Dana Morphew wrote:

> The Jetta 1.8 RV engine that I have installed into my '90 "Bare Bones"
> Vanagon has a thin brown coating, like a lacquer, on the inside of the
> engine (block and head).  I imagine it is from infrequent oil
> changes or...

Now I'm starting to piece together how this Marvel Mystery Oil works.  I
bought some at Canadian Tire as advertised.  When I opened it the smell
triggered a few memories.  Methyl Salicylate.  That's what it is...  When I
was in the US Navy, I ran a valve repair shop for a few years.  On steam
systems there were certain items you could/could not use to maintain steam
plant cleanliness.  Used to use cans of Methyl Salicylate (oil of
wintergreen) in order to free corroded studs, bolts, etc.  It is also used
inside steam piping when a ship is going through a prolonged shipyard
availability to ensure that rust doesn't form inside the open
piping,(moisture displacement/barrier).  On non-steam systems we found if we
mixed it with penetrating oil it would clean just about anything... made the
shop smell good too.  Guess we were just making some home made MMO...

Regards,

Mike Pedersen
'88 Westie GL Automatic
Powell River, BC