Lucas oil treatment, and infrequent oil changes, need expert.?

Question

When I first got my new car in Feb. 2001 I used to change the oil in my car as often as recommennded. Then after like 2 yrs I slacked off and did it MUCH less frequently, for a few years. Then I met a mechanic who did all kinds of stuff to my car. He started putting full synthetic in it and changed the oil every 3-4K miles, for about a year. Sometime after the first oil change he did, he started adding some Lucas oil treatment to it, he said a little at a time with every oil and filter change. He said that my oil always looked black even after a change. Then after the last change, that same day the crank broke! It only had 80K miles on it. My choices were to rebuild or replace. He blames it on the fact that for those few years I didn't change the oil frequently enough and then the Lucas caused that to happen to the engine. Is he full of you know what?

The mechanic was my boyfriend. I didn't have to pay him obviously, so he had nothing monatary to gain. What I think he wanted was to save face. I wanted to know if he was BS'ing me. I think he said that because of the Lucas and me not changing the oil frequently enough (maybe every 5-8K miles) for those few years that it caused some kind of a blockage and then the engine starved for oil and seized. He was the one driving (40 mph) when it stopped working while on the highway. He also said the engine made no loud noise beforehand and there weren't any other kinds of warnings to indicate it was about to happen. It was definately the crank that broke because his manager and others at his shop confirmed this.

It was a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire SE 2.2 liter 4 speed automatic.

Answer 1

Karen,
While not changing the oil as required buy the manufacturer is not the ideal situation,and not knowing what you mean by infrequently. you have to remember that the engine of the car is a mechanical device. It is not an infallible thing and even the best maintained vehicle will have failures.
there are many things that might happen when there is so much resistance to the crank that it would fail. Pistons rods cam chain or belt...these are parts that are incorporated with the movement of the crank...there are more...but it is the primary piece in the engines function...those other pieces might fail before the crank.
Again this is all under the assumption that there was some maintenance to the vehicle and it was not even basically maintained.
my experience is that customers fail; to tell the whole story and only hear the things that are in their minds already
Lucas oil is a fine synthetic additive for engines, but it does not correct problems,it only helps fight off friction to moving parts in the engine.There are ratios of oil and additives...the directions are on the bottle you do not supplement oil for additive

Answer 2

DEEPLY FULL OF IT.
first of all, not changing the oil can cause the bearings to wear faster--but not the crank to break. Breaking cranks can be caused by bad castings, hard shifting, bad clutch Assemblies,bad vibration dampener---but not from oil additives or not changing the oil. Todays, oils always look black after the engine has about 10,000 miles. It's a good thing--it means the detergents in the oil are keeping the particles suspended, broken up and filtered (only a by-pass filter will get the smallest of carbon out) and not sludging up your engine. There is no real reason to add "lucas" to an engine with 80,000 miles to or ever. Won't hurt--- but, does nothing to help.

Answer 3

Yup. Cranks do not just break. They are not make out of tinsel. I would inquire with the dealer as to some kind of warranty/guaranttee on the crank. 50,000 miles is nothing on a crank.
My last car had 700,000 miles when I sold it and was still going strong(not smoking the blues either)

After the last oil change- the same day. Was oil put back in? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. You deduce what you want. But I would have tooken it to a second garage to see WHY it broke.

Answer 4

The best thing to do is to use a chemical de-sludging agent BEFORE the oil change, like butyl cellosolve. This chemical will prepare the way for installation of a good synthetic lubricant, like Mobil One, ELF, or Amzoil. Doing this will increase power, driveability, and fuel mileage, as there is less friction. The only oil additive I recommend is M.O.A., which is a mixture of chemical cleaners and molybdenum disulfide, a lubricant that works on the particle level. Using a non-synthetic oil is a waste of time and money, as a proper synthetic can last for up to 2 years. The protection provided is without peer.

Answer 5

not changing your oil the way you should of , didnt help it;. lucas oil treatment is very good. i just wished i could afford it. you didnt say what kind of car it was. i would almost be willing to bet it was either a kia or a honda. it isnt anything he did.