-30 oil. Unfortunately weather temperatures above 20 degrees can cause excess oil in the air filter of these engines. We suggest (as per the service manual) that 30 grade mono be used consistently.

It's from an industrial equipment supplier:
http://www.crommelins.com.au/faqs.cfm

I, and several other members here, noted gasoline contaminating the engine oil during break-in on the Robins, surmising it washing by the piston rings. Also several guys mentioned the air filter elements becoming oil soaked.

In my case, it was mid-summer and 90+ degrees out. I went to a high quality mono grade dino oil and the problem disappeared. The Robin owners manual does mention, quote:

If multi-grade oil is employed, oil consumption tends to increase when the ambient temperature is high.

Anyway, just thouight I'd mention it here. Like all things, YMMV.

 

[arceeguy]

I beg to differ, I have seen first hand several car engines that have run with Duralube and IMO it works, my own Honda Civic has over 350,000 Klm on it( whatever that is in miles?) and has been Duralubed every 2nd oil change.It works very well in older high mileage cars and seems to extend the life of the engine. As for 2 stroke MB engines no I wouldnt use it as its not meant to be mixed with gas.

I would tend to think that you got 217K Miles (350 km) because you took care of your engine. Many Civics are scrapped not because of lubrication related wear, but snapped timing belts and smashed valves. I typically run my cars over 200K before I replace them, to date, my record was a 1986 Plymouth Voyager that had a Chrysler 2.2L 4 cylinder. 305K miles, and I sold it to a fella that drove it to Columbia. It got oil changes every 5,000 miles with whatever dino-oil was on sale. No additives needed.

Teflon is for pots and pans, not engines. Dupont chemical, the people who own the trade name "Teflon" do not endorse its use in engines. This forces the snake oil people to use the more generic term "PTFE" instead of the trade name "Teflon".

You know those demos you see where they run a Briggs & Stratton engine with no oil, and the "treated" engine runs and the "non treated" engine seizes?
They pull this trick off by using 2 cycle mix in the "treated" engine. This lubricates the bore well enough to prevent seizure. The rod and main bearings survive without oil because they are not designed to be pressure lubricated, and any remaining oil in the crankcase is enough to keep it idling with no load. The non treated engine with straight gas will seize within several minutes because of the lack of cylinder lube.