Snake Oil...Vodoo or a good thing..??

[Xtreme XJ]

Hey all:
Injector cleaner... yes or no ? The kind that you put in your gas tank & run through with your gas. I've got a trip planned (afew K) and was wondering if I should dump in a bottle?
Also which one ? I've never used this stuff so thats why I was asking.....
If this is on the wrong board I'm sorry.
Thanks for any thoughts or recomendations......
Curt (aka Xtreme XJ)

[Kejtar]

I'm pretty happy with the Chevron Teflon that comes in a small bottle.... One bottle treats a whole tank (carefull there are smaller and bigger bottles).
In any case, I'd recommend first using the Chevron fuel system cleaner (a more expensive bottle) and then following that in about 3K miles with just an injector cleaner...

Kejtar

[martin]

Curt,

Yes, I agree with Kejtar on the use of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner. They sell the Techron Concentrate in 12, 16 and 20 oz bottles. Once ounce treats a gallon so make sure you get the 20 oz bottle.

Here the Chevron site so you can read up on Techron http://www.chevron.com/prodserv/fuels/gas%5Fqanda/tech%5Fcon.shtml

I also buy Chevron gasoline since they put a maintenance dose of Techron in every gallon.

I moved from another state and when I got to Kentucky I filled up with Chevron gas and put a bottle of the Techron concentrate in the tank. In 30 miles I already was noticing a difference in how my 88 XJ performed. I also did the same thing with my 89 Buick Century and within 30 miles noticed a difference in performance. I am sold on it!

Martin

[Idiot Wind]

Hey guys/gals,

Has anyone used this product?

http://www.bgprod.com/bgconsumer/bgservices/44k.html

It is rather pricey, around $22.00 a can however I have heard it been referred to as 'Liquid Maintenance' by an Autozone Employee as well as a local garage here in town. I even think they sell it at dealerships.

At times i suffer from 'if it is expensive, it's worth it' and it pisses me off. ;) I sure would like to hear this groups opinion on it if they have one.

Thanks!

[Kejtar]

hmmm never heard of it before (which doesn't mean much necessarily)..... I suffer ussually from the same: expensive = good, but then I also suffer from: heard it mentioned often = good, not heard it mentioned = bad/guinea pig....

Kejtar

[RichP]

Check out 'sea foam' at the napa store, cleared up my sons 81 caddy eldorado that was running rough. It's about $3 a can and you can also slowly pour it into the throttle body to clean out carbon deposits. Similar to GM 's top engine cleaner I guess.
I also use the chevron Techron, about evry 4 or 5 k I dump in a large bottle. Milage goes back up also which is kinda how I tell I need it.

[thecroat1]

I used a can of BG 44K about a month ago because a buddy of my Dad's recommended it, and I am pretty happy with the results. I get about 40 more miles per tank of gas, and the slight surge I was experiencing during acceleration cleared up. From what I have read it is the same stuff that Chevron uses in their "Techron" fuel additive just more of it. I picked up a can from the jeep dealer here in Sacramento for about $20.00.

[imma honky]

I will agree with RichP. SeaFoam from NAPA works great, plus you can put some in your oil as well.

[HossHoffer]

The BG injector cleaner is about as good as you can buy. It will clean out all the stuff that the other bottles of cleaner won't touch. I had run 2 bottles of some other brand through my XJ and still had idle and missing problems. One can of the BG cleaned it right up. It cost more (about $20 a can) but if one can won't clean it up nothing else will. I've used BG products for 25 years and they are serious stuff. They also have an oil additive that works well in your diffs.

[ECKSJAY]

Have treated 4 cars now with Lucas fuel system cleaner. It's an upper cylinder lubricant that kicks out the carbon and cleans the injectors. I put it in my gf's car and didn't tell her. She came home and said her car was running great on the way to and from work. ;) I noticed at least 25% estimated power increase with my Jeep's 4.0L right after putting it in the tank. I love it and it was only $6.50 for a 32oz bottle...3oz per 10 gallons.

[1986xj]

Used the injector cleaner from JB in my wifes old V6 mustang she used to have and it went from hardly running to running like new. http://www.justicebrothers.com/fueladditives.htm
And I used the PI additive from Amsoil in my 88 F350 w/EFI 460 for a few tank fulls and it cleared up all the low end roughness and brought back all the low end torque.
http://www.amsoil.com/products/api.html
HTH,
Mike B.

[Xtreme XJ]

Hey guys thanks for all the replies, now I've got some researching to do....
A friend who owns a shop says it's all B.S. when it comes to additives and doesn't believe in them....
Thanks for all the info. now I've got to figure out which one to use.
Curt (aka Xtreme XJ)

[ZombiE]

Where can you buy the BG cleaner from?

Alex

[txlen]

ok.guys...i'm a mechanic here at the local dodge-jeep dealership...been a mechanic for 23yrs now..i can tell ya that the BG-44K stuff works..we've tried the justice brothers stuff and a few others, inclluding wynn's.....and the BG stuff works great!!...it ain't cheap but it works...i use it in my 96 xj...works great...they even have an engine flush kis to get rid of sludge and stuf....we've tested it and did a compression test before and after the flush...went from 123 psi up to 155 psi in the cylinders...try this stuff...it works!!..Len

[RichP]

I discovered that some of the cleaners are 'unfriendly' to plastic and with the newer tanks being plastic I'd be a might careful. We had no problems with the YJ but we ran two cans of Valvoline gold thru back to back. Three days later the fuel pump packed up and we had all kinds of black 'gunk' coating the pickup sock and in the fuel filter. Dropped the tank, the inside felt kind of slimy and left a black residue on my fingers, cleaned the tank out with dishwashing soap and lots of clean water, let it dry and added some gas and let it sit there for overnite, refelt the inside of the tank, no more slimey, no more residue. In moderation the liquids are OK, I've used them for years but don't get carried away and add multiple cans at one time.
If you want to get the injectors cleaned big time I would suggest either haveing them professionally done or pickup the 3M kit, ~$100 w/cannister, it takes about an hour the first time, read the directions, and does a good job.

[Handlebars]

I've worked on Toyota and Lexus cars since 1988 and have yet to see one fixed with one of those additives. There is a BG salesman that comes to my dealer each month with a high pressure sales pitch, including a $1 kickback to the technician for each can he sells.

I sounds like a bunch of you are sold. Maybe I'll throw a can in my 4500lb XJ and gain back the performance it had when I first bought it? :bs:

[RichP]

I'm not sold on additives by any means, however when used as a part of normal operation I think the FI cleaners do work. I generally add a bottle of Valvoline or Chevron every 5K or so. I don't look at it as a miracle cure at all. Also I never or very rarely run my XJ for less than 30 minutes so that varnish generally does not build up from evaporating fuel. At least thats what I think.

[Thayer]

I just poured a can of BG 44K into my tank and noticed a rubber/plastic ring on the bottom of the can. Anybody know what this thing is?

On another note, I ordered "1" BG 44K from my local Jeep dealer and that turned out to be 1 pack of 4 cans, instead of 1 can that I needed for my 1 car. Instead of getting charged some crazy restocking fee, I just took it and now I have 3 extra cans. Let me know if you want to buy them off me.

[BruteXJ]

I've worked on Toyota and Lexus cars since 1988 and have yet to see one fixed with one of those additives. There is a BG salesman that comes to my dealer each month with a high pressure sales pitch, including a $1 kickback to the technician for each can he sells.

I sounds like a bunch of you are sold. Maybe I'll throw a can in my 4500lb XJ and gain back the performance it had when I first bought it? :bs:

Itty-bitty Toyota aluminum motors are some sensitive little beetches. Run the wrong ANYTHING in them and they go to heck. Forget to change your timing belt at the exact reccomended mileage and a samurai will pop out of your trunk and poke his katana in your eye until you promise to read your maintenance manual every night and only use NGK spark plugs until the day you die.

Granted, if you do read your manual every night and follow it strictly, your Toyota engine will run for at least 400,000 miles, but I got tired of that damn samurai.

[bustednutz]

I see on eBay there a few people selling the stuff. Is it just the regular BG44k, or is the the one with "power enhancer"? Or doesn't it really matter?

[Wil Badger]

BG products rock.when i worked in a european import car shop.anything we did that invovled a fluid change thier products were added.their oil additives are really good to.

[98JeepXJ]

I just poured a can of BG 44K into my tank and noticed a rubber/plastic ring on the bottom of the can. Anybody know what this thing is?

Thats a BG token. It's pretty much worthless to you.

They come in all BG product containers. Whenever a tech performs a BG service, he/she collects the tokens. Then whenever the BG rep. comes around to the shops, techs cash in the tokens for money. They're worth like a whopping 25 cents a piece, or something like that. Just a little extra incentive for techs to recommend BG services.

[jlex]

If you're going on a trip & will blow a tank of gas out in one fell swoop, don't use Techron. It's supposed to be most effective when it can work slowly on carbon & other deposits by sitting overnight & gradually working between gas fill-ups. Also, they recommend an oil change after you use it as it must thin out the oil & reduce its effectiveness.
jlex.

[Thayer]

Thats a BG token. It's pretty much worthless to you.

They come in all BG product containers. Whenever a tech performs a BG service, he/she collects the tokens. Then whenever the BG rep. comes around to the shops, techs cash in the tokens for money. They're worth like a whopping 25 cents a piece, or something like that. Just a little extra incentive for techs to recommend BG services.

Haha that is cool. I was expecting it to be some high tech material to help store the BG chemicals.

[sgtpeeper]

I got the BG44K along with some air intake cleaner and another can of their injector cleaner (that you don't put in the tank) in a pack off of ebay for a grand total of about $23. It's a dood in canada selling it. It's legitimate. Does it work? I've run the can of BG44K through it and cleaned up the throttle body with the air intake cleaner, but I haven't used the injector cleaner yet. It smoothed the engine out enough to be worth it. I have noticed that. That's it. It wasn't that bad to begin with. My engine was already in good shape. It had 111k at the time and is a 97 xj, I6 engine.

I'm not big on "mechanic in a can" products at all, but I've heard so much about the BG44K I thought I'd try it.

[langer1]

Tokens and kickbacks, sounds like snake oil to me.

The only Dealer in Ohio that Selles BK productes is always in trouble with the BBB and has been shut down several times. Not for related BK stuff though.

[Dookie]

another vote for seafoam. after one treatment in the gas tank and crankcase, it smoothed out my idle noticeably, and SEEMED to improve acceleration. this may have just been the butt-dyno wanting results though...

[dizzymac]

AccurateDiesel.com will ultrasonically clean and inspect your injectors for $66+$6 S&H, they do a great job. You still want to get off all the built up carbon on the valves and TB etc. I'd go with BG,if you don't want spend that kind money at least use a can of Seafoam. Good luck