Engine Additives

ScottB

ScottB

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I love to walk the aisles around car care while shopping at the big department stores. I often notice the engine additives like Slick50, ZMax and Mystery Oil amongst others with their shiny boxes. I also notice in my car magazines Xado and others in the past claiming to reclaim lost horsepower and more.

Does anyone use these with viable results ?? Anything unique you have found from using these items. I have personally always thought of them as high price snake oil, but always open to change.
 
Other than sticking to Shell Vpower nothing special goes in my car. Also, Shell is the cheapest premium fuel in my area so that's what I use.
 
Additives NO. Royal Purple oil YES. Really woke my 115k mile Formula up when I first used it. Will never put anything else in it. i even ran Mobil1 just before that thinking it would help but it was just like regular oil

Also I would second the Techron in the fuel for FI cleaning.
 
I use Techron Concentrate Plus once a year and Marvel Mystery Oil occasionally to lubricate the fuel pump and fuel injectors.

While my go-to gasoline is Mobil and Shell.

And my motor oil is Royal Purple as well along with their oil filters.
 
No, no additives. IMHO they are pretty much all garbage. If they were great - wouldn't OEM be selling or recommending them for their cars? Wouldn't the "miracle additive" be available already in the fluid? Please don't tell me conspiracy theories that "they want the car to break" so you'll buy parts or replace it.

I'll use the BMW brand fuel injection cleaner every once in a while. But, only the BMW branded stuff, and only if I'm at the dealer for another reason. There have been issues of people dumping SeaFoam, Mystery Oil, or whatever in BMW gas tanks and having CEL lights and drivability issues. But does the fuel injector cleaner really do anything? I doubt much.

The only additive I've ever seen actually work or do anything is the Dr Tranny Shudder Fix. It adds friction modifiers to your transmission fluid to fix torque converter lock up shudder on older torque converters. It actually does work. This is the only exception to the rule I've seen in my 20+ years of fixing cars professionally and on my own.

I wouldn't add anything to gear oil, engine oil, coolant, or brake fluid. You are much better served by just changing those fluids more frequently with high quality factory fluids than adding aftermarket magic oil to them. If you change your fluids frequently the systems' who are served by them will remain internally clean and in good working order.
 
Most people swear by Lucas and Seafoam. I like to use Royal Purple injection cleaner every other oil change.
 
swanicyouth said:
No, no additives. IMHO they are pretty much all garbage. If they were great - wouldn't OEM be selling or recommending them for their cars? Wouldn't the "miracle additive" be available already in the fluid? Please don't tell me conspiracy theories that "they want the car to break" so you'll buy parts or replace it.

I'll use the BMW brand fuel injection cleaner every once in a while. But, only the BMW branded stuff, and only if I'm at the dealer for another reason. There have been issues of people dumping SeaFoam, Mystery Oil, or whatever in BMW gas tanks and having CEL lights and drivability issues. But does the fuel injector cleaner really do anything? I doubt much.

The only additive I've ever seen actually work or do anything is the Dr Tranny Shudder Fix. It adds friction modifiers to your transmission fluid to fix torque converter lock up shudder on older torque converters. It actually does work. This is the only exception to the rule I've seen in my 20+ years of fixing cars professionally and on my own.

I wouldn't add anything to gear oil, engine oil, coolant, or brake fluid. You are much better served by just changing those fluids more frequently with high quality factory fluids than adding aftermarket magic oil to them. If you change your fluids frequently the systems' who are served by them will remain internally clean and in good working order.
Click to expand...

VW recommends fuel additives if you are not running top tier gas.
 
MrCleanit said:
Most people swear by Lucas and Seafoam. I like to use Royal Purple injection cleaner every other oil change.
Click to expand...

i use both the lucas deep clean fuel cleaner and upper cylinder lubricant and both have served me well...
 
VISITOR said:
i use both the lucas deep clean fuel cleaner and upper cylinder lubricant and both have served me well...
Click to expand...


I was going to start using Lucas when I got a car I cared about but a buddy of mine gave me a bottle to try of Royal Purple. Every since then I never looked back. Over 75k miles with regular dosage and still going! :knock on imaginary wood:

One day I'll get on the wagon
 
MrCleanit said:
I was going to start using Lucas when I got a car I cared about but a buddy of mine gave me a bottle to try of Royal Purple. Every since then I never looked back. Over 75k miles with regular dosage and still going! :knock on imaginary wood:

One day I'll get on the wagon
Click to expand...

everyone has their own preference and you got to use what works for you... :xyxthumbs:
 
My vehicles' owner's manuals all basically say what's listed below about additives...and I consider it to be a:
"Best Practice"...of which I follow.

Fuel: Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States are now required to contain additives that will help prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming, allowing your emission control system to work properly.

Engine Oil: Additives
Do not add anything to the oil. The recommended oils that meet (fill in the particular OEM's Standard) are all you will need for good performance and engine protection.


Bob
 
FUNX725 said:
My vehicles' owner's manuals all basically say what's listed below about additives...and I consider it to be a:
"Best Practice"...of which I follow.

Fuel: Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States are now required to contain additives that will help prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming, allowing your emission control system to work properly.

Engine Oil: Additives
Do not add anything to the oil. The recommended oils that meet (fill in the particular OEM's Standard) are all you will need for good performance and engine protection.


Bob
Click to expand...


End thread.
 
If you want to restore some lost pep, find a shop that can clean your fuel injectors with a kit that actually hooks to the fuel rail instead of a service that utilizes a vacuum line to draw the cleaner. A fuel cleaning service that hooks to a vacuum line will never make it to your injectors, but sales clerks will tell you it will.
Secondly, have a mechanic clean your throttle body. It may be caked with carbon.
Thirdly, have a mechanic clean your Mass Airflow Sensor with the proper cleaner.
These recommendations are often successful in restoring some lost pep.
Also, just in case, you can have your fuel pressure checked to make sure your injectors are being supplied properly.
Some of these steps you can do yourself and easier than you'd think.
 
I work for Gold Eagle who makes 303 Products, but we also make STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer/Ethanol Treatment. We also do a lot of private label for oem manufacturers.
Additives come down to how ethical the companies are that make them.
Good Products on the Market
Chevron Techron- Best fuel system cleaner hands down- CRC one tank is probably comparable.
Lucas Products- Overall they hold up to what the label says.
CRC aerosols for throttle body and brake cleans
Stanadyne Diesel Additives cetane boots, cleaner, water removers.
Finally not to be biased but STA-BIL does work. If your keeping Fuel for more than 30days you should be using STA-BIL to keep it fresh

As far as what is snake oil.... read the labels, if it is a laundry list of things it does and it says works in gas and diesel... it's probably too good to be true, or it does all the things a little, but nothing well.
 
It's better to follow preventative maintenance than curative maintenance IMHO,

Buy gas from a high volume station, less chance of collecting moisture.

Never fill up when you see the tanker truck refilling the tanks. They kick up the sediment sitting in the tanks which then gets pumped into your tank.

Follow the manual and complete maintenance to the specified schedule.

When your engine goes, it's not likely any of the additives out there will have made a hill of beans difference to the point of failure.
 
SNAKE OIL!! I used one for cleaning the engine..had to do a valve job for 1200. I asked the mechanic what was the cause and he said some gunk help break a valve....he asked what I put in it...say no more!! This was about 10 years ago and since then no problems...why? I no longer use snake oil!!

LOL
 
expdetailing said:
If you want to restore some lost pep, find a shop that can clean your fuel injectors with a kit that actually hooks to the fuel rail instead of a service that utilizes a vacuum line to draw the cleaner. A fuel cleaning service that hooks to a vacuum line will never make it to your injectors, but sales clerks will tell you it will.
Secondly, have a mechanic clean your throttle body. It may be caked with carbon.
Thirdly, have a mechanic clean your Mass Airflow Sensor with the proper cleaner.
These recommendations are often successful in restoring some lost pep.
Also, just in case, you can have your fuel pressure checked to make sure your injectors are being supplied properly.
Some of these steps you can do yourself and easier than you'd think.
Click to expand...
I have used BG products for years on my own vehicles at the dealership I worked and was even a sales rep for them. They have a great fuel system service. You will have to find a shop or dealership to purchase their product, because they do not sell retail. The 44K is a great fuel treatment!

https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/
 
Oh, you can also use plain water instead of seafoam, or other combustion chamber cleaners, up a vacuum line to clean valves and pistons of carbon deposits, you just need to be careful not to suck up too much at once. If you've ever seen a water cooled or meth cooled engine, the combustion chamber will look darn near brand new when you tear it down.

Also, I've heard this mentioned on many a car forum, but you cannot "lubricate" fuel pumps or injectors with any additive that you can add to gas. Gas additives have to be soluble in fuel or they'd clog up the fuel system. Therefore, they will be diluted and washed completely thru the fuel system, and it's not like they can magically reach areas of the injectors or pump that the fuel doesn't reach.

Almost all of the additives around these days are leftovers from the days of carburetors and 3 forward gear manual transmissions. So much has changed in vehicle tech, fuel tech, fluid tech that most additives are outdated, ineffective in today's vehicles, or outright harmful if used in a newer vehicle.
 
Techron cured my fuel sensor troubles on my 02 corvette. That's good enough for me.
 
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