Fuel Filter fun

They all like it because they have to run durability tests on the emissions systems to get them certified before they can sell the cars. They have found that Chevron with Techroline keeps the emissions system the cleanest for the duration of the test which means less chance of failing the test.

I would check the output volume first because it may be ok. And even with tubing wrenches changing one is a bitch laying on your back.

Nothing is true/false all the time. STP will "thicken" your oil, if that's what you want. Techron will clean your fuel injectors and valves of deposits, if it didn't they would not be able to use it in gasoline to met the federal clean air requirements. A friend of mine had some small 4 banger import he bought new. It started idling rough and he found that whenever it did a can of Techron Fuel System cleaner would clean the injectors and make it idle smoothly for about 5000 miles and then he'd put another can in.

For those who may not know, Techroline is the old name for Techron.

Observable and measurable performance improvement from the use of automotive elixirs that can be replicated are not to be found. Those fluids seem to rely on urban legends that are passed on sometimes from generation to generation.

Aside from the dealership, I also stopped by AutoZone today.

Regarding the solvents debate, I took a look at the ingredients listed on a bottle of Techron Concentrate Plus. It contains "petroleum distillate, stoddard solvent, and proprietary additive." [exact quote]

Techron (I presume the proprietary additive in the ingredients list above) is composed in part of ether, a solvent.

I also looked at STP fuel injector cleaner. It contains "concentrated detergents that help /dissolve/ and remove harmful carbon, gum, and varnish deposits on fuel infectors." "This product is made with Jet fuel, a high-quality carrier of active ingredients."

The part about "detergents that help /dissolve/" carbon speaks to the detergent / solvent issue that someone brought up. So apparently, a detergent can indeed be a solvent, as Wiki defines a solvent as "a liquid that /dissolves/ a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. The most common solvent in everyday life is water."

I'm sure this stuff is obvious to a chemist, if not us.

Jet fuel = Kerosene

His was replicable. Every 5000 miles it needed another can. In fact, I've bought several used cars, usually with about 100K on them, and in all cases running a couple tanks with techron thru them smoothes out the idle. It doesn't take much deposits on the injectors to mess up the spray pattern and reduce idle quality. However, I find the Techron to be one of the few "elixirs" that actually seems to work.

I'm not sure what Ford says about Techron, but I'd be surprised if they forbad it. I got the information about the other car makers from the piece of cardboard on the neck of a bottle of Techron (actually Chevron Pro-Gard Clean-Up, which is supposed to be the same thing) and don't remember if Ford was listed.

Something like 40x less.

I think what he means is a fuel additive made by STP, not the original STP oil treatment.

STP oil treatment USED to be poly(isobutylene). I dont know if it ever was just a concentrated solution of ZDDP

Some of these products only list the inert, or solvent, part of the formulation, even though there may be much more to the formulation than that. Cheaper products (not necessarily cheaper in price, but "cheap" technology) may be comprised principally of solvents.

There is an element of secrecy that the better products attempt to maintain.

The active ingredients often contain blends of detergents, such as nonionic surfactants (like the old Rohm and Haas Triton alkoxylated octyl phenols), amine based products, and the like. These surfactants dont normally damage plastic parts nor are they particularly corrosive to most metals. They usually have no metallic content so they will burn away clean and not leave deposits.

A polyetheramine is distinctly different from "ether", whichis a common term for diethylether.

The polyetheramines can have excellent dispersant properties, have a degree of helpful alkalinity still available from the amine portion, and are normally oily liquids of relatively low volatility.