so, i went down to my loocal autozone today and got me a new optima redtop for my baby ...

while i was talking cars to the guy at the counter, he mentioned this new injector cleaner stuff they have that is supposedly really good.

i didn't buy any, but it made me wondering ...

is this stuff really working, or is it just snakeoil ????
Andy

I've always sworn by seafoam. Stuff makes everything purr like a kitten

seafoam

SEAFOAM x100% !!!!!!!!

Great stuff. Boaters have been using it to decarbcon outboards for years.

We use BG 44K, which is sold through shops. Techron works well, too, but not the diluted version sold in auto parts stores. Gotta buy it at the gas station. Be forewarned, "dirty" injectors are pretty much a figment of somebody's advertising department's imagination, especially in CA, where fuel quality is generally high. Injectors actually wear out, because gasoline is an abrasive, and no cleaner will fix that.

My recommendation? Run a can of something good through the system, then run Chevron, Texaco, or Exxon/Mobil gasoline all the time. They appear to have the best detergents.

The Cap'n

I use BG44K also. Have for years.

STAY AWAY FROM ARCO!!! although it is often the cheapest gas in town, don't be tempted. I built a motor. AX'd for a year, about 20 events and many road trips. at the end of the season. I popped the heads off and the carbon and very strange deposits were extra chunky. cleaned it all up. did the same drill next season but this time I only used techron fuel and she was clean as a whistle. I posted photos and asked questions because of the weired look of the deposits and several of our resident petrol engineers chimed in

So, what was the stuff that Autozone was pimping?
Pat

I'll second, no, third that.

Additives do work. I worked for the Test Fuel Lab at Chevron (read Techrolene) and we dirtied and cleaned up all types of engines.
Techron actually does a fine job of cleaning up injectors and combustion chambers.
I was amazed to witness what it actually could clean up.
AND I was amazed to witness what non-detergent gasoline would do to a combustion chamber... YUK.

Seafoam =snake oil....like many of those miracle cures

for those that dont know, its naptha, pale oil and IPA

check out the Seafoam MSD someday... IPA, Pale Oil, Naptha..

Adding Seafoam to your tank is just like using drygas...

1 PALE OIL 4229 40-60%
2 NAPHTHA 20 25-35%
3 IPA 125 10-20%

Techron works... having a good fuel filter works.. buying gas from reputable stations works...

Buying Seafoam just makes your wallet a bit lighter

I had trouble passing emmissions in MA this year.
We are the same as CA now...

I changed the ignition parts and oil...still high HC.

I put in a bottle of Techtron, ran a tank of gas...did another one same way....then went back and passed with flying colors.
My HC dropped alot...loads really.

I used Sea Foam on this car two years ago and it clogged up the cat, so that cost me a new cat...Sea Foam is Bad juju.

What I found was the back side of the valve gets carbon on it.
The techtron type stuff softens it so that some of it will get blown out of the chamber.
To get rid of all the carbon, take the head off and start scrubbing.

If you can find something that cleans rock hard carbon, let me know...I hate cleaning carbon of engine parts...

Rich