score one for Rislone - miracle in a can - really...

[A.K. Boomer]

Just saved another complete engine teardown and it's all due to a couple 6 dollar quarts of Rislone engine cleaner.

As most already know I work on japanese cars and trucks and that's what I also drive - bought a 2.0 L honda CRV awhile back that had a burnt exhaust valve that I had to go in after - Its always a decision whether or not to go all the way into it after the heads off but I treat every engine as kind of an exploratory case and look at earmarks when im in there - this steed had about 210,000 miles on it yet factory crosshatch all up and down the bore -- this is typical for most all the japanese manufactures , a quarter million miles does not even phase them - even with neglect they seem to do unbelievable and in fact iv torn them down at 400,000 miles+ and seen factory crosshatch all the way up and down the bores, so the verdict was just do the head and run it to see what happens, I had no history on the car and took a chance on oil consumption. FTR While I was in there I went through and did a timing belt and replaced the crank and cam seals and the engine does not leak one drop...

Sometimes these engines burn oil and after doing a head you know it's not coming from the valve guide seals that youv just replaced. It's also something that you can't always pick up on in a quick test drive cuz the Cat's consume the smoke and all looks good out the tailpipe.
anyways - after watching my old bossman tear down dozens for a rebuild years ago only to find that the ring end gap and fit in the bores were almost perfect we both concluded that it was gunk build-up around the oil rings and scraper, well this CRV was no different but it was a personal vehicle and one I was determined to work with - it was consuming 1 quart every 750 to 1,000 miles - terrible for a little four banger --- first I tried removal of spark plugs - placing all the pistons half way up the bore (it's an in line 4 so you can do this) and putting about 3 oz. of carb cleaner in each bore and letting sit overnight with plugs back in to keep from drying out - look in the morning and everything is juicy in there but most has either evaporated or run through the rings - Im thinking it's ok as im dumping the oil real soon anyways. so remove plugs and crank over just to make sure all is out so I don't hydrostatic lock - put plugs in and fire up --- dump oil and then keep track of consumption -- no change, Bummer, next up was add quart of rislone --- there are two different types - a quick flush and a cleaner that you leave in - don't get the quick flush - it's actually kinda hard on engines and cam's and such - you can't even drive the car - you just idle it for 5 minutes and dump it - it may be good for gunk that's everywhere that you need to remove but the internals of this honda were fine,,,
so I use the long term --- run it through an entire oil change interval,
im maybe noticing a slight improvement at the end of the interval but think it may be wishful thinking,
so I dump oil and add another quart of the rislone --- so far it's been 750 miles and the mark hasn't moved on the dipstick. good things take time - and when it comes to gunked up piston rings this is especially true - I was starting to kick myself for not going into the beast further when I had it down but now it's all going to pan out.

Just a heads up to those who may be experiencing the same thing -- when you go into an automotive store and see the literal WALL of engine products and miracle in a can promises there is one that I can tell you that works - I pick it up and it says right on it "free's up sticky piston rings" I say to myself "yeah - we'll see" and guess what - it did

There's also a plethora of products that claim reduced oil consumption - they are about as thick as honey and may help old worn out engines - but if you suspect all is good and you want a cleaner grab a can of rislone - shake it and you will hear that it sounds thinner than even 5w20 -- that's not a cover up product - that's a cleaner.... and a cleaner that works. Best 12 bucks iv ever spent...

[bborr01]

I have not tried Rislone but have had good experiences using Seafoam.

My Jonn Deere F935 diesel mower was using about 1/2 quart of oil everytime I mowed (about 1 1/2 hours).

I added Seafoam to the oil and has reduced oil consumption substantially. The Seafoam can says you can use it in the crankcase to clean internal components and free up stuck rings.

At first I was skeptical because of the long list of uses listed on the can, it seemed a little like snake oil. But I have been using it for a few years now and am truly impressed with the results.

I recently added some to my '74 MGB that has been using oil. On this car I have been documenting the oil usage for a few thousand miles and will be comparing usage after adding Seafoam.

Brian

[Jim Stabe]

Where do you buy seafoam?

[moe1942]

+1 for Sea Foam. Use it in all my engines. I get mine at NAPA or Wally World.

[RancherBill]

This great - finally a thread where you can say you like magic potions and elixirs!!!!

I have been an advocate for the last 3 or 4 decades. I won't bore you with my good experiences.

To keep a car in top condition you need to do regular maintenance, use wonder potions and change the transmission filter every 100,000 miles.

[gary hart]

Works wonders on small electrical motors with bronze bushings for bearings that have "froze up" from sittling long time with out use. A few drops frees them up and makes them good to go.

[hardtail]

My Dad would occasionally use it when I was a kid to quieten down valvetrain noise, I presume from sticky lifters.......

My only concern about any cleaning potion added to a crankcase is how clean is the engine as a whole, with todays oils they generally are very clean after many miles but I've seen motors screwed from reintroducing all those years of sluge back into the mix......

Congrats you were successful here, got some big old stuck diesels I should try it on.......

[kc5ezc]

HeyBoomer, ever try rislone as a lube when cutting on a lathe. Seems to work great and smells pretty good too.
John Burchett
in Byng OK

[sasquatch]

Interesting topic post.
Over the years there has been some strange claims from additives, no doubt some were good. I think "Marvel Mystery oil" is still around.

Anyone know how long Rislone has been on the market,,, it has to be decades?????

[RussZHC]

Their web site says 1921...I first heard about it via drag racing
(sponsor of ChiTown Hustler years ago) and know a couple of local alcohol dragster owners that have always used some of their products (don't know precisely which products as the full line has quite a few specialty chemicals)

[DATo]

Totally agree ... it's great stuff. Put a quart in every third oil change. Long ago I had a Pontiac 6000 (worst car I ever owned). One morning I turned it over but couldn't get it to stay started. It kept clonking out. Lifters were knocking like hell. I figured I was going to have to put it into the shop and rent a car because I had to go to work the next day and didn't have a ride. Put a quart of Rislone in just for the hell of it at my brother's suggestion and after about three attempts to start it it finally kept running but very rough. My bro and I were talking for what could have only been about 2-3 minutes when it suddenly occurred to me that the car was running smooth as silk. I never had another problem with lifter knock. I recommend Rilsone highly.

[garagemark]

I've used Seafoam in my two stroke bass boat engine for two years now. It's a little pricey, but it is miracle stuff for me. All 110 hp just wasn't getting to the prop, the old girl idled horribly (and shut down at idle often), and it smoked like a freight train (yeah I know, it's an oil/gas mix... so it's bound to smoke. Not so!).

After three treatments (one can of Seafoam in 18 gallons @ 50:1 oil/gas mix), it idles like a four stroker, the smoking has all but ceased except at cold starts, and I have gained close to five miles per hour faster as measured before and after with my GPS.

I am not familiar with Rislone, though I will now take a better look at it for various engines. I have never put anything but dino in my cases to this point, but I have a 1973 MGB that would probably benefit from a dose or two.

Thanks for the heads up.

Mark

[DATo]

I've used Seafoam in my two stroke bass boat engine for two years now. It's a little pricey, but it is miracle stuff for me. All 110 hp just wasn't getting to the prop, the old girl idled horribly (and shut down at idle often), and it smoked like a freight train (yeah I know, it's an oil/gas mix... so it's bound to smoke. Not so!).

After three treatments (one can of Seafoam in 18 gallons @ 50:1 oil/gas mix), it idles like a four stroker, the smoking has all but ceased except at cold starts, and I have gained close to five miles per hour faster as measured before and after with my GPS.

I am not familiar with Rislone, though I will now take a better look at it for various engines. I have never put anything but dino in my cases to this point, but I have a 1973 MGB that would probably benefit from a dose or two.

Thanks for the heads up.

Mark

Mark - I had an orange on black 73 MGB-GT convertible (black top) back in the day. It provided the most fun I've ever had with any mechanical object. As I recall normal maintenance included disassembling the leaf springs every 20,000 miles to put a light coat of oil over the surfaces. That car was made for easy owner maintenance!!! I mounted dual vacuum gauges on the dash to tune in the carbs ... and you just had to love the twin 6 volt batteries right behind the passenger seat. It was a lovely work of art. I wish I still had it. Graduated to a 74 Corvette (black on tan), undercoated it then plated the exhaust. The Vette was a very sweet looking car - at night, a veritable babe magnet - but I must confess I had more fun with the MG. I envy you. A good one is hard to find these days.

[sasquatch]

Anyone remember "Bardahl" and "Caseite",, they too have been around for years,, just gave my son in law 3 new cans of "CASEITE" that i,ve had for years, and they were old unopened when i found them in an old garage.

Back years ago each Bardahl district salesman would attend stock car races with a trailer in tow, and mounted up high on the trailer, on an angle iron frame was an engine with no oil pan he would fire up and run for a demo of how good the Bardahl product was for bearings!!

[A.K. Boomer]

My only concern about any cleaning potion added to a crankcase is how clean is the engine as a whole, with todays oils they generally are very clean after many miles but I've seen motors screwed from reintroducing all those years of sluge back into the mix......

That's for real and can ruin an engine in no time, even introducing synthetics after an engine has been ran on conventional all it's life heed's paying attention to the details as most synthetics have superior cleaning properties.

My bro bought a dodge truck with 150,000 on it and started running synthetics and it plugged it's oil filter in no time... (less than 50 miles)

I think it's why rislone makes two cleaning products - one is for the long haul and one is to deal with the immediate problem and then dump it - trouble is-is with the latter you may get rid of allot but it may also loosen it up for when you add your new oil and expect to run it for the entire duration...

The honda was very clean inside even before the cleaner was added - engines can be very clean looking and still have sticky rings because the pistons and rings run very hot and can coke up while the rest of the engine can appear to be normal looking...


I'll have to try KC's machining tip - maybe add a little to a batch of cutting fluid.

The main thing I know of that bardahl's still making is radiator stop leak and I would not recommend it -- look for a coagulant not a heater core plugger, It looks like it would plug a core in no time - it's this goop of pellets and has wood and all kinds of stuff pressed into the pellets - nasty black tar looking stuff...