Snake-oil revisited

[Niel Hoback]

One hundred miles East of here is an Amish community that has a hardware store called "Yoders". Bon-ami is $1.29. Back home today, I did the deed. I put a known abrasive down the intake of a running engine. Results as follows:

Compression, Before After

1 117 110

2 95 112

3 85 95

4 105 112

5 107 100

6 97 115

Note that two cylinders actually lost compression.

I mixed a good-sized tablespoon of Bon-ami with about 8 ounces of gasoline.

With the rpms about 1800-2000, I dribbled in the solution with a turkey baster. Have to go slowly, don't want to kill it.

Almost immediately, it began burning oil at a very high rate, much worse than it was before. I finished the mixture, put the air cleaner on and decided to take a trip around the block.

I could see blue clouds following me, but it wasn't as bad as I expected when I first started.

Back in the garage, at idle, there was very little smoke.

I put my hand at the tailpipe and could feel a sticking valve momentarily sucking my hand. Then I realized,,,,,,,,no smoke, and the sucking stopped. It must have warmed up? or,,,,

It fixed itself in 5 minutes?

I have no intentions of changing the oil, since I never really have. I use the oil I drain from my Buick every 3000 miles. Hey, its got filter on it.

I'll just keep going and post anything unusual that I see, but I don't expect any problems or miracles.

[Don Coatney]

Neil;

Need some background information. How many miles are/were on this engine? Had the rings ever "seated" or was this engine ready for a rebuild? I struggle using the term "overhaul" as I am not sure if this is the ingredients for (who threw the overhauls in) Misses Murphy's Chowder.

[Don Coatney]

One hundred miles East of here is an Amish community that has a hardware store called "Yoders".

Amish, Yoders? Cant you come up with something a bit more original?

[RobertKB]

Keep us updated. I have a feeling with the paved roads we have today that instead of Bon Ami down the carb we used to get a lot more dust so changing oil today is not such a big concern as it used to be. I only change my oil when it starts to get dark brown to black. That may be two years down the road.

[FMSPEED49]

1 117 110

2 95 112

3 85 95

4 105 112

5 107 100

6 97 115

It dropped two, but pulled them close to factory % specs.

Could two have dropped due to the others raising, trying to figure out if that makes any sense, kind of a see/saw theroy i guess.?

wow, hmm, keep me updated.

[Niel Hoback]

The figures are as confusing to me as to you. Also, I just did it and have only driven, at the most, two miles. If anything good or bad happens, I'll post it here, where it counts.

The motor is a total unknown to me. It's a P-23 that I took from a 48 bizzy coupe that was being rodded. It has .040 over pistons, excellent oil pressure, and what I think are very loose wrist pins. I'm sure it has plenty of miles on it, but there's no way to tell how many. Also, the plugs are burning very clean, so oil consumption wasn't real bad.

When I got the motor, it smoked rather badly on decel, but I found a can of Marvel Mystery oil at a rummage sale and dumped it in. That surprised me how well it slowed the smoke.

Don, if you've ever visited the Amish, you'll know they only have three or four names in the whole community. Yoder must be their Smith.

BTW, Yoders hardware also carries cow magnets.

[FMSPEED49]

It kinda sounds like you may have bad valve seals?

Which explains the decel smoke.

[Normspeed]

"I have no intentions of changing the oil, since I never really have. I use the oil I drain from my Buick every 3000 miles. Hey, its got filter on it."

Go for it Niel! Truth be known, that's probably better treatment than most of our cars got during their original lives. Before ending up where they are now, old mopar heaven (our driveways)

Your profile pic is great. Except for the visor, your car is a ringer for my first high school car, a 47 2 door sedan.

[Tim Frank]

Neil,

I checked the Bon Ami website, list of uses page, and was astonished to find that in between the entry for "Microwave Ovens" and "Plastic Cutting Boards" they had inexplicably omitted "Mopar Engines" .

Their Marketing Department is obviously asleep at the switch.

Tim

http://www.bonami.com/uses/intro.html

[Niel Hoback]

I asked the Amish guy where I bought the Bon-ami if he had ever heard of pouring it down your carburetor. He said, "Whats a carburetor?"

[Don Coatney]

I asked the Amish guy where I bought the Bon-ami if he had ever heard of pouring it down your carburetor. He said, "Whats a carburetor?"

This answer is straight from the horses mouth:D

[Andydodge]

Don, actually the Amish probably use the Bon-Ami to clean out their horses.........so it probably came not from the horses mouth but the horses but..........regards, andyd

[Niel Hoback]

I think they use Marvel Mystery Hay.