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Fuel Additives

P

Ping Pong

New Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Messages
6
Location
Sac-Tizzle, Kali
Just wondering which ones work and dont work from your guys experiences. Like the prolong, zmax and all that crap. How good did they work, did you notice any difference, and how many miles did it add.
 
Does anyone here use additives? I don't remember reading much about this. I have never used a fuel additive on the Av. I used one once on a previous vehicle and I'm not sure there were any noticeable differences.
 
I personally don't like additives. Only thing I "would" use is Sta-Bil if you were storing a vehicle. As far as maintanance, if you switch brand types of gas about once a month the additives on company uses will break down the deposits left by another.
 
I use a injector cleaner twice a year. Get 2 cans of Berrymans B12 to a full tank of gas. I have had a slight tapping noise in my 5.3 since it was new and have posted to other threads about it. I first checked out the tapping on start up noise thread but that is not my problem, mine taps louder after it is warmed up. After using the Berrymans cleaner it is quiet for a good long while telling me that I have noisy injectors OR that it cleans the carbon and I have piston slap?? Anyway it sounds much better if I use it twice a year!

Butch

 
B 12 Chemtool for fuel and Rislone for the motor.... THey are reliable products... Winn makes a good oil treatment also
 
I also use fuel injector cleaner, about three times a year. It's probably not necessary because I only buy "name-brand" gasoline but, it surely helps keep the injectors clean.

I have noticed, when adding my Vararam, that the throttle body/throttle plate seems prone to getting dirty. My Avy only has 9600 miles on it and there was black soot inside the butterfly already.

My 1992 Grand Caravan has this issue, it starts idling poorly when the soot builds up...it doesn't let the butterfly close all the way. Pretty easy fix, I use a lint-free rag saturated with rubbing alcohol and wipe everthing down as far as I can reach. Did the same with the Avy!

MBT
 
I use a fuel additive in my Avalanche because I was not satisfied with the performance or gas milage. Since using this product milage and performance are much improved. Milage increase is 2-3 miles per gallon and performance increase is about the same as the hypertech program except you don't have to use premium fuel. If you are interested write me and I can hook :B: you up.
 
LUCAS OIL has an excellent additive to the fuel system. Its that fuel injector lubricant. Stuff gets me about 30 more miles per tank. I have 12k on the clock and I swear by that stuff. I even notice that the idle is a bit more smooth too. More mpg for about $3 a bottle. Only downside is you have to put it in every fill up. I'm tellin' ya that stuff is great!


MS
 
MisterSinister said:
LUCAS OIL has an excellent additive to the fuel system. Its that fuel injector lubricant. Stuff gets me about 30 more miles per tank. I have 12k on the clock and I swear by that stuff. I even notice that the idle is a bit more smooth too. More mpg for about $3 a bottle. Only downside is you have to put it in every fill up. I'm tellin' ya that stuff is great!


MS
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Gas around here is about $1.40. I get 17.9 mpg, so for lessthan $3.00, I can get a for sure, no possibility of not, 35+ miles.
So $3.00 for 30 miles wouldn't be much of a bargain, even if I actually got it :eek:
 
Damn, i wish our gas here was $1.40 per gallon. Ours cost about $1.79 for 87 octane at chevron. And thats was about the cheapest i've found. Well, I guess i'll use the injector cleaners after i get my 3K mile service. But after that service is done, I'll be sure to do everything myself to keep my avy running at its best.
 
I get about the same results as with the lucas maybe a little better :B:(17-18 mpg 1/2 city 1/2 hwy and 19-20 hwy) much better accelleration and 9000 mile oil changes using Adonijah Blends and it cost only $0.75 a tank to treat. : :)
 
Has anyone ever heard of a product called FUEL ACTIVATOR? It was or is made by a major company that I cannot remember. We used it to stop the pinging and extend the life of tune-ups in police cars. I used it in a Chev. 454 and it stopped the pinging and increased it by 1 MPG which is a big jump from thr 5-7 MPG in the motorhome. I have used an old product called MARVEL MYSTERY OIL (it is not nice to laugh at a old man) to stop pinging. A few weeks ago I got a tank of cheap gas. Put in a can of Marvel Mystery Oil and the pinging was gone in 10 miles. It may not be for you but it worked for me.

TEXAN :D
 
texan said:
Has anyone ever heard of a product called FUEL ACTIVATOR? It was or is made by a major company that I cannot remember. We used it to stop the pinging and extend the life of tune-ups in police cars. I used it in a Chev. 454 and it stopped the pinging and increased it by 1 MPG which is a big jump from thr 5-7 MPG in the motorhome. I have used an old product called MARVEL MYSTERY OIL (it is not nice to laugh at a old man) to stop pinging. A few weeks ago I got a tank of cheap gas. Put in a can of Marvel Mystery Oil and the pinging was gone in 10 miles. It may not be for you but it worked for me.

TEXAN :D
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Marvel mystry oil is an old standby that we used for years... It'd slipped my mind... A darn good product@!
 
most gas suppliers add it probably as a filler, and is probably cheaper than gas, so i don't use it anymore, but i still pour a bottle of marvel mystery oil in the GTO a few time a year.
 
i have used the Berrymans B-12 as well. i accidently spilled some on my hands, and the side of my wifes' truck. i noticed how quickly it dried. also the dry spot it left on my hand. essentially drying all the lotion on the spot where it was on my hand. this makes me think that it will be harsh on the o-rings in the injectors. ??? it could dry them out pre-maturely. for this reason i would recommend using Lucas Oil or Mystery Oil fuel injector cleaner. both of these cleaners contain lubricants as well as cleaners.
 
This gas additive issue has been discussed here in other threads but I don't believe that it has been discussed in a thread by itself. It's your call, everyone will have their own opinion. I personally use a couple of bottles of name brand fuel injector cleaner every time that I change my oil to help keep the injectors clean. I now have over 52k and still get the same gas mileage that I did the day that the truck was new.

There are many "snake oils" out there. They claim that they clean you engine and improve performance. Most of them are not worth the money because most fuel injected engines run very clean to start off with, if they are correctly mantained. I am no mechanic but have read about these things and don't believe that there is any real advantage other than to get your hard earned $$'s. I agree with what others have said here about the B12, marvel mystery oil and the Lucas are good products that are not too expensive.
 
Just add some STP Injector Cleaner every oil change just to keep things fresh. Also do one gallon af race fuel(112 octane) once a year just for SAG >:D

MMMMMMM Smell that? Whats that Sir? Son thats Race Fuel! I love the smell of Race Fuel in the morning. Smells like... Victory.
 
bonedog said:
MMMMMMM Smell that? Whats that Sir? Son thats Race Fuel! I love the smell of Race Fuel in the morning. Smells like... Victory.
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I like that quote Bonedog ;)
 
Can't take the credit for it though. Its the I love the smell of napalm line in Apocolypse Now. Just add race gas!! (y) >:D
 
Figured this would be a good place to post this as I received this question via e-mail. FWIW, I work in R&D for Fuel Systems for a major tier-1 auto supplier - and yes, we have some parts in the Avy fuel system...
Hello UncleMiltie

I was reading one of your posts on CAFCNA where you said you are a Fuel System Engineer and was wondering if I could get your advice on a fuel additive. One of the other members suggested that I try a additive called Adonjah Blends gasoline fuel conditioner. The product is located at www.adonijahblends.com if you have time to take a look. I understand that most of these products have little value but as it only cost $12 for a 16 oz jug I was willing to give it a try as long as it does not contain something that could damage my AV. As he claims in the area of 3 MPG with the use of 1 oz per tank that would only be $.75 extra each tank. Again when you get time if you could just take a look and see if you find anything that would cause damage.

Many thanks in advance.

TEXAN
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Hi there Texan,

I just took a look at the fuel additive's web page, and there is nothing there that jumps out at me as a ridiculous claim. It sounds like a typical fuel system cleaner. Most fuel system cleaners have some combinations of a degreaser that is light enough to mix with gasoline and help remove deposits left by gas. Unfortunately, I can't find any info that tells me anything beside the basics, so I can only guess as I haven't run into this stuff before.

That being said, there is nothing that I saw that would guarantee you a performance gain. For most people, a fuel cleaner will give them a good performance boost, simply because they never clean their fuel system - like my wife. ;) For a car with a dirty fuel system, a good cleaner will easily match the claims made on that web page. On the other hand, if you regularily clean your system, I would doubt you'll see any difference at all.

The power your engine gets is due to the energy in the fuel you burn, and how much of it burns in the combustion chamber. A cleaner, more complete burn results in better mileage and more power. But if your system is already clean, there isn't a cleaner out there that will get you a better burn. In order to accomplish that, it would have to have more energy than the gasoline - which has very similar energy in nearly every commercial grade.

If you're truly looking for mileage gains, there are a few things that will help - get road / touring tires, inflate them properly, get a better air intake, and a less restrictive exhaust are some of the easier more common approaches. Taking the foot off the gas is easily the best way to improve mileage - both while accelerating, and by not driving as fast (but where's the fun in that?) And of course, keeping the fuel system clean. :)

Good luck!

UncleMiltie
 
Uncle Miltie was pretty much on target when he stated that cleaner engines get better mileage but the key points are when and how much of the fuel is burned in the combustion chamber. Cleaning is a secoundary benifit of the product. The primary focus is to change the molecular structure of the fuel so that :

A) Hydro-carbons with very low flash points do not pre-ignite (knock & ping causing your engines computer to retard the timing which robs performance and economy).

B) lock the lighter hydro-carbons togeather with heavier hydro-carbons (the heavier hydro-carbons burn slower and tend to burn in the exhaust pipe rather than in the combustion chamber)

By doing this the fuel waits for the spark plug to start the combustion process instead of pre-ignition. When the process is started by the spark plug your computer senses there is no preignition or pinging and allows the timing to actually be advanced resulting in improvements. Also by locking the very volitile lighter hydor-carbons to the heavier hydro-carbons more of the heavier hydro-carbons burn in the combustion chamber rather than in the exhaust pipe. This can be seen by the reduction of temps. in the exhaust pipe. But the proof is in the pudding, see what it does for you.
 
...and it brings up the point...I keep my Avy clean, I don't fill the tank when the gas truck is there (all that stirred sediment) check my tire air and have the low restriction intake (UPD) and exhaust (Corsa) so...my mileage for my 2002 Avalanche Z71 driven mostly city and rarely in 4WD (2 wheel Hi) got about 12MPG in the city when brand new...I am the original owner...when I added the UPD my mileage stayed at 12MPG...when I added the Corsa exhaust, it zoomed to 12MPG...I have tried the Lucas cleaner/lubricant for fuel injectors and stayed at 12MPG...
I am not heavy on the go pedal and I try to drive properly but I wanna have fun (the reason for the UPD and Corsa! (y) ;D)
I even use Mobil 1 and...12MPG...
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Any thoughts???
Bill :B: :cool: ;D ;)
 
I have used this performance booster from NAPA, I don't remember the name, but it did give me better performance in terms of gas mileage and throttle responce for a couple of days. I added a bottle to a full tank of gas and that was the result.

-James R. :cool:
 
More info


http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php?board=112;action=display;threadid=3742;view=all
 
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