Old timer swore by ATF in the crankcase, I finally tried it

My neighbor Bob, who's been wrenching since the 70s, told me to dump a quart of ATF in with the oil before an oil change to free up a stuck lifter on my 2002 F-150. I thought he was messing with me, but after 200 miles of driving and a hot drain, that tick was gone. I've seen mixed stuff online about it, but it worked for my truck. Anyone else run this trick on a high mileage motor, or did I just get lucky? Also, any risk of messing up seals if I do it again in a few months?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarc121mo ago

Read a guy on a truck forum say ATF freed his stuck rings but then oil pressure dropped, so I'd say you got lucky.

wendy1311mo ago

See, I gotta disagree with you on this one. I've seen too many old engines where that ATF trick loosens up more than just a lifter, and suddenly you're burning oil and smoking out the tailpipe. The detergents in ATF are way stronger than what your motor oil is designed to handle, and a 2002 F-150 with high miles has seals that are already tired and brittle. You might have gotten lucky this time, but dumping a whole quart in there again in a few months is a gamble I wouldn't take. If the tick comes back, I'd rather dig into the actual lifter than keep flirting with turning my crankcase into a solvent bath.