Do Techron or Seafoam Really Work?

[wswilburn]

I have 3 heads off due to a broken head stud. The heads have a fair amount of carbon, so I tried an experiment. With the heads upside down, i poured about a teaspoon of techron in one, sprayed about the same amount of Seafoam in the second, and left the third alone. Let sit overnight. The next day, I can tell no difference. Scraping with a toothpick does no good either. If applying the stuff full strength overnight does nothing, why should I believe that diluting it in 20 gal. of gas would remove any carbon?

[2.7RACER]

Scott,
Techron has been called "a liquid tuneup" by knowledgeable fuel injection specialists.
My first experience with it was over ten years ago. A friend that specialized in Bosch injection recommended using Techron to clean up my injectors.
I tried it and it worked wonders. I switched at that time from Shell gas to Chevron and never looked back.
The instructions for using Techron are to add it to a low tank, under 1/4th tank.
Dirty injectors do not promote complete combustion. As a result more carbon is found inside an engine with injectors not spraying properly.

[jeff1hughes]

Chemicals can not clean carbon. Carbon is a base element and can not be broken down. Carbon can be removed with steam and soap. Seafoam can be used to steam if you use the pour bottle, and slowly drip the fluid into the intake while the engine is hot - the boiling off of the juice does the cleaning. 3M make a better product for doing this though. It is simply a water and animal fat (read soap-think fight club) solution that steam cleans the intake and upper cylinders, it works!

[Sonic dB]

Chevron supposedly puts Techron in their regular gasoline that you can buy from the pump... so then, why spend 7 bucks on a 12 oz bottle to add...why not just buy the gas and save 7 bucks.?

I dont know the answer to this (obviously).... because I buy the gas AND spend 12 bucks on the 20 oz bottle...

Perhaps the only proof to its effectiveness that I can see is through my own experience of having 2 used 911s, that I put over 80K miles put on them in the past 2.5 years...and not a single engine issue what so ever with either of the cars.

[RoninLB]

I run techron before an oil change. Warren posted a few cleaners better than techron.

GM has a popular can that's poured in till engine stalls, let sit awhile, and spits out the carbon on re-start.

[johncarlos2003]

Cheveron used to have a warning/text stating to follow Techron treatment with oil change- or, as some prescribe, within a few hundred miles after treatment- it's not on the bottle anymore--

I spoke with Don of Aurel & Don's (Seinfelds wrench and knowledgable purists) and he says that they'll use it at any point in the oil change cycle- no need to "time" it-

so, anyone with the final, totally explained and accurate, word on whether it matters when you use Techron treatment? I tried to call Cheveron products hotline today but got nowhere- Anyone?

[IROC]

Anecdotal story, but...I had a clogged CIS fuel injector at a track event once and not wanting to throw the whole weekend away I poured a large bottle of Techron into about 6-8 gallons of fuel and within 20 miles of driving, the problem was gone.

And Sonic - even though Chevron (and Texaco) put Techron in their gas, I'm sure it's a small amount compared to the treatment you get adding a bottle. Either that or I'm a sucker for their marketing.

Mike

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by IROC

...I had a clogged CIS fuel injector

put Techron in their gas, I'm sure it's a small amount

ditto..

it also cleaned up a pis carb good enough that I didn't have to rebuild.

afaik the meter hardly reads when they test the level in dealers tanks.

[Howard M]

I tried to contact Chevron about the shelf life of Techron, because I have several bottles over five years old. Got no answer. Like chicken soup, it probably couldn't hurt.

[RoninLB]

If those old labels say to change oil after use they're collectable.

[Wavey]

Originally posted by wswilburn
If applying the stuff full strength overnight does nothing, why should I believe that diluting it in 20 gal. of gas would remove any carbon?

I certainly not a chemist (although I did some experimenting in the 60's ), but I'm guessing that mixing it with fuel, injecting it into a hot combustion chamber and burning it might change how it works.

[Jim Garfield]

I'll continue to use it just before I change oil. I find that the oil looks clean before using Techron, and dirty after. It also has a peculiar smell that I assume is from the Techron.

[wholberg]

Originally posted by Howard M
I tried to contact Chevron about the shelf life of Techron, because I have several bottles over five years old. Got no answer. Like chicken soup, it probably couldn't hurt.

They are probably still good. Your biggest problem will be gradual contamination of the techron with plasticizers leaching out of the plastic bottle, and the bottle will become more brittle the older it gets.

_________________________________________________
jeff1hughes said: Chemicals can not clean carbon. Carbon is a base element and can not be broken down.
_________________________________________________

He is correct. However, techron contains highly volatile aromatic solvents which will remove some carbon buildup, not by breaking it down but by dissolving it. But if you have a lot of buildup, a single treatment might not do that much. I think that techron is best at removing the "varnish" and impurities in gasoline that deposit in the engine over time.

FYI, Techron contains light aromatic solvent naphtha, Stoddard solvent, 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene, dimethylbenzene, 1-methylethyl benzene, and other non-disclosed petroleum distillates. I thought this was interesting because low-flash stoddard solvent is what I have used for parts cleaning solvent for many years. All the benzene compounds are carcinogenic, so don't huff the stuff.

[Buffjamr]

Wholberg you sound like a chemist. Do you know what is in BG 44K? Anyone have any experience with their products? They certainly cost more than Techron.

[jeff1hughes]

I used to sell BG services, if used properly they do a good job cleaning injector tips.

As far as what wholberg said about disolving carbon - that is not possible, it does remove the varnish though.

What Ronin is talking about from GM is just like the Seafoam pour bottle.

As far as mix in tank "injector cleaners" Lucas makes a very good one also. $8 a bottle, though after the first dispenser bottle is bought, you can buy it by the gallon and use 1st bottle to get it in the tank, works out to be about $2 a treatment then.

[wholberg]

Buffjamr,

BG44K contains light aromatic solvent naphtha, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, xylene (1,2-dimethylbenzene) and cumene (1-methylethylbenzene). As you can see, the list of ingredients is quite similar to Techron. While we don't know the percentage composition of each component, they are so similar chemically that I would bet they are pretty much equivalent with regards to engine cleaning action.

I am a chemist, and I think it is truly amazing the information I can get through Google. The MSDS' on BK's website listed all the ingredients as "proprietary" but the link below takes you to a .PDF of MSDS documents for every BK product on their website with all the ingredients listed. Enjoy.

It's funny, when I paste the link into the page, it does not work. If anyone want's it PM me with your email and I will send the .PDF

[wholberg]

Originally posted by jeff1hughes


As far as what wholberg said about disolving carbon - that is not possible, it does remove the varnish though.

.

Bad choice of wording. I meant that highly volatile solvents will pick up or re-suspend some carbon particles back into the gasoline so it can be burned, but the concentration of the additives is so low it might take many tankfuls of gasoline to remove bad carbon buildup.

[randywebb]

remember, the carbon is bonded to other things and it is all a complex mixture (topic = surface chemistry) - those bonds can certainly be broken w/o using nuclear force....

[johncarlos2003]

One tip guys/gals- Techron is a good product and works well usually- basically, it pretty much does what it says it can do which is not all that common in a lot of products-- Anyway, make sure you do not get out of suggested ratio when mixing- 1 oz to one gallon- overdoing it will not help- it actually can hurt potentially (rings, etc) ** Just use as directed and it's all good!

[edward993]

I've used Techron in the past and actullay feel there IS a difference/improvement, especially in idling. I've since switched to LubroMoly's Ventil Sauber. It's supposed to be better. I can't tell the diff between the VS and the Techron, but it's got a good rep among legit Porsche shops, and I've got 5 more bottles of it so...

Edward