slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

[hoavannguyen]

I finished the break in period for 60 HP Big Foot 4-stroke Mariner and have a total of about 50 hours on this engine. I would like to ask if anyone ever use Slick-50 engine oil treatment for car in a 4-stroke boat engine. Would it provide the same protection in boat engine as in car engine? <br />By the way, I placed a message on the board a few week ago regarding twin 4-stroke Mariner on my 20 foot catamaran. My top speed is around 25 knots and the fuel economy averaged out about 3/4 gallon per engine per hour for trolling and running. Thank you for the advice.<br />Hoa

 

[JB]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

Howdy, Hoa.<br /><br />Several years ago One of my magazines (I don't remember which) tested several oil additive products that promised all sorts of improvements from more power to longer life.<br /><br />When added to the cheapest oil, Slick 50 helped, but compared to high grade and synthetic oils none showed any improvements at all.<br /><br />I use Mobil 1 in my 4 strokes.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[sparkroost]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

slick 50 is not the thing to do. Another "snake oil". It can also make surfaces coated with PTFE make the oil run off it, instead of adhering to it.<br /><br />teflon was invented by accident years ago... like the 60's...BY ACCIDENT! It's taken them this long to find a use for it for the consumer. Teflon has to be applied at high temps(close to it's boiling point) to adhere to metal. The metal also needs to be etched for it to stick to it. There were several tests done on motors with slick 50. Can you say "piston failure"...<br /><br />I am sure that you will hear some that love it and others that hate it.. In my opinion, it's junk.

 

[Solittle]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

I can tell you that it worked for me. I had a 28' with a very tired 350 in it. With two large batteries fully charged and linked together it would turn over but very slowly and was workin hard at that before it fired up. I changed the oil & put in a container of Slick 50 and it started to turn over just like new. It still was a very tired motor but at least it turned over OK.<br /><br />I kind of doubt that it would do much for a motor that was in good condition as others have said.

 

[ODDD1]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

Save the snake oil for the snakes....a good quality mineral oil changed at a reasonable interval is all you need....if you gotta spend 'extra' money on something, buy a bottle of Quickleen from your merc dealer....it will help carb gumming on those not-so-long storage periods...

 

[DJ]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

hoa,<br /><br />If you want to put it there-fine.<br /><br />Will you have a "miracle"-NO!

 

[Hawaiian]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

What about a synthetic blend oil. It is fairly inexpensive. My Honda manual says to use API rated SH oil. The synthetic blend oils have this rating.

 

[hoavannguyen]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

Thank you for all the reply. I will use Mobil 1 for now. It worth the money that you invest in your 4-stroke.<br />Hoa<br />

 

[petryshyn]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

It is very risky putting Slick50 in a worn motor. The teflon doesn't burn clean when it gets by the rings and gums up the top ring lands. If the piston is in the TDC position the ring will expand to the worn cylinder taper. When the engine cools, the ring is siezed in the outward position. When attempting to crank, the ring won't conform to the taper in the clinder and it'll put severe pressure on the top ring land as you are trying to pull the piston downward. This can pull the top ring land right off the piston....

 

[St. Johns River Rat]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

It was explained to me best this way:<br /><br />A teflon coated fry pan can have its coating removed by scraping with a butter knife. What are the rings doing to the inside of the cylinder, scraping. The folks that hawk these additives and improvement formulas look at the "theoretical"<br />possibilities of a product. Unfortunately, "theoretical" and "practical" are as far apart as you can imagine. Which makes me wonder..... why haven't they taken the genes from <br />common weeds (which grow in the worst places and you can't kill) and make a turfgrass that won't die in our yards.<br /><br />Save your money, use good quality oils and change often. That is your best defense. But you already knew that.<br /><br />I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[jim dozier]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

Ditto the comment by river rat. As a former marketing person I will confirm that most product claims are based on loose interpretations of theory and little if any practice. The bigger the claim the further the distance from practical. If a product truly does what they say it will everybody, including the govt, military, industrial, public, private, and even aliens would be on it like white on rice. If a manufacturer saw any benefit in a product it would come from the factory that way.

 

[John Reynolds]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

Just for information, my grandfather told me that teflon was invented during WWII. It became involved in the manhattan project because teflon is very inert and was the only substance that they had to make certain seals out of that were inmersed in a corrosive environment. Anything involved with the manhattan project was top top secret. Much later teflon was declassified

 

[rwise]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

My experience with slick 50 was good! Put it in the wife’s s10 blazer about three weeks before a seal popped on the oil filter. She was out of town, on the highway when it happened. She drove the truck to the house, more than 45 minutes at highway speeds! When she got there she ask me what the “tea pitcher light meant” (I still love her). When I pulled the dip stick there was no oil, I added 5 qts. Started the motor oil sprayed, I fixed it. That was 130,000 miles ago, was it damaged, yes it has knocked reliably ever since. Would it have made it home without the slick 50? You decide. I know run Pro Long in it, and Shell Rotela T oil.<br /><br />Horror story, someone I know put slick 50 into a dirty engine. As you know dirty oil also has metal particles in it. The slick 50 bonded to the particles and the oil pump screen. Ouch! He did not make it across town!<br /><br />So if your going to run this stuff, make certain the engine is clean!<br /><br />Richard

 

[scubarobby]

Re: slick 50 for 4-stroke engine

I am no expert but I asked a well known race car builder once who told me that he looked at it like this. He not only didnt bother with additives but didnt see the economy in running synthetic oils even if they are better because if you change your oil on time and dont keep switching and or mixing brands almost any motor will run for an amazing amount of time. He said a descent brand of oil is PERFECT! I think his point was that if you change your oil on time the oil has not broken down it is contaminated and diluted so no matter how good the oil it will need to be changed just as often. So he strongly disaggreed with those who would buy expensive oils then change less frequently. I noticed that in the track cars he would run valvoline straight 60W. <br /> I am not recomending this for a everyday application though but I thought it was interesting. Robby