What is in the Lucas Transmission Fix. : Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Jan. 12, 2012 4:20 p.m. wearymicrobe HalfDork

OK this has been bugging me for a long time but does anybody know what the heck the active ingredient is in the Lucas Transmission Fix. I have the MSDS and its useless.

Its not kerosine or anything like that according to the msds, and its thick as all get out.

For the longest time when ever I would pull a old car out of a barn or whatever I would drop the pan, check for metal then clean the screen, new fluid and then a bottle of the stuff and it always seems to work like magic. Never had any issues always ran better after adding it to the new fluid.

I have a hydramatic in the Cadillac with ~3K miles on it since rebuild. Its been in storage or not driven for a minimum of 10 years. Sucked the fluid out, new stuff in ran it up and down the street, ran ok. Dropped a tube down the fill line and sucked a bit out, color looks good and no particulates.

Still leaked from some mysterious place though and slipped slightly on the 3/4 transition. Add a bottle of this stuff and it magically disappears, both the leak and the stumble. in 48 hours.

I was going to take a sample again in a month or two and see if I magically have particulates though.
Jan. 12, 2012 4:47 p.m. 16vCorey SuperDork

We sell and install used transmissions, and we put a bottle in every one we install. I don't know what's in it, but it's good stuff. We've been doing it for a long time, so if there were any long term downfalls, we'd probably know about it by now.
Jan. 12, 2012 5:02 p.m. wearymicrobe HalfDork

16vCorey wrote:

We sell and install used transmissions, and we put a bottle in every one we install. I don't know what's in it, but it's good stuff. We've been doing it for a long time, so if there were any long term downfalls, we'd probably know about it by now.

We have a work truck with darn near 350K and we but a bottle in every time, the thing will probably outlive me no adverse effect.

As a chemist I am just interested in whats in it. If I was really really interested I would through it on the GC but that would take major effort.
Jan. 12, 2012 5:35 p.m. chandlerGTi Reader

Forest Lucas keeps the ingredients a secret, we buy lots of their products in drums and all of their stuff is the same way. It really seems to do what it is advertised as doing, snake oil and all that.
Jan. 12, 2012 5:40 p.m. wearymicrobe HalfDork

If its really a secret nxt time I rebuild a GC/MS then I might just have to put a little bit of it on and see if anything in the database pops up.

Wonder if there is any shared compounds between it and the newer sealed transmissions special fluid.
Jan. 12, 2012 5:50 p.m. chandlerGTi Reader

There was an interview I just read that said when he was a fleet owner he was always looking for ways to improve oil life and engine heat and he would buy chemical leftovers and try to come up with his own concoctions. He said his oil stabilizer was someone elses failed product that no one would but due to being marketed wrong. Interesting person.
Jan. 12, 2012 7:23 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

There are a small number of their products I would use. The Trans fix stuff is one of them.

The other two are the power steering fix and the Ethanol treatment in the green bottle. thats it.

Not sure what's in them, but they work.
Jan. 12, 2012 7:53 p.m. driver109x HalfDork

Ive used the power steering stop leak. I used to have a Corolla GTS with a ps pump that would spray fluid all over the engine bay. Poured some some Lucas stuff in and in less than a hundred miles the leak slowed and a few more top offs it stopped. Same thing on my Infiniti g20 which slowed down a leaky high pressure hose. I read the bottle and it can also be used in both manual and auto trans and even the engine. Ive also used the oil stabilizer and the stop leak which can also be added to manual trans and diff which for me eventually stopped a pinion seal leak and slowed down a rear main seal leak. Id say this snake oil works... eventually.
Jan. 12, 2012 9:01 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

I've always thought their secret ingredient was sawdust.
Jan. 13, 2012 7:55 a.m. 16vCorey SuperDork

Their power steering stop leak is impressive. I had a catastrophic rack and pinion seal blow out on my E30. It dumped all the fluid out in a day. Every time you turned the wheel it would just POUR fluid out of the boot. I didn't have time to put a rack in it, and after a bottle of Lucas it slowed the leak down to topping it off once a month until I had time to put a rack in it(about 4-5 months)

We also have a delivery truck at work with 300k miles on it. The power steering didn't leak, but the pump howled like you wouldn't believe, and the power assist was iffy. After a bottle of Lucas it was fine, and has been for the last year or so.
Jan. 13, 2012 8:53 a.m. rotard HalfDork

One solvent probably gooeyfies the seals to make them seal again, and another solvent acts as a lubricant. Where's my cookie? I always mean to throw some Seafoam or whatever on the FTIR, GC, and Mass spec, but then realize that some things are best left a mystery.
Jan. 13, 2012 9:18 a.m. wearymicrobe HalfDork

rotard wrote:

One solvent probably gooeyfies the seals to make them seal again, and another solvent acts as a lubricant. Where's my cookie? I always mean to throw some Seafoam or whatever on the FTIR, GC, and Mass spec, but then realize that some things are best left a mystery.

The MSDS would have to show a solvent if there was one in there. I think I am just going to let it slide and be thankful the stuff works.

I did have a little leak in the power steering and picked up a bottle on the way home from work. Will see what happens.

I am just curious deep in my heart and I don't like magic liquids that work. If it was snakeoil I could care less.
Jan. 13, 2012 9:37 a.m. rotard HalfDork

wearymicrobe wrote:

rotard wrote:

One solvent probably gooeyfies the seals to make them seal again, and another solvent acts as a lubricant. Where's my cookie? I always mean to throw some Seafoam or whatever on the FTIR, GC, and Mass spec, but then realize that some things are best left a mystery.

The MSDS would have to show a solvent if there was one in there. I think I am just going to let it slide and be thankful the stuff works.

I did have a little leak in the power steering and picked up a bottle on the way home from work. Will see what happens.

I am just curious deep in my heart and I don't like magic liquids that work. If it was snakeoil I could care less.

Is there anything about a trade secret on the MSDS? As long as the proper safety stuff is disclosed about the material, the actual identity of it doesn't have to be revealed.
Jan. 13, 2012 9:52 a.m. iceracer SuperDork

carguy123 wrote:

I've always thought their secret ingredient was sawdust.

I heard it was oatmeal.
Jan. 13, 2012 9:57 a.m. patgizz SuperDork

i don't care what is in it. my mom has a blazer that had a trans leak and she drove it slipping and 2 qt low for a week. i put the lucas in and topped off the fliud and it has been fine for 8 months and has not leaked a drop.
Jan. 13, 2012 10:02 a.m. hotrodlarry Reader

carguy123 wrote:

I've always thought their secret ingredient was sawdust.

liquid sawdust
Jan. 13, 2012 10:05 a.m. ohms New Reader

i've used lucas stuff before as a bandaid fix for my old beaters, but using it as preventative maintenance is new to me. may try it on the daily if i have money to burn next time im near a parts store

In reply to 16vCorey: