My old man swore by using ATF to free up sticky lifters, and I thought he was nuts

For years, my dad told me to pour a quart of automatic transmission fluid into the engine oil a few hundred miles before an oil change to quiet down noisy lifters. I always brushed it off as some backyard hack that would wreck the engine. Last month, my '98 Silverado started sounding like a sewing machine, and I was desperate. I put in a quart of Dexron, drove it about 300 miles, and did the oil change. The tick is completely gone. I'm torn now. On one side, it worked perfectly and cost maybe $8. On the other, I've read a ton of forum posts saying ATF can damage seals or thin the oil too much. What convinced me was the result, but I'm still not sure if I just got lucky. Has anyone else tried this long-term, or did it cause problems down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara96718d ago

That '98 Silverado is a tough old truck.

morgan.nancy18d ago

No kidding, those things are beasts. How many miles does yours have on it?