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YOUR RESEARCHGasoline additive?
Reported repair
Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam
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Reported fix
My daugher's car has been getting the CEL. I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone.
Leading evidence: 'Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam' (1 discussions report resolution; 0 report an unsuccessful attempt). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'excessive oil consumption' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam' (1 discussions). For that action, 1 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. The most frequently reported fix is 'Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam', supported by resolution reports in 1 discussions. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I use Star Tron every 3-4 tanks in all my vehicles; based on my butt dyno it seems to keep them running strong.
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I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam
1
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Reported fix
My daugher's car has been getting the CEL. I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I haven't given any thought to how much of what areas are improved by running fuel cleaners like Techron, but I definitely have seen it make cars run better in many examples and have never seen a downside to running one.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Combined work: Run much smoother and the cel is gone + Run two cans of seafoam
1
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Reported fix
My daugher's car has been getting the CEL. I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
37 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Why AFTER a fresh oil change?
Add Techron to full tank, drive till very low, refill, then get oil changed. I learned this many years ago from Charles Navarro.
One of many good threads here:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...how-often.html
If you fill up at Chevron exclusively you don't need to add Techron, it has it already.
lowpue - If you have an older engine that has some blow by, adding the techron will dilute the oil, so best before an oil change.
dak911 - if you have doubts about where the car was fueled before you purchased it, go ahead and put in a bottle of techron regardless of when the oil change is.
parris:
My simplistic understanding is, as the additive circulates through the system, combustion by-product contaminant levels in the oil spike from detergent effect. The back of the valve is sprayed by the injector. The valve is lubricated. That’s one point of cross-contamination. Another is oil gravity leak down through block to the sump. I believe AOS is another. The Techron bottle concentration is like 10x the normal pump fuel ratio...so quickly makes the oil dirtier.
A
case
to try out? What happens if you like it, ordering a truckload?
I have a bottle of the Driven stuff also, haven't tried it out yet though. I'm also very curious how it stacks up against Techron.
Well I bought ten, not sure if that constitutes a case or not. I bought it for its purported fuel stabilization and preservation qualities as much as for any benefit to the injectors. Unfortunately, some cars sit for a lot longer than I like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
hatchetf15
parris:
My simplistic understanding is, as the additive circulates through the system, combustion by-product contaminant levels in the oil spike from detergent effect. The back of the valve is sprayed by the injector. The valve is lubricated. That’s one point of cross-contamination. Another is oil gravity leak down through block to the sump. I believe AOS is another. The Techron bottle concentration is like 10x the normal pump fuel ratio...so quickly makes the oil dirtier.
Imo000: Where did you read this snake oil explanation?
Same place you get your daily positive affirmations.
[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:]
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There is nothing wrong with adding an additive every now and again. I�ve seen folks do it for a track day if the engine has been previously babied.
It�s a well known fact that combustion by-products do absolutely make their way into the oil. It�s how piston rings work. Now, introducing a strong cleaning agent means two things:
1.) You should not store the cleaning agent in the fuel tank as a stabilizer. It should be used and discarded rather quickly.
2.) It does make sense to do this before an oil change to make sure you rid the engine of the cleaning agent. A good cleaning agent will pickup and hold dirt. What are you going to do with that dirt? Blow it out the tailpipe for most of it, but change the oil for the rest.
My daugher's car has been getting the CEL. I've been running two cans of Seafoam on a 1/4 tank for the last two months and the car is now running much smoother and the CEL is gone. She been running that cheapo gasoline and so I switched her to Chevron and/or Shell.
Have used Seafoam every second tank, mainly based on advice from the experts on this forum. Now I am wondering if I should just do it once, at the end of the season. Thanks. I thought I had this straight in my head.
Great info. I agree with "snake oil" comments (elsewhere in this thread) regarding most
oil
additives, but quality fuel cleaners can do a lot in my experience.
I have not tried Sea Foam as a gas additive. I've heard of people using Sea Foam directly ingested using a vacuum hose (or something along those lines) and I was never comfortable with that. I will give it a try as a gas additive on our DD Audi.
I'm serious. Where did you hear or read that? Oil contamination from through the valve stem? You know there are seals at the end of the valve guides, right? oil gravity leak down through the block to the sump. What?!?!
You can just use tap water in a spray bottle and get the same results. Steam cleaning the combustion chamber with water is an old mechanic's trick. That's why if you ever worked on an engine with a blown head gasket, the failed cylinder's piston and combustion chamber will look brand new.
Conversations about this subject has been talked about many times over the years over on bobistheoilguy.com.
My summation of 16 years of reading about this:
1. If you're running Chevron all the time and driving often you should never have to add anything on our cars.
2. All the rest are because you don't do number 1.
Depending on how often you change your oil, adding a can of techron to the tank before is good.
There are a lot of "snake oil" products out there, be careful.
Spraying something in the MAF occasionally to clean it out is a good thing also.
A lot of problems on our cars stems from being rarely driven.
Just my .02...
Techron. Lucas & Seafoam have a long & loyal following. I use Star Tron every 3-4 tanks in all my vehicles; based on my butt dyno it seems to keep them running strong. Use what makes you (and your car) happy.
And that's exactly what the entire additive market wants you to do. If the engine needs something to run correctly, the manufacturer would make it mandatory (for example DEF fluid in certain diesels). Otherwise save your money people.
I agree with your "snake oil" comments for
oil
additives, and I'd like to hear more answers to your questions in post #23, but I don't understand how you can question
gas
additives. How difficult is it to believe that there are deposits that build up in an engine over 10's of thousands of miles that gasoline alone does not dissolve? How difficult is it to believe that there are other solvents that can be added to gas occasionally that will dissolve them? I think the cleanup effect of gas additives can be proven with basic chemistry (though, sadly, not by me
).
This reminds we of gthe story of finding Mr Jones dead.....someone says....give him some Chicken Soup......will it bring him back to life....no but IT COULDN'T HURT (bada boom)
For those who want to know more ref post 23: Read source documents Navarro, Hart, Raby and others have written on fuel solvent and combustion by-product intrusion into lubrication system.
Think about it for a minute. How much of that additive will be in each combustion cycle before it burns up? It's not as if the additive is sitting in the engine while the engine is off. If you need additives to keep you engine running well then you have other problems to worry about. Maybe some fuel injection cleaners work since they can actually do something since the internal part of the injector is constantly submerged in it. The build up of deposits over time is a sign of other problems that are not fuel related. I've taken engines apart with 100s of Ks of miles where the combustion chamber has nothing more than normal amount of deposit and no additive was ever used. If your combustion chamber is contaminated with burnt oil deposits, the problem is excessive oil consumption. You will not get deposits from fuel, regardless of the brand. There is not such thing as clean or dirty gasoline either. They are all clean and octane rating has nothing to do with being clean or not either. People buy into the BS that the additive market has been feeding to them for generations.
Nothing in this discussion is specific to the combustion chamber, it's really about whether it benefits the car overall (fuel system, injectors, etc). I think the same logic of injectors soaking in it also applies to the combustion chambers in the sense that the cleaner is running through the engine/fuel system/combustion chamber constantly throughout the entire tank of fuel. I haven't given any thought to how much of what areas are improved by running fuel cleaners like Techron, but I definitely have seen it make cars run better in many examples and have never seen a downside to running one. I think "snake oil" comments are appropriate for oil additives, I don't think that's a fair label for fuel additives.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
