Techron...sold conveniently in Walmarts everywhere. A bottle in the last full tank of gas before every oil change and I've never had problems on any fuel injected vehicle I've owned or helped with. It's also highly effective at cleaning valve deposits.

 

Techron is already in Chevron gas. No need to pay for more. I'm sure others have their detergents too. So my guess is the most cost effective gas additive is not buying it in the first place. I got enough bills as it is. :headbang:

 

+1 on Lucas, cheaper by the gallon, use it in everything 2 and 4 stroke and my yamaha outboard. Easier starting 2 strokes that run occasionally and it does maintain the best mileage and performance in my truck.

 

Not sure what your goal is, but I suspect it is what all of ours are: nothing but routine preventive maintenance for the first 500,000 miles . Here are a few thoughts.

The first and best fuel additive is the fuel itself. Go with a Top Tier Detergent Gasoline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Tier_Detergent_Gasoline. Top Tier exceeds the EPA minimum for detergent and the EPA acknowledges the EPA minimum is not enough. My favorites are Chevron and Shell. You'll spend about 1-5 cents more per gallon (20-1.00 per tank full) with Top Tier vs a bottle of Techron for a 20 gallon tank is about $10-12. Some of the detergents in the fuel make their way into the oil too as part of the combustion cycle which is okay in my book.

After that are tuneups with Toyota recommended spark plugs (Denso or NGK), air filters, clean MAFS and oil changes...all before any elixirs.

If you are so inclined to use fuel and crankcase additives, Google the name of the product and "MSDS". The MSDS will give you an idea of what you are putting in your truck. All too often it's distillates that you'll recognize and can buy cheaper at your local paint or chemical store...but then you've got to ask you self, why are you adding the extras?

Cheers for the New Year!

 

Thanks man. I’ve been keeping oil changed and air filter. I just use the 87 but it depends where you get it correct?
It’s. 4x4 but may use it to keep from getting in a bind but have grown out of the lift kits and big tires, refer stock.
i live in country so i do travel dirt road but no mud dogging

 

We have a fuel economy sub-forum here on TN, it's been discussed ad nauseam there.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185

 

I've never used any fuel additives in 32 years and see no reason to.

 

Seafoam. It'll make your engine light go off every time! I love the stuff, I think it just cleans the sensors and that's why the engine light goes off. But that's proof enough it is cleaning. Marvel Mystery Oil as well, cause hey, its a mystery and sounds good.

 

Seafoam.

 

I just purchase Top Tier fuel and leave it at that.

 

Per the company's MSDS sheet: Seafoam = Pale Oil + Naptha + IPA

Per Dow Chemical: IPA is a colorless, flammable liquid with a characteristic alcohol / acetone-like odor.3 It mixes completely with most solvents, including water. One well-known yet relatively small use for IPA is “rubbing alcohol,” which is a mixture of IPA and water and can be purchased in many pharmacies and grocery stores. http://www.dow.com/productsafety/finder/iso.htm

 

Seafoam is not just rubbing alcohol and camp fuel.

 

So, why would I add that to my vehicle?


Can't find that recommended in the owners manual

did a smoke show once for fun sucking it thru the brake booster. Was that smoke anything "bad" from my engine "burning off" - why yes, the "Seafoam" my son.

LOL

oh yeah, pissed the neighbours off something fierce.

D

 

If you regularly use a national brand of gas, there's no need to use additives because probably all the national brands have developed additives that are put in their fuel to meet the BMW fuel cleanliness test.

I've used Techron D a couple of times to stop a diesel ping. Worked for that.

I keep Techron around mainly when I pour a container of fuel, that has been sitting around for 6 months or so (storage for generator), into one of the vehicles. It works better for fuel injected engines. Seafoam generally works best to fix uneven running in carburetored small engines. I've had it fix problems on several small engines that otherwise would have required a carb teardown.

 

....there's no need to use additives because probably all the national brands have developed additives that are put in their fuel to meet the BMW fuel cleanliness test.....

"Fuel cleanliness" is different from combustion chamber and valve cleanliness! PEA (polyether amine), the active ingredient in Techron, is proven to clean deposits from combustion chamber and that accumulate on valve stems, deposits that fuel detergents do nothing for.

The best thing is you only need to do it occasionally, so continuous use of expensive name brand gasoline isn't necessary. And before someone says name brand gas is better...uh uhhh. EPA mandates pretty will dictate that all gasolines have the same basic quality and formulations in seasonal blends designed to control emissions and protect devices on cars!

And then there's this: the tanker that fills chevron station tanks fills up from the same distribution hub connected to the same pipelines as the one that goes to your neighborhood no-name station. What you are paying for is primarily the advertising and brand cachet...and, a little bit of proprietary addy pack. Maybe. But not as much as you might think!

 

Seafoam mixes with water = getting the water out of your tank. That's a +

 

Isopropyl Alcohol mixes with water = equals getting water out of the tank.

And it's cheaper than Seafoam, that's a +

 

Ethanol mixes with water...oh...guess what's blended in oxygenated fuels....

 

Come to think of it, as of Jan 1, I was told by the Costco Manager here that all Canadian gas is mandated to have 10% ethanol now.

10% ethanol *very definitely* will mix with any water in your tank, so no one should be having that as an issue with gas.

(I'm not opening the gasohol can of worms, just stating what I was told)

 

What is the difference between Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus and Chevron Pro Guard? Both have Techron, but Pro Guard is labeled as a fuel injector cleaner while Techron Plus list fuel injector cleaning as one of the thinkgs it does.

http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/additives/tcp.aspx

http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/additives/pro-gard.aspx

Can you use both at the same time or one after the other or is that overkill?

 

ProGuard has a lower dose of PEA, the active cleaning ingredient, roughly half of what's in Techron concentrate.

Three other cleaners that have PEA (that I can think of right now), are 3M fuel cleaner, Red Line FI cleaner and Gumout.

My fuel treatment regimen consists of 4 oz of MMO to 10 gal of gas at every fill-up, as Upper Cylinder lube and Fuel pump lube and mild valve cleaner. Ethanol in today's gas makes fuel very dry. Fuel pump and fuel system in general rely on gasoline for lubrication.
MMO has also been shown to help with stuck rings and, sometimes, improve gas mileage, like in my case. It is a side benefit, and not the reason for me using MMO in the first place.

Every 6 Mo I dump a double dose of ProCuard or single dose of Techron concentrate.

 

Fuel Additive

I use BG 44K Its what Dealerships use they dont sell it in stores.

 

Best fuel additive

TRY FORMULA X2. I've tested it on several fuel additives and this one was the only one to do what it claims. I would say try it though.

 

techron keeps injectors really clean

 

I use Lucas sometimes.

Lately I've migrated to Shell Rotella 5W-40. I routinely change the air filter at the 5,000 mile point which leaves the oil a brownish rather than black. My Yaris uses less Rotella between changes than other oils.

Some of my friends have recommended using K&N filters. I've used K&N filters in the past. I wasn't impressed with them.

I changed the plugs at 100,000 miles. I did not notice any performance changes. I'm about ready to change the O2 sensor, we'll see.

 

Mmo

i have used MMO for about 30 years. i used an old original Marvel Mystery Oiler for many years. at first. but now use a Ampco upper oiler http://www.ampcolubes.com/ . in my 01 dakota V6. and still put MMO in the tank. i thinking is this. when an injecter shoots fuel it hits the valve head but misses the valve guide. if accidentally you put to much MMO in it seams to be VERY forgiving. in my 08 Avalon i put MMO in the fuel. but have a pint upper oiler for it but its not no yet. they didnt leave much room for improvements. LOL LOL. there seams to be a lot of talk about oil catch cans. i think they are a good idea. iam setting up one for my dakota. but its not in yet. dont for get that for each gal of gas it makes all most a gal of water. and if that gets in crank case that is what most crankcase acids are based on.

 

Catch Can

`

i have used MMO for about 30 years. i used an old original Marvel Mystery Oiler for many years. at first. but now use a Ampco upper oiler http://www.ampcolubes.com/ . in my 01 dakota V6. and still put MMO in the tank. i thinking is this. when an injecter shoots fuel it hits the valve head but misses the valve guide. if accidentally you put to much MMO in it seams to be VERY forgiving. in my 08 Avalon i put MMO in the fuel. but have a pint upper oiler for it but its not no yet. they didnt leave much room for improvements. LOL LOL. there seams to be a lot of talk about oil catch cans. i think they are a good idea. iam setting up one for my dakota. but its not in yet. dont for get that for each gal of gas it makes all most a gal of water. and if that gets in crank case that is what most crankcase acids are based on.

A Google Plus friend told me once that I just put a filter between my PCV and my intake first before I try a catch can. The reason being, some cars have very little going by. If the filter gets yucky enough then you know whether it's worth having a catch can or not.

 

The absolute best and most affordable gasoline additive for improved fuel efficiency, engine cleanliness and protection is TC-W3 2-stroke outboard motor oil, mixed 1 oz per 5 US gallon (640:1).

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f48/been-testing-oil-91206/

https://www.walmart.com/search/?cat...er:Walmart.com||pickup_and_delivery:FREE+Pickup&query=TC-W3#searchProductResult

 

After doing the math, I can get "AutoZone's" TCW-3 oil cheaper than I can get it at Wal-Mart.

Are you the one one Google Plus who turned me on to TCW-3 oils? I get the same improved gas mileage that I get from the Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant, but it doesn't turn my catalytic converter codes on as much (it's getting older, so a fix is in the future). Ran the Lucas for years with 2 miles per gallon better on average. On a truck that gets 15 MPG otherwise 2 MPG, is like 4-5 MPG on a practical car.

 

No additives needed unless using the lowest priced "no name" gasolines in your city.

Just use major oil company brand "top tier" gasoline. No carburetor jet or fuel injector problems or catalytic converter problems have ever occured in any of my Toyotas even after as much as 485,000 miles when I used major oil company brand "top tier" gasoline.

 

I wouldn't use Lucas products as it adds to oil thickness and has been shown to cause engine damage

 

These trucks should run fine on 87 octane, all I've been using in my 2019 tacoma v6, and it runs great. Just try to keep it top tier.