COLLOID AND SOLID-FILM
ENGINE TREATMENTS
Examples: SLICK 50®, T-PLUS®,
TUF-OIL®, QMI®,
TM8®.
The above trademarks are the property of the respective
companies.
Aspects
of Colloids and Solid-Film lubricants to consider
(i.e., teflon/ptfe, molybdenum, graphite)
- Introduce solid particles into the lubrication system.
- Utilize a mechanical, uncontrolled process known as "burnishing".
- TEFLON/PTFE, for example, is chemically inert.
- Machined metal surfaces are inherently rough. Since particles used are generally uniform in size, there's no way to produce uniformly smooth surfaces on varying metal surface roughness. Therefore, engineered tolerances may be affected.
- Treatment dosage does not take differing engine sizes and metal surface area into consideration.
- Particles can bond with each other to form larger solids.
- Solid particles may clog filters and block oil galleries.
- Solids may dam up around bearings.
- Heat must be quickly transferred away from metal surfaces. TEFLON/PTFE is also an insulator. Even if this "burnishing-in" effect worked, the coating would trap heat in the metal which can damage metal surfaces.
- According to the manufacturer's
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), TEFLON/PTFE can be toxic at temperatures
above 600 degrees Fahrenheit (temperatures in the combustion chamber
can exceed 1100 degrees Fahrenheit).
- At high temperatures, the combustion of TEFLON/PTFE can form toxic emissions such as carbonyl fluoride and hydrogen fluoride, and cause polymer fume fever.
- TEFLON/PTFE is incompatible or can react negatively with some metals such as aluminum and magnesium at high temperature.
- No industry standard for testing or how much is safe to use in automotive engines.