Chemicals - all answers welcome!!

[cix]

I'd like to get everyone's view on the use of additives and the like. Things like fuel (injector cleaners and such) and crankcase additives. I've heard nothing good from my mechanic teachers, but in two instances, I've had good to awesome, and I mean whoohoo results.

1. Good - a friend solved a lifter clicking problem (at least for 1k miles) on his talon, another friend on his firebird from using a GM crankcase cleaner - the kind where you add it, run it at a high idle for 30 mins.
I've heard this stuff knocks things loose that could cause problems, understandable, but does this happen??

2. Whoohoo - My ol' blue 1980 4cyl Mustang had showed over 40% leakage on every cylinder through the rings. Awful smoke. I put a quart of that Lucas Oil Stabilizer in it along w/ the oil change, and I swear it cleared up 90% of the smoke coming out of it, although I didn't do an actual test.

I've already read some views on this forum about people against them, but not in depth reasons. What is everyone's view on additives and other chemicals? All opinions appreciated.

PS - Great forum, lot of information, I've been reading every night, on page 13. I've already learned a lot!

[todwic]

Better living thru chemistry? you bet! Better engines? not so much. The thing with your rings...you're only postponing the problem, but, if you're happy with that, more power to ya. Lucas is a good brand, so good call there. The crankcase cleaner is really nothing more than ATF with other additives. Many members of this board thow in a quart of ATF before the oil changes, I am among them. Oil additives, well you did it to a Ford. I have/would do the same. Not to my 944. Never for no reason. Not slick 50, not smoke-b-gone, not anything other than ATF before the oil change. (those products are basically gear oil, and the slick 50 is just long teflon strings that can clog oil ports) My 2&cent

[MrPants]

i use injector cleaner at least once a year. ive never heard of it doing any damage.
the only reason i dont use any of the other things you mentioned is cause i dont know enough about them to put them in my car. better safe than sorry

[cix]

Originally posted by todwic
Better living thru chemistry? you bet! Better engines? not so much. The thing with your rings...you're only postponing the problem, but, if you're happy with that, more power to ya. Lucas is a good brand, so good call there.

I agree that it wasn't a fix, but surely helped. Postponing - isn't that what we're trying to do with everything? People want that car that will last longer, or them tires that will last longer, you have to rebuild or replace them anyways, making them last longer is what makes people happy. Especially that person that bought the car. Hehe.
I'm not saying that it will make the car go 100k more miles, but it sure didn't smoke as bad or feel as sluggish driving down the road. Surely Ford doesn't need another POS out there for Chevy people to make fun of.


I greatly appreciate the input!
Josh

[Monte]

I had an old Mazda Miata that smoked quite a lot.

I switched to Mobil 1 15W 50 oil.

Smoke was completly gone, drove the car for 1 1/2 years then sold it.

I know I masked the problem but it ran great and thats all that matters.

[Wolf1]

chemicals, potions and magic tonics! Yep, I've seen and tried a bunch of them over the years.
Here's the short list:

Water Wetter -- coolant additive.....No improvement noticed.

Bars Leaks -- stop leak & conditioner......temporarily seals small coolant leaks and eventually reduces heater efficiency.

Engine oil seal conditioners -- only experience, leak seemed to get worse.

Fuel injector cleaners -- never noticed any change in driveability. have replaced a few oxygen sensors that were contaminated though.

Valve tune oil additive -- helped with lifter noise in older engines.

TransX -- Great improvement for slow shifting sluggish automatics, actually works!!

[ronin]

Chevron fuel injector cleaner - always worked well for me. I know that sometimes apparent results seem to be more psychosomatic than real, but I've been using the product for almost a decade and the engine always does run a bit better after a treatment. Porsche itself even recommended and endorsed the product a while back.

[89944TurboS]

Yes, I agree the Techron product is a good fuel injector cleaner...I doubt I would use any others...Oil changes at 3k miles, should be enough to keep a engine clean, without ATF in my book.

[ronin]

Yep, call me anal but I actually do the oil chg every 2500. Easy to remember too, I just look at the odo and whenever it hits a multiple of 2500, I do the change.

[VT944]

The Techron fuel cleaner is an awsome product! I use it in my car once every 6 months. My friend's Audi 100 V6 was running rough, poor acceleration, and he feared the worst. I convinced him to try the Techron and it cleared it right up! Also solved a drivability porblem in a '85 Corvette I used to own with Techron as well.

I'm not big on the "magic bottle" solutions, and routine fluid changes in all systems sould prevent most of the problems that these potions are curing. But on one occasion, my roommate had a '92 Eclipse FWD W/ auto transmission. It would slip into neutral when trying to go into overdrive. I figured the tranny was going out, to the tune of slipping clutch packs. A friend suggested a Auto tranny magic cure all product he had used before, and my roommate had nothing to lose. He put it in and it returned the tranny to perfect running order. He drove it for a year and a half after that with no problems.

I had a '84 Corvette once with a slipping rack. I put in a Power Steering additive and it did cure the slipping, and I got a full summer out of it then replaced the rack in the fall.

I've also used Barrs stop leak with great success in a few old pickups I've had that leaked coolant. It also supposedly helps condition and lubricate coolant system components. I cured a heater core leak in a 4000 Quattro once with Barrs, thank god because you half to pull the dash out to change it!

I hate snake oil, as it usually does nothing but lighten the users wallet and offer false hopes. In a winter beater it's worth a shot. I was reluctant to use it in the Corvettes but they are just GM parts, and fairly cheap if problems arrise. I suppose a real bad snake oil could potentially cause more harm than good, so I would never put it in a P-car, or other high end car. But on the occasions mentioned above, I have seen it work.

[ronin]

I guess one of the things that originally persuaded me to give the Chevron injector cleaner a shot was that Porsche actually endorsed it. BTW, they also make a fuel system cleaner as well.