Mid Lifer

Well, here's one for you guys. Car is a 1991 LS400 with 100,000 miles. I have a slight valve or fuel injector ticking, which gets a bit louder as the car heats up. Lexus service guy tells me to try Marvel Mystery Oil (in the gas). I check the web and there seems to be a mix of opinion on this. Can this hurt my car, and is there even a chance it could help? The tick is simply annoying, but I would like it gone without spending $400+ if that is possible.

Thanks,
Kyle

fusi0n 1er

I also have that ticking problem...and I am too interested in the Marvel Mystery Oil.....anyone know anything about this?

rajah996

another one here, rockin a 92 ice blue lex, any word on this stuff?

Mid Lifer

I am inclined to think that my ticking is a valve, since it seems grow somewhat louder as the car heats. But on the chance that it is injectors, does anyone think I would benefit from a shot of Chevron Techron in addition to/in lieu of the Marvel Mystery Oil? I don't mind wasting a few bucks here, but I don't want to create any new issues by using a bogus product that does more harm thatn good, or in fact, any harm at all.

hyperopt

If ticking if from valves, valve adjustment is in order and/or associated parts are worn and needed replacement. Thicker motor oil may help. If ticking is from injectors, Techron or Marvel oil may help. Both are good detergents. Techron is used by many pros to clean injectors in concentrated form, and Marvel is a general purpose oil cleaner and rust inhibitor. Don't expect miracles from bottles though.

Pilot

I use Marvel Mystery Oil in my LS-400 all the time. I use it in the gas and the oil. I learned about it last year on the Honda Goldwing Web site http://bbs.gwrra.org/board/ (use the key word search on the left side of the message board page) I also own a Goldwing and use MMO in the fuel almost every tank. It is recommended to use 1oz per gal of fuel. I would recommend getting MMO at WalMart in the quart size. Most motorcycles sit idle for a long periods. This can really gum up the carbs and injectors. In almost every single case, using MMO will fix the problem.
It has proven for years to clean injectors, and free up valve lifters etc when used in the oil as well. I would recommend when using it in the oil, that you do so for no more than about 500 miles or so. This is due to the thinner oil, and its cleaning power etc. What I did was to change oil on my high mile LS-400 and THEN add one full quart of MMO to 4 qts of motor oil. (5 qts total) I ran about 500 miles and changed oil again. This will clean out a bunch of varnish around the pistons rings, and clean out the valve lifters etc.
A few months ago I was talking to an aircraft mechanic, and asked him about MMO. He told me about a time when he rebuilt a small 4 cyl aircraft engine that had no varnish on the pistons and the rings. He called the owner and asked him what oil he was using and told of the clean insides of the engine. The owner said he used MMO in the gas! I now use MMO (in the gas) in every engine I own, including the lawn mower. Any high milage engine should have MMO added also to the oil once in a while to clean out varnish and crud buildup. The LS-400 engine is so well built, that wear is not the problem. The engine is bulit to run 300,000 miles or more. The only problem is with the buildup of varnish to the insides of the engine. Lexus has no control how often owners change oil, the quality of oil used, filters etc. Lexus built the worlds finest engine (970 engines were built and tested before any production cars were built) We now just need to keep them clean. I find that using MMO in the gas and oil, is the best way to do this. I would recommend using in the gas very often and the oil, at least once or twice per year. If you don't want to go to the hassle of changing oil several times like I did, I would recommend just pouring a quart in the oil about 500 miles before a normal oil change.

LouLex400

Fuel pressure light was on and now ticking from motor....HELP!

trukn1

Kyle,, ticking you are hearing is most likely due to the valves, common problem with all LS's,,especially the first gens. I have had that ticking too since I bought my car 3-4 years ago. It really is annoying but doesnt hurt anything, especially with regular maintenance schedule. Most of time, valves need to be adjusted and shims need to be installed in order for problem to disappear(very pricey job unfortunately). Any good mechanic will tell you that while additives WILL help to some degree, there truly is no such thing as a miracle in a can.


Midlife and Louie,, noticed that you guys are here on the east coast. Drop down to the NELOC forum and intro yourselves. ots of locals in the area, and events/meets to pop up at. Having a large get together next month on the 28t. Pop into the forums and tell em I sent ya.

Rocan

isnt seafoam the same kind of thing?

that stuff is tried and true and i love it to death.

trukn1

Seaform is pretty much the same thing, and has been tried and true by many here. There are some slight differences in it's useage tho. You have to be VERY CAREFUL with that stuff as it will make you do more maintenance than you originally planned if you do not use correctly. Not to mention, when you suck the seafoam up into the vacuum line(forgot which one, there is a thread on how to correctly use,, have to search) and let that stuff circulate in the engine, you will most likely "smoke out" the neighborhood for a few minutes. Don't think the neighbors will be too happy for the "improvised burnout", but hey it is helping the car,,LOL!!

python

iTrader: (4)

injectors are supposed to "tick"...thats how u tell if they are working properly...marvel mystery oil will help on hydraulic lifters if they are making noises but it will have no effect on our motors

MEANDAFAKA

should try seafoam. i like that product, but like what everyone said. there are no magic bottle.

Bill Dowd

Trukn1 is on the money I Had my valves ajusted by tustin lexus here in california for $898.00 it took 7 hours to do the job and the valves are now quiet. The tech also found a ton of carbon in my intake and throttle body and cleaned it out and what an improvment in power and gas mileage. He had to put in 7 shims this is a very costly job most shops wont ajust the valves in the lexus due to the amount of work and they don't have the correct shims on hand to do the job correctly.

Rocan

sounds good Bill...

seafoam is as close as it gets to majic in a bottle... tricky to get right, but once you get it right you can seriously FEEL the difference in performance

w00t 250 posts