Vehicle Maitnance

[ExplorerDMB]

Fuel Additive/Treatments

Well, I am currently in a engines class and the guy running the class is the head-guy of Afton Chemical in Ashland, Virginia. Afton use to be known as Ethyl Corporation and was known for the lead-additive products, but have now gone away from lead (enviromental reasons obviously) and renamed their company to Afton Chemical. Anyway, if you aren't familiar with Afton; they are a corporation who puts additives (like V-Power for Shell) and do all the studies and such to see the power increase, carbon deposit removal, engine wear, and so on. They also are in big with STP (Scientifically Treated Petroleum) products - such as the gas/fuel additives and cleaners.

Now, of coarse the studies show this stuff working; but who out there uses this/or similar in the vehicles as recommended? I run Sheetz gasoline (cheap brand - has the least amount of additives it possibly can) and I am wondering if I should add some fuel additives, fuel injector cleaners, and all that good stuff. What does cheap gas get you? Carbon build up on the back of your valves and on your piston heads which in turn can reduce your compression ratio and will reduce power and effecency.

Shell V-Power FAQs

You are suppose to use the Gas Treatment (Fuel Additive) every fill up, and then on every other fill up use the Fuel Injector & Carburetor Cleaner. Now, that's going to add up to a lot of money if used properly. Currently, I fill up about once every 7 days or 10 days -- So I could only imagine what it would cost for someone filling up regularly or traveling a lot.

Fuel Injector Cleaner

Gas Treatment

STPs Statements:

-Improves fuel economy by keeping intake systems clean
-Boosts cleaning performance of gas
-Fights fuel line freeze by removing water
-Used regularly, helps keep fuel system free of harmful deposits
-Helps prevent power loss
-Helps maintain optimum engine efficiency


There are of coarse other companies that make similar products. I work a shop where we use BG Products. We use the induction cleaner, 44K Fuel Treatment, and other intake/fuel cleaners. Here is their claim for the 44K (in the tank treatment):

-Safely, rapidly and thoroughly removes engine deposits in combustion chambers, intake manifolds, ports and on valves
-It restores flow in fuel injectors and cleans the entire fuel system
-Improves fuel economy and reduces exhaust emissions.

Basically it's the same thing as STPs claim. So basically, are the treatments worth the money to regularly put an extra 3-5 bucks in the tank? Would you do it? I've heard that the cleaners use to eat away at the injectors, but now they have refined them to where they aren't as potent and do just as good as a job.

Oil Additives/Treatments

Also there are Oil Additives - does anyone use these? They are suppose to keep piston ring belts, hydraulic lifters and other engine components clean to help extend engine life and reduce costs of operation. Think it's worth it?

Let me hear all the feedback I can get from you all. Any information would be great.
-Drew

 

[Skibum1989]

I dont really like the oil treatment stuff, I use seafoam every now and then just before an oil change to clean things up, but never for an extended period of time in my crankcase. I guess if you use quality motor oils and filters, gum and sludge really arent issues.

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

there are so many things that people are suppose to do and use but does that actually happen?


in my experience (i know not much ) i've found the best additive that actual has results to be Seafoam, and the great thing is that it can be used in everything.

 

[Skibum1989]

Yup, a couple cans of seafoam can REALLY clean up your engine for sure. Its definitely not necessary to add fuel injector cleaner to every tank or every other tank of gas, and is also not necessary to put that 'liquid schwartz' gas additive to every tank of gas either. Use seafoam ($5 per pint) every 5000 miles or so and your engine really cannot get much cleaner. I suspect that your professor guy was just making a cheap plug for his company's products...

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I suspect that your professor guy was just making a cheap plug for his company's products...

You could say that -- but he doesn't really see the revenue of STPs profit. STP pays him to run test on their products, not sell it - so STP could sell 1 bottle or 100 million bottles, he won't see any price change. Thanks for the opinions fellas, anyone care to post more information on Sea Foam (and yes, I know there's TONS of info on here)

-Drew

 

[ExplorerDMB]

bump

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Well, this is what I did:

I looked into all the other types of cleaners out there and noticed the only difference was price and frequency. For the STP (any product from $1.50 - $3.50) said to use every time you filled up. And like I've said above, that can be extremely expensive after awhile when you already pay 40-70 bucks to fill up our Explorers. Now, the company I went with is the one I deal with, BG Products. I filled up with Shell (a higher quality gasoline than Sheetz or similar) and add a 11 FL. Oz. bottle of BGs 44K Fuel System Cleaner and then later took my Throttle Body off and cleaned it with some throttle body cleaner (do NOT use carb cleaner, that will eat off the protective coating on the TB). My TB wasn't too filthy - but it was pretty either. It did feel like it had a little stickyness feeling to it - but not anymore. I used STPs TB/Air Intake cleaner, it worked really well. I was going to take pictures, but there's a few different post on here on how to clean TBs and such. Here is Aldives old TB (the back of it -- that is where the carbon build up is, not on the front):

The butterfly should be gold after you clean all that carbon deposit/build up off the back.

Improvements? Nothing so far, but if I can keep my injectors clean and spraying in a fine pattern; then all is well. I will probably do the 44K clean up every 25-30K (if I even have my truck that much longer).

-Drew

EDIT: I forgot to add the cost of the 44K -- it retails for about $19.95, but I got it for about $15 with my discount. And for people that use BG often, there are chips down inside of the cans that are worth $$! Some chips are only 25 cents, but some are a dollar (which if you use a lot of their products, you can make some extra little money). Just FYI.