SeanR

Don, it was after our conversation when you were here last, that has kept me away from the Kroger type places for gas.

RKD in OKC

Okay...here is a real world example.

I had a 2001 Boxster S that was backfiring on decel and low on power. The dealer tech thought that a head cleaning would help as maybe the valves were carboned and dirty. They did some sort of cleaning that included running a solvent through the head. I asked about changing the oil after this cleaning and was told it was not necessary.

Two weeks later at an autocross the car spun a bearing. Porsche towed the car to the dealer. The first thing they did was to check the "Black Box" to make sure I hadn't done anything like over revving to cause the spun bearing. I was in the clear. Next they drained the oil and visually found bearing material in the oil. That meant a new engine from Porsche. The tech did not even get to open it up to check anything the bits in the oil were enough for Porsche to replace the engine.

I thought it more than coincidence that the bearing failure was so soon after the solvent flush of the head. AND the original problem of poor running and backfiring on decel was not fixed until after they replaced the MAF. NOT part of the engine swap.

Any time I put any kind of solvent or detergent in my gas or oil, I am going to change the oil!!!!

robot808

+1, not just the 928, any of my cars.

robot808

This may open an unnecessary can of worms, but you may not need to change your oil every 3K miles in this car.

bronto

I've told this story before but it's a good opportunity to tell it again...

I had a '92 BMW 325. I usually bought the cheapest gas I could find, usually ARCO. After driving it some time, performance became poor, most notably a significant lag in acceleration when doing things like trying get onto the freeway. You'd nail the gas, but it would be 2-3 seconds before it would start to accelerate.

I took it in for service and the wrench tells me to run 2 tanks of Chevron with Techron added and then come back if it was still a problem. It wasn't. Problem solved.

From that time on I usually bought Chevron for the car. I never had the performance problem again, even though I had the car for at least 5 more years.

So, not only does the Techron additive clean out the mess, buying Chevron gas does a good job of preventing it from happening in the first place... at least compared to ARCO.

When I bought my 928 a revisited the fuel additive issue and did as much research as possible, mostly online. A certain amount of additives are required by law, so all fuels now are better than they were back in the mid nineties. But the name brands add more/better additives, except for a few. At the time (IIRC) Exxon, ARCO and BP did not. Chevron, Phillips, Texaco, Shell, 76 and maybe a few others I don't remember add significantly more. I usually buy Shell, 76 and Chevron. I will buy off brands when necessary (road trips, my favs not in sight) but won't buy ARCO under any circumstances. To be honest, I did once, getting the cheapest grade (couldn't resist a $1.99 price) which turned out to be E85. May not be related, but it wasn't long after that that I had to replace my WUR.

Don Carter

Good man Sean! another convert.

S4ordie

Interesting points about changing the oil immediately after running Techron through a full tank. I understand the concern but what about those who buy their petrol at the Chevron station that already has Techron in it? Would it not behave the same as adding a bottle of the stuff except there is continuous infiltration into the engine oil?

Not sure I buy the theory of replacing the oil immediately after running a bottle of Techron through the fuel tank. I need some empirical data to confirm the hypothesis.

Mrmerlin

Adding a bottle to half a tank and doing short trips will make a lot of the deposits come loose , this concentration is quite a bit higher than the gas formula

Maleficio

I can't believe the flack I got about insulating my intake tubes, and then I read this thread.

Mrmerlin

if you stay under the RADAR you wont get hit with any flak...........
Break now Jester.....

danglerb

So has ANYBODY actually used Techron or anything else and then had an oil analysis done?

Maleficio

I've never read about anyone being inspired to do a UOA because of using an injector cleaner, but here's a giant collection of UOA's to sort through if you're so inclined.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...p?ubb=cfrm&c=5

S4ordie

What is difference between one bottle in one tank versus what is in gasoline over 20 tanks? If I am reading you're logic correctly I should avoid all petrol that has Techron or (whatever your petrol station puts in its fuel) and wait until just before I have a planned oil change before using any additive because it somehow compromises the lubrication qualities of the oil.

Would a standard oil analysis indicate a dilution of lubrication? What chemicals would be identifiable in the analysis as markers?

Marine Blue

I don't think the concentrations used in pump gas do much more than keep the fuel system clean and minimize additional build up. Assuming this is the case, the contaminant concentrations will be far less over time since they won't dislodge in a single tank. Now we all know what happens when people assume things. It would be nice if studies were available to back it up.

To clean fuel systems higher concentrations are obviously required.....at least this is what I have read.

Alkada do you intend to follow through with the oil analysis before and after the cleaning?

Landseer

Stumbled upon some related information, FWIW: