lucas injector cleaner. Am i crazy?

[Anthony91]

I bought my 1997 silverado almost a year ago. i bought it of the orginal owner who BABIED this truck it has 245k and orginal everything. So it started loseing power around 240k miles, i changed the fuel filter (no change) i also checked plugs and wires (looked new) so intake started leaking at 241 so i changed it. Still kinda doggy it got worse and worse. today it turned 245k miles. so i changed the oil on it, and dumped it some lucas injector cleaner. about 30 miles later. i noticed it the slight stumble was going away... i slamed it to the floor at about 10 miles and hour.. it kicked that ass end out and spun both tires a good 50-60 ft.. Has this stuff ever worked for anyone else!? I LOVE THIS!

[kemble]

Its not the lucas.

[Anthony91]

what else could it be. Its running like Never befor! :)

[Bowtie4ever]

It's possible that you may of had a partially blocked injector(s), and the Lucas cleaned it up.

Or it could be you have a throttle position sensor issue.

[kemble]

I cant say for certain, but there are much better Fuel system cleaners out there.

[ragmc]

The lucas stuff works well but not as good as seafoam

[someotherguy]

BG 44K > *

That is all.

Richard

[Anthony91]

I do love me some sea Foam, i was thinking my timeing was off, Since it has just gotten worse and worse since i did intake gaskets (i marked everything and put it back in identical to how it came out. I will honestly say its Night and day, To me, it did not feel like a fireing issue though (truck ran smooth when ideling at first, But here recently it got to where it would miss every 7 or 8 sec, and sometimes not at all, But any time i went over 1/4 it just got doggie, in reverse giving it gas at all it would just shutter really bad. Now, like i said it runs like a new one does, Like i would expect. I just thought i would share as i had NO SES light, no sparks under the hood at night, and what looks like new cap, rotor, and plug wires, and plugs. i just couldnt imagine the "band aid in a can" fixed my issue, i was thinking much worse! :)

[kemble]

Seafoam isnt a very good fuel system cleaner either. Marketing hype, and internet myths.

[Anthony91]

i use it for Top end cleaner.

[someotherguy]

I leave it sitting on the store counter for people not hip to effective cleaners like BG. :D

Richard

[Anthony91]

so now your saying its not a good top end cleaner?

[Quyonmob]

I leave it sitting on the store counter for people not hip to effective cleaners like BG. :D

Richard

BG hard to get here.:damnit:

[Z71-TAHOE]

Seafoam Is alright. I seen no difference in change except a couple big white clouds of smoke out of my exhaust. So I'm guessing it doesn't really do much unless you try a dirty engine with like 240,000 that has been completely neglected.

[Anthony91]

my truck has 245k miles. But to say it was neglected is Kinda a un-educated comment. carbon Build up Is not caused from neglected its cause from 245k miles of being babied. I bought this truck from the original owner, He kept the transmission flushed regularly, 3k mile oil changes, every 6 months he had a good grease job done, I have a good 20 box of papers for, oil changes, filters, trans flushes, and was Very strict about it. he had it changed at 1k miles, 3k miles 5k miles then 3k miles every change after that. He was a judge so did not spin out, take it mudding etc, and it shows! The smoke is like i said the top end cleaner getting in the motor and Burning out. the carbon (Carbon will not build up on a motor that sees WOT alot.

[Botan]

seafoam and lucas suck. for what they are, you are better off buying a quart of mineral spirits and dumping a shot into each fill up. its cheaper, and its the same stuff, minus the 2 stroke oil.

personally, i put a 1/2 pint of kerosene in my truck at each fill up. i have brand a brand new mpfi spider i installed in march, and i want to keep it clean.

[kemble]

Have you ever seen a msds sheet for Lucas or seafoam? There nothing like mineral spirits.

[Botan]

no, but im sure mineral spirits would be more effective as a solvent.

[kemble]

Or you could actually use a fuel system cleaner that works. I can not say without doubt that mineral spirits would even clean the fuel system.

[Botan]

could, but i have yet to find anything that actually works, ive found it easier to just pull the injectors and clean them manually. not on these trucks with the spiders though. I just run kerosene for precaution. its what i use in my hot tank for cleaning parts, and it works really well there, so im assuming it will keep my new injectors cleaner for longer.

[skylark]

Or you could actually use a fuel system cleaner that works. I can not say without doubt that mineral spirits would even clean the fuel system.
So what do you recommend? You have posted 4 times in this post knocking different cleaners but you haven't endorsed one yet. I'd like to try something different than the seafoam I've used in the past. Richard mentioned the BK but I can't find it here.

[1988 GMC 355]

I am going to go the local Dodge dealer and get the foaming spray cleaner they have and just spray the whole can in the PCV tube at a high idle, let it sit for a few hours then see the smoke show

[Botan]

So what do you recommend? You have posted 4 times in this post knocking different cleaners but you haven't endorsed one yet. I'd like to try something different than the seafoam I've used in the past. Richard mentioned the BK but I can't find it here.

ive said it twice. i use kerosene

[someotherguy]

If there's a Carquest near you, they sell BG products. It's BG not BK. :D Their fuel system cleaner is BG 44K.

http://www.bgprod.com/products/images/208-208A.jpg

That's the product you can dump in the tank or (CAREFULLY, SLOWLY) into the throttle body while running, etc.

BG is a little harder to find because generally it's only marketed to shops, often in larger containers for use in professional type equipment. For more info on BG... http://www.bgprod.com/home.html

[skylark]

ive said it twice. i use kerosene
I was asking Kimble because he seems to have a solid opinion on what he uses but he hasn't said what that is.

[skylark]

It's BG not BK. :D Their fuel system cleaner is BG 44K.

Well crap, thats the problem! I do have a carquest. Thanks for the info.

[kemble]

From what I have seen , there a few easy to get fuel system cleaners that are easy to get and work well. BG 44k, Redline SL1, Techron, gumout regane high mileage, and berryman B12 cleaner.

Due to the amount of PEA or polyether amines that they contain. Which is the actual very good cleaning agent. The berryman b12 doesnt have PEA that I'm aware of but it is a stout chemical concoction that cleans very well.

[skylark]

Thanks for the info!

[2Dr2theNorth]

I've used pretty much all of them....but the only one I noticed a difference using was the REDLINE FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER.

Put it in my Honda cb 900F SuperSport and went for a nice long ride making top speedpulls for over an hour (of course early in morn. and in country when nobody around and on the side roads).

All I can say is that IT DOES work! It ran better and the throttle response was way better too. So much so, I kept cruising around and 'gunning it' the rest of the day. It was like a new fresh bike again.

[01bonnesc]

Your system stays clean as long as there is gas moving through it. Fuel system cleaners are snake oil.

[Quyonmob]

Your system stays clean as long as there is gas moving through it. Fuel system cleaners are snake oil.

o hai

[kemble]

Your fuel system does not stay clean if there is fuel running through it.

[someotherguy]

Your fuel system does not stay clean if there is fuel running through it.
Man that was especially true in the days of MTBE! Talk about nasty crap.

Richard

[01bonnesc]

Your fuel system does not stay clean if there is fuel running through it.

Ok, why not?

[Spoone]

Particulate matter will still deposit on even the smoothest surfaces, regardless of whether it's suspended in fluid or not. Further, any and all gasoline brands have additives ranging from helpful things like to techroline to crap like ethanol. Those additives, when the fluid is NOT in motion, deposit on any surface they come into contact with, and when the fuel evaporates, what you have left is what causes "fuel varnishing" (that sticky junk left over). Anybody who's cleaned an old carburetor will know exactly what I'm talking about..

No, your fuel system is not cleaned when the fuel is in motion, otherwise I doubt ASE shops would recommend cleaning and/or maintenance for your fuel systems.

(For the record, I'm nearing a decade and a half as a professional marine/motorcycle mechanic. I've seen the demise of carburetion and the advent of fuel injection, and as a result, had to learn the differences and best methods of maintenance and repair for them.. :) )

Y'all have a great day and a GREAT holiday!!

[rebelbowtie]

Particulate matter will still deposit on even the smoothest surfaces, regardless of whether it's suspended in fluid or not. Further, any and all gasoline brands have additives ranging from helpful things like to techroline to crap like ethanol. Those additives, when the fluid is NOT in motion, deposit on any surface they come into contact with, and when the fuel evaporates, what you have left is what causes "fuel varnishing" (that sticky junk left over). Anybody who's cleaned an old carburetor will know exactly what I'm talking about..

No, your fuel system is not cleaned when the fuel is in motion, otherwise I doubt ASE shops would recommend cleaning and/or maintenance for your fuel systems.

(For the record, I'm nearing a decade and a half as a professional marine/motorcycle mechanic. I've seen the demise of carburetion and the advent of fuel injection, and as a result, had to learn the differences and best methods of maintenance and repair for them.. :) )

Y'all have a great day and a GREAT holiday!!

self claimed professional and still claim ethanol is crap. sure its not a cure for global warming or our oil dependency but it makes more power. i mean isnt that what all us want? more power? give me a car with an e85 tune any day.

[Spoone]

I call ethanol crap because ethanol is a powerful solvent which is highly corrosive to aluminum (often used in fuel rails and lines), many types of natural and synthetic rubber (used for seals and gaskets), and most types of plastic and fiberglass resin. These are bad news for any car owner, this last will prove disastrous for most boat and some car owners.

If your vehicle was designed with ethanol in mind, you're in better shape than many who's vehicles were not designed for ethanol use (like my 93 K1500..)
I've seen the damage that can occur firsthand, and I've been the guy to repair that damage. (On the upshot, at least the mechanical parts were in good, clean shape :P )

Understand, though, that this is just my opinion, while others may think differently, which is all good.

Have a great day all :)

[rebelbowtie]

And what kind of problems did people face when they phased leaded gasoline out? New engines had to be designed to run unleaded, I'm sure somewhere some mechanic cussed unleaded fuels as being crap.

[Koots]

Using a pressure fed, fuel injector cleaner directly into the fuel system (commonly through a test port on or near the engine) is the best way to clean the injectors, especially in a system such as the CSFI vortecs. It feeds a concentrated amount directly to the fuel rail and into the injectors.

If its a problem with dirty injectors, you will find out right away. Most bottled part store Fuel system cleaners run in such dilute amounts that its best used as preventative maintenance rather than a band aid fix. There are some that are better than others and some that are effective. I havent tried the BG stuff, but its slim pickens up here. The only way i know of the stuffi mentioned before, is from my shop teacher in college who did it for me (it cost me about $20 though) which gave my 98 Sierra 4.3 an immediate boost in throttle response and idle smoothness.