Any Worthwhile Additives?

[LaneLester]

Are there lubrication and/or fuel additives that provide more value than their cost?

What about additives to the crankcase? At least one forum member is a Tufoil enthusiast; are there others on here who use it?

What about fuel additives? Fuel injector cleaner favorites? How often should they be used?

Lane

[rocket]

synthetic oil.

lasts longer than regular (less oil changes = save money over time), less resistant (less power overcoming friction, more turning wheels)

[ebacherville]

id say fuel injector cleaner int he gas ever few tanks would be a good.. keep the injectors cleaned and spraying at the best possable..

Im also a Seafoam fan.. its amazing what that stuff will clean out of a motor..

[MetroMPG]

Engine oil weight selection will have a larger impact on efficiency than regular vs. synthetic (ever wonder why the synthetic oil makers don't claim improved MPG on their products?). Go for the lightest weight oil recommended for your vehicle use/temperature range.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by ebacherville

id say fuel injector cleaner int he gas ever few tanks would be a good.. keep the injectors cleaned and spraying at the best possable..

Im also a Seafoam fan.. its amazing what that stuff will clean out of a motor..

I definitely agree. Seafoam is one the best solvents I've come across. You can put it in the fuel tank for the injectors, the crankcase before an oil change, or draw it into a vaccum line to really clear out the gunk/carbon. (Afterwards, it's a good idea to install a PCV "Catch Device" to prevent the oily residue from forming again in the intake manifold, etc.)

SF goes into every internal combustion engine in my garage (including the mower). Some recommend AutoRX, but Seafoam can be bought at most auto parts stores.

I must caution, as the carbon burns-off during the vaccum draw, it produces copious amounts of white smoke. On vehicles that are really loaded-up, it may take a bit of driving (a few miles) before the smoke disappears.

RH77

[Zukibot]

I've been using around 5oz. of 2/3rds Marvel Mystery Oil & 1/3rd Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant every other fill-up or so in the Zuki. The SX4 has a 11.9 gallon capacity fuel tank.

I don't feel comfortable claiming a MPG increase, because it's so subjective, but I have noticed a 1.4 MPG decrease when not using this mix.

I am thinking about trying this locally made fuel additive called E3 Fuels, next.

[regor]

I've been happy with Tufoil. Been using it for 20 years or so. Never had any problems with my vehicles. Always noticed a lower RPM and higher MPG. When I had my 98 Dodge Ram, I had the infamous engine knock. This knock was so bad, it sounded like two sledge hammers hitting each other. Dodge said nothing was wrong and the noise wasn’t hurting my engine. For whatever reason, it wasn’t until the Ram hit 40,000 that I put tufoil in, within 1-2,000 miles, the knocking was gone. Sadly, or happily, Dodge was forced to buy back the Ram (Lemon Law) and that was it.
I use Mobil-1 in all my vehicles, probably just for that added protection. I also tend to put some Marvel Mystery Oil in my fuel tank every other fill up. I will stick a can of B-12 in the fuel tank 1 fill up before my oil changes.
Probably 25 years ago, a friend, whose father was a manager at a local Pep Boys, convinced me to buy a fuel catalyst called “Propel”. I wished another “real” fuel catalyst, such as Propel, which you added to the fuel tank, would come out.

[PolyOlefin]

Everyone should learn about FP+ by LCD, Inc. It is unlike any fuel additive on the market, using a different main ingredient (I don't remember what). It's been around for many decades but only recently been revamped and offered to the average consumer over the internet. It is not a shock dose additive, but a maintenance dose product. I use 1.5 oz. every tankful.

Terry Dyson of Dyson Analysis has repeatedly expressed his positive opinions on FP+'s abilities as an upper cylinder lubricant, combustion chamber/fuel line/fuel injector cleaner, and a fuel pump lubricant. It also acts as a gas stabilizer, though some have claimed it's not so great at that. The home consumer makes up a small portion of their customer base, as the company usually sells in bulk to organizations (Durham Transportation school buses, Bay City, MI school buses, Government of Mexico, etc.). From what I can gather, their main business comes from school bus and trucking companies.

I've been using it for almost a year, though I can't give you any MPG improvement figures. I don't have any records of gas mileage prior to using FP+ so there's nothing to compare. They don't make any outrageous claims; FP+ *may* increase gas mileage because reducing combustion chamber and fuel injector deposits will make for a more efficient engine.

I am a believer because countless UOAs at the BITOG forums have shown improvement with Fuel Power. Tribologists there agree that it works incredibly well. Take a look at the website and the product analysis of FP+ and LC20.

I was planning on starting a whole new thread dedicated to getting people to try FP+ and observe any changes in gas mileage. I have a lot of faith in Terry who does my oil analysis, so some of that confidence spills over into the products he supports.

Buy it! I want to see objective data on this additive.

[regor]

I've read about FP, but I guess what prevents me from trying it is that they want almost $10 for shipping.

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by PolyOlefin

I was planning on starting a whole new thread dedicated to getting people to try FP+ and observe any changes in gas mileage. I have a lot of faith in Terry who does my oil analysis, so some of that confidence spills over into the products he supports.

Buy it! I want to see objective data on this additive.

Probably should start another thread on it because this will get way off topic.

[regor]

Maybe you can contact the firm and see if they are interested in creating a group buy for us. I just think the high shipping fee is too much.

[ALS]

I've been using Fuel Power 60 and it's replacement FP-3000 from Lube Control for a few years with good results.
I found that I had forgot to add it on my last two tanks and I saw my fuel mileage drop. The first one was slight and the second one jumped way out in front of me when I saw my fuel mileage on that tank. I didn't forget to add it when I filled up yesterday. I'll see what this tanks mileage is in a few weeks when I fill up again. From what I can tell I lost between .75 and 1.25 mpg in those two tanks.
Another product I have had great results with is Auto-Rx.
I used it in my 97 Volvo 960 at 70K miles and saw a jump between one and one and a half mpg. It is an engine cleaner you dump in your oil and drive for 2,500 to 3,000 miles. I use 3oz as a maintenance dose in my DD a 87 Volvo 740 turbo and the valve train and the camshaft is spotless.
Other than those two I haven't seen any product that really does what it says. Two others that seem to have had good reviews are Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil. Personally I have never used them so no input on those two.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by regor

Maybe you can contact the firm and see if they are interested in creating a group buy for us. I just think the high shipping fee is too much.

Better yet -- free empirical testing! I'm sure someone here would take a free one for the sake of Science -- right guys!

*Disclaimer -- yeah, um... I haven't really tested SeaFoam in any form I guess the smoke means it's working! It did eliminate valve clatter after a couple treatments, which is some data. Otherwise, the butt-dyno hasn't noticed anything...

RH77

[Johnny Mullet]

I use no additives at all. I don't believe in them to tell you the truth. I truly believe fuel system cleaners or injector cleaner added to fuel does nothing but shorten the fuel pump life. Gasoline itself is not only a flammable liquid, but it also cleans.

If you have to add additives to your oil, then you must be using the wrong oil. I simply change my oil every 5000 miles and use the lightest recommended grade of non-synthetic oil.

It all comes down to what the manufacturer recommends and there is an interesting book in the glovebox called an "Owners Manual" that everyone should read. If you don't have one, get one! That manual says nothing about adding poop.

Now there are 2 small things....................

SeaFoam - Great for cleaning a gunked up engine, but not as an additive.
Marvel Mystery Oil - I dunno because it's so mysterious.

[steensn]

I use Sea Foam to clean out the engine, hecka lotta smoke... crazy! Didn't do any A/B good tank test yet, but as overall maint. it does knock out a lot of gunk that can build up.

[Formula413]

Seafoam via a vacuum line is always good for a nice smoke show.

[darkdan]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

SeaFoam - Great for cleaning a gunked up engine, but not as an additive.
Marvel Mystery Oil - I dunno because it's so mysterious.

Seafoam does NOT belong in the crankcase. It's pale oil, lighter fluid, and rubbing alcohol and does not have the proper cleaning ability or lubricating ability to be in the engine.

I am a huge fan of Auto-Rx Engine Cleaner and FP60 by Lube Control

I've been successfully using them for years. Nothing has improved my mpg better than those two products on the nearly a dozen or so cars I've used it on.

[Bror Jace]

Yes darkdan, I am pained by the excellent, although undeserved, reputation SeaFoam has. Your description sounds about right ... rather unremarkable ingredients that might have slight (but probably insignificant) benefits as a fuel additive ... but is NOT to be used in the crankcase as many do.

Regardless, the stuff is overpriced and should be passed up.

Johnny, far be it from me to question The Mullet, but I believe a good, pour-in cleaner used 1-2 times per year is an excellent practice. There's simply too much bad gas out there and I've seen the good cleaners like Red Line Oil SI-1 fix a stumbling engine with less than 1/2 of a bottle used.

[Johnny Mullet]

If there was a miracle mystery juice that restores an unmaintained engine back to new, then everyone would have over a million miles on their cars. How do you think our company maintains a fleet of trucks with over a million miles on them? With "miracle juice"? No, but with regular maintenance.

I tear down engines all the time and can tell if it has regular maint done just by looking inside. I maintain my crap and never had an engine fail on me. Now, I do know that Seafoam does clean a gunked up engine and regularly using it keeps it clean, however, dump some of that into an unmaintained engine and there is the chance of carbon deposits getting lodged into the valve seats and burn it up.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I do know that Seafoam does clean a gunked up engine and regularly using it keeps it clean, however, dump some of that into an unmaintained engine and there is the chance of carbon deposits getting lodged into the valve seats and burn it up.

Very true. Down in Akron, my folks loaned a relative their '93 K2500 / 350. LSS, she overheated it and limped it back home (yes, after throwing a rod in my Dad's mint 1988 Cutlass -- oil light was on -- checked the tranny fluid by accident -- ran it out of oil). Family tension mounts.

Anyways, the truck was salvaged (maintained well up to that point). My Step-Dad put in a new rad, but it wouldn't turn over, even with a new batt. Thought it was toast. He doesn't wrench much, so I recommended dumping Seafoam into the cylinders and letting it set a day or so while other repairs were going on: change the oil, etc. The next day -- fired right up! It lives! The Farm Truck returned to the farm where it belongs. 200K miles and still hauling.

We'll see how long it lasts.

Now, for the Olds. Dad bought it new. 80K original miles on a 1988! The interior looks like the model year brochure. It runs, but the rod's clearly thrown. It's the last RWD Cutlass, before they intro'd the FWD model that year.

It has that (IMO) pathetic 140 hp, 307-CID V-8, but it's "original" so he's upset (a true car guy). What's a cheap alternative? We've looked at Jasper, crate engines, etc -- all really worth more than the car itself. It would make affordable transpo if repaired (except for the FE). It just sits (2 years now).

RH77