Fuel additive

[LMN8R]

My car now has an occasional engine miss/"skip". It is usually precipitated by putting excessive load on the engine (especially when the evil "1 to 4" shift is induced). There are no check engine/LED indicators in the car that anything is wrong. I wasted $30 at the dealership and they came up with nothing after hooking it up to the diagnostic machine. My conclusion is that fuel delivery/injectors may be the culprit, but I don't want to pay for that kind of service before trying something cheaper (like a fuel additive), if this is effective.

Are there any fuel injector cleaners out there that actually work? Am I going to do more harm than good? Do these things hurt the car?

Thanks for any input.

Greg

 

[chevyaddict]

I'm curious about this too!!:confused

 

[Ken]

Greg, what gasoline do you burn as a rule? Most brand-name gasolines already include an injector cleaner as an additive; Chevron uses Techroline for instance.

In most cases, an extra injector cleaner is not necessary, but if you want to try it, use Techroline once or twice a year, depending on your mileage of course.

_ken

 

[Vettelt193]

I thought it was Chevron with Techron? Well, anyway, They sell the Techron bottles at WalMart now (it seems hard to find at the actual Chevron stations, who knew?)... I think it is cheaper at Wal mart anyway... I think a bottle treats something like 10 gallons of gas... what I usually do, is double the dose, plus fill it up with premium Chevron gas... (That means 4 bottles of the stuff if it only treats 10 gallons) When driving through this tank of gas, I usually drive the car a bit harder than normal, with full throttle runs to get the injectors to flow high amounts of fuel... You will know quick if your fuel system was dirty because your oil will turn very dark, whatever was in the fuel system seems to deposit into the oil (on the flip side, I have done it on a clean fuel system, and the oil stays clean)... hope this helps

 

[Mr.Cool]

I agree with Vettelt193 double the dose and go for a long drive. There is a manufactures rebate on a bottle of Techron right now.
Another alternative is to visit a shop that has a motor vac system. The machine is hooked up to your fuel system and run for awhile cleaning the the entire fuel delivery system as well as the valves and upper cylinder. Since your car is a 98 it may be a good idea to go this route. Maybe c4c5 specialist can shed some light

 

[Ken]

I thought it was Chevron with Techron?

My mistake. Bear in mind that I worked in the refinery for twenty years and was used to calling it what it is called when added to the blend. Chevron adds Techroline, the commercially available product is Techron. I stand corrected.

_ken

 

[c4c5specialist]

Hi there,
Following GM service recommendations, I can only recommend the following.
If you are experiencing a rough idle, or a slight stumble, add a bottle of 12345515 to the fuel tank before fill up.
Now, if this does not assist in the condition, then you may have to have a fuel injector balance test done, to determine which injector, or if an injector is causing the issue.
I would suggest this before you proceed further.
Your local GM dealership will have this in stock.
besttoyou, c4c5

 

[JOV]

I use Redline injector cleanerabout every 8-10 fill ups. The additive that chevron uses is just enough to satisfy the Federal requirements. Redline works, its the only additive that meets GM,Ford,BMW, Porsch, Toyota and Maserati requirements and standards.......just my 2cents

 

[LMN8R]

results pending...

I decided to go with the Techron additive yesterday, using maybe just a bit more than recommended on the bottle. Thanks to everyone for the help, I'll let you all know what happens.

Greg

 

[danl72]

I thought you were not suppose to add anything to the gas. I guess I was wrong. I think I will get some Redline every once in a while now.

 

[les]

I put in a little octain boost every once and a while. It seems a little sharper to me.

 

[LMN8R]

Results

I put 2 bottles of Techron into 15 gallons of gas. After driving only a few miles, the problem was alleviated. It has not come back for the duration of the tank of fuel. I am extremely happy with the results. Thanks again to all for the advice.


Greg

 

[Ken]

Greg, keep in mind you don't need to add it each time you fill up. Just use it as a tuning tool every 10-20,000 miles.

_ken

 

[les]

Whooaa

I going to get me some of this Techron

 

[leonm47]

Check with Auto Zone if you have one in your area and get a bottle of RXP, use it twice (two fillups), then once every fourth or fifth fillup and you'll be amazed.