Another "Mouse Milk" story that seems to have worked.

[nobody >]

After reading some previous threads about coolant system additives as
"fixes" for the infamous blown head gasket problem, I thought I'd share
a different story.

"Mouse Milk" is a term used for any "mechanic in a can" item.

My 2000 OBW had a slight case of hesitation when first put into any
forward gear (auto, 4EAT) when I bought it. It wasn't much, maybe 5
seconds or so, and only after sitting for at least a couple of hours.
That was when I bought it 3 years ago. I had a transmission flush done
on it, then it went to 10-20 seconds after that. It wasn't a
showstopper, so I've lived with it for a couple of years now, planning
on having the transmission dropped and looked at when I got my tax
refund. That never happened as there was always something more immediate
that ate the money.

I put a $10 can of Sea Foam transmission additive in it a week ago, and
the problem stopped! I followed the can's instructions plus what the
partscounter guy said as well. I ran it thru every gear for at least 5
minutes... including reverse. I probably got some funny looks as I was
making full-lock circles in reverse for 5 minutes in the school
district's parking lot.....

I'm happy!
I wish I'd done this 3 years ago. I suspect that the problem was just a
sticky valve in the valve body all along, and a thin solvent-type
additive was what was needed to break it loose.

The Sea Foam brand of additives isn't usually found in your usual
Shucks/Autozone/etc store, it's more likely found in more "shop
oriented" parts stores like NAPA.

As with other cheap fixes, Your Mileage May Vary. (YMMV)

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

After reading some previous threads about coolant system additives as
"fixes" for the infamous blown head gasket problem, I thought I'd share
a different story.

"Mouse Milk" is a term used for any "mechanic in a can" item.

My 2000 OBW had a slight case of hesitation when first put into any
forward gear (auto, 4EAT) when I bought it. It wasn't much, maybe 5
seconds or so, and only after sitting for at least a couple of hours.
That was when I bought it 3 years ago. I had a transmission flush done
on it, then it went to 10-20 seconds after that. It wasn't a
showstopper, so I've lived with it for a couple of years now, planning
on having the transmission dropped and looked at when I got my tax
refund. That never happened as there was always something more immediate
that ate the money.

I put a $10 can of Sea Foam transmission additive in it a week ago, and
the problem stopped! I followed the can's instructions plus what the
partscounter guy said as well. I ran it thru every gear for at least 5
minutes... including reverse. I probably got some funny looks as I was
making full-lock circles in reverse for 5 minutes in the school
district's parking lot.....

I'm happy!
I wish I'd done this 3 years ago. I suspect that the problem was just a
sticky valve in the valve body all along, and a thin solvent-type
additive was what was needed to break it loose.

The Sea Foam brand of additives isn't usually found in your usual
Shucks/Autozone/etc store, it's more likely found in more "shop
oriented" parts stores like NAPA.

As with other cheap fixes, Your Mileage May Vary. (YMMV)

thanx for posting. My wife's 03 OBW has a hard downshift at highway
speeds above 70-75. had it since new. I might try this stuff.

Carl

 

[clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada]

After reading some previous threads about coolant system additives as
"fixes" for the infamous blown head gasket problem, I thought I'd share
a different story.

"Mouse Milk" is a term used for any "mechanic in a can" item.

Actually not. There is a product called "Mouse Milk". Sold by Aircraft
Spruce, and likely others. It is an EXCELENT penetrant and lubricant -
high creep factor. see: http://www.mousemilk.com/

My 2000 OBW had a slight case of hesitation when first put into any
forward gear (auto, 4EAT) when I bought it. It wasn't much, maybe 5
seconds or so, and only after sitting for at least a couple of hours.
That was when I bought it 3 years ago. I had a transmission flush done
on it, then it went to 10-20 seconds after that. It wasn't a
showstopper, so I've lived with it for a couple of years now, planning
on having the transmission dropped and looked at when I got my tax
refund. That never happened as there was always something more immediate
that ate the money.

I put a $10 can of Sea Foam transmission additive in it a week ago, and
the problem stopped! I followed the can's instructions plus what the
partscounter guy said as well. I ran it thru every gear for at least 5
minutes... including reverse. I probably got some funny looks as I was
making full-lock circles in reverse for 5 minutes in the school
district's parking lot.....

I'm happy!
I wish I'd done this 3 years ago. I suspect that the problem was just a
sticky valve in the valve body all along, and a thin solvent-type
additive was what was needed to break it loose.

The Sea Foam brand of additives isn't usually found in your usual
Shucks/Autozone/etc store, it's more likely found in more "shop
oriented" parts stores like NAPA.

As with other cheap fixes, Your Mileage May Vary. (YMMV)

As a LONG TIME mechanic, I have found there are many very legitimate
"chemical fixes" available that do the job every bit as well as a
teardown for a small fraction of the cost. Often you tear something
down looking for the cause of a problem like that and you never find
it. Sometimes you get lucky and you fixed it just by taking it apart
and cleaning it, and other times you waste all the time and customer's
money because the problem is still there when you are done (you missed
SOMETHING, but you have no idea what). I will generally try a chemical
fix FIRST if I suspect a stiction or lubrication problem, and
sometimes for minor leakage problems - depending what/where/ and how
bad, and the age/condition of the vehicle.

That said, there is no universal magic bullet. Nothing will repair a
worn out or broken engine or tansmission. And it's "different horses
for different courses" - some products work on one engine and not
another, or one tranny and not another ---.

 

[nobody >]

Actually not. There is a product called "Mouse Milk". Sold by Aircraft
Spruce, and likely others. It is an EXCELENT penetrant and lubricant -
high creep factor. see: http://www.mousemilk.com/

I'll bet that the "mechanic in a can" use predates the introduction of
that product. But, it's a good use of something previously heard for
product recognition. My father used the term and he picked it up in the
Navy in WWII.

There's a good probability that using this Mouse Milk might have worked
as well. I've known a few cheap auto sales lots that dump WD40 into
ailing automatic transmissions and it works long enough to get the car
off the lot and a few miles further.

 

[Guest]

After reading some previous threads about coolant system additives as
"fixes" for the infamous blown head gasket problem, I thought I'd share
a different story.

"Mouse Milk" is a term used for any "mechanic in a can" item.

My 2000 OBW had a slight case of hesitation when first put into any
forward gear (auto, 4EAT) when I bought it. It wasn't much, maybe 5
seconds or so, and only after sitting for at least a couple of hours.
That was when I bought it 3 years ago. I had a transmission flush done
on it, then it went to 10-20 seconds after that. It wasn't a
showstopper, so I've lived with it for a couple of years now, planning
on having the transmission dropped and looked at when I got my tax
refund. That never happened as there was always something more immediate
that ate the money.

I put a $10 can of Sea Foam transmission additive in it a week ago, and
the problem stopped! I followed the can's instructions plus what the
partscounter guy said as well. I ran it thru every gear for at least 5
minutes... including reverse. I probably got some funny looks as I was
making full-lock circles in reverse for 5 minutes in the school
district's parking lot.....

I'm happy!
I wish I'd done this 3 years ago. I suspect that the problem was just a
sticky valve in the valve body all along, and a thin solvent-type
additive was what was needed to break it loose.

The Sea Foam brand of additives isn't usually found in your usual
Shucks/Autozone/etc store, it's more likely found in more "shop
oriented" parts stores like NAPA.

As with other cheap fixes, Your Mileage May Vary. (YMMV)

The delayed-engagement is from an o-ring/seal in the trans somewhere
that hardens up a bit.

Dave

 

[Guest]

thanx for posting. My wife's 03 OBW has a hard downshift at highway
speeds above 70-75. had it since new. I might try this stuff.

Carl

Mine does this too! I accidently drained the battery, and it went away
for awhile. Damn TCU learns your habits, then gets a screw loose after
awhile.

I just had a trans flush, that seemed to help a little.

I'm not going to try a magic cocktail until I have to battle the
delayed-engagement problem, which at this time is not worse than 1-2
seconds.


Dave

 

[clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada]

I'll bet that the "mechanic in a can" use predates the introduction of
that product. But, it's a good use of something previously heard for
product recognition. My father used the term and he picked it up in the
Navy in WWII.

There's a good probability that using this Mouse Milk might have worked
as well. I've known a few cheap auto sales lots that dump WD40 into
ailing automatic transmissions and it works long enough to get the car
off the lot and a few miles further.

Up here the expression for the "mechanic in a can" was "hunny" or
"Honey". I wonder if it had anything to do with what you find in a
"honey wagon".
Shaler (Rislone), Casite(3c),BG (44K and Supercharge), Bardahl,and
Marvel(MMO) were among the products with a pretty strong professional
recognition in these parts.
Wynns, STP,Tuff-Oil, and many others had little respect - mostly
marketing hype.

 

[clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada]

The delayed-engagement is from an o-ring/seal in the trans somewhere
that hardens up a bit.

Dave

In which case new fluid and fluid conditioner like BG ATC Plus would
likely make a huge difference.

 

[clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada]

Mine does this too! I accidently drained the battery, and it went away
for awhile. Damn TCU learns your habits, then gets a screw loose after
awhile.

I just had a trans flush, that seemed to help a little.

I'm not going to try a magic cocktail until I have to battle the
delayed-engagement problem, which at this time is not worse than 1-2
seconds.


Dave

Aften it pays to "nip it in the bud" as letting a problem get worse
sometimes causes more damage. Try BG ATC Plus. A lot of tranny shops
around here use it with very good results.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Shaler (Rislone), Casite(3c),BG (44K and Supercharge), Bardahl,and
Marvel(MMO) were among the products with a pretty strong professional
recognition in these parts.

Hi,

Add K-W Trans-X in my neighborhood. It's been around forever and I've
heard mostly good stories about it, especially when used in automatic
transmissions that haven't been particularly well cared for in the fluid
maintenance dept.

Rick