Marvel Mystery Oil

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Marvel Mystery Oil logo Marvel Mystery Oil logo.gif
Marvel Mystery Oil logo

Marvel Mystery Oil is an automotive product of the American Marvel Oil Company, [1] founded by Burt Pierce in 1923. [2] It is used as a fuel additive and oil additive, purportedly to function as a corrosion inhibitor, penetrating oil, transmission leak stopper and seal relubricator, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting such claims.

Contents

It is composed primarily of petroleum distillates, including mineral oil (60–100%), mineral spirits (10–30%), tricresyl phosphate (an antiwear and extreme pressure additive in lubricants, 0.1–1.0%), ortho-dichlorobenzene (a softening and removing agent for carbon-based contamination on metal surfaces, 0.1–1.0%), and para-dichlorobenzene (a precursor used in the production of chemically and thermally resistant polymers, <0.1%).

Origin

The Marvel Oil Company (also known as Marvel Carburetor Company; Marvel-Schebler Carburetors since 1928) was founded by Burt Pierce in 1923. [2] Before World War I, the company produced carburetors for automobiles and aircraft. Some of these encountered problems with clogged jets, prompting Pierce to formulate a blend of chemicals and petroleum to clean and maintain them. Marvel claims the oil creates a top ring seal producing higher compression, preventing blow-by on power strokes, resulting in more power. [2] Supporting evidence is not provided.

The Marvel Oil Company, initially based in Chicago, moved to New York in 1941; it was purchased by Turtle Wax Inc. in 1999, returning to Chicago. [2]

According to the company, the name Mystery Oil comes from Pierce's answer to the question, "What kind of oil is this?" to which Pierce would respond, "It's a mystery!" [2]

Composition

According to the company's 2015 safety data sheet, Marvel Mystery Oil is composed of: [3]

In an NTSB post aircraft accident investigation published in 2003, it was reported that Marvel Mystery Oil was composed of 74 percent mineral oil, 25 percent stoddard solvent, and 1 percent lard. [4]

Claims

Marvel Mystery Oil marketing literature claims benefits which include improved lubricating qualities, primarily cleaning and friction reduction capabilities. The product has previously been marketed as a fuel additive in all kinds of engines, including aircraft (although the company no longer markets it for the latter application on their website). It has also been used as an oil additive, corrosion inhibitor, penetrating oil, and in automatic transmissions as a leak stopper and seal relubricator. [5] Supporting evidence for claimed benefits is not provided by the manufacturer.

The lubricant was used as a fuel additive in a Lycoming aircraft engine, which specifically cautioned against oil additives (Service Instruction No. 1014M, which also stated its use would void the warranty), that suffered catastrophic damage during take-off. The NTSB listed the probable cause of the accident as "The improper use of [a] fuel additive which resulted in a power loss." [4] [6]

Auto manufacturers Ford [7] and GM [8] recommend against using engine oil additives, stating they are unnecessary in their contemporary engine designs and may void their warranties.

Related Research Articles

Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from Greek: κηρός (kērós) meaning "wax", and was registered as a trademark by Canadian geologist and inventor Abraham Gesner in 1854 before evolving into a generic trademark. It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage.

A lubricant is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, transporting foreign particles, or heating or cooling the surfaces. The property of reducing friction is known as lubricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gasoline</span> Liquid fuel, also called petrol, derived from petroleum

The terms gasoline, or simply gas identify and describe the petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formulated as a fuel for engines, gasoline is chemically composed of organic compounds derived from the fractional distillation of petroleum and later chemically enhanced with gasoline additives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diesel fuel</span> Liquid fuel used in diesel engines

Diesel fuel, also called diesel oil or historically heavy oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and then injection of fuel. Therefore, diesel fuel needs good compression ignition characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mineral oil</span> Liquid mixture of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum

Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motor oil</span> Lubricant used for lubrication of internal combustion engines

Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any one of various substances used for the lubrication of internal combustion engines. They typically consist of base oils enhanced with various additives, particularly antiwear additives, detergents, dispersants, and, for multi-grade oils, viscosity index improvers. The main function of motor oil is to reduce friction and wear on moving parts and to clean the engine from sludge and varnish (detergents). It also neutralizes acids that originate from fuel and from oxidation of the lubricant (detergents), improves the sealing of piston rings, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthetic oil</span> Lubricant consisting of artificially made chemical compounds

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials. The base material, however, is still overwhelmingly crude oil that is distilled and then modified physically and chemically. The actual synthesis process and composition of additives is generally a commercial trade secret and will vary among producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White spirit</span> Petroleum-derived clear, transparent liquid

White spirit (AU, UK and Ireland) or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, and petroleum spirits, is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting. There are also terms for specific kinds of white spirit, including Stoddard solvent and solvent naphtha (petroleum). White spirit is often used as a paint thinner, or as a component thereof, though paint thinner is a broader category of solvent. Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) have been refined to remove the more toxic aromatic compounds, and are recommended for applications such as oil painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gear oil</span> Lubricant used in vehicles and machinery

Gear oil is a lubricant made specifically for transmissions, transfer cases, and differentials in automobiles, trucks, and other machinery. It has high viscosity and usually contains organosulfur compounds. Some modern automatic transaxles do not use a heavy oil at all but lubricate with the lower viscosity hydraulic fluid, which is available at pressure within the automatic transmission. Gear oils account for about 20% of the lubricant market.

In chemistry, a corrosion inhibitor or anti-corrosive is a chemical compound that, when added to a liquid or gas, decreases the corrosion rate of a material, typically a metal or an alloy, that comes into contact with the fluid. The effectiveness of a corrosion inhibitor depends on fluid composition, quantity of water, and flow regime. Corrosion inhibitors are common in industry, and also found in over-the-counter products, typically in spray form in combination with a lubricant and sometimes a penetrating oil. They may be added to water to prevent leaching of lead or copper from pipes.

Oil analysis (OA) is the laboratory analysis of a lubricant's properties, suspended contaminants, and wear debris. OA is performed during routine predictive maintenance to provide meaningful and accurate information on lubricant and machine condition. By tracking oil analysis sample results over the life of a particular machine, trends can be established which can help eliminate costly repairs. The study of wear in machinery is called tribology. Tribologists often perform or interpret oil analysis data.

AW additives, or antiwear additives, are additives for lubricants to prevent metal-to-metal contact between parts of gears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme pressure additive</span>

Extreme pressure additives, or EP additives, are additives for lubricants with a role to decrease wear of the parts of the gears exposed to very high pressures. They are also added to cutting fluids for machining of metals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zinc dithiophosphate</span> Lubricant additive

Zinc dialkyldithiophosphates are a family of coordination compounds developed in the 1940s that feature zinc bound to the anion of a dialkyldithiophosphoric salt. These uncharged compounds are not salts. They are soluble in nonpolar solvents, and the longer-chain derivatives easily dissolve in mineral and synthetic oils used as lubricants. They come under CAS number 68649-42-3. In aftermarket oil additives, the percentage of ZDDP ranges approximately between 2 and 15%. Zinc dithiophosphates have many names, including ZDDP, ZnDTP, and ZDP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardahl</span> Brand of lubricants and additives for internal combustion engines

Bardahl is a brand of petroleum oil additives, lubricants and gasoline additives for motor vehicles and internal combustion engines made by Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation in Seattle, Washington.

Paraffin may refer to:

Oil additives are chemical compounds that improve the lubricant performance of base oil. The manufacturer of many different oils can utilize the same base stock for each formulation and can choose different additives for each specific application. Additives comprise up to 5% by weight of some oils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive oil recycling</span> The process of recycling used engine and motor oils

Automotive oil recycling involves the recycling of used oils and the creation of new products from the recycled oils, and includes the recycling of motor oil and hydraulic oil. Oil recycling also benefits the environment: increased opportunities for consumers to recycle oil lessens the likelihood of used oil being dumped on lands and in waterways. For example, one gallon of motor oil dumped into waterways has the potential to pollute one million gallons of water.

Afton Chemical Corporation develops and manufactures petroleum additives, including driveline, engine oil, fuel and industrial additives. Afton Chemical Corporation is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and has operations around the world. The company is a subsidiary of NewMarket Corporation, a corporation specializing in performance specialty chemicals.

References

  1. Hal Morgan, Symbols of America, Penguin Books, 1987, p. 172.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "About". marvelmysteryoil.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Marvel Mystery Oil Safety Data Sheet". Turtle Wax. March 10, 2015. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "N5428H Incident Report Narrative NYC02LA181". National Transportation Safety Board. October 17, 2003. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. "FAQ". marvelmysteryoil.com. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  6. "N5428H Incident Report Brief NYC02LA181". National Transportation Safety Board. October 17, 2003. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  7. "Get Slick: Take the Mystery Out of Picking the Proper Motor Oil". Ford. February 4, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016. We don't recommend using oil additives and this is noted in the owner's manual.
  8. "Tech Tips" (PDF). GM Fleet. Retrieved March 13, 2016. GM Vehicles DO NOT require additional engine oil additives. Some additives may cause harmful effects to the internal seals and additionally void the terms of your vehicle's New Vehicle Warranty.