MOTOR OIL ADDITIVES ENGINE OIL ADDITIVES
Motor Oil Additives ??
Well, not really . . . . . Most people misuse the word “Motor” when describing the thing that hides under the hood of their car or truck. The correct term is actually “Engine” So when we say Motor Oil Additives, what we are really talking about here are Engine Oil Additives
I am sure you have seen all of the advertisements for different engine oil additives that will supposedly make your car engine last forever and fix every problem that your car’s engine has ever had. Well . . . . Don’t believe it ! They are basically a waste of money in my opinion. If your engine is burning oil, you can’t fix it with a can of oil treatment. If it is leaking, the only way to stop it is to repair the leak.
All you need to do is use high quality engine oil that meets your car manufacturers specifications and change it at the manufacturers recommended intervals. Modern engine oils are made with the correct additives already in them. I do not know of a single car or truck manufacturer that recommends the use of any type of Motor Oil Additive.
Truth is, if you pour in some other magic potion, it could react with the manufacturer’s additives and actually reduce the protection given to your valuable engine. So save your money and just keep your engine oil changed at the proper time.
The exception . . . . .
There is one exception to this. Older engines, with what is known as a “flat tappet” camshaft, require some special additives to prevent wear on the camshaft and valve lifters. Because of emissions constraints, most modern oils do not have these chemicals. If you have an older engine there are engine oil additives designed specifically for this purpose. These additives generally supply zinc and potassium, known as ZDDP to protect the older style camshafts.
In the last few years several oil companies have introduced oils that are designed for these older engines and already have the ZDDP additives. These oils are generally marketed as “Hot Rod” or "Racing” oils and will state on thier label that they are for use in older type engines.
My personal opinion is that it is better to use an oil that already has all of the needed additives, rather than buying one type of oil and adding stuff to it. That way there is no question about the compatability of the additive to the base oil.
By the way, using these types of oils in late model vehicles can damage the catalytic converter and other emission control parts.