Topic: snake oil?

[Don R]

 Has anyone had any luck with fuel additives?  I usually don't believe a lot of what I'm told but recently my 2003 8.1L GMC Duallie had a check engine light come on and was running rough. I couldn't get it in the shop for a week so I topped off the tank with no alcohol gas and added a bottle of Lucas fuel injector cleaner. Within  30 miles the miss disappeared and the check engine light went out.  It might have been the fresh gas but I'll take it.

[simon#42]

never had much faith in fuel additives , i do like lucas products though , i use their assembly lube , greases and oils and rate them all highly

[rocket johnny]

for a injection cleaner i use b-g  44k    expensive but works

[slikwilli420]

never had much faith in fuel additives , i do like lucas products though , i use their assembly lube , greases and oils and rate them all highly

Faith in some of their products but not others?? Whats the rationale?

[Duke McDukiedook]

Coulda just been the gallon of water your gasohol picked up when sitting.

[Terry in Australia]

Like everything in this world, there are things that work, and things that don't. I'm a "Pro-Ma" fan, all of their products that I've used have worked just as advertised, but I've also used some other "Brand Name" products that didn't do sh1t.

My Yamaha FJR1300 with 234,000 Km (147,000 miles) started to run like sh1t when I let the tank get low on the ride back from Melbourne to Canberra in 2016, so once I limped back home I posted a question on a couple of forums and was told by the "Experts" that I needed new injectors, new fuel pump, new ignition, blah blah blah.

Next day I limped it over to the gas station and dumped in a bottle of fuel system cleaner and withing 10 miles it was running like new again. Just like I don't trust a lot of snake oil, I don't trust a lot of "Experts" either............

[Steve F]

Most recently, I had to use my generator for a few days after a storm went through.  Luck had it that the thing wouldn't start because the carb had gotten gummed up a bit.  I had to start it using a shot of GUMOUT directly into the intake.  It started right up but wouldn't idle and was running rough on full throttle.  Poured in half of a can of SEAFOAM and topped off the tank with fresh gas.  Mind you there was  still 3/4 a tank of old gas still in there, but it started to run a bit better, not great.  Let it run to almost empty and refilled with fresh fuel.  STILL not good, so I dumped in the other half of the SEAFOAM and within 30 minutes it was smooth and running great again.

[MarkVMod0]

I have a few CBX's, six pain in the ass carbs so I use Stabil when I can't get down to the only station with ethanol free gas, I haven't had to pull the carbs for cleaning after a long winter storage so I guess the stuff works

Mule

[RAFster122s]

b-g  44k is excellent stuff.  They make one version you feed directly into the fuel rail of injected cars and it does a great job of doing a deep clean of the injectors. To be done by someone who knows what they are doing. The b-g 44k is consumer friendly pour in the tank version, right?

I had a 1982 Volvo 244DL that did over 275k miles and I would run Shell fuel in it most of the time and when traveling I would treat it to Chevron and I used Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner additive to the fuel tank about 3-4 times a year. It had mechanical Bosch K-jetronic injectors and the injectors were originals and still worked very well at 275k miles!  Car was retired due to wiring harness issues and rust, lived in central Ohio.

I personally like SeaFoam a lot and my bikes get it with nearly every tank. I have even used it in the motor of my car to see if it would help with noisy hydraulic lifters. It didn't but I had little hope it would. Known issue with the Ford modular 4.6L motor of '00 vintage and it needs new lifters to correct the issue.
They make a transmission additive I have heard good things about.

David

[jgger]

Raf, next oil change throw a qt of Marvel Mystery Oil in there (substitute 1 qt of oil for 6he MMO) it might just quiet that bad boy down a bit.

I have a 4.6 in my 2000 Expedition and it sounded real quiet to me.............but I'm about 3/4 deaf. Haha!

[RAFster122s]

Thanks jgger and Cal, just changed oil to fresh Mobil 1 5w30 for winter ease of starting and better lube on cold mornings, faster warmups seem to occur. Put Redline MTL in a Volvo M46 manual transmission years ago and below freezing issue with the shifter siezing and feeling like a noodle went away as well as whine in extreme cold weather.
Technology at work guys, use it...I do.

Migraine kept me up all night so time for trying to get a nap in to see if I can break this headache. Migraines impair my motor skills often and make some activities very painful, bright lit rooms being one of them...staying home at least 1/2 the day.

David

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, forgot about Seafoam, another great product. I bought my old 1997 Hyundai Excel cheap in 2002, with a noticeable lifter tick. Drove it like that for 16 years until this year when I dumped in half a bottle of Seafoam, and within a few days, lifter tick was gone. Tipped the rest into my 1998 Ford Explorer in the hope that it would free up the hydraulic cam chain tensioners, and when I drove it yesterday, I couldn't hear the rattle at all. Good stuff.  

[kpier883]

Seafoam has worked well for my motorcycle carbs.  I use it when a bike sits longer than expected.  Add some before riding after the hibernation.

[WhyNot2]

What's the prices people are paying for Seafoam?

[Terry in Australia]

Over here in Oz where its not officially imported I buy it from a speed shop in Adelaide, so I probably pay 2 or 3 times the RRP in the US, but to me, it works, so is worth it. Having said that, I've got the recipes for both Seafoam and MMO (which I haven't been able to find in Oz yet) so I should try to make some, if the recipes are accurate, theres nothing special in either product.

[WhyNot2]

Over here in Oz where its not officially imported I buy it from a speed shop in Adelaide, so I probably pay 2 or 3 times the RRP in the US, but to me, it works, so is worth it. Having said that, I've got the recipes for both Seafoam and MMO (which I haven't been able to find in Oz yet) so I should try to make some, if the recipes are accurate, theres nothing special in either product.

Cool...

Here in the states the auto stores charge 12 bux a can, but you can get it half price at malwarts.....(wallie world)

[Yamahawk]

What's the prices people are paying for Seafoam?

Menards has Seafoam for $6.88 a can, all the time. It works very well, remember to follow the instructions on the can. It has actually been around at least 60 years, and the magic ingredient...(SHhhhh... don't tell anyone) is...

                                                                                                                                  PENETRATING OIL!

Charlie

[BomberMann650]

Witnessed Amsoil Quickshot clear some ex250 slow jets in less than 10 minutes. 

[Don R]

 When I was 16 I pulled into a gas station, the attendant asked me if it was my brother that had the flathead fords and if I knew how to fix a sticky valve. I told him Marvell Mystery Oil. He really didn't believe me but tried it and the next time I needed gas he thanked me for fixing his flattie. Later, he was my barber, I never got a free haircut for that.
  I used MMO on a small block 305 chevy for a lifter problem and it ran quiet until the leaky intake gasket made the antifreeze leak out.
  I ran some through a gl1000 that sat a long time but it made the clutch grabby. 

[faux fiddy]

In our project cars when we are done with the head gasket or whatever snake oil has always meant ether.

The origin of the term was from tribes where up from the ground comes a bubbling crude.  Used as medicine. Probably New York or maybe Pennsylvania. Seneca tribe Senica oil, bastardized into snake oil.

Just a stupid fact for banter and bovi excrement.