by Wayne Willson

Recently, Gumout sponsored myself and several other auto enthusiasts to view the process of testing a higher mileage car engine with unknown maintenance history against the ASTM 5500 standard at the Ohio Transportation Research Center (TRC) in East Liberty, Ohio. As part of the testing process, on the way to the center, we stopped at a random auto parts store and purchased a bottle of Gumout One-N-Done.

We arrived at the garage area of the TRC to find a 2015 Hyundai Sonata parked in the tear-down area. Purchased at a local used car lot, the Sonata had a direct injected 4 cylinder with 80,000 miles on the clock. The head was subsequently removed and the carbon buildup on the pistons and valves was measured. Deposits were visible—completely covering the pistons and portions of the valves. After re-assembling the engine, the One-N-Done was added to a full tank of gas and run approximately 400 miles overnight on the track at the TRC. We anxiously awaited the results the next morning and were certainly surprised!

Piston tops BEFORE Gumout One-N-Done treatment:

Piston tops AFTER Gumout One-N-Done treatment:
Valves before Gumout One-N-Done treatment:
Valves after Gumout One-N-Done treatment:
Fuel Injectors before Gumout One-N-Done treatment:
Fuel Injectors before Gumout One-N-Done treatment:

I, and likely, most of you have been cautious about the claims many fuel additive companies make about their products. We on BITOG prefer to see real world testing done in a controlled, repeatable process, but unfortunately this is something we rarely are able to see. I was skeptical about the ability of One-N-Done to clean enough carbon such that we would be able to visually see a difference after only one tank of gas and 400 miles of driving. The employees at the TRC are all professionals who clearly understand the ASTM 5500 protocol and how to properly operate the test equipment.

It was clear to all of us who witnessed the teardowns and testing that complete transparency was shared. We were allowed to watch all aspects of the teardown and testing. Collectively, the group must have asked several hundred questions. Rusty Waples (Gumout product marketing manager) and Ron Fausnight (Gumout lead chemist) were also there to answer our questions. Both of these gentlemen are highly knowledgeable, very professional, and were forthcoming with as much information as possible, albeit without sharing any trade secrets.

Polyetheramine or PEA is the active component of One-N-Done and since they could not tell us the ratio used, I asked Ron a different question—“Have they determined, through testing, how much PEA is optimal versus simply adding a random amount?”. Ron conveyed that all PEAs are not created equally and that Gumout requires certain PEA properties from their suppliers. P.E.A is the only cleaning agent out there that can clean all of the parts it touches, including the combustion chamber. Gumout has extensively tested formulations of their products in order to meet the expected results.

Previously a skeptic, I walked away from the experience as believer that Gumout One-N-Done is a great product that does as advertised. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!