2-stroke oil vs Automatic Transmission Fluid

[Fabian]

G'day all

I've got a question for the oil tech-heads, and i know it may be a very stupid question.

Today, i was pouring out some 2-stroke oil and also some ATF into smaller containers.
They both seemed to have a zero weight viscosity and felt very similar rubbing between forefinger and thumb.

I've heard some people use ATF as a diesel fuel lubricant and others have run diesel engines on straight ATF with the engine not suffereing any ill effects.

Ok, can some knowledgeable person enlighten me as to the technical differences between ATF and 2-stroke oil and if you could substitute one for the other without reducing engine life or could you mix ATF and 2-stroke oil if that's your only option.

Fabian

[camlifter]

i know thats an old trick to sell a worn out 2 stroke, mix the fuel with atf. most atf has additives to help clutch disks grip better which can seal up a worn cylinder long enough to sell a clunker.
i use atf in the gear box of my gasgas trials bike, but i change it a lot.

[Venice Motor Bikes]

2 cycle oil is specially made to lubricate 2 cycle engines & has all the good stuff in it to protect a running engine from burning up.
ATF is basically just a fancy hydraulic fluid & has none of the good stuff that will protect a internal combustion engine from wear!

[bairdco]

if you wanna have some fun, add a few drops of ATF into the throat of your carb. you can play "spyhunter" and blow a smoke screen down the whole block.

i used to put a 1/2quart of ATF into my honda racecar's oil before changing it. let it warm up and it helps drain all the oil and gunk out (some people would argue that, but it worked great for me.) so i don't think it'd help lubricate a 2 stroke that well.

also, as far as it "feeling" the same, so does vegetable oil, baby oil, wd40, etc... i wouldn't put any of those in my engine.

[Bikeguy Joe]

Do NOT use ATF in place of two stroke oil!

[chrisme]

ATF is 3 things in one, a lubricant, hydraulic oil, and coolant for an automatic transmission.
Using it in a 2-stroke engine would completely ignore the 3 things it was meant to do, and try and make it do something completely different.
Just the same as I wouldn't run 2-stroke oil in an automatic transmission. But automatic transmissions are for sissies anyway :P

[KDB]

Originally Posted by bairdco

also, as far as it "feeling" the same, so does vegetable oil, baby oil, wd40, etc... i wouldn't put any of those in my engine.

The hobbyists who build engines from scratch sometimes use a mix of gas and WD-40 in their engines.
Elsmore's Hit and Miss Engine Pages - Step-by-Step Construction
BTW: All the stuff they turn out is far to heavy for our proposes.

I think anything that would lubricate and burn at the right temprature would work in an emergency. When I have a few engines I don't mind losing I might experement with corn oil or something.
Until then, I suggest sticking with the tried and proven.

[ferball]

I have read on this forum more than once that a 10w30 mix would work in these engines. I know when I was in the army reserves that we used 10w30 for everything from hydralic fluid to its intended use as a lubricant. I think ATF fluid might work, but because lots of ATFs tend to be synthetic blends with detergents and stuff in them I do not think that it would offer the best "lubricating" option for two strokes.

[Drewd]

Do not use ATF for 2 strokes and don't put any in the tank of any modern diesel engine or you'll do many thousands of dollars in damage to modern diesel injection and emission systems-a diesel particulate filter is about 2 grand.

[impression]

Originally Posted by Drewd

Do not use ATF for 2 strokes and don't put any in the tank of any modern diesel engine or you'll do many thousands of dollars in damage to modern diesel injection and emission systems-a diesel particulate filter is about 2 grand.

and this is why modern diesels are **** :P

get me an old mechanically injected diesel that will do over 500,000 miles between rebuilds.

oh wait i have one :P