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MARVEL MYSTERY OIL anyone run it in their truck?

Slim Shady

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
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Had a member send back his turbo for bearing failure. Checked his truck 's oil pressure ok volume ok. get the turbo back and take it apart all bearings wiped out thrust bearing wiped out and no obstructions in the oil passages. Smelled funny and asked him if he ran thinner through the turbo to clean it. Said he was running Marvel oil through the truck. One quart of marvel instead of one quart oil.

Bronze bearings are almost bleached out to where the bronze is a dull light color like sand colored. Ideas on this failure?
 
I had a lifter gummed up one time making a noise so I ran some through the truck for 100 or so miles, but then I changed the oil right after it cleared up. That was a few thousand miles ago and the GM-X is still running. IDK much about turbos and such, but I ain't never had lubricating trouble using it in gasoline motors that are usually on thier way out anyhow.
 
Doesn't seem to have much viscosity to it and didn't seem to have a lot of film strength.
 
No it don't. One reason I didn't put it in till the oil change was comin' up. Definatley not saying it wern't the culprit, just it didn't kill mine for those few miles.
 
I've used it quite a bit i nthe past, but never in a turbo'd engine. Never had a problem with it though. It works really good at cleaning things out though. If you run a good grade of diesel oil, it isn't neccesary as diesel rated oil has alot of detergent in it to begin with. Sounds like teh turbo wasn't prelubed and ran dry for a minute or so.
 
No it don't. One reason I didn't put it in till the oil change was comin' up. Definatley not saying it wern't the culprit, just it didn't kill mine for those few miles.

Wife is a Tar Heal and I am an honorary one. Nope, I think he ran it 500 miles with the Marvel in it. Heat thins oil out and I am wondering if the oil lost it's lubricity, due to lack of viscocity and no film strength. Bearings at 100,000 rpm don't like oil with out any lubricating property.
 
Thats cool.

The most I have ever used it for is to soak the pistons/rings in the mid 90's saturn motors to help with the oil consumption. I don't understand the theory behind it, but it does work for a while. The last one was burning oil so bad that the MMO would drain past the pistons into the crank case in almost no time.
 
I don't know, that (pre oiling) is in the instructions, but this bearing failure was complete, Anything that had a wear surface that was bronze was worn and anything that was exposed to the diesel oil was bleached out, the surfaces that were mated against another surface were still shinny bronze. Nice gold color, the exposed surfaces were bleached out sand colored.
 
I wonder what sooted/sheared oil would do in combination with being thinned out with MMO. I still doubt it would wear bearings out that fast though.


Wife is a Tar Heal and I am an honorary one.

If your talking about down there in Chapel Hill, NC that makes a small world.
 
If your talking about down there in Chapel Hill, NC that makes a small world.

The big chair originally, (Thomasville) and more recently Lexington. I travell 77 more than I care to. The bearings would not wear out that fast if they were lubricated, if they were not, then they would wear exceptionally fast. I am at a loss, I know these turbos inside and out and they just dont lose bearings for no apparent reason. And I didn't find a mecahnical reason for it.
 
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I agree with pre oiling. On all my duramax/6.5 turbo swaps I always fill a small cap of oil and giver a gulp when Im ready for start up.
 
It could've been a bad batch of oil in that engine.
I had that once happen on a tractor,the oil pressure had dropped 50% after only 1 day running after an oil change.
oil analysis showed the oil was badly deteriorated.
New oil from a diff batch brought the oil press back to were it was.
The turbo packed it in shortly after(seized right up)
I don't use oil additives anymore,i find they cause more poblems than they solve.
It wasn't used in the above tractor either.

pre oiling on a turbo is a must though.
 
This is like fuel in the oil, be it biodiesel that has no odor, or #2 diesel. And one full quart!?!?

From the links below MM viscosity 2.6 cSt is below 20 weight oil 5.6-9.3 cSt. 20 weight is used in electric motors. It is also the 'failure temp' of 20 weight oil at 302 degrees. IMO 300 degree oil is something failed temp.

So you have a fuel in oil situation with the MM. The MM being a solvent like fuel but at a different % I guess.

Wouldn't lack of pre-oiling score the bearings rather than wear them?

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1747023
http://www.zddplus.com/TechBrief13 - Oil Viscosity.pdf
http://www.ideas4ag-ed.com/uploads/...toepfer_understanding_motor_oil_viscosity.pdf
 
find out what oil was being used. if it was a half full barrel picked up at a farm auction that had no way of confirming the contents, then that may be part of the issue. just because the barrel was sold with 15w40 in it, doesnt mean it didnt have 10w30 in it.

surely no antifreeze was finding its way into the oil was it?
 
Neither can I, Just can;t get over the failure, even the trust plate wore down. That is extreme lack of lubrication. The turbine shaft was polished but not worn where the bearings touched the shaft. So I know the shaft was touching the bearing not the oil. Everything goes towards lack of oil pressure or lubrication period.
 
I defiantly think its a lack of lubrication during run time. Did he blow an oil line during the time he ran this turbo? maybe clippin down the highway blew a line lost a signicant amount of oil then shut the truck off a little to late? I lost a line coming into town once my guage read nothing for pressure it was minus -30 and i had another 1.5 ish km to go so i babbied it home and then shut it down. Filled it up the next day no problem. I was expecting significant bearing damage when i tore it down a few months late but dident see anything more then the usual wear. Not sure if it affected the turbo.....
 
surely no antifreeze was finding its way into the oil was it?

X2 That could be the issue. Oil sample done?
The suburban engine didn't run long with coolant in the oil, but, it ruined every bearing. Coolant being the fastest way to kill an engine...

If it wore down that is an oiled failure. If it scored up everything and looked hot then it lost all oil - likely would have locked up.

Sadly for the owner - the turbo bearings go first.

Was the oil filter saved and cut open? If the filter says Fram on it maybe it came apart and plugged oil passages. Esp in MM oil...
 
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