New Techron small engine additive.....thoughts?

[cheeks]

My apologies if this newer product has been discussed before, I did a forum search and didn't find anything. Here is a link to the product's details.

I know most of you think highly of the Techron additive, and due to your past remarks over the years and my own experiences buying cheap gasoline, several years ago I got Chevron credit cards and gave them to my wife and kids so they'd buy gasoline at Chevron stations. This new Techron for Powersports and Small Engines product was apparently released recently. Would Chevron be the first "big player" to enter the over-the-counter fuel stabilization / cleaner additive space, labeled specifically for small engines, or am I overlooking others?

I've used Stabil and Startron additives for my small engines, but admittedly didn't follow a disciplined regimen over the past 10 to 15 years, and used nothing at all prior to that. After recently ruining a Toro TimeMaster carb after 5 years of use, and killing a commercial Echo string trimmer after 9 years, not to mention fighting very poor performance prior to their demise, I'm now getting serious about having a disciplined maintenance and fuel management program.

I recently purchased a bottle and I'm now using it instead of Stabil and Startron. Let me be clear, the small engine problems mentioned above I'm blaming on my undisciplined approach to additives, and in no way am I blaming Stabil or Startron. And truth to tell I bought this first bottle of the new Techron based solely on the brand's reputation, which may not be the best way to make a decision, thus I'm more interested in your thoughts and experience for that reason.

 

[doitmyself]

I think you guys in the hot south have more problems with fuel degradation than we do in the north. I manage a lot of outdoor power equipment at my workplace and I make sure my fuel stays relatively fresh. I try to not let anything sit unused more than 4 - 5 months. Longer than 9 months+, I drain the machine for long term storage. I use Marine Stabil in some equipment (mowers) that sit over winter and I don't drain them. My Stihl 2 cycle oil has fuel stabilizer in it, which I assume helps. I have not had any problems with E-10 that others report.

Again, I think your hot temps are more demanding of proper fuel management. Keeping your fuel fresh probably requires no additional additives. If you are like the rest of us and maintenance falls behind, the fuel additives "might" help out a bit. I really don't know.

Buying based on brand reputation is about all we really have to go on. The Techron seems to have the same attributes as Stabil. Techron PDS: https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/PDSDetailPage.aspx?docDataId=527053&docFormat=PDF

I like some of the principles presented at this following site (no alcohol, etc.):
http://www.fuel-testers.com/is_gas_additive_safe_with_e10_list.html ...
http://www.fuel-testers.com/fuel_additives_gas_treatments.html
http://www.fuel-testers.com/review_gas_treatment_products.html

 

[MolaKule]

For info purposes, StaBil is primarily a fuel anti-oxidant whereas Techron contains solvents AND a fuel anti-oxidant.

 

[Mainia]

Originally Posted by MolaKule
For info purposes, StaBil is primarily a fuel anti-oxidant whereas Techron contains solvents AND a fuel anti-oxidant.


Can you explain at all how Stabil works as an antioxidant in fuel?

 

[dave123]

Small OPE 2stroke or 4stroke I run VPracing SEF or C9 never a fuel related problem ever problem with just using additives it won't fix poorly made fuel.

 

[cheeks]

Thank you all for the replies. doitmyself, that Fuel Testers chart is interesting and informative. I also tend to agree the heat in Texas and in the south in general is hard on stored fuel, add in the humidity where I live and it makes things even worse.

I'm running TruFuel pre-mix in my new Echo SRM 2620T trimmer, but I bought the fuel before I saw this new Techron product. However I'm not ready to run any of the "store bought" fuels in my lawn mowers, I'll spend $150 per year or more on fuel if I do that, and I figure I could theoretically buy another new top of the line homeower Toro or Honda mower every 5 or 6 years with the savings *if* properly managed / stored pump gas will work.

I also have a Stihl SH 85 blower at home which is going on its 16th year and has run great with regular pump gas mix so I'm going to stay with pump gas until that blower gives up, it's been indestructible up till now though. I wish Stihl made 'em like they used to, we bought some of the newer Stihl BG 86 blowers for use at some rental properties and they're not as good / dependable as my old Stihl I use at home.

 

[andyd]

I mix an oily 32:1 a qt at a time from E10 and Valvoline Universal 2 stroke. I add a cap full of MMO every fill up to everything. OPE with shut offs gets the carb run dry. I'm looking for low cost reliability and longevity, not squeezing every bit of power out of the fuel running 100:1 synth.

 

[cronk]

Amsoil Quickshot has been around for years.
Fuel additive designed for small engine use and contains fuel system cleaner and fuel stabilizer.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted by MolaKule
For info purposes, StaBil is primarily a fuel anti-oxidant whereas Techron contains solvents AND a fuel anti-oxidant.


Thank you very much for that clarification. The Techron SDS indeed shows PEA content up to 25%. So much for my generalizations.

The Stabil 360 SDS shows a tiny amount of Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Is that considered a solvent cleaner?

Either way, maybe the Techron will do the job as one product vs. using a Stabil/Regane combo. Comments????

 

[Best F100]

It is funny this topic has been brought up at this time.

I was recently given a CASE of this Techron Small Engine treatment from Chevron. (It's a long story ..., involving a complaint I had regarding Chevron removing their Severe Duty 15W30 from the market).

Anyway, I have both 4 oz and 10 oz bottles of it. More than I can use a this time. I saw that AutoZone sells the 10 oz bottles for $10. So I am willing to sell the 10 oz for $5 and the 4 oz for $2.50. Any shipment costs involved is yours to pick up. The 4 oz bottles treat up to 16 gallons.

Anyone interested, send me a PM.

 

[bobdoo]

I posted before about how my 2T boat motor sat in the back yard, unused for almost a decade. I rebuilt the carb last year, and it was spotless/brand new.

I use Techron and Stabil Marine in Premium/ non-alky fuel, in metal gas cans, and they can sit a year before I burn the gas (in all my small motors). (I keep a few cans around in case of power failures, like the one we just survived!)

 

[cheeks]

To update with some unscientific anecdotal observations, I do now feel that fresh fuel makes a much bigger difference than I used to think.

I bought a Honda mower with the new GCV200 engine on 6-15-2019. My dealer filled it with fuel and the Honda 10w30 oil before I took it home, as he does for everyone. As a long time Toro guy, this was my first Honda, and I quickly found out along with the rest of you who own them how ridiculously easy they are to start on the first pull, even with half-hearted effort. Turns out this ease of starting would later provide good feedback on how much my fuel aged in a few months, in a hot garage in Texas.

Once I ran the dealer gasoline dry, I filled it with my own pump gas w/ 10% ethanol which I had already purchased around May 1 for my previous mower. I usually buy 4 gallons around the start of the heavy mowing season in May so I don't have to make trips to the pump as often. When I first bought the Techron in July, I added it to my two-stroke gasoline can but not to the mower gasoline, because I had already added Stabil marine to my 4 stroke gasoline in May.

Around early-mid July, the Honda began to start on the second pull, but not the first. And I had to use more effort. I had just switched out the 10w-30 Honda oil with straight 30 weight for our 100 degree days here, and thought this may be the reason for the mower being harder to start (though still acceptable).

On Aug. 20 I used up the last of my May 1 gasoline, then bought about 2 gallons of fresh fuel and added the Techron to it. The Honda started easy on the first pull just like it had straight from the dealer. Obviously this is due to fresh fuel, not the Techron, and it told me the 30 weight oil is not a factor.

Because I'm now geeked out on this stuff, I plan to roughly keep track of when the Honda goes from one pull to two required to start it. That should give me an unscientific idea of when my pump gasoline starts to materially degrade, and how the Techron additive performs. We're approaching the end of the heavy mowing season in Texas, which is why I only bought 2 gallons of fuel recently, and we'll have cooler temps fairly soon, so I may not be able to begin any meaningful direct comparisons until next May. Bear in mind the fuel I used most of the summer was still usable with the Stabil marine, but it definitely didn't stay "fresh", depending on your definition of that word. Maybe the Techron will produce better results, or maybe worse results. We'll see. Again, the above info is anecdotal and unscientific, and assuming you even care about it at all, get other opinions from other observers.

I do not have a dependable source of non-ethanol gasoline within 30 minutes of me, and I'm not going to use TruFuel or Av gas in my 4 stroke mower, thus all the brain damage and nerd talk above.