aft86

Wondering if there is any upside, need, or just snake oil/placebo effect to adding fuel additives like Techtron, etc. on a TT OR TTS.
I've done some research and found info on 997s and 991 N/A cars but not much for TT OR TTS.
Does anyone here use them? Is there any risk of damaging anything or catastrophic engine failure if we do use them?

Jim M.

It was at least 10 years ago, probably more, the Porsche factory said it was okay to use Techron BEFORE an oil change. It degrades the oil so only use it in the last tank full before an oil change.

aft86

If it degrades the oil, does it degrade anything else in the engine? Like seals, etc. Also, maybe the coating on the cylinder walls, not sure if this is how it works, but does it shorten its life and make it prone to scoring? I might be over thinking this ha!

worf928

I am extremely skeptical that 12oz of Techron *Fuel* treatment, the vast majority of which is burned in the combustion chamber over the course of a full tank, will have any measurable effect on the ~350 ounces of motor oil in the sump. Instructions on the Techron do not specify oil change after.

Is there a reference for this ‘only before an oil change?’ Or is it word of mouth?

Certainly an *oil* treatment is a different story.

What I am skeptical about is if Techron is as effective on DFI injectors and DFI engines as it was on last century’s mag pulse injectors and port injected engines.

I do know that the piezo DFI injectors are far more sensitive to fuel varnish build-up than the mag pulse injectors. I have warranty records that support this.

So, something like Techron is called for. However, I’ve had multiple conversations with fuel injector specialists that tell me that fuel stabilizer (e.g. StarTron, Sta-bil, etc.) is effective at combatting injector varnish.

worf928

My $0.02:
If you drive the car at least once per week for at least an hour then don’t worry about it.
If there are periods where the car will sit unused for 4 weeks or more (e.g. winter storage, etc.), then fill up tank and use a fuel stabilizer product.
If it routinely takes you more than 4 weeks to use a tank of gasoline, then use stabilizer all the time.

Modern corn-lobby ethanol-laden fuel has a completely $h1+y shelf life.

aft86

Thanks for the info. I should give a stabilizer a try. Do you recommend any brands?

worf928

Sta-bil and StarTron are the mainstays.

Note, above recommendation to use stabilizer all the time is based upon the idea that lots of short trips where the engine never gets to temp is ideal for varnish buildup. Thus if you drive every week but need more than a month to use a tank, it means lots of short trips...

Harry Da Hamster

Techron AKA Polyether Amine actually revolutionized the petroleum industry. Pretty much all top tier gasoline has it and there's no point of adding more of it unless you're talking about a 20 year old car with a lot of carbon build up. Fuel additives don't help with carbon buildup in modern DFI engines. For that, i rely on my methanol injection system...

worf928

As I understand things, Polyetheramine (PEA) is an ingredient, among others, in Chevron's Techron-branded fuel detergent package. All top tier gasoline has a detergent package. A good assumption is that PEA is part of all the detergent packages but the exact ingredients are proprietary. Or, maybe that's a fancy way of saying that all the gasoline companies buy unlabled cans from Chevron and then stick their labels on them thus pretending to do work whilst preserving the mystery.

Do you know which scenario is operative?

IMO, Techron won't really do squat if you have a lot of old carbon buildup. It's better at preventing the formation of the deposits. Opinions may vary based upon definitions of 'do' and 'a lot.'

It can't keep the intake inlets or valves clean 'cause it doesn't touch those surfaces. It might help with deposits on the pistons. But, if the crankcase breather scrubber system is sufficient to keep the intake tract clean then piston buildup won't be an issue (for an otherwise healthy engine.)

The open question I have is if it - periodic Techron treatments - has any benefit viz-a-viz the injectors themselves. The answer to that question is, for me, for now, academic because using fuel stabilizers is doing a fine job of keeping the injectors healthy.

996AE

Sr. VP BP and now Tesoro said all premium gas (top tier) in CA is all the same as it all comes from same refinery.

Minor diff in additive package but very very close if top tier.

My neighbor and very good friend.

Papa Fittig

I am wondering how a fuel additive can even get to the oil... If the engine isn't worn the oil does not go into combustion chamber . Or at least it must not, if the valves and rings weren't worn out.

And yes, I sometimes use Techron additive in my 22 y.o. Miata to hopefully clean the injectors. Never used it in any of my 911s though.

worf928

Two questions here:


Since the additive should combust in the combustion chamber, I think it's safe to assume that any additive that gets to the oil can be measured in parts-per-million and perhaps fractions thereof.

Not true. Pollution regulations require that the crank-case breather system is closed to the atmosphere.

Light reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankc...ilation_system

The breather system will introduce "stuff" from the crank case back into the intake. The "stuff" from the crank case includes aerated engine oil. This is why the first-gen DFI engines suffered, horribly, from carbon buildup on the backs of the intake valves; their breather systems weren't as effective as needed in separating oil out of the crank case gases.

Some, if not all, of the present-day DFI engines have more-sophisticated separation mechanisms such that oil flows back to the sump while only "combustible stuff" gets passed back to the intake.

In the old days, with port fuel injection, the intake tracts were 'washed' by the fuel and thus kept clean. However, the stuff 'washed away' did enter the combustion chamber and result in carbon build-up on the piston tops.

Papa Fittig

Thank you for the detailed information. It makes more sense now.