ie. lucas injector cleaner, z-max, stp engine flush.
Anyone use them or are they bunk?
-speed is time travel-
If its just a pour in they are a waste of money IMO
i use the lucas fuel additive evry oil change in my hhr and i think it helps a lil, i seem to get a lil better fuel mileage.(according to the mpg read out) as for the z-max stuff i used it in my prelude and the motor did get quiter but thats it. also failed emissions in the lude and then added the lucas fuel stuff and passed, i only failed the carbon part of the sniffer test though the first time.
idk kinda a waste of $ imo compared to the minor if any benefits.
My car was made with wrenches, Not chopsticks.
good stuff. thanks.
I've been using the lucas and seems to be working but hard to tell as i've been doing a ton of idling lately.
...what about engine/oil flushes, do you think it cleans the 'sludge'?
...and in general if these things do remove 'sludge' and such where would all the crap go? into filters? oil and fuel line filters? cuz it doesnt just evaporate/dissapear.
-speed is time travel-
ive heard nothing but bad about the engine flush stuff u add before a oil change,
My car was made with wrenches, Not chopsticks.
If you failed emissions due to "the carbon part" (I'm assuming you mean the HC levels, Hydrocarbons) you failed because there's to much unburned fuel making it through the exhaust. Typically that means your cat is junk or its time for a tune up, your getting misfires or something along those lines.
Pour in cleaners are a waste, actual flushes will make a difference. At work we have fuel and oil pour in cleaners you get with every maintenance, they don't do @!#$. We have a Bilstein engine flush which hooks up to the drain plug and the oil filter housing and pumps a heated cleaning solution through the engines oiling system and sucks it back out the pan while filtering it through a large external small micron filter. That one actually does something. When used on a regular basis (once a year or once every 2 years) it will help keep sludge from building up. Then there is the miracle flush, our B&G engine flush. You need to start with draining the oil , then you need to pull the oil pan and valve cover to remove the plastic slash gaurds/baffels (the solution will eat them) this one hooks straight up to the oil filter housing and uses an external filter. You pour the solution into the engine and start it up. Then hold it at 3000 rpm for 1/2 hour straight. Shut it down, drain the solution unhook the machine and put in new oil and filter. Let it idle for 15 minuets and drain the oil agian. Once it cools down you pull the oil pan and valve cover and put the baffles back in. The inside of the motor will be a night and day difference. If seen this completely fix engines with the oil pressure light flashing when its running and throwing a check engine light for cam position faults from the cam adjusters being to gummed up to allow oil in or out. This one is a last ditch attempt to save a motor before having to replace it and is incredibly effective.
But the point is, pour in cleaners aren't effective. If you use them all the time from brand new it may help prevent some build up but they aren't going to fix whats already there, if theres a problem its to late. Personally I'll say save the money and put it towards a real flush unless in pour in cleaners.
edit - fixed some major typos lol
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, November 27, 2008 7:13 AM
^^^ knows his @!#$ ^^^
ive learned alot from ryan over the years
My car was made with wrenches, Not chopsticks.
Yes. "We have a Bilstein engine flush which hooks up to the drain plug and the oil filter housing and pumps a heated cleaning solution through the engines oiling system and sucks it back out the pan while filtering it through a large external small micron filter. That one actually does something. When used on a regular basis (once a year or once every 2 years) it will help keep sludge from building up." That is exactly what I would like to do.
My engine seems great but I got the car 2 yrs ago (its a 98',odometer is @ 170 000kms now) and want to do as much as i can to help maintain or offset any problems due to previous owner (probably fine but I'm a bit obsessive).
What peaked my interest was having to add a quart of oil; mind you this was after 6 months since last change.(using amsoil long drain w/their filter, good for 25 000 miles or 1 yr.)...actually is oil 'burnoff' somewhat normal? I have no leaks that I can find and my rad coolant is clean.
And where can I get that proper flush done?( my mecahnic is simple nuts n bolts without any frills but I trust him, he's my brother's high school buddy.)
-speed is time travel-
Agreeing with darkstars on this one, Pour ins are a waste i used to use stp years ago and didn't get hardly any results from it. In some cases depending where you get it, a comprehensive flush may cost more but is worth every penny in the end.
if you buy the expensive high quality fuel reatement and engine cleaner it migh do a it.bu if your going to DIY, its all about seafoam. but youve gotta do it properly. 1/3 gas 1/3 oil 1/3 intake vacuum line. im plan on runnning it through b4 i do my oil again. heres how its done. even if no one cars check out the video type r ntegra done up right. jap car owners dont mes around.
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/SEAFOAM-TEST-ON-MY-2001_199685.htm
the funy thing is a botle of this stuff is only 14 bucks at napa. a bunch of the reguar treatments will be 35 plus
Working on obtainting an M-Class license... ?? Hint: 2 wheels.
Commenting on that seafoam test video - I wonder if the "cleaning" of the engine ever got it to run clean enough to compensate for all the crap it spit out the back during that "test"? I can't imagine that doing anything positive for the O2 sensors or the catalytic converter.
With proper maintenance, NO engine should require any extra "flushes" or "treatments" of any kind. The oils today are highly engineered chemicals already, that have additive packages designed to keep engines clean and lubricated. Some may be better than others, but any name brand oil that meets API requirements for SL or SM classification should do the job just fine.
I had the valve cover off of my engine to inspect at 175,000km, and found it to be virtually spotless. I've never put any aftermarket chemicals into the oil or gas. In the past I have run Amsoil for extended periods a few times (ranging from 18,000km to 23,000km with filter change around 12,000), but mostly conventional oils for summer use, and synthetic or synthetic blends for winter. Currently the car's at 234,000km. I may open the top again around 300,000 just for curiosity to see how things are doing, but I don't expect I'll find anything unusual.
Oil additives aren't recommended by any manufacturer that I know of - or are flushes. There may be cases of extreme negligence where a flush may be helpful, but that's the exception, not the norm.
Save your money on the chemicals and just keep your oil changes regular. Good quality gas goes a long way to helping the fuel end of things too. Spending a little more to get name brand gas is probably worth every penny, to ensure it has the proper detergents in it. Here in Canada, there are three "top tier" gas retailers for this - Petro Canada, Shell, and Sunoco. I try to stick to one of those whenever possible, and I've had no issues. Fuel economy is still at least as good or better than when I bought the car new (and I check it on every fill-up).
John
ok so ryan... does fuel injector cleaner actually work, or not?
You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.
pour in cleaner does nothing. The when you disable the fuel pump unhook the line and run the car straight off the can of pressurized cleaner supposedly can help clean the varnish build up from in the rain and in the injectors which will help with the injector spray pattern... personally I don't believe in it. If you have an injector problem its time for a new injectors. I've never personally seen it fix a bad injector (weather clogged or leaky/dripping). I replace the fuel filter on my own car every 15-20K and that's it.
LOL it must be in my head then that it actually does a damn thing. kinda like adding a mod and you think it gained you a lot but in reality it didnt do jack.
You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.
only thing i EVER got results from (some know what i am talking about) , is some stuff from BG, and its called 44k. we have it at the shop i work at, and not in any stores that i have seen.
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
I've heard of it, never used it though.
...so what about using higher octane gas? Any good?
I was told to stick with regular as that was what my car was designed for.
Oh and John, thanx. that hands on info is priceless...how did you drive the majority of those 175 00 kms befor opening her up?
-speed is time travel-
s s wrote:...so what about using higher octane gas? Any good?
I was told to stick with regular as that was what my car was designed for.
Oh and John, thanx. that hands on info is priceless...how did you drive the majority of those 175 00 kms befor opening her up?
using 93 octane is a waste unless you need it in your car
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
99redz24 wrote:s s wrote:...so what about using higher octane gas? Any good?
I was told to stick with regular as that was what my car was designed for.
Oh and John, thanx. that hands on info is priceless...how did you drive the majority of those 175 00 kms befor opening her up?
using 93 octane is a waste unless you need it in your car
very true. if your car is stock, its a waste of money. it wont hurt your car, but you wont benefit ethier. stick with 87 unless the engine is heavily modified
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
it wont "hurt" your car as in doing physical damage but it WILL hurt performance.
thanx guys, good to know. I stick with shell bronze.
-speed is time travel-
I won't use any of that pour in crap, it's all a waste of money...
A little 93 won't hurt though.....
i don't waste my money on the 93, just plain old 87. Nor do i use any of the pour in crap, just another waste of money and no results.
Bill wrote:i don't waste my money on the 93, just plain old 87. Nor do i use any of the pour in crap, just another waste of money and no results.
I don't know about the 93, I threw some in the Balt a few weeks ago (about half a tank) and noticed quite a difference in pick up....
The 03 liked it too....I just don't put more than half a tank in......
Granted I only used that once in a great while (pour in crap), but I think that it might have been a factor (granted, not a huge one) on the fuel pump's early death (at 44k).
I will never use it again......
OK guys, not knocking any of ya, just going to relate some personal experience here..
I have been using pour in fuel injector cleaner in my car since I bought brand new in '98'. I bought the car in California and you know how strict they are on smog control. In 2000, I had to move to New Mexico because of my job. In 2002, I had to move back to California because of, you guessed it, my job. I had to have the Z smog checked since I was registered in New Mexico for 2 years. When the check place did the test, they couldn't believe how clean the car was and redid the test again just to make sure their equipment was correct. They stated they have never seen a 4 year old car run so clean. It was even better than a new car. I and they can only assume it was how I take care of the car and the fuel injector cleaner. I only use it every oil change which is 3 months or 3000 miles.
Flame if ya want, but this is personal experience.
As far as using higher octane, your car will run fine on it. I have done tests on mine when I was in California and saw just a slight difference in performance using higher octane.
98 Z24
RIP Specks
