It depends on how much cleaner is in the gas that you use. Back in 1988 BMW
recommended that Techron cleaner be used because the cleaner in most gas
was not adequate for port fuel injection. Since then the amount of cleaner
in gas was increased, but "bargain" gas may not have enough cleaner.

 

this one?
http://www.autobarn.net/ch67740t.html

I think this is the one I've seen at the auto store:
http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=54

 

yeah i used a bottle of chevron cleanor a couple thousand miles ago. Ill probably use a bottle every 10k or so

 

yeah i used a bottle of chevron cleanor a couple thousand miles ago. Ill probably use a bottle every 10k or so

Did you feel anything better? I don't think you would notice anything, but I'm just curious. I'm gonna buy that Valvoline the next time I have to fill up the tank.

 

this one?
http://www.autobarn.net/ch67740t.html

*
Yep, When I bought my '88 BMW a case of Techron was in the trunk.

 

Here's what i'm running currently. I don't "feel" a difference yet, but I'm hoping it works.

 

I only use BG products. I've tried the other off the shelf stuff you get at Advanced Auto, like Valvoline or STP and they seem to make my car run worse than before, sluggish. BG is more expensive, like $15 a can, but it's worth it. You feel the difference right away, a few miles after you leave the pump.

 

I've used fuel injector/system cleaner in every one of my cars. just good practice in my opinion, no matter what type of gas you use. My last car took premium and I still used the cleaner every oil change. I could always tell a difference in performance afterward. Walmart has a fine line of fuel system cleaners, including both mentioned in this thread.

 

I've always had good result from Redline FIC. I always hear the name Justice Brothers mention by magazines and mechanics (never tried it myself).

 

I use STP fuel injector cleaner in my gas tank and I use Rislone in my oil to keep my cars running GREAT for a long time!!! I haven't started using anything in the Titan yet but, I will soon.

 

For those not sure Please read the last paragraph of the attachment.

 

That's typical advice, so broad & all inclusive as to not be very useful. If it would be
more specific & mention particular chemicals to avoid it would be more useful advice.
I wonder what chemical Nissan uses to flush fuel injectors.

 

That's typical advice, so broad & all inclusive as to not be very useful. If it would be
more specific & mention particular chemicals to avoid it would be more useful advice.
I wonder what chemical Nissan uses to flush fuel injectors.

They(the manufacturer) probably use the same chemicals if not, something similiar.

 

I use Seafoam in the crankcase, gas tank and vacuum lines in my 1991 Q45 and I use Seafoam in the gas tank of the Titan.

 

My Titan Manual says: Never use commercial fuel cleaning agents (octane boosters, cleaners, intake valve deposit removers, etc)

 

All gas contains fuel injector cleaners (usually made by Chevron Chemical) and intake valve cleaners (usually made by Mobil Chemical). How do I know this? I was the foreman on the building of the reactors and additional reactors that make the products in both cases. From what I learned from the chemical engineers on these projects, additional cleaners are not needed (I ask a lot of questions). I have never used any cleaners in any of my fuel injected vehicles and they all run fine. Two of the vehicles are now approaching 100K miles. At the time, which was more than 10 years ago, the federal EPA made Chevron and Mobil the sole suppliers of these cleaners to all gas suppliers in the US for 10 years. That was in exchange for the cost of R & D and construction of the reactors.

On a side note, the same kind of deal was made with Hess Oil (former owner of the NY Jets), for MTBE, an oxygenator in gas which was replaced by ethyanol before the 10 year deal was up. They soon found out the the MTBE in exhaust emmisions was contaminating ground water, so the deal was called off, costing the Feds $250 million, and leaving Hess with 6 million gallons of MTBE which is still being put in gasoline in very minute proportions till the MTBE is used up.

 

The additive packages (intake system solvents) are pretty much the only difference between gasolines. The refiners will offer different packages to the distributers ( It is possible a few may not get any additive ). When I worked at Amoco ,they kept evaluating new additives and additives from other refiners ; It probably kept 10 techs in the engine lab busy ,( they occationally brought intake valves to our lab for photos). The majors do very little of that work now ( eg.layed off 10 techs) , they often buy from secondary suppliers like Lubrizol, Castroil.
I figure at the price of gasoline , a few % improvement is worth getting additives occationally. I think the only majors that still test themselves are Cheveron, Shell and Exxon/Mobil, so I only buy "mouse milk" (old trade name for additives) from those companies.

 

I read any interview about 3 years ago, with somebody from one of the big names (Maybe Exxon, I don't recall, but a known person too) who said all gas has a Federal required minimum level of additives. Name brand gas has more than Fed minimum, and their 93 had twice as much as their 87.

 

Unfortuneatly that sounds right. It is the idoits in congress/ EPA that required MBTE, then prohibited it after refinerys built units to make it. And now require alcohol to "buy" midwest votes. Also , the fed /EPA require about 10 different gasoline in nothern IL and other areas, causing extra high prices and shortages.
There used to be about 4 blends before EPA; low altitude reg and premium, high altitude reg and prem (I guess that was 8 blends because they would change summer and winter). The oil companies got each others gasoline and tested octane (and additive package). Amoco would get excited when they found (for example) , Shell premim was 0.2 octane higher on the east cost--now should Amoco increase octane in the area ? I doubt any of that goes on anymore.

 

So, my question after reading all of this, is when the dealership does the $230 fuel system cleaning, the majority of the work involves the throttle body. It gets carbon build up pretty easily. If I take off my own throttle body and clean it with something like a Gumout Carb and Choke cleaner, and then run a fuel system cleaner like STP, for a couple of tanks, did I just save around $200? Is there more to it then that? Both my Titan and my wife's Altima Hybrid are due for this. If I can save $400 for an afternoon's worth of work, it is very much worth it!

 

With port fuel injection, there should be no fuel in the throttle body to foul it up . The fuel is added at the intake valves; so injection nozzles, intake valve and guides should be the only parts with fuel residue. I hope/think these would be cleaned by the fuel additives. That would leave the Mass Air Flow sensor in the throttle body to be cleaned of any deposits from the air. In my '85 300ZX ,the MAF (wire) was heated to red hot for a second(s) each time it started, to clean it. That MAF never had any other cleaning in 140K miles that I know of.

 

Blacksmith37, you are correct. No fuel is transferred to the engine through the throttle body. However, some particulate is small enough to make it through the air cleaner. More over, on the back side of the "Butterfly" (I don't know the technical term, but that is what we used to call it) flap that closes when you let off the gas, you can see all sorts of gunk within just a thousand miles. This is due to the valves slapping open and closed (From what I understand). They can have backsplash from the valves (Again, from what I understand). I may not have all of the info on this. Maybe someone else could explain this better or correct me on this.