Opinions on idle engine flushes (brands)

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TrevorS

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It seems to me that if a well respected company like Lubro Moly makes an idle only engine flush, then it could be a very harmless and potentially effective maintenance item.

I have an engine which I believe is clean but it did require fuel system cleaning and if I understand it right, incomplete combustion also finds its way into the crankcase.

So which brands of engine flush would you recommend as being safest and most effective?
 
pull the oil pan and do an inspection, the valve covers, look and see, like exploratory surgery does, don't just guess because you think its clogged with sludge...............
 
It seems Lubeguard say they have no solvents as do Liqui Moly.

Amsoil do not specifically say no solvents but they do say detergent based.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
It seems Lubeguard say they have no solvents as do Liqui Moly.

Amsoil do not specifically say no solvents but they do say detergent based.


Ah yea! See that's when you know you have a quality product with some R&D behind it. There are plenty of guys out there still re bottling mineral spirits and charging $$ for it.
 
Heard good things about BG109, bought it, but didn't use it yet. Turned out Kreen is a nice flush. I use it as piston soak medium, and whatever drains down is used as flush. 2 birds at once.
They actually say it's a solvent, LOL.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
It seems to me that if a well respected company like Lubro Moly makes an idle only engine flush, then it could be a very harmless and potentially effective maintenance item.

I have an engine which I believe is clean but it did require fuel system cleaning and if I understand it right, incomplete combustion also finds its way into the crankcase.

So which brands of engine flush would you recommend as being safest and most effective?


We have used kreen around here now for a LONG time and on dozens of older cars and trucks. Super effective, works NOW, not in a month or two. Also an excellent fuel additive as well.
 
Thanks Steve. Yes I've read the many positive stories about Kreen.

I am currently only after a non solvent idle flush for one time use.

It seems like Lubegard Engine Flush is the way to go since it is non solvent and less than $9 shipped to my door.

I might buy some cheap dino to sacrifice to see more clearly exactly how much cleaning takes place.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Thanks Steve. Yes I've read the many positive stories about Kreen.

I am currently only after a non solvent idle flush for one time use.

It seems like Lubegard Engine Flush is the way to go since it is non solvent and less than $9 shipped to my door.

I might buy some cheap dino to sacrifice to see more clearly exactly how much cleaning takes place.


Gotta love LG, they are a company with a great rep. I'm a big fan of their lubegard auto trans additive.

I don't think you can go wrong with their product as long as your issues are not severe.
 
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
Liqui Moly's Pro-Line series Engine Flush. Amsoil also makes a decent flush.


Agreed. Anything liqui-moly makes is a stand up product.
I've used everything. From mmo to seafoam to kerosene and diesel.
I am sticking with mmo. The solvents flash off fairly quick leaving just oil behind. I've found it does all I need.

When I went big bore on my Harley the stock pistons came out. They had a solid 1/8 of carbon build up. It was hard and crusty and only a wire wheel would take the deposits off.
I accidentally spilled tc-w3 and half of one of the pistons got splashed. I thought nothing of it and went on my merry way.
A few days later I'm in my garage cleaning up and I see the piston on my bench,and where the tc-w3 slashed looked very soft and bubbly.
The deposits wiped clean off the piston only where the tc-w3 had spilled,the rest was still hard and crusty.
So I took the other,crusted up piston,poured mmo on it and left it to sit.
A few days later I check out the mmo piston and the deposits wiped right off.
So as far as piston soaks and combustion chamber cleaners go I'll stick with mmo. What it did to that piston was unreal.
The tc-w3 piston got clean with more tc-w3 but it took a few days longer to soften the deposits,but it did make them easily cleanable with nothing more than a rag.

After seeing what mmo can do to engine deposits I really believe in an inverse oiler maintaining a factory clean. That light mist of oil keeps everything clean and inhibits carbon formation.
I'm sold on inverse oiling systems. I think their benefits can be reaped with direct injection especially.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy

I'm sold on inverse oiling systems. I think their benefits can be reaped with direct injection especially.


A bit OT but since you mentioned it. I've been saying it for quite some time re: inverse oilers & direct injection, I think it will help DI a lot. I see I'm in good company.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Clevy

I'm sold on inverse oiling systems. I think their benefits can be reaped with direct injection especially.


A bit OT but since you mentioned it. I've been saying it for quite some time re: inverse oilers & direct injection, I think it will help DI a lot. I see I'm in good company.


I wouldn't even know about them if it wasn't for you. Then after I spilled and saw with my own eyes what mmo could do on hardened crusty carbon deposits I won't operate a vehicle without one.
Which reminds me I've gotta order a smaller container system from George. The charger has no space except behind the airbox,and the 2 quart container is too big. I need a 1 quart system.
I'm sold on them. I wish I had something with direct injection so I could prove my point,and maybe get into selling the systems.

An inverse oiler system can cost as little as 70 bucks,then a quart of mmo every 2000 miles or so. So the cost is less than pennies per mile to keep the entire top end,valves,and combustion chambers spotless. And the thin layer of oil aids in the valves seal helping compression.
Its a no brainer in my opinion.
I even offered a member here to buy one for his direct injection engine,and if it didn't help keep his valves lean I'd buy it off of him.
Some folks can't see the light for the glare.
 
The issue is what kind of sludge is it? Hard and crusty or gooey. If its gooey I would use Amsoil flush, if hard and crusty more difficult and you do not want to have a piece break free and clog an oil drain line. If hard and crusty I would suggest synthetic oil by itself, or Auto-Rx or Kreen.
 
You guys are pulling my leg. Are you telling me that you would pour a solvent based product in with your engine oil? If it's really true then way stop at solvents. How about beach sand? Or maybe laundry detergent? Maybe bleach? After all bleach will outperform engine oil on one of those torque wrench machines you see at the booth in your local state fair. They promise that their products will save your engine. They wouldn't be pulling my leg, too, would they?
 
Just like anything else I think that there is a difference in quality between engine flush products. And a difference in their chemistry.

I think if I was going to use an engine flush I would trust Amsoil, Lubegard, or a major oil company like Valvoline to make a good product before I would trust some no name brand with a lot of claims made for that brand.

And there is a difference in chemistry. Some brands have nonsolvent flushes and others use solvents. Amosil, Lubegard, and Valvoline are some of the companies that have nonsolvent engine flushes. And LM also has an engine flush.

In addition to engine flushes a lot of people have had success with MMO and Kreen, which are not engine flushes but are supposed to clean as a car is driven.
 
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Amsoil was selling a solvent based engine flush for a long time and as far as I know they still sell it. But they also developed a nonsolvent engine and transmission flush. Valvoline does sell a nonsolvent engine flush but I don't know the name of it. They also still sell as far as I know a product called Pyroil or something like that which I think is solvent based.
 
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