Kreen alternative

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I have heard great things about Kreen so since I have issues with varnish and suspect the PCV is not in great shape I have decided that I would give Kreen a go and see how it deals with the varnish, not to mention if I notice any improvement regarding the PCV (really interested in the fact that the vapors clean too).

Unfortunately after talking with Kano Labs it seems there is no way for them to ship to my currently location (outside US), even FedEx declined to ship Kreen here, so it seems that I will not get to try Kreen at this point.

Therefore I started to look for any similar product, but apparently no one makes anything similar, most products are flushes and some slow cleaners, but none that work really great on varnish or have vapors that clean too.

Now I am thinking could I make something similar to Kreen myself? I do not wish to damage Kreens marked since I have most respect for Kano Labs making such a great product in the first place and I doubt I can make anything even remotely as good as Kreen is, but maybe it is possible to make something that works okay on varnish (does not have to work as fast as Kreen does) and has cleaning vapors too?

I have been looking at the Kreen MSDS and while I know it is far from explaining what goes into Kreen and how to make it, I think it is a good starting point and gives an idea what kind of solutions are needed. Yet I do not wish to ruin the engine so caution is needed and I decided to ask the experts here for opinions and suggestions.

Any suggestions or advice?
 
I couldn't get Kreen to ship to California either. I used Lubegard Engine Flush in my engines with dosage 1/4 oz per quart. For the 5 qt LS400 I used 1.2-1.3 oz, for 8.5 qt E430 I used 2 oz, drive the car normally for several hundreds miles then do OC.
 
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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I couldn't get Kreen to ship to California either. I used Lubegard Engine Flush in my engines with dosage 1/4 oz per quart. For the 5 qt LS400 I used 1.2-1.3 oz, for 8.5 qt E430 I used 2 oz, drive the car normally for several hundreds miles then do OC.

That is a very good idea, I have heard good things about Lubegard so might give it a go then. Any idea how good it is at removing varnish and helping with sticking valves?

Also the one thing I would lack then would be the vapors that would clean the PCV sysem, any suggestions to what I might add to to get that? I do not care if it doesn't clean the engine at all because the Lubegard flush will be doing that, what I do want is something that evaporates through the PCV system and cleans that one too.
 
Thank you for your suggestions, the engine in question has been using synthetic oil ever since I have had it and I tend to keep the OCI's to around 5000 miles, but can go lower if you think it might help?

Now with the MMO I am in the same situation as with the Kreen, it is not sold here and since it is a liquid similar to Kreen I doubt shipping is going to be easy. Lastly as much as I would really like to change the PCV I can not without some serious disassembling in the engine compartment (I can not understand who approved of such an engine design) so that is the reason why I am so desperately trying to find something that cleans not only the varnish, but evaporates and the vapors cleans the PCV too.

At one point I even considered dumping a pint of acetone in the engine oil to let it clean and hopefully the vapors would have some cleaning effect too, but then I realized that if that somehow messed up my engine I would not have a car so I started re-thinking that plan.
 
There is a very good chance you will seize the engine up with a pint of acetone. Do not use a solvent. Many people have used the old Kerosene or diesel fuel in the crankcase trick to clean out the engine. The big trick here is not to make any power with the engine and keep low RPM, in other words just let it idle. Googling for Kerosene or diesel fuel engine cleaning will bring up lots of stories. Here is an example.

“I've been suggesting similar for years, just with diesel fuel. 3 quarts of oil, 2 of diesel, idle for 10 to 15 minutes until engine is hot, then change oil and filter. Repeat, then go to all oil with a new filter and go boating. “


I reread your post and see you are mostly concerned with varnish and the PCV system. I am not sure Kerosene or diesel fuel cleans up varnish and will probably not will help with the PCV system. A good synthetic oil will clean up your varnish problem like Mobile 1 or Pennzoil Ultra. I can not think of anything that has vapors to clean out the PCV system that will not trash the motor. But i do not see this as a big problem. The PCV valve is inexpensive and the hose that connects to it can be taken off and cleaned by hand.
 
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^Sometimes, there are external baffles/housings for PCV systems that can be removed and cleaned. Here is an example of someone cleaning up a 'breather chamber' on the same model car I drive. Makes me really think I should do it, too:



Otherwise, users of and product claims by ones such as Kreen and Red Line's SI-1 claim to clean the PCV system(of course, with a still operational system in the first place).
 
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I appreciate all information and tips, but I am still struggling to find a good Kreen alternative. I will have a look at the PCV valve location again to see if maybe I somehow missed a simple way to access them and clean them. Although I did not know that Red Line SI-1 claims to clean the PCV system, is this correct?

Also when it comes to the varnish, it is not so much the cosmetic part that bothers me is the fact that it is sort of like a glaze that is sticky and that is the reason I want it removed so badly. Acetone or other type of solvents should apparently do this (according to a post made by Molakule), but I am not sure I enough that it will not damage my engine to try it out. Any suggestions for a safer solvent that is effective?
 
From Red Line's site:

Quote:
Cleans pollution control valves


Is the area with the 'sticky' sort of glaze in an area you can access and clean manually like under a valve cover? That might be your best bet. Use something like Berryman's parts cleaner(can be purchased on Amazon). Soak and wash the area in question/scrub away.

Then, rinse with fresh motor oil from the top; replace the covers(valve-train area for instance), drain the oil. Re-fill fresh oil, don't touch the filter. Idle for a bit, a drain the oil again, letting it drain for a long time each time. Should be good to go, and no worry of putting a load on the engine with solvent in the sump.

Just a thought anyway...depends on how accessible your area of concern is. I'm sure trav or zxylenator(is he still around?) might have some tips for manual cleaning.
 
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