Pro tip: That 'just add a quart of ATF' trick for sticky lifters nearly killed my 350 Chevy

My buddy Mike swore dumping a quart of automatic transmission fluid in the oil would quiet down the lifters on my 1990 Chevy K1500. I tried it last week and all it did was foul my spark plugs and dump smoke out the tailpipe for three days straight. Cost me $45 in fresh oil and a new set of AC Delco plugs to fix. Has anyone else had this old backyard mechanic advice backfire on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

brianm273d ago

Bit of a stretch calling that nearly deadly, dont you think?

oliverbailey3d ago

I've seen a lot of climbers brush off falls like that saying it was nothing. But remember that video from El Cap a few years back where a guy decked from 40 feet onto a ledge and everyone said he was fine cause he walked away? Turns out he had a fractured pelvis and internal bleeding nobody caught until later. That fall in the original post might have looked clean from a distance but the force alone can mess up your spine even if you don't hit anything hard. I used to roll my eyes at people calling stuff nearly deadly until I watched a buddy take a whipper that looked totally routine and ended up with a collapsed lung from the rope whipping him into the wall. It changed my whole view on what counts as a close call.

hugos673d ago

Doesn't that partly depend on where you're climbing though? @brianm27 I've seen guys walk off what looked like a simple slip and later find out they cracked a rib or tweaked their back bad. The thing is, internal damage doesn't always show right away and can sneak up on you. I'd rather call it nearly deadly and be wrong than brush it off and miss something serious.