Complete fuel system cleaners.

[schwartr88]

Here is a two part question:
1) Are "complete fuel system cleaners" worth while?
2) Between stp, gumout regane, valvoline maxlife, valvoline synpower,and prestone- is there really much of a difference in performance? According to some of the MSDS they have slightly different compositions. Do thoes difference make one better than the other?

 

[ericw]

I use the Prestone from WallyWorld for $4.95 bottle every oil change (1-2X yr.) Seems to do a good job on every car/bike I own. IMO, every bit as good as the Techron for 1/2 the price.

 

[schwartr88]

Ive used the maxlife stuff many time (its valvoline, it has to be good) and the synpower when its on sale. Afew days ago I tried the regane, and it didnt seem better or worse than the maxlife.

What is the Polyether amine mixture (999999-51-7) that is found in the regane?

 

[psudaytona]

In my opinion, the best cleaners are the ones with PEA. In order from my favorites

Redline SI-1 30-50% PEA I believe
Gumout Large Vehicle Complete Fuel System cleaner 30-40%(Same stuff as regane, just larger bottle!)
Gumout Regane 30-40% PEA
Techron Concentrate(not PROGUARD) No one is really sure what the concentration level of PEA is, some have a theory it is 20-25% but no one knows for sure.

Personally I like the Redline SI-1 the best.

 

[Maximumcanon]

ok, here comes teh bad guy.

i see you guys say this is best and that is best. just curious. how do you know? with an oil change, you can feel the engine running smoother. do you feel more power? does the motor feel cleaner? (if so how). not saying the stuff doesnt work but wheres the beef? especially for psudaytona. you must have felt a difference between the 3 since Redline is the best (aside from the price of course).

 

[ericw]

In my case, the reason I say the Prestone works pretty good is it puts a definite stop to the ping that slowly develops on the daughters Civic. She refuses to use anything but the cheapest gas (minimum additive by law) and the carbon/gunk does build. One shot of the Prestone in 11 gallons does the trick. No joke.

 

[V1]

I also believe in seeing scientific examples with physically measurable results. Anyone have any before/after pictures?

I've heard that PAE-rich products tend to clean the best. Does anyone know if FP60 has PAE?

This summer I replaced my spark plugs expecting to see very clean piston heads. Instead I saw pistons with a solid layer of carbon on them. This after 40,000 miles of regular FP60 use. Not what I expected to see. Anyone have feedback about that?

 

[Drew99GT]

That's why I stopped using FP...

The only thing that's visibly reduced the carbon on my piston tops is a full bottle of Seafoam sprayed through the throttle while the engine's running. Before my next oil change, I'm gonna remove my plugs and do an overnight Seafoam piston soak.

 

[schwartr88]

Does anyone know about the different chemicals used in the various products. Does CAS #64742-47-8 "out perform the leading competition" who *only* use cas# 064742-88-7 ect...
They all use a different formulations, but the chemicals have little to no usefull info available.

 

[Mr Nice]

I thought FP just cleaned the intake valves, not the piston tops ?

 

[V1]

Maybe, but the container clearly states "removes carbon and varnish" and "cleans combustion chamber." That ought to include the piston tops, don't you think? Come to think of it, my intake valves did not look all that clean either...

 

[boxcartommie22]

i stopped using fuel power awhile back and now will stick with neutra and/or redline si-1 until there is more tech. info on this product and not whats said on the lubecontrol site..

 

[SR77]

VI, Interesting, I have always wondered how well the FP60 in my car is working. After 40,000, it should have definitly cleaned by then. I know it is suppose to be a slow working product, but thats rediculous. Was the 40,000 miles since new, or is that 40,000 later on in engine life? Eiter way, it should have cleaned after using it that long. Unlike LC20 which you can just have an oil analysis done to compare the oil with LC and without to see how well its working, I am still trying to determine how to tell that FP60 is doing as advertised and works better to justify the cost and application in every tank vs. using a concentrate like Redline FSC use at every oil change. Without actually taking my engine apart, i am not sure how to come to a conclusion, but after hearing your story after 40,000 miles of constant use, its not looking good.

Can anyone explain why after 40,000 miles of constant FP60 use that it was unable to clean the valves and combustion chamber?

 

[SR77]

Anyone out there have any idea why after this many miles of FP60 use that it did not clean the cumbustion chambers?

 

[ConfederateTyrant]

I can only come up with a couple of slight possibilities.

1. The dosage, while still following LCD's recommendation, may not have been the optimal for the engine.
2. There was a high amount of deposits already in the combustion chamber, and the FP60 did remove a good bit but not all.

If I recall, LCD made a post stating that it's a lot easier for FP60 to work when the combustion chamber is already clean, but it will slowly clean. I would recommend doing a water induction cleaning and then follow that up with double dosage (2 ounces per 5 gallons) of FP60 for the first couple of tanks of gas and then go with LCD's recommendation of 1 ounce per 5 gallons.

That's just me, other's opinions will vary.

 

[Stooge]

I switched from Amsoil PI to Fuel Power. The engine idles smoother and quieter with the FP but pings in the cold weather more than when on PI. I would have to assume the the PI does a better job at cleaning the combustion chamber. I may just switch back. BTW - engines are Toyota V8's.

 

[SSLoneStar]

Do a search on Lucas Injector Cleaner,we had great results
while useing it in our "Oil Slobbering" LS1 F-Bodys.

Yup .... been awhile since Ive posted but after looking around abit the boards looks like the same old hangout for things that get SLICK !

SS/LS

 

[Donald]

So is Amsoil PI a PEA?

 

[Doc8404]

Quote:

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So is Amsoil PI a PEA?

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good question..pablo???

 

[Tempest]

It doesn't look like it, but can't be sure.

MSDS