Fuel system cleaner

[Ozark Marauder]

I was walking through an O'Reilly's Auto Parts store yesterday and noticed they had these at "buy 1 get 1 free". Does anyone use fuel system cleaner? Like Techron?

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/attachments/r129-sl-class/335454d1286503768-chevron-texaco-techron-techron.jpg

OZ

[DOOM]

I use Lucas in my Vic.

[screamn]

I put in a can of BG 44k once a year.

[Mike M]

Techron is the real deal, very well documented by manufacturers. The ONLY additive I would and do spend money on. It already is in the gas that Chevron sells.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techron

[MyO4Rawdur]

Domt EVER use seafoam. Anything else would probably be ok but I think some stuff makes your plugs pink. Not sure what it is.

[ctrlraven]

Domt EVER use seafoam. Anything else would probably be ok but I think some stuff makes your plugs pink. Not sure what it is.
Seafoam is fine to use in the fuel, the only downside is that it actually decreases the octane level of the gas if a hole can is use, 1/3 of a can is fine. I've used it dozens of times after the past 7 years, my car still runs fine.

Your issue is something else.

[48flyer]

Don't EVER use seafoam. Anything else would probably be ok but I think some stuff makes your plugs pink. Not sure what it is.

Why would you say that?
I have used seafoam in every engine Ivve had from high performance engines to aircraft to lawn mowers.
I've never had anything but great things to say about it.

[MyO4Rawdur]

Seafoam is fine to use in the fuel, the only downside is that it actually decreases the octane level of the gas if a hole can is use, 1/3 of a can is fine. I've used it dozens of times after the past 7 years, my car still runs fine.

Your issue is something else.

Seafoam actually can do more harm than good and is normally used as a last resort. The dealer I work at will not sell it to a customer if they have a car newer than 2000 or with under 180, 000 miles. Lead tech where I work says that it can actually break up too much carbon and cause your fuel injectors to get an uneven spray cause misfires and can also make your valves leak if there is carbon building up around the base of the valve that falls onto the valve seat. I personally wouldnt use it because of the possibilty of it messing something up. 1/3 of a can might be ok considering it wouldnt be really having that large of an effect.

[ctrlraven]

Seafoam actually can do more harm than good and is normally used as a last resort. The dealer I work at will not sell it to a customer if they have a car newer than 2000 or with under 180, 000 miles. Lead tech where I work says that it can actually break up too much carbon and cause your fuel injectors to get an uneven spray cause misfires and can also make your valves leak if there is carbon building up around the base of the valve that falls onto the valve seat. I personally wouldnt use it because of the possibilty of it messing something up. 1/3 of a can might be ok considering it wouldnt be really having that large of an effect.
Well duh, if a vehicle has never been serviced regularly, not used early on in the past and used regularly from there on then of course that could happen with ANY KIND of product like that, not just Seafoam. I've done a whole cans through my PCV, Oil and Fuel system in my MM... I'm coming up on 190k miles on the stock motor which still runs like a champ.

Same principle as to way dealerships and shops will not do a forced trans flush on vehicles with 75k miles or more, breaks loosen any varnish and can cause more problems than good.

[fastblackmerc]

I use Seafoam once a year in all my cars.... great smoke show.

[RF Overlord]

There's nothing wrong with Seafoam...it a proven safe and effective product if used correctly.

To answer the OP's question, Techron and Regane (by Gumout) are both well-regarded and are pretty much the only products that work as advertised. Use either one with confidence.

[MyO4Rawdur]

I personally wont use it. If you put the right gas in your car and you keep up with maintenance then theres no need for it.

[Vortech347]

Sea foam doesn't do a damn thing except smoke shows. From bore scope results.

[RF Overlord]

I personally wont use it. I personally won't use Castrol oil, but that doesn't make it a bad product.

[DOOM]

:popcorn:.

[MMcactusflower]

I have used Techron in numerous vehicles over the years with good results...some friends have used some of the other products mentioned here and they seem to be satisfied with them as well...but I plan to continue with the Techron.

[cat in the hat]

I use Techron once per year as a preventative thing. I feel like it works but I don't have any way to prove it - I sure can't see the injectors and valves. Then again, I haven't had any problems with the stuff it's supposed to prevent, either.

At one time, it was SOP at every home tune-up to clean off your carb with Gumout aerosol, run the rest of the can through the engine while revving it by hand from under the hood, and then changing your plugs and oil. I have no doubt that this is where Seafoaming comes from. I know that worked, but I don't know if it's necessary with today's engines. I've used it in the gas tank without any problems.

[JBFTech]

Techron is the ONE recommended by Ford Motor Company, in a TSB/SSM. Seems to work well, I use it, but I'm also an old fan of Seafoam and B12. BG works well too, pretty much anything with a well-known brand name will work, and a price tag above $2


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[babbage]

Sea foam doesn't do a damn thing except smoke shows. From bore scope results.

lol. Cleaning the tops of pistons is not an easy job, even with a wire brush in a tub of solvent out of engine. This is a poor basis on which to make absolute statements.



I personally wont use it. If you put the right gas in your car and you keep up with maintenance then theres no need for it.

Marauders suck tons of oil into the intake, especially if you use the engines potential, help wash it out with seafoam. Ever look behind your tbody?



Well duh, if a vehicle has never been serviced regularly, not used early on in the past and used regularly from there on then of course that could happen with ANY KIND of product like that, not just Seafoam. I've done a whole cans through my PCV, Oil and Fuel system in my MM... I'm coming up on 190k miles on the stock motor which still runs like a champ.

Same principle as to way dealerships and shops will not do a forced trans flush on vehicles with 75k miles or more, breaks loosen any varnish and can cause more problems than good.

+1

We tend to take care of our MM's here (go figure) so many use it.
3 weeks ago my chainsaw was barely able to start and bogging then stalling under heavy throttle (no load). All I did was add some Seafoam to the gas and sprayed seaform in the tiny intake and it fired right up (smoked for 10 seconds) and ran under full load amazingly well. All I did was seafoam it. Perhaps the chainsaw fairies could have fixed it while I wasn't looking but I'm thinking it had something to do with the seafoam.
This stuff works in ANY engine, should you use it on a totally neglected minivan with 200K and "just gas"? - prolly not. :D

[SC Cheesehead]

I personally wont use it. If you put the right gas in your car and you keep up with maintenance then theres no need for it.


+1

Use Top Tier gas and you shouldn't have need for "engine cleaning" additives.

That said, Techron is a good product, have used it in the past.

[MyO4Rawdur]

Im not saying it doesnt do anything because clearly if it smokes like hell then it got something...but... ever do it to a brand new engine? It smokes like hell there too. The product seems to be made to smoke so if thats the case then you might not really be cleaning anything and some have said that they looked inside and there was no change. Im not sure about anything else and I wont knock it before I tried it. I do however agree with the about $2 idea even though id say above $5. Seafoam is expensive as hell and I have two gallons of it but thats just for my dd that I couldnt care less about. Instead of changing the oil as I should I just run seafoam almost all the time.

[Vortech347]

First hand I had an interesting problem. The fuel gauge in our last Cobra stopped working. As per a recommendation and saving myself from dropping the tank I ran a bottle of this.

Sure as **** it cleaned the tank and electrical pick ups on the sender unit the gauge worked again! Never had another problem. It didn't come back. So instead of wasting money on seafoam crap I'll just do a Techy treatment once a year.

[JBFTech]

^^^^^^^ precisely why it is recommended by FoMoCo.


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[RF Overlord]

The active ingredient responsible for "fixing" the fuel gauge is PEA (polyether amine). IIRC, Techron and Regane (from Gumout) are the only 2 OTC treatments that contain PEA.