I am interested if anyone has tried oil additives (like Avblend) with any of the results the company claims (ie. more hp, cooler running, etc.) I am running an O-360 (1964 180 Cherokee C). Any downfall to using these products?
Thanks
I have used avblend since It came out and when I rebuilt my new motor, all my parts were within overhaul limits. I would not fly without it. we use it in our big radial engines too, and have seen a noticable decrease in cylinder problems and bottom end failures. My engine runs cooler, with lower oil temps, so it must have less friction. hard to measure horsepower, but it should help.
Pardon my scepticism Ken but somehow if this stuff was really any good I think there is no doubt that Shell or whoever makes the oil you use would include it in the additives they put in the oil.
Many years ago I was manufacturing a gear box that we used to drive a pump that produced oil from wells, of course running 24 hours per day every day of the year. As the years went by the amount of power we wanted to put through it increased but the physical space available didn't. Though we advanced the design and quality of the gears we started haveing failures due to oil breakdown. Testing the oil we found that after about 60 days there was some degradation and after 90 it was serious. Getting the operators to change oil every couple of months was a non-starter so we tried to find additives that would increase the life of the oil and tried everything out there but to no avail. None of them gained us anything but beautiful colors and some actually had a negative effect, so I am wondering just what it is that makes this Avblend help if anything.
The testimony of John sounds like someone who sells the stuff though I could be wrong there. Running an engine to TBO and finding the internal parts still within new tolerance I think is not unusual assuming he doesn't mean the cylinders and valves too. I just had my engine done last year and all of the internal parts were within new dimensions and it had only run on Shell multigrade since new.
Incidentally we solved the problem with the gear boxes by changing to synthetic gear oil.
OK Leigh, so what is the difference between the Aeroshell 100 and 100+? I take it that there is some additive or other in the "+". We've always used the Aeroshell + since break in after reman, but I know most are just using the regular Aeroshell.
I may be wrong, but have been told, and also read somewhere that the Lycoming additive that is in some of the oils is not the same stuff as Avblend. My A&P said the Lycoming additive is strictly an anti-corrosive additive while the Avblend is a mineral spirits mixture of stuff to aid in lubrication and "wet" the metal parts....my 2 cents, and I haven't tried Avblend yet.
I have a relative who was a chemical engineer for Phillips Petroleum for many years and retired from the plant in Borger, TX. as plant supervisor several years ago. He is a pilot, performance enthusiast, and has been My "Guru" of lubrication for Years. He was privy to some pre-production test data of a product that has been released under the name of "ASL CAMGUARD" and was somewhat impressed. He is always a skeptic and says he is conducting a few of his own "Real Life" tests in addition to confirming most of the companies claims using facilities available at to him Phillips, and so far he says results are VERY positive. The person most likely to benefit from this will be the occasional pilot who's engine is most susceptible to corrosion from dis-use (That excludes myself) but some of You might want look into it. Their web site is somewhat minimal but can be found at "http://www.aslcamguard.com"
If I may put in my 2 cents I ran Avblend for a while (year and a half) with Exxon elite and still suffered a seized ring after 150 hrs of operation. I didn't see one ounce of proof to say this stuff works at all. I am back to running straight grade with the Lycoming additive only.
I see everyone is either loving or hating avblend. they blame it for problems that have nothing to do with what it is used for. Usually they start using it after the fact hoping it will cure problems. It is a product that makes less friction, not clean up carbon and oil fouled rings etc. It does a great job of stopping and preventing corrosion, and since i fly alot in the winter and none in the summer because of my job, it is nice to know my motor is protected in between flights. It is not a miracle product, just a worthwhile one!
