Marvel Mystery Oil

[scdmarx]

I just got this from another message board and thought it was interesting. Just in case you ever wondered - like me.
I can't get the ntsb.gov link to work.

MMO composition is/was

74 percent mineral oil 25 percent stoddard solvent 1%
dichlorobenzene

A chemist I know broke it down and reports:

69% baseoil 30% varsol 1% dichlorobenzene

Wintergreen fragrance

From the MSDS:

SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 0.876 @ 60 º F (15.6 º C)

FLASH POINT: 128 º F (53 º C) TCC
___________________

From an accident report the NTSB reported:

"According to the FAA inspector, the additive that was added
to the fuel was Marvel Mystery Oil. An empty 1 gallon can of
Marvel Mystery Oil was found in the operator's trash.
Instructions found on the can stated that the correct ratio
for mixing with fuel was 1 part additive to 100 parts fuel.
The contents of Marvel Mystery Oil were 74 percent mineral
oil, 25 percent stoddard solvent, and 1 percent lard."

https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_ ... 181&akey=1 [ntsb.gov]


Note - the composition was changed from the time of that
airplane accident ~2002-2004.

(Link fixed by Dan)

 

[slabghost]

MMO has a good reputation and has been very useful in cars trucks and motorcycles. I never saw any recommendation for use in racing motors or aircraft. Why would you need an additive in such a high dollar machine? I expect there were issues with the aircraft long before the MMO was added and that it was only partially responsible for failure. Seems really stupid to add oil of any kind to a high compression high octane motor. Oil maybe.

 

[Piper]

MMO is not authorized by the FAA to be used in any airplane in the oil or the fuel. Some owners put a little in the fuel tanks (bladders) which are made of rubber in some airplanes, supposedly to keep the rubber from drying out and cracking. The fuel bladders have to be overhauled or replaced generally about every ten years and I haven't seen where MMO has helped at all. If the tanks are kept full it extends their life somewhat. All certified piston airplanes now use 100 octane "low lead" fuel which is a misnomer because it contains 2 mg of lead per gallon as opposed to the old leaded car gas which had .5 mg per gallon. (4 times as much) There are a few airplanes that have FAA approved supplemental type certificates to use car gas but that is coming to an end very soon because of EPA mandates, and any alcohol in the gas in airplanes is strictly prohibited.

 

[joedrum]

its things like this that let a person know that alcohol is just a crappy additive to fuel :mrgreen:

 

[dan filipi]

The NTSB link is down.

Interesting the gas mixing ratio according to the MMO site is 4 oz per 10 gallons. That's just 40 oz. per 100 gallons, 1/3rd of a gallon.
According to the report the mix ratio stated on the can was 3 times that amount.

 

[scdmarx]

The NTSB link is down.

Interesting the gas mixing ratio according to the MMO site is 4 oz per 10 gallons. That's just 40 oz. per 100 gallons, 1/3rd of a gallon.
According to the report the mix ratio stated on the can was 3 times that amount.

"Note - the composition was changed from the time of that
airplane accident ~2002-2004. "

But to what was it changed?
To some folks, no matter what the recommended dosage, "if some is good - more is better".

I've just always wondered what was in the stuff.

 

[Piper]

The link posted wasn't complete. This link will get you to the accident mentioned. You might have to copy and paste it. The post accident investigation revealed compressions of 5/80 - 44/80. It is highly unlikely that the MMO would cause this used in any concentration. The legal limit at annual inspections for Lycoming engines is 60/80, (Continental engines slightly lower). The truth most likely is the engine was just simply worn out. It is possible that the MMO contributed to detonation which is a big problem with airplane engines. These dinosaur engines were designed in the 40's and do not have controlled timing. They have 2 magnetos for redundancy and 2 spark plugs per cylinder. When was the last time you saw a magneto in automotive use?....lol

https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_ ... 181&akey=1

 

[dan filipi]

I read the report, thanks Piper for fixing that.

I took flying lessons many years back. My instructor was VERY anal about doing a complete preflight check especially about the fuel.
From what I remember the fuel was always clear and the purpose of looking at it was to look for water. I don't think it was ever brought up to look for an unusual color.
Could too much MMO have been used?

I run trans fluid in the bike's gas and I can see how easily it could become over concentrated by adding too much especially if the atf is added before filling and "guesstimating" how much fuel it will take to top off.
Just my theory.

 

[Piper]

Dan,
Back in the "Good Old Days" there were 4 different octanes used (80-140) and each was color coded accordingly. Red, blue, green and yellow. The most common back then was 80 octane and was color coded red. They were made so that if they were mixed together they would turn clear. The 100LL used now is color coded green and if mixed with car gas or jet fuel it turns clear. Putting jet fuel (basically kerosene) in piston airplanes is a big problem and has killed a lot of people. Your instructor was very remiss by not stressing the importance of checking the fuel on every preflight. It's very important for that reason, not just to check for water. You never, ever take off with clear fuel unless you are flying a kerosene burner.
Btw, there are a few dozen other things he should have stressed on preflight as well...lol. A lot of things in flying you only get one chance to check.
Sorry to take the topic off Gold Wings but just following up on your post.
Before I joined this chat I had never heard of using ATF in gas or oil but judging by all the positive comments it must work. I have never been a big fan of using any additives, MMO included. I do believe in very frequent oil and filter changes as cheap PM, however.