Ritter v4.0

Can you overuse it?

Bull

I don't, never have.

Mark in Baltimore

Is your steering wheel getting hairy?

Ritter v4.0

You track your car though, no?

c993k

It's always been talked about in Pcars.
I've used it several times, not really sure if it did anything but I've never heard any complaints either.
Snake Oil Magic!
It makes you as an owner feel better that you gave your baby a present!
Chris

chris walrod

Before each oil change

Carrera GT

Agreed. Whether the Techron stuff really cleans the injectors or fuel lines. Whether it has any effect on the SAI build-up, I've not seen a convincing example, but Techron will break down chemical deposits and it all ends up out the exhaust valves and some of it will end up out the tail pipe and some of it will end up in the oil. The advice I've consistently from Porsche service experts was to avoid using any additive, with the exception of flushing a half- to a full-tank with Techron and then replace both oil filters, the fuel filter and drain the turbos. Of course, if you have a secondary cooler, you've got a lot of retained oil, but there's only so far even the most fastidious owner can go. Well, maybe.

As an aside, since I've been learning about diesel engines, I've noticed that combustion chemistry and temperature are the alchemy of internal combustion engines. It seems that some combinations create the "gold from lead" magic while other combinations (eg. useless additives) do little more than cost a lot and do nothing.

But it's about preventative maintenance to keep the engine healthy. For example, it's important to consistently (if not always) use a diesel additive to raise Cetane (equivalent to Octane) as well as to carry material through the fuel system and into the combustion chamber. It's analogous to use a "Draino" product to dissolve hair in the shower drain rather than let it accumulate, trap other material like soap and eventually cause a blockage. Maybe there's a better analogy with cholesterol and by-pass surgery.

I don't profess to hold any great knowledge, but if you do some research there's interesting information on how fuels burn, how flame-fronts advance across the interior surfaces of the combustion chamber and how residual chemicals behave as gasses move and temperatures change.

Ritter v4.0

Which is how long; every 5k miles? How long have you been doing this (miles)?

The mechanic (back in Tulsa where I bought the car) was very anti-hype but did say it was a very good idea on the 993 FWIW.

amfp

I alternate between Techron and BG 44 every 3K miles.

Carrera GT

Overly frequent oil changes are not necessarily a good idea. I haven't Google'd for the document but there was an independent study showing that mineral and synthetic oils have a characteristic of improving over the first 5000 miles (or so) and not degrading well after the increasingly frequent service intervals being "recommended" by various companies. The bottom line was to say that wear was greater during the first 1000-5000 miles of the service interval than from 5000 to over 7500 miles and longer for synthetics that simply do not break down over time, so it's just a matter of using the synthetic oil to flush out contaminants -- the oil itself is not deteriorating over time or mileage, it's just the contaminants and condensation over time that warrants changing the oil and replacing the filter at a given interval.

It might not really be a useful proposition for most vehicles, but the 993 carries so much oil and relies upon it for lubrication and cooling, so a by-pass filter might be a lot better answer than a service interval.

chris walrod

For me, it really depends on how many track events I get to do each year. Mostly, again for me, every three to four thousands miles, which is way more than a years worth. Geez, I should get out and drive this thing more

Martin S.

A very reputable SoCal mechanic/technician, who doesn't want his name shared, says that Techron is worthless. He doesn't recommend it. This guy builds race motors, etc.

Chris W. uses it...he is a super gear head, so maybe its OK...I just decided not to use it. I'll probably get a CEL tomorrow

Ritter v4.0

If at the worst it does no harm and MAY be beneficial then I suppose I will continue to use it a few times a year. The rationale for its need is my car alternates between short sedate use and medium term hard runs- I'm concerned that the latter does not offset the former in terms of build up.

If nothing else there is (was) a positive placebo effect (though some just threw cold water on that- but hey, don't ask the question if you don't like the answer).

I suppose a related question is how often do you change your oil- someone must have done a poll about this, no?

Bill P.

I use ventil sauber and have for years. It's been discussed here previously and if I recall quite a few Rennlisters also use the stuff. Try a search for details.

Terry Adams

Every 7500 miles, in the last tank just before the oil and filter change.