Anyone use LC/FP still?

[JBM]

Hey all, about, hmm, maybe 3 years ago i purchased a couple gallons each of the FP and LC for a car we had. Back then there was alot of talk here about people getting excellent OA's from LC. Well i still have a gallon of each and noticed not much talk here about them anymore.

I was looking to see if people still use LC in their tranny's, power steering, brake fluids, ect..

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Still? I use these products all the time. In fact, I have used them for more than four years now. I don't talk about them much as they simply work and work well.

LC in the oil, FP in the gas tank. Auto-rx in the trans (3oz) and PS.

 

[JBM]

Do you use LC in the tranny with i believe it was 1 oz. every 1,000 miles?

 

[tom slick]

Unless there is a cheerleader for a product it doesn't get much attention here. Those cheerleaders are usually sponsors but sometimes there's an excited consumer.

I've used 2 gallons of FP and a gallon of LC. I don't have graphic evidence that it works but I do not have a buildup of anything in my engines, transmission or any fuel system issues.

 

[Pablo]

I quit using the stuff in 2005 or so when it just wasn't doing anything for my engines.

 

[Bruce T]

I've used FP60 and FP+ for over 100,000 miles. The slight mpg benefit (2 mpg) roughly paid for the product. I use it as a fuel injector cleaner. The injectors never needed to be cleaned during this time. It helps maintains power levels between tune-ups and runs slightly smoother. Do I think it's a miracle product? No, but it does work very well.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

No LC in the tranny. I feel Auto-Rx is better suited for that application.

 

[Craig in Canada]

I only bought a quart of LC-20 for the oil and have stopped bothering with it since I ran out. I'm not sure it was really doing anything for me (I'm already running GC, sometimes including ARX maint dose, on 6000-8000km OCIs).

I've used one gallon of FP60 and am still working on my gallon of FP3000 (before it was dubbed FP+).

I use high quality fuel as my vehicle calls for 91/92, and I know that reduces any expected economy boost from FP. I use it more for its continuous cleaning and UCL properties. I can say that my piston tops have changed from the usual clearly visible carbon buildup to what I believe to be clean metal visible through the plug holes. I also noticed that there's less carbon buildup inside of my stainless exhaust - not that this was a big issue for me, nor would I expect that alone to be any kind of indication of a benefit of using the product.

When I was evaluating FP60, I also tried Lucas UCL. I experimented with several treat ratios but it had a quite pronounced negative effect on light-throttle power and responsiveness, while not affecting heavy-throttle power. No matter what it may or may not have done, it wasn't worth the change in the character of the vehicle for me.

 

[ADFD1]

I was considering it, glad I saw this thread, I'll stick to MMO.

AD

 

[Bruce T]

Craig, did you mean the FP60 or Lucas UCL had the negative effect?

 

[greenaccord02]

Lucas UCL fouled my spark plugs. That stuff sucks. Running cheap 2 cycle is much better.

 

[Crashbox]

I still use LC20 at about 1.5 ounces per 1,000 miles in the oil (AMSOIL HDD) with about seven ounces total thrown in when I change the oil. I also use FP3000 (now FP-Plus) at about two ounces per fillup in my '95 Civic.

I do know the LC20 is great at keeping my oil from darkening so quickly, probably its antioxidant capabilities. It also appeared to remove the varnish that was on my Civic's valvetrain. As for the FP usage, the injectors are still doing great in the little tin-can wonder, likely because of regular use of FP. It would be really interesting to take a borescope to the combustion chambers to see how they look, I've been using LC and FP for about 50,000 miles in the Civic...

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: Bruce T
Craig, did you mean the FP60 or Lucas UCL had the negative effect?


Lucas UCL had the negative effect. I know a lot of people use it and love it, it just didn't work out for me.

I'm currently using FP3000. I'm not looking for mileage gains, but it does seem to be working for cleaning combustion chamber carbon at least. I notice no sudden improvements in the car behaviour if I treat a tank with Redline SI-1 once per year so I don't believe I have any valve or injector issues either, although I haven't had the IM off just to look around. It may be off later this fall for another job.

As for UCL properties of FP, everything in the fuel system is doing well but I had no issues before either. Maybe it also keeps tigers away - who knows. If I had cranky components before I started like a noisy fuel pump I could comment.

The clean piston tops is a definite change from before. Considering it'll probably take me 3-4 years to use up a gallon of FP3000/FP+ even if it does nothing but keep carbon under control and provide a little bit of lube it's probably worth it for me. I'm not a high mileage driver and I'm not looking for the product to pay for itself by fuel economy gains alone.

 

[Bruce T]

Thanks, Craig. Yes, I also appreciate the UCL cleaning the FP+ does in addition to cleaning fuel injectors.

I'm not a fan of the one gallon bottles, due to the challenge of withstanding shipping abuses -- fluid squeezed out the top or split seams. Yes, you can funnel the fluid into a new HDPE 2 plastic bottle, but it's a mess. I buy 32 oz.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I have been using FP60 or FP3000 every fill up about 4 years now and in all my power equipment. I was using Lube Control in between Auto-RX (as recommended by ToyotaNSaturn). Since my 1999 Saturn SL2 has high oil consumption I did not see a benefit from LC20. Actually, it increased at times after I added it and a Sentra I had tended to leak more at the seals when using it. The FP60, etc. I will be using for many years to come. Idle is smooth and even. In my Sentra I has a fuel pump that would whine after a long trip and it was silent after using FP60. I did not loose injectors like I was doing on that car also. My power equipment starts well even with old fuel. So, I am sold on the product. That being said, I had a problem with an Echo weed eater with carb issues. It was hard starting and would cut out at high throttle. FP60 did not help. Adding 1 oz. of Sea Foam to my 2-Cycle mix took care of the problem in 15 minutes. FP60 is more economical to use long term. I do add LC20 to my Saturn transmission. I had a sticky valve body. Between Mobil 1 transmission fluid and LC20 the transmission works perfectly. I am using MMO now in my oil and my car has never run better. Too soon to tell if it will help with oil consumption. I have over 1 gallon a LC20. Not sure what I will do with that if the MMO works out?

 

[njohnson]

I have been using Lube Control's products for about five years now. At first I used FP60 and later made the switch to FP3000 when it became available. I use it in every tank because I can tell a difference when either product is not mixed with the fuel.

I like and will also continue to use LC20 as well. The car I own is a 1997 Honda Civic with about 150,000 miles. The last 50,000 have been with Lube Control's products.

 

[Spector]

Using both, have used the LC for several years, back when I was doing UOA it did seem to improve the results. The FP is sort of pricy but at 1 ounce/10 gallons less expensive then others.

The shipping is the killer though. Not sure I will continue the FP but the LC seems to do fine for me and a gallon lasts me a very long time.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: ADFD1
I was considering it, glad I saw this thread, I'll stick to MMO.

AD


I've heard the chemistry has changed a few times. But on the surface, it seems like the stuff should work. I ran a qt of it in my SAAB and saw nothing "visually" verifiable, though. As an aside, I did just get an email from LC advertising a sale...

 

[90lsteg]

Have been using LC, FP and FP 3000 regularly for past 4 years. Switch been using FP (MolaBrew for fuel)and FP 3000.

Agree that shipping is expensive. Like the products but may switch to Schaeffer's Neutra 131 since I can buy it locally.