On Sat, 07 Jul 2012 18:42:25 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"J. Clarke" fired this volley in
ain.local:

There's an MSDS for Marvel Mystery Oil that says that the boiling
point is 172C. The MSDS for Dexron says that the boiling point is
above 315C. So clearly there's _some_ difference.

Yeah... they add a low-fraction solvent to reduce the viscosity and
"stretch" the expensive ATF.

Look... For whatever other uses, MMO was originally marketed as a "Top
end oil" for pouring down a carburetor to solve sticky-lifter syndrome.
That particular use is long obsolete, but still the product sells.

When I was younger, and all cars were carbureted, we used MMO and ATF
interchangably for the sticky lifter problem, and both worked equally
well.

Lloyd
And the formula for ATF has changed significantly since then as well.
First came Type Suffix A fluid. Both it and the original Dexron
contained sperm whale oil as a friction modifier. Dexron 2 got jojoba
oil to replace the sperm whale oil - and disolved solder in oil
coolers. Dexron 2D got corrosion inhibitors - which made it absorb
water and foam excessively. Dexron 2E solved that problem, but was
short-lived - being replaced with Dexron 3 in 1993.
Dexron 6 came out in 2005, and is thinner than Dexron 3 for better
fuel economy, among other differences. And that's just Dexron.

Type F and Mercon have gone through the same type of changes.

MMO does not contain any of the "friction modifiers" required in ATF
to make the clutches grab while lubricating other sliding surfaces,
and is thinner than ATF.

Then to muddy the waters even more, some Ford spec fluid does NOT have
friction modifiers, and all CURRENT spec ATF is made from synthetic
stocks. All current ATFs are a very complex mix of anti-oxidants,
corrosion inhibitors, anti-foam agents, pour point depressants,
viscosity index improvers, and other components.