I was having issues with hesitation and rough running on my Chevrolet Avalanche 2500. After two cans of Gumout with PEA the 200,000+ mile 8.1L Vortex under the hood was running as best I can tell like near new. A third can didn't make any noticable difference so I figure I got the best out of the Gumout that I was going to get. Of note, the driver side OX sensor was noting an error on the trucks computer on occasion. After the two cans of Gumout, no more errors. I'm using Torque and reading the ODBC II so I can see the OX sensor is working again, comparing the reporting by the driver side sensor to the passenger side sensor. The cans were put in one at a time running a full tank of gas and repeating. I now run one can of Gumout once a year. Thank you for your testing and complete explanation of PEA. It works!
What a difference between your video skills from then to now. Been watching for over year . Your ability to use math to discover the end results of multiple cars is awesome. Really shows the ability of engineers to expect an outcome. Great work.
This kind of objective analysis is a breath of fresh air, compared to other internet sources. It's too bad there is no easy way to elevate objective discussion like this to a higher plane for internet search engines.
Never had a problem with cold starts before on my 84 Supra...now that I've stopped using gumout, it runs rougher, gets worse mileage, and takes at least 30 seconds to start on a cold day. This stuff surprisingly actually works.
It would be an interesting experiment to add some heat, and see how much additional affect there is on the reaction. The high speed flow at the intake as well as the heat from the combustion must be beneficial contributors to the cleaning action.
This guy is so knowledgeable and researches extremely well. No bias opinions. Just honesty. Backed up by peer reviewed studies. Trust what he says for your car's health.
Ran two lots of injector cleaner through my 2.5 Diesel engine. I’ve been running it 20k it’s a good lump but I don’t know the history before I fitted it. It’s definitely made a difference on mpg going from average of 31 to around 33.5. And it feels slightly better. Next step is new injectors but as an interim measure for twenty quid it’s been worth it.
My main language is Spanish but I'm beyond thankful I have been able to learn and work with the English language, getting to understand your videos is a plus and many thanks for allowing us to learn more on how cars work, knowledge is power!
I actually used a bottle of Gumout Fuel Injection cleaner in my 2005 Subaru Outback XT with the turbo ej255 motor. The wagon has 147k miles on it and started to develop a slight shudder at idle. I am half-way through the tank of gas with Gumout in it and a much smoother idle very noticeable and for five bucks it was well worth every penny. It is great to see a video that actually had an explanation as to how and why these products work along with an example. You have gained another subscriber! Thanks!
Thomas Poland (*long story*) mine are always inflated slightly about PSI (as so I don't have to worry about when it gets cold and affecting PSI, etc). The shuddering is usually bad when the engine is warmed up and having been driven a while and I come to a slow down/stop or am sitting at red light (rpm drops from idle to 200-300 RPM) . Happens most when heat or AC are when. Seems like the car being required to make more power brings the issue forward more. One day during a hot day when I was at a drive through, engine shuddered and shut off when I had the AC running. No check engine light or anything happened before hand. Brought the car to my mechanic, he cleaned throttle body, air filter (which was already clean) checked air box, etc. Seemed to help the situation a little. That was a year ago. Worst it got was last week. Engine sputtered and rpm dropped to 100 and check engine light flashed for a split second. Drove It to my parking lot and didn't drive it for a week until I was able to bring it to my mechanic. There was a slight leak of what seemed to be power steering or oil, behind the alternator. My mechanic cleaned it and couldn't find the leak. He takes the car for three days and doesn't feel the shudder. He recommends me a gas cleaner to use and then get back to him. I'm waiting to use cleaner since I have to wait till tank is at 1/4 tank. This entire process is just crazy.
I admire YOU and your intelligence to keep 'US' informed. You're very through, explain in utmost detail and are as handsome as a NEWS BROADCASTER! (Take that as a compliment because you're NOT rude, NOT errogant and you take POLITE to new levels for all of us). I stay tuned on your channel because You're helping me learn to me to be environmentally friendly, efficient and budget my money on items WORTH buying! Thank you my friend
While I have mixed feelings about fuel additives, I really do enjoy your videos. I feel that even though some of the processes are over my head, I can still understand most of the video and I have learned so much from all of your videos. If I ever have any vehicle questions I look to your videos first!
I know that I am chiming very late in this but I believe in fuel additives that contain pea. I have done my own experiments with it and I even clean the carbon from my rifles with it along with my shooting club. We use Berryman B12 and it dissolves carbon fantastically! I have a suppressed AR-15 that gets huge deposits in the suppressor and the barrel. And B12 cuts through it like butter. In fact I wrote an email to convey my gratitude and tell them about the second use and they sent me two large 12 can cases! I wasn't expecting that but I was just floored. If you are a patriot, try it in your rifle. B12 has a secondary use and it's terrific. Berryman is a top notch company and they get my loyalty for the rest of my days! Please consider buying their products!
The real conclusion is: 1. If you have a newer engine (up to 80K miles or so), don't use ANYTHING. 2. When your engine reaches 80-100K, use an additive every time you change your oil. I like to do it 400-500Km before changing oil because then I "flush" some of the deposits that got into the oil. I consistently see improvement in the gas consumption (10%-15%) when I measure it AFTER I finished the full "supplemented" tank, for about 2000-3000 miles. From that point on, my gas consumption becomes higher until the next oil change+fuel additive. 3. If you'll use it too much, you'll end up building more deposits than you're breaking. Deposits on the piston head might cause detonation.
@@alecsanderfuentes3913 Sure, I just like to start fresh after the treatment...But there won't be enough deposits to make you oil sludgy. Just don't do it immediately after an oil change. You don't want your new oil dirty right after you serviced your car.
@@shane250 So do you use a fuel and an engine oil additive? If so, do you use a fuel additive after you do an oil change + oil additive or do you use the fuel additive before the oil change?
@@ZareefHuq I use an oil additive because I got an old car (160K 2010). You do the PEA fuel additive as close as you can before your next oil change (so the oil change will flush the carbon you cleaned into your oil). Make sure you finished the tank with the additive before you change your oil. The oil additive (only if you use conventional crap from the garage pump...not if you buy some good oil) when you change the oil (put 1/2 a quart instead of 1/2 quart oil).
I have used Chevron Textron with good results,. This showed good effect on an '89 Toyota Corolla with a very complex CARBURETOR, Toyota's last carb in the US. After putting a full bottle of Textron in with a fill up of mid-grade gasoline we noticed the engine's hesitation and lack of power disappeared within the next 50 miles on a drive from LA to 'Vegas.back in '98.
That is who he reminds me of. Thanks. For years I couldn't figure it out. Of course Brian Cox is at a whole other level, but I have a lot of respect for Jason though too
I have always thought of fuel additives as "cocktails for cars"; i.e. may not do much but they make you feel better. In Canada, the 87 octane gas can contain up to 10% Ethanol and it is my understanding that while this gas is perfectly suitable for cars that don't require anything with a higher octane, the number of additives put into it by the refinery may be less than their higher octane (read: more expensive) fuels. When the product is on sale, or when taking an especially long drive where I know I will be filling the tank more than usual, I like to add a bottle of additive. Same when I do an oil change; I like to add a 500 ml concentrate meant for older vehicles as most of my driving is city driving, short distances.
You reached a great conclusion. Newer engines are high precision and don't have as much waste and the waste is where the carbon buildup comes from. Simply put, newer engines don't need the additives but older engines do. Things like Fuel injector will eventually build up carbon, (80,000 miles typically) but they are also in the routine maintenance schedule for replacement at that time. So, once again, if you follow routine maintenance, additives are not needed.
Gumout restored the overall performance on my 07 Honda civic hybrid car with 350986 miles. The hesitations on acceleration and rough idle stopped after using 3 cans of gumout for about one month period .
I'd us Cataclean to clean out your catalytic converter if you think it's dirty or it's time to clean it. Cataclean works awesome! It cleans injectors, o2 sensors, combustion chambers, and catalytic converter, and muffler. The muffler id the least likely thing to get clean, but it does help keep it from clogging. I've used it for years and it works. It's usually a little over $20. About $22- $26. So if you need to pass emissions or need to get rid of a o2 sensor code try a bottle of Cataclean on a 1/8th of tank of gas, and drive it for 15-20 or 15-20 miles whatever comes first, and then fill it up with fresh new gas.
ln theory if there was a massive dump of carbon that could potentially cause some cat blockage or at least throw a code but if you do the procedure correctly that won't be a problem. That's precisely why most of these products recommend your car but already up to operating temperature when you put the product in your gas tank. The reason for this is so that your cats are fully hot at the point that the cleaner starts loosening up the carbon deposits which will then get vaporized during the combustion process, pass right by the hot cats, and expelled out the exhaust. Also, at the right concentration levels, a certain amount of the cleaning agents will also get vaporized and make it to the cats and help clean up any residue build up. Of course that will not help if a cat is already damage, melted, disintegrated, etc, in that case you need a new cat, but for cats that have excessive residue buildup, the vaporized cleaning agents can also help clear some of that out and allow for a more efficient catalytic process. When l do a decarbonizing treatment of the fuel system, after the process is completed l do remove the upstream & downstream O2 sensors and leave them soaking for about 24 hrs in either plain gasoline a thin cleaning agent such as Seafoam, Berryman's B-12 which does a fantastic job of removing built up carbon and other contaminants from the sensor tips which are located behind the metal shroud. You will see a surprising amount of soot at the bottom of the glass container that you soaked the sensors in after letting soak for 24 hours. After removing them from the cleaning solution l then thoroughly spray them down with MAF sensor cleaner, using the little straw that comes with the spray can you can insert the straw in to the holes that are on the shroud and blast out remaining contaminants that may still be stuck inside the shroud, then spray down the outside to and give it a good wipe down. This will do a lot to keep your catalyst system working properly and efficiently for as long as you own the car. Some people do this O2 sensor cleaning process at the same time that they do the regular maintenance cleaning of the PCV valve, EGR, Throttle body which is a great time to get it all done together.
i've used additives on older cars with more miles on them and when i didn't really know the history of how that engine/fuel system had been treated prior to me owning the car, but now that i have a 10-year-old car that is direct-injected and turbocharged with only 75k miles on it as my daily, after replacing all the ignition coils and spark plugs with brand-new Bosch OE-spec products, i just make sure to always fuel up with top-tier gasoline (my personal choice is Valero 92 octane) and i'm confident that will keep it running great for years to come!
Thank you so much I work at AdvanceAuto and now I know that P.E.A is a reommended additive for both newer engines and older ones to clean the injectors better
Hey there! First of all just wanted to thank you for how helpful your videos have been. It's helped me from knowing almost nothing about cars to finally being able to fix my 7.4l 454 v8 in my 85' suburban. I was wondering if you have or if you would do a video on better throttle response on carburetors and the different kinds there are? I was also very curious in learning more about an engines governor. Thanks again!
once again down to the facts in an easy to understand a simplified manner eh Great video. I have been a Licensed tech for 26 years. I tell customers to google your site for reference to my diagnosis, or answers to questions they are skeptical of my answers eh Keep up the good work.
Nice video. thanks for explanation as always. I guess (as an engineer myself) I'd be interested in the question: does using PEA to reduce the deposits improve the vehicles performance in some way? OR does it protect the engine in some way? those are the important end-measures in my opinion. Do you have any insight on those questions? Thanks again.
Isn't SAE claiming that fuel additives worsen deposits? It stated that base gasoline left fewer deposits than using any additives, but that PEA was the lesser of the evils as it added less deposits than the other active ingredients used. Wouldn't this indicate the cleanest combustion chamber comes from no fuel additives? This is also backed up by the data from the scientific paper you put up. The intake valves lost 72% of deposits, but the combustion chamber GAINED deposits (21%), similar to the SAE study. On gumouts in house study they only mentioned intake deposits and ignored combustion chamber deposits. As far as I can tell this means that fuel additives, specifically PEA, can clean intake valves but actually worsens deposits in the combustion chamber. Generally combustion chamber deposits are worry some due to the irregular combustion characteristics that can ensue (knocking, dieseling, etc) which makes this video incredibly misleading to those who don't pay close attention. Unless I am completely misinterpreting this it seems to me my favorite youtube engineer sold out and is providing misinformation for profit :/, please prove me wrong.
I think his conclusion was more that valve deposits would be lessened, but overall deposits (e.g. heads) would be more. I'm inclined to agree with you though, not sure if it has something to do with Gumout sponsoring the video...
The conclusion of it was that using it periodically is good, but using it long term(like at every fillup) is bad. It appears to suggest every 10,000 miles, as that is how long it takes for carbon deposits to return to equilibrium.
Remember that the SAE test used NEW parts for every test. This is why he said for newer / cleaner engines, don't use it because it will add more deposits. For older engines / dirty ones, the risk of adding more deposits is outweighed by the deposits that are already there.
I think this is good as far as it goes. The Fuel that you buy at the pump these days is not what used to be available in the past. Most fuel retailers and their up chain suppliers are forced to sell a blended fuel with ethanol, which not compatible with most components in the fuel system. Also fuel is not blended to be as stable as it once was. Fuel is meant to be burned within a 30 day period and peaks at about 10 days. Top tier fuel that meet higher standards will also reduce combustion by-products when used. Shell is my fuel of choice and does a good job in my personal ICE's when examined by bore scope. Always use the octane fuel intended for your specific vehicle and a high quality fuel will help to ensure a long and healthy life with fewer problems while in service.
+JAY WASSERMAN i agree. most stations here in toronto says "may contain up to 10% ethanol" at the pump. but shell declares that they have 0% (i think it's below a certain detectable limit that they can declare that) for their V-power gas.
1. California MANDATES ethanol (to reduce winter emissions) so we are stuck with it. 2. I thought modern anti-knock sensors and ECU's (engine control computers) were flexible in adapting to fuel quality - they will increase the performance on-the-fly if you use higher octane fuel. I definitely recall models that say the spec'd horsepower is based on Premium, but the car will run fine on Regular if you prefer. And vice versa, cars spec'd with Regular that pick up a few horsepower on Premium. But I'm not sure if all cars do this or only Euro models.
again a great video, and you have a new subscriber! as for additives, it explains my experience from a couple of years ago, when I was given additives as a sample from my friend who used to sell them, at first my car started running better it felt smoother and the fuel consumption went down, so I started buying the additive and using it regularly (in the interval suggested by the producer) and within 6 months my engine started working WORSE than before the additives! so I stopped using them, and used highest rated fuel I could buy for a couple of months and luckily it somehow cleaned itself and went back to normal! this video makes me think I would have benefitted better have I cleaned my car originally with the additive and then just stopped using it, I think that would have been the best option
I think he should've also tried a similar part with carbon buildup present and soaked it in plain gasoline. Further if it would've been more accurate to pull the piece and check the deposits, and then ran a can of gum out through the system, and then rechecked the part. Most high quality gasoline has additives. There is little proof that any of these treatments will have any positive affect on an engines performance. You're more likely to waste money and redeoposite carbon on sensitive parts such as O2 sensors than to improve performance. My 99 wrangler had a bad O2 sensor and the guy I bought it from swore by the cans of injector cleaner. That doesn't prove that it had a negative impact on the O2 sensor (and the jeep was extremely high mileage), but it also clearly didn't keep the sensor from going bad, or clean it out. Another good video that was well researched! Thanks for making it!
Thanks for the vid. Nice info here. I'm wondering what would happen if you take the same piece of tailpipe and soak it in some gasoline instead of Gumout.
This guy is a legend. One of the best channels on TH-cam. So clever and looking at his early videos, come so far. We'll done fantastic content thank you for gracing us with your knowledge!
This stuff cleans out your carbon on engines that have been reasonably well taken care of. Its not gonna fix a blown head gasket, a spun bearing, a bent valve, a cam ran flat, or patch that window in the side of your block where you threw a rod. The people who buy this stuff are usually the people who are 5 years late on routine maintenance, and that is not who this product is for.
I used to work at a Mazda dealer back when they had manual adjusting valves and we would use a fuel additive as part of the tuneup and it would clean the injectors well enough that the more observant customers would think we didn't adjust the valves properly die to the noise coming from the injectors. I'm personally sold on it in certain conditions.
The studies you mentioned both are comparing "base gasoline" to gasoline with additives. Is "base gasoline" equivalent to what we buy? It was my understanding that the various gasoline companies have their own additive packages - including detergents and carbon reducers. So, is Gumout really necessary for any engine using real world pump gas versus the "base gasoline" used in the studies? Just like the number of licks required to get to the Tootsie Roll center: the world may never know....
John Gedde Probably not too different. Then you could always add smaller amounts than directed of the cleaner product into the gas tank, just to be on the safe side.
I've heard that Top Tier is all we need and if you use the cheap stuff (actually Top Tier isn't always more expensive, especially now that Arco is Top Tier) then running a bottle of Chevron Techron through every oil change is a good way to go.
I have a 2011 Subaru Outback with the 2.5 flat 4. That engine is supposed to run on 87 octane but it would knock with 87 so I had to put 89 or 91 octane in it and sometimes it would still knock. I tired the "Starbright" product and after 6 years of less than par performance the car runs better than it ever did. The knock is gone, and the power and mpg improved. I suspect it's the ethanol in the fuel that caused my problems and the Starbright corrected that.
Not sure your 'Soak Test' is valid since the product is intended to be used during combustion. Interesting to hear about carbon equilibrium occurring around then thousand miles.
i m so glad i found ur channel engineering explained. i m an engineer and a car enthusiasts also love knowing details of how stuff works(occupational habit)
Great video, thanks for sharing. I've never heard of isopropyl alcohol as an additive but I've heard people talk about using acetone. What is your take on this? Thank you.
How about "Guaranteed To Pass Emissions" cleaner? Its pretty powerful stuff. I pulled the plugs & they were CLEAN! Not a big Gumout fan. Used when I was a teen to clean carbs out, now my cars have injectors, I prefer GTPE. What's your view? You're a very intelligent young man & I'm impressed so I value your opinion!
*I've been told by a mechanic that this stuff is dangerous to use on older cars because instead of cleaning the fuel injection it can clean dirt out of the fuel line and clog the fuel injection with it.* I've actually experienced this with a really old lawnmower where I poured a small amount of fuel system cleaner (Cheap stuff from Canadian Tire store) into the gas tank, started up the engine and watched it sputter and die several minutes later. Fortunately I was able to clean the crap out of the carburettor by dumping the whole bottle of cleaner in the little 1 litre gas tank and then cranking the pull starter non-stop for a few minutes until she started sputtering and finally caught then smoothed out. I'm not sure if the PEA is the same as I used. But I do know the stuff I used contained isopropyl alcohol as well, which is a decent solvent itself.
fuel doctor which is an Australian (green colour) additive has worked wonders on my sticky valves and has made the engine a hell of a lot quieter, going to keep using it and see if anything bad happens, may need to get a bore cam and have a look inside
Wait, the info was cool but the conclusion seemed wrong. Evidence showed an increase in carbon buildup on certain parts of the engine vs base gasoline. And the conclusion is PEA can help get rid of buildups? Well that's fine and dandy for the intake, but what about the heads and exhaust? What about differences in performance and fuel economy. Your conclusion seems empty... Sorry if I am being pedantic.
+David Love There are two kinds of deposits discussed in the video: intake valve deposit (IVD) and combustion chamber deposit (CCD). PEA gets rid of IVD, but may increase CCD. This is why EE recommends only use the additive if you have an old car which has IVD. There is a trade off in using fuel additives.
maybe the most important thing not mentioned is that a lot of these "cleaners" have stuff in them that can actually melt and/or deform the fuel filter gasket in your tank... which is never a good thing if it deforms it might impede fuel flow, and worse case the fuel filter ruptures or melts allow a lot of gunk & debris to enter you fuel injection system... and the cost of replacing a fuel injection system is much higher as the cost of "added consumption" because of dirty valves.
+RnRollie - I performed a test to see if some of these motor treatments would affect the integrity of fuel lines, and some of them did seem to affect the rubber. I've got the video on my channel.
I recently acquired a thirty year old car and had it smog checked. It failed on account of too much Nox. Could be running too lean on account of a vacuum leak or too hot on account of carbon buildup which increases the compression ratio. A vacuum smoke test was negative. So I used an additive to clean up the carbon buildup. With that gasoline still in the tank I went for the free re-test. The amount of Nox BOUBLED. Now when you said that PEA based additive is nitrogen based that makes sense.
utoopuser I used to have Nox problems with my 4Runner that had a full custom exhaust. I needed to weld an exhaust leak that was between the manifold and the O2 sensor to fix the problem. A tune up (with coolant change), changing the O2 sensor, and changing the cat converter would likely get your Nox to pass. Checking the MAS sensor and a Seafoam treatment wouldn't hurt either.
Like your video's Can you do a video on marvel mystery Oil (automotive additive) Company states product was used in fighter planes WW11 Curious I've been using it for years in all my cars , bikes just about anything with a engine . Says to add to motor oil and fuel. A lot of mechanics including myself swear by it. Thank you very much and thanks for the video's Joe.. Ex navy veteran ..
I second that. Some things I know for sure are that it made my fuel pump quieter and gave be about 1 1/2 mpg better on average (in gas tank vs. just gas, same gas station every time) It also seems to provide better acceleration when in the crankcase, but that is probably because it thins the oil a little. I'd love to know what it actually does!
good research... one thing that could have been changed, to be more precise with the carbon removal test, that you did with the muffler. Would have been to correctly mix the ratio of the additive to gasoline, and THEN letting it sit in a bowl......because testing the additive alone may not have the same affect, as testing with high quality gasoline mixed in.
Good info, thanks! Is using Premium or Plus grade gasoline worth the extra price? What about premium gasoline stocks with additives already in them like Shell V-Power, Chevron Techron, etc?
I agree with EE -- use regular grade unless it's required for your car. Even then it's questionable. I had an HP Saab Turbo for which 93 octane was recommended. I ran it on 87 for 300,000 miles. Ran great, no knocking and fine performance.
Engineering Explained great video, as usual. I would love it if you did a video on straight cut gears or "dog boxes." you could even throw in strait cut diff's in the same vid! not to bribe you or anything, but I could provided you some support if you did this... maybe Mr.Lincoln could convince you? 😂
My car manual says Regular 87 is OK , but I've noticed that when using Regular, the engine oil seems to acidify very quickly, and the smell of combustion residue in the oil becomes noticeable. This seems to happen very quickly. And once it happens the oil is ruined and needs to be changed. Whereas when using Premium 93 gasoline exclusively, the oil stays clean for a long period. The combustion residue of the cheaper gas will be significantly greater than premium gas. While Regular Gas may not directly damage your engine due to knocking , it will significantly decrease the life-span of your oil. So using Premium Gas is actually beneficial, regardless of what your vehicle manual suggests is acceptable.
I am with the channel owner. Use what the car maker prescribes for your car. Most cars will run just fine with any grade fuel, because for modern engines there are electronics to adjust the fuel injection for a wide range of fuel grades and operating conditions. With a higher grade fuel the engine will not gain more power, but a lower grade fuel may cost you a few hp which most of the time will not even be noticeable. There is a lot of fluffy marketing from car makers but they do not have any benefit by recommending a fuel grade that is not the best for an engine. - The superpremium - platinum - viagra100 fuels that are sold like champagne are propaganda only. There is no car in the market where the electronics are adjusted to this. - Avoid pumps that may have stale fuel, some Regular pumps are frequented very rarely!
I once had a 5 Liter Mustang with really terrible cold idle (about 200,000 miles). Maybe twice a year I put the Gumout cleaner in the tank and the difference was night and day. Made the last year or so with the car a lot more livable!
Liquimoly (MoS2) is the best oil additive you can add to any engine. Invented last century and proven in the WWII, is far the best real anti-friction additive, increasing millage per gallon, engine life, lowing friction and temperature, extending the oil life twice and other benefices. I used it for over 20 years in a large number of gas/diesel vehicles and I never had a engine problem. Motorcycles beware cant be used in engines with yellow metals (bushing). Very under rated in many countries specially in the US.
Mr E - Just added a 300ml bottle to 5 qts of Royal Purple 0-20 on my 2015 Scion tC. I've had a 2011 and a 2006 and have ran RP on both (alone, though) and the engine performance was noticeable. Also, the engine was quieter and "smoother" per se. I added a 300ml bottle to the RP and I must say it is absolutely great stuff. I can't say how well it would work with using another oil such as M1 or Pennzoil but I am now a fanboy of MoS2. Great stuff.
One thing to ponder on these cleaners, is that are they really needed? Look at it from another point of view, that the carbon build up doesn't cause any issue with the actual piston head or cylinder head as they are static surfaces. The carbon building up does increase the compression ratio, which will increase the power that each cylinder can produce, and carbon is an insulator, so it will not create any hot spots on those static surfaces, which reduces the possibility of detonation. I can see the benefit of cleaning out the injector nozzles for a uniform spray pattern and better combustion, and carbon removal on the valves to insure a nice clean seal. I would be interested in a test where you had a dyno test before and after to see the difference, and maybe a view of the valves be removing the fuel injectors. Thoughts?
Its funny I was just getting some fuel like 2hours ago and wanted to know more about these products on the shelf, then I wondered if this guy had done a video on it and BAM. Law of attraction
Yes, i was thinking the exact same thing. Wouldn't getting the product heated (combustion proces or forced (injected) onto the valves) have a significant improvement in the overal effects of the product in comparison to just let is soak on the particals?
Mark G So after combustion, the additive is left behind? Nope, that can't be correct. The point of an additive that "cleans" carbon buildup is usually that it in some way reintroduces the carbon into the combustion, by raising the temperature of the burn or maybe loosening the bond of the carbon on the surface or both. Anything not burned away makes things worse. The soaking would relate only to standing fuel, as in the tank. Some additives prevent corrosion or reduce water separation in tanks.
+J Segal The PEA doesn't burn. If it had to burn to work, then it wouldn't clean the intake valves. It just breaks the carbon loose and then it and the loose carbon gets forced out the exhaust.
It gets forced out as a gas or vapor, not as just chunks. If it dribbled out it would just redeposit in the exhaust. Knocking the carbon loose with a flammable agent allows it to be reincorporated into the burn and more fully exhausted. That's how carbon deposits are "cleaned" or removed. Technically, you reburn them, but more completely.
Which Trany is better a CVT or a Traditional trany? And could you explain the difference in both of them. I wasn't a believer of a CVT, until I got a 2016 Honda Accord. Honda has perfected the CVT, they have come a long way. Thanks for you time and keep up the good work.
So where does all the deposit go? Does it get burned out through the exhaust or what happens to it? Do I have to rely on this everytime or do I use it once?
+Wynton Sparks - I tested some cleaners, including the Gumout motor treatment, on some fuel line. Some of the cleaners did seem to affect the rubber; you can see the results on my channel.
Rubber gaskets in cars might not be made for this type of additives and could damage them in some way (make them weaker) , if you love your car and want to keep it in top shape for a long time try not to use additives too much , once a year or twice at most
Thats why i love older and cheap cars... ill never want a brand new car that i will have to sell my ass to get it fixed... Ill always ride nice older and cheap cars so i can drive them like i stole them every once in a while :)
+Engineering Explained - I have to say, the that site seems like BS. According to that site just about every fuel station in my area is top tier... which with tests I have done... I know is not true. I have had about 160 used vehicles now.. So I have had the opportunity to use many different fuels in many different vehicles. With my testing, I have found that Chevron gives me more miles and more power when I drive. As fuel staions like Arco, have made my vehicle's mpg go down. With the same driving. Going from one station to another, I can deffinetly feel a difference. Especially with used vehicles that have lots of miles.
+Engineering Explained - Also, I wouldn't rate all those stations the same. I have filled up gas cans before and payed for exactly one gallon at different stations and been given different amounts of fuel. One pump didn't even pump out a drop of fuel until the total went to almost $1.
If that was state side, report it, fuel station owners can face felony charges for not maintaining the pumps, and pumps are supposed to be inspected yearly in most states, by a state authorized company for accuracy.
I saw a video from project farm where he ran antifreeze through a two stroke engine. It cleaned the heck out of the cylinder head, the valves, and the piston. He said he doesn’t recommend using this method though. I’d love to see a video from you on this subject.
Could you do a test of FSi or GDi intake spray cleaners? Not necessarily a 'which product is best' test but more an 'are they worth using' and 'what to look for' test. Keep up the great work!
+Engineering Explained What do you think about the lucas fuel injector cleaner? I hear that it is the best injector cleaner to use. Would you recommend using it on the V6 VTEC? I'm just wary of using any additive in my engine. Am I being too paranoid?
I would think when using additives in a attempt to clean carbon of the valve the additives would maybe make a bit more difference on multiport injection engines vs direct injection? I'm not mechanic...but It just seems like additives would have less of an effect on direct injection. Maybe/maybe not.. again, no mechanic... I had an old mazda I use to occasionally dump in some 44K (along with basic maintenance) and even with high mileage the engine would purr like a kitten. Recently became an owner of a TSI engine and have been reading up on carbon build up issues with those engines. It's all very interesting. Thanks for posting this vid...I enjoy your work.
OK, so you clean the deposits, but does this make any practical difference? Also, a good way to clean carbon is the good old Italian tune up. None of this stuff in bottles is worth buying.
I’ve been using GumOut on my 150,000 miles car with only a Direct Injection engine. After watching this video I’m glad it’s not just a placebo effect but an actual result for using the fuel cleaner. This video really helped me bring back the MPG and mostly better engine performance of my car especially when you also watch and follow his italian tune up test vid which I really like because you no longer need to rev the engine high gear per gear, just cruise in that specific rpm for a while and the heat just burns those deposits. :)
this is real stuff, not internet based research! thanks for citing scientific journals.
You got it! :)
+Engineering Explained yup too much "internet based" research and mostly opinions.
+ISLANDTECH PRODUCTIONS "citing"
+Cole Young yes coffee needed haha. damn auto correct.
+Anthony Ramsey hahaha at least everyone got what i meant to say.
I was having issues with hesitation and rough running on my Chevrolet Avalanche 2500. After two cans of Gumout with PEA the 200,000+ mile 8.1L Vortex under the hood was running as best I can tell like near new. A third can didn't make any noticable difference so I figure I got the best out of the Gumout that I was going to get. Of note, the driver side OX sensor was noting an error on the trucks computer on occasion. After the two cans of Gumout, no more errors. I'm using Torque and reading the ODBC II so I can see the OX sensor is working again, comparing the reporting by the driver side sensor to the passenger side sensor. The cans were put in one at a time running a full tank of gas and repeating. I now run one can of Gumout once a year. Thank you for your testing and complete explanation of PEA. It works!
What a difference between your video skills from then to now. Been watching for over year . Your ability to use math to discover the end results of multiple cars is awesome. Really shows the ability of engineers to expect an outcome. Great work.
This dude looks 17 and 45 at the same time
He sounds 17 and looks 17 not 45...🙂
@@henrycagle7827 he's around 55 or so last time he mentioned it so not sure what your point is
@@sugarsaint na he can drive a car
@@sugarsaint no way hahaha I don’t believe that
We he drives a Subaru sooo
This kind of objective analysis is a breath of fresh air, compared to other internet sources. It's too bad there is no easy way to elevate objective discussion like this to a higher plane for internet search engines.
This guy makes great videos. One of the few youtube mechanics that people can rely on.
Except hes not a mechanic lol
Lol not a mechanic at all,, good info for mechanics who want even more knowledge to add to the arsenal or anyone else interested
He's an engineer, although I'm sure he is at least a backyard mechanic.
Chrisfix
Apparently MrS didn't watch video of mechanic vs engineer
Never had a problem with cold starts before on my 84 Supra...now that I've stopped using gumout, it runs rougher, gets worse mileage, and takes at least 30 seconds to start on a cold day. This stuff surprisingly actually works.
I know I'm replying to a 7 year old comment, but how often did you put it in?
@@pickleddolphinmeatwithhors677 i honestly can't remember, but I think every other fillup
We are very fortunate to have you on youtube. Thank You.
Very kind, thanks for watching!
It would be an interesting experiment to add some heat, and see how much additional affect there is on the reaction. The high speed flow at the intake as well as the heat from the combustion must be beneficial contributors to the cleaning action.
The reason why I like this guy's channel is because he doesn't go on bias observations, guesstimate or opinion yeah science b****
Get this guy a cable channel.
Discovery doesn't do anything that isn't American Pickers, or Alaskan Bush People nowadays lol
VanillaCracker LOL Soo true. pisses me off so much!!!
Prothaniel Harris Jr he wouldn't get near as many views on cable TV. this is where it's at.
but cable is outdated. Internet shows are the future
SavageSalad yo but that Napster is 2003 tech. 😅
This guy is so knowledgeable and researches extremely well. No bias opinions. Just honesty. Backed up by peer reviewed studies. Trust what he says for your car's health.
Ran two lots of injector cleaner through my 2.5 Diesel engine. I’ve been running it 20k it’s a good lump but I don’t know the history before I fitted it. It’s definitely made a difference on mpg going from average of 31 to around 33.5. And it feels slightly better. Next step is new injectors but as an interim measure for twenty quid it’s been worth it.
My main language is Spanish but I'm beyond thankful I have been able to learn and work with the English language, getting to understand your videos is a plus and many thanks for allowing us to learn more on how cars work, knowledge is power!
Bg44 k platinum excellent product for cleaning carbon deposits
I actually used a bottle of Gumout Fuel Injection cleaner in my 2005 Subaru Outback XT with the turbo ej255 motor. The wagon has 147k miles on it and started to develop a slight shudder at idle. I am half-way through the tank of gas with Gumout in it and a much smoother idle very noticeable and for five bucks it was well worth every penny. It is great to see a video that actually had an explanation as to how and why these products work along with an example. You have gained another subscriber! Thanks!
Thomas Poland Thanks for watching, and sharing your experience!
Thomas Poland
I know this is 2 years later, but I have the shuddering idle on my '08 subaru legacy at 62k miles. Damn it sucks
My strange studder goes away when the tires are at the proper pressure. 30psi rear and 32psi front. It is a strange situation, but it's livable.
Thomas Poland
(*long story*)
mine are always inflated slightly about PSI (as so I don't have to worry about when it gets cold and affecting PSI, etc). The shuddering is usually bad when the engine is warmed up and having been driven a while and I come to a slow down/stop or am sitting at red light (rpm drops from idle to 200-300 RPM) . Happens most when heat or AC are when.
Seems like the car being required to make more power brings the issue forward more. One day during a hot day when I was at a drive through, engine shuddered and shut off when I had the AC running. No check engine light or anything happened before hand.
Brought the car to my mechanic, he cleaned throttle body, air filter (which was already clean) checked air box, etc. Seemed to help the situation a little. That was a year ago.
Worst it got was last week. Engine sputtered and rpm dropped to 100 and check engine light flashed for a split second. Drove It to my parking lot and didn't drive it for a week until I was able to bring it to my mechanic.
There was a slight leak of what seemed to be power steering or oil, behind the alternator. My mechanic cleaned it and couldn't find the leak. He takes the car for three days and doesn't feel the shudder. He recommends me a gas cleaner to use and then get back to him. I'm waiting to use cleaner since I have to wait till tank is at 1/4 tank.
This entire process is just crazy.
Update please - did the fuel cleaner solve the problem?
I admire YOU and your intelligence to keep 'US' informed. You're very through, explain in utmost detail and are as handsome as a NEWS BROADCASTER! (Take that as a compliment because you're NOT rude, NOT errogant and you take POLITE to new levels for all of us).
I stay tuned on your channel because You're helping me learn to me to be environmentally friendly, efficient and budget my money on items WORTH buying!
Thank you my friend
While I have mixed feelings about fuel additives, I really do enjoy your videos. I feel that even though some of the processes are over my head, I can still understand most of the video and I have learned so much from all of your videos. If I ever have any vehicle questions I look to your videos first!
Warren Maslowski Glad you enjoy the videos, thanks!
Bg44 k platinum excellent product for cleaning carbon deposits
I know that I am chiming very late in this but I believe in fuel additives that contain pea. I have done my own experiments with it and I even clean the carbon from my rifles with it along with my shooting club. We use Berryman B12 and it dissolves carbon fantastically! I have a suppressed AR-15 that gets huge deposits in the suppressor and the barrel. And B12 cuts through it like butter. In fact I wrote an email to convey my gratitude and tell them about the second use and they sent me two large 12 can cases! I wasn't expecting that but I was just floored. If you are a patriot, try it in your rifle. B12 has a secondary use and it's terrific. Berryman is a top notch company and they get my loyalty for the rest of my days! Please consider buying their products!
Sure. Enjoy inhaling whatever the happens to PEA after you heat it to 700 degrees and burn smokeless powder around it.
The real conclusion is:
1. If you have a newer engine (up to 80K miles or so), don't use ANYTHING.
2. When your engine reaches 80-100K, use an additive every time you change your oil. I like to do it 400-500Km before changing oil because then I "flush" some of the deposits that got into the oil. I consistently see improvement in the gas consumption (10%-15%) when I measure it AFTER I finished the full "supplemented" tank, for about 2000-3000 miles. From that point on, my gas consumption becomes higher until the next oil change+fuel additive.
3. If you'll use it too much, you'll end up building more deposits than you're breaking. Deposits on the piston head might cause detonation.
Shane is it safe to use it without oil change
@@alecsanderfuentes3913
Sure, I just like to start fresh after the treatment...But there won't be enough deposits to make you oil sludgy. Just don't do it immediately after an oil change. You don't want your new oil dirty right after you serviced your car.
@@shane250 So do you use a fuel and an engine oil additive? If so, do you use a fuel additive after you do an oil change + oil additive or do you use the fuel additive before the oil change?
@@ZareefHuq
I use an oil additive because I got an old car (160K 2010). You do the PEA fuel additive as close as you can before your next oil change (so the oil change will flush the carbon you cleaned into your oil). Make sure you finished the tank with the additive before you change your oil. The oil additive (only if you use conventional crap from the garage pump...not if you buy some good oil) when you change the oil (put 1/2 a quart instead of 1/2 quart oil).
@@ZareefHuq If you use synthetic oil, NEVER use any oil additive.
Fellow scientist here love the clear objective of proper research. No hear say just pure science
Hello everyone, and welcome!!
pouchy400 Okay I think you've seen one too many. :)
Engineering Explained lol
I have used Chevron Textron with good results,. This showed good effect on an '89 Toyota Corolla with a very complex CARBURETOR, Toyota's last carb in the US. After putting a full bottle of Textron in with a fill up of mid-grade gasoline we noticed the engine's hesitation and lack of power disappeared within the next 50 miles on a drive from LA to 'Vegas.back in '98.
This guy is like the Brian Cox of cars
Brian cox is like the Jason Fenske of particle physics*
That is who he reminds me of. Thanks. For years I couldn't figure it out. Of course Brian Cox is at a whole other level, but I have a lot of respect for Jason though too
😂😂😂
He should stay with his books, and leave us petrolheads alone
@@Kj16V Brian Cox is patronising? I've never even began to think that.
Whenever a question comes in mind, I open your channel and you are always there with an answer. Thanks a lot
I have always thought of fuel additives as "cocktails for cars"; i.e. may not do much but they make you feel better. In Canada, the 87 octane gas can contain up to 10% Ethanol and it is my understanding that while this gas is perfectly suitable for cars that don't require anything with a higher octane, the number of additives put into it by the refinery may be less than their higher octane (read: more expensive) fuels. When the product is on sale, or when taking an especially long drive where I know I will be filling the tank more than usual, I like to add a bottle of additive. Same when I do an oil change; I like to add a 500 ml concentrate meant for older vehicles as most of my driving is city driving, short distances.
You reached a great conclusion. Newer engines are high precision and don't have as much waste and the waste is where the carbon buildup comes from. Simply put, newer engines don't need the additives but older engines do. Things like Fuel injector will eventually build up carbon, (80,000 miles typically) but they are also in the routine maintenance schedule for replacement at that time. So, once again, if you follow routine maintenance, additives are not needed.
Wow. 5 years ago vs now is a big difference. I can't wait to see where you take the channel in 2020 and beyond.
Keep up the good work Jason.
Gumout restored the overall performance on my 07 Honda civic hybrid car with 350986 miles. The hesitations on acceleration and rough idle stopped after using 3 cans of gumout for about one month period .
Hi, I'm curious. Does the carbon block the cats after moving out of the piston chamber. Thanks for your videos.
I'd us Cataclean to clean out your catalytic converter if you think it's dirty or it's time to clean it. Cataclean works awesome! It cleans injectors, o2 sensors, combustion chambers, and catalytic converter, and muffler. The muffler id the least likely thing to get clean, but it does help keep it from clogging. I've used it for years and it works. It's usually a little over $20. About $22- $26. So if you need to pass emissions or need to get rid of a o2 sensor code try a bottle of Cataclean on a 1/8th of tank of gas, and drive it for 15-20 or 15-20 miles whatever comes first, and then fill it up with fresh new gas.
ln theory if there was a massive dump of carbon that could potentially cause some cat blockage or at least throw a code but if you do the procedure correctly that won't be a problem. That's precisely why most of these products recommend your car but already up to operating temperature when you put the product in your gas tank. The reason for this is so that your cats are fully hot at the point that the cleaner starts loosening up the carbon deposits which will then get vaporized during the combustion process, pass right by the hot cats, and expelled out the exhaust. Also, at the right concentration levels, a certain amount of the cleaning agents will also get vaporized and make it to the cats and help clean up any residue build up. Of course that will not help if a cat is already damage, melted, disintegrated, etc, in that case you need a new cat, but for cats that have excessive residue buildup, the vaporized cleaning agents can also help clear some of that out and allow for a more efficient catalytic process. When l do a decarbonizing treatment of the fuel system, after the process is completed l do remove the upstream & downstream O2 sensors and leave them soaking for about 24 hrs in either plain gasoline a thin cleaning agent such as Seafoam, Berryman's B-12 which does a fantastic job of removing built up carbon and other contaminants from the sensor tips which are located behind the metal shroud. You will see a surprising amount of soot at the bottom of the glass container that you soaked the sensors in after letting soak for 24 hours. After removing them from the cleaning solution l then thoroughly spray them down with MAF sensor cleaner, using the little straw that comes with the spray can you can insert the straw in to the holes that are on the shroud and blast out remaining contaminants that may still be stuck inside the shroud, then spray down the outside to and give it a good wipe down. This will do a lot to keep your catalyst system working properly and efficiently for as long as you own the car. Some people do this O2 sensor cleaning process at the same time that they do the regular maintenance cleaning of the PCV valve, EGR, Throttle body which is a great time to get it all done together.
i've used additives on older cars with more miles on them and when i didn't really know the history of how that engine/fuel system had been treated prior to me owning the car, but now that i have a 10-year-old car that is direct-injected and turbocharged with only 75k miles on it as my daily, after replacing all the ignition coils and spark plugs with brand-new Bosch OE-spec products, i just make sure to always fuel up with top-tier gasoline (my personal choice is Valero 92 octane) and i'm confident that will keep it running great for years to come!
I just watched this the other day but I was too stoned to remember anything, so here I am watching it again stoned. 😅
Wow you’re so coool mr stoney
@@thegreat9481 slam dunk!
Feel better?
DUDE! Me too!! Hold on, what did he say?
Explicas de forma simple y detallada todo tipo de temas . Te apasiona y muestras bastante conocimientos . Produces admiración . Saludos desde Chile .
Would've liked to see a "control_experiment" at the end with a similar item soaked in gasoline.
You and I both! Video was awesome until final 30.
I added STP fuel injector cleaner to the gas tank. It was able to fix idle problem after10 minutes running. Very impressed!
Can You do a video on Diesel engines Additives?, thanks for this video !
Thank you so much I work at AdvanceAuto and now I know that P.E.A is a reommended additive for both newer engines and older ones to clean the injectors better
Hey there! First of all just wanted to thank you for how helpful your videos have been. It's helped me from knowing almost nothing about cars to finally being able to fix my 7.4l 454 v8 in my 85' suburban. I was wondering if you have or if you would do a video on better throttle response on carburetors and the different kinds there are? I was also very curious in learning more about an engines governor. Thanks again!
once again down to the facts in an easy to understand a simplified manner eh Great video. I have been a Licensed tech for 26 years. I tell customers to google your site for reference to my diagnosis, or answers to questions they are skeptical of my answers eh Keep up the good work.
Nice video. thanks for explanation as always. I guess (as an engineer myself) I'd be interested in the question: does using PEA to reduce the deposits improve the vehicles performance in some way? OR does it protect the engine in some way? those are the important end-measures in my opinion. Do you have any insight on those questions? Thanks again.
as a non college edumacated lowlife i find it fascinating you cannot derive the purpose of cleaning deposits out of a motor
impossible no to understand what he explains in every video thanks a lot for giving this guy his space on internet
Isn't SAE claiming that fuel additives worsen deposits?
It stated that base gasoline left fewer deposits than using any additives, but that PEA was the lesser of the evils as it added less deposits than the other active ingredients used. Wouldn't this indicate the cleanest combustion chamber comes from no fuel additives?
This is also backed up by the data from the scientific paper you put up. The intake valves lost 72% of deposits, but the combustion chamber GAINED deposits (21%), similar to the SAE study.
On gumouts in house study they only mentioned intake deposits and ignored combustion chamber deposits.
As far as I can tell this means that fuel additives, specifically PEA, can clean intake valves but actually worsens deposits in the combustion chamber. Generally combustion chamber deposits are worry some due to the irregular combustion characteristics that can ensue (knocking, dieseling, etc) which makes this video incredibly misleading to those who don't pay close attention.
Unless I am completely misinterpreting this it seems to me my favorite youtube engineer sold out and is providing misinformation for profit :/, please prove me wrong.
I think his conclusion was more that valve deposits would be lessened, but overall deposits (e.g. heads) would be more. I'm inclined to agree with you though, not sure if it has something to do with Gumout sponsoring the video...
The conclusion of it was that using it periodically is good, but using it long term(like at every fillup) is bad. It appears to suggest every 10,000 miles, as that is how long it takes for carbon deposits to return to equilibrium.
Remember that the SAE test used NEW parts for every test. This is why he said for newer / cleaner engines, don't use it because it will add more deposits.
For older engines / dirty ones, the risk of adding more deposits is outweighed by the deposits that are already there.
You are spot on , except that the deposit build up will not cause dieseling or pinging but on the contrary will increase the compression ratio.
Iv'e used 1x bottle of Wynnes and Redex per tank of fuel 3x a year (Every 4 months) and it makes a good difference.Great videos btw EE.
I think this is good as far as it goes. The Fuel that you buy at the pump these days is not what used to be available in the past. Most fuel retailers and their up chain suppliers are forced to sell a blended fuel with ethanol, which not compatible with most components in the fuel system. Also fuel is not blended to be as stable as it once was. Fuel is meant to be burned within a 30 day period and peaks at about 10 days. Top tier fuel that meet higher standards will also reduce combustion by-products when used. Shell is my fuel of choice and does a good job in my personal ICE's when examined by bore scope. Always use the octane fuel intended for your specific vehicle and a high quality fuel will help to ensure a long and healthy life with fewer problems while in service.
Robert Phelps go with Shell. no ethanol
LuckRenewal most stations have 10% ethanol in the D.C. Area all do that I know of
+JAY WASSERMAN i agree. most stations here in toronto says "may contain up to 10% ethanol" at the pump. but shell declares that they have 0% (i think it's below a certain detectable limit that they can declare that) for their V-power gas.
1. California MANDATES ethanol (to reduce winter emissions) so we are stuck with it.
2. I thought modern anti-knock sensors and ECU's (engine control computers) were flexible in adapting to fuel quality - they will increase the performance on-the-fly if you use higher octane fuel. I definitely recall models that say the spec'd horsepower is based on Premium, but the car will run fine on Regular if you prefer. And vice versa, cars spec'd with Regular that pick up a few horsepower on Premium. But I'm not sure if all cars do this or only Euro models.
again a great video, and you have a new subscriber!
as for additives, it explains my experience from a couple of years ago, when I was given additives as a sample from my friend who used to sell them, at first my car started running better it felt smoother and the fuel consumption went down, so I started buying the additive and using it regularly (in the interval suggested by the producer) and within 6 months my engine started working WORSE than before the additives! so I stopped using them, and used highest rated fuel I could buy for a couple of months and luckily it somehow cleaned itself and went back to normal!
this video makes me think I would have benefitted better have I cleaned my car originally with the additive and then just stopped using it, I think that would have been the best option
I performed a test to see if various fuel additives are safe on fuel lines; the video is on my channel.
Gumout did alright.
I think he should've also tried a similar part with carbon buildup present and soaked it in plain gasoline.
Further if it would've been more accurate to pull the piece and check the deposits, and then ran a can of gum out through the system, and then rechecked the part.
Most high quality gasoline has additives. There is little proof that any of these treatments will have any positive affect on an engines performance. You're more likely to waste money and redeoposite carbon on sensitive parts such as O2 sensors than to improve performance.
My 99 wrangler had a bad O2 sensor and the guy I bought it from swore by the cans of injector cleaner. That doesn't prove that it had a negative impact on the O2 sensor (and the jeep was extremely high mileage), but it also clearly didn't keep the sensor from going bad, or clean it out.
Another good video that was well researched! Thanks for making it!
Thanks for the vid. Nice info here. I'm wondering what would happen if you take the same piece of tailpipe and soak it in some gasoline instead of Gumout.
This guy is a legend. One of the best channels on TH-cam. So clever and looking at his early videos, come so far. We'll done fantastic content thank you for gracing us with your knowledge!
This stuff cleans out your carbon on engines that have been reasonably well taken care of. Its not gonna fix a blown head gasket, a spun bearing, a bent valve, a cam ran flat, or patch that window in the side of your block where you threw a rod. The people who buy this stuff are usually the people who are 5 years late on routine maintenance, and that is not who this product is for.
I used to work at a Mazda dealer back when they had manual adjusting valves and we would use a fuel additive as part of the tuneup and it would clean the injectors well enough that the more observant customers would think we didn't adjust the valves properly die to the noise coming from the injectors. I'm personally sold on it in certain conditions.
The studies you mentioned both are comparing "base gasoline" to gasoline with additives. Is "base gasoline" equivalent to what we buy? It was my understanding that the various gasoline companies have their own additive packages - including detergents and carbon reducers. So, is Gumout really necessary for any engine using real world pump gas versus the "base gasoline" used in the studies? Just like the number of licks required to get to the Tootsie Roll center: the world may never know....
John Gedde Probably not too different. Then you could always add smaller amounts than directed of the cleaner product into the gas tank, just to be on the safe side.
I've heard that Top Tier is all we need and if you use the cheap stuff (actually Top Tier isn't always more expensive, especially now that Arco is Top Tier) then running a bottle of Chevron Techron through every oil change is a good way to go.
I have a 2011 Subaru Outback with the 2.5 flat 4. That engine is supposed to run on 87 octane but it would knock with 87 so I had to put 89 or 91 octane in it and sometimes it would still knock. I tired the "Starbright" product and after 6 years of less than par performance the car runs better than it ever did. The knock is gone, and the power and mpg improved. I suspect it's the ethanol in the fuel that caused my problems and the Starbright corrected that.
Not sure your 'Soak Test' is valid since the product is intended to be used during combustion. Interesting to hear about carbon equilibrium occurring around then thousand miles.
i m so glad i found ur channel engineering explained. i m an engineer and a car enthusiasts also love knowing details of how stuff works(occupational habit)
Chirag Trivedi check out BG44K for fuel additive. You would like Scotty Kilmer on TH-cam or BITOG Bob Is The Oil Guy.
Arthur Smith thanks man i am already subscribed to kilmer will do for others.
Chirag Trivedi You would also like Eric the car guy on TH-cam.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I've never heard of isopropyl alcohol as an additive but I've heard people talk about using acetone. What is your take on this? Thank you.
How about "Guaranteed To Pass Emissions" cleaner? Its pretty powerful stuff. I pulled the plugs & they were CLEAN! Not a big Gumout fan. Used when I was a teen to clean carbs out, now my cars have injectors, I prefer GTPE. What's your view? You're a very intelligent young man & I'm impressed so I value your opinion!
Your vids are very well done and factual!!
*I've been told by a mechanic that this stuff is dangerous to use on older cars because instead of cleaning the fuel injection it can clean dirt out of the fuel line and clog the fuel injection with it.*
I've actually experienced this with a really old lawnmower where I poured a small amount of fuel system cleaner (Cheap stuff from Canadian Tire store) into the gas tank, started up the engine and watched it sputter and die several minutes later. Fortunately I was able to clean the crap out of the carburettor by dumping the whole bottle of cleaner in the little 1 litre gas tank and then cranking the pull starter non-stop for a few minutes until she started sputtering and finally caught then smoothed out.
I'm not sure if the PEA is the same as I used. But I do know the stuff I used contained isopropyl alcohol as well, which is a decent solvent itself.
Do you have an opinion on seafoam?
+duhstorm562 It's for 2 stroke
+oliver24x that is not true
I've had seafoam fix my fuel gauge in a 2002 Ford Explorer 140k. I also believe it helped my 2003 jeep liberty 248k run better.
+Andy Shay those are all 4 strokes
Andy Shay what issue did you have in your fuel gauge? needle totally down?
fuel doctor which is an Australian (green colour) additive has worked wonders on my sticky valves and has made the engine a hell of a lot quieter, going to keep using it and see if anything bad happens, may need to get a bore cam and have a look inside
Wait, the info was cool but the conclusion seemed wrong. Evidence showed an increase in carbon buildup on certain parts of the engine vs base gasoline. And the conclusion is PEA can help get rid of buildups? Well that's fine and dandy for the intake, but what about the heads and exhaust? What about differences in performance and fuel economy.
Your conclusion seems empty... Sorry if I am being pedantic.
+David Love
Good point!
+David Love There are two kinds of deposits discussed in the video: intake valve deposit (IVD) and combustion chamber deposit (CCD). PEA gets rid of IVD, but may increase CCD. This is why EE recommends only use the additive if you have an old car which has IVD. There is a trade off in using fuel additives.
+icekk007 right on. I could jave missed that.
icekk007
Thank you for your explanation ;-)
Glad that I can clarify.
Always great detailed videos without the crappy music. Keep them coming we out here love your videos.
maybe the most important thing not mentioned is that a lot of these "cleaners" have stuff in them that can actually melt and/or deform the fuel filter gasket in your tank... which is never a good thing
if it deforms it might impede fuel flow, and worse case the fuel filter ruptures or melts allow a lot of gunk & debris to enter you fuel injection system... and the cost of replacing a fuel injection system is much higher as the cost of "added consumption" because of dirty valves.
+RnRollie - I performed a test to see if some of these motor treatments would affect the integrity of fuel lines, and some of them did seem to affect the rubber. I've got the video on my channel.
Good question. Marvel says it can if you go over the recommended on their web site.
I just stumbled on this and I have a question: would the design of Direct injection engines, the additive wouldn
Hi, great videos. Would you review options to clean the valves on a direct injection engine?
Also keen to know what findings you can gather on direct injection fuel systems. Great work!
I recently acquired a thirty year old car and had it smog checked. It failed on account of too much Nox. Could be running too lean on account of a vacuum leak or too hot on account of carbon buildup which increases the compression ratio. A vacuum smoke test was negative. So I used an additive to clean up the carbon buildup.
With that gasoline still in the tank I went for the free re-test. The amount of Nox BOUBLED. Now when you said that PEA based additive is nitrogen based that makes sense.
utoopuser I used to have Nox problems with my 4Runner that had a full custom exhaust. I needed to weld an exhaust leak that was between the manifold and the O2 sensor to fix the problem. A tune up (with coolant change), changing the O2 sensor, and changing the cat converter would likely get your Nox to pass. Checking the MAS sensor and a Seafoam treatment wouldn't hurt either.
Thx.
Like your video's
Can you do a video on marvel mystery Oil (automotive additive)
Company states product was used in fighter planes WW11
Curious I've been using it for years in all my cars , bikes just about anything with a engine .
Says to add to motor oil and fuel.
A lot of mechanics including myself swear by it.
Thank you very much and thanks for the video's
Joe.. Ex navy veteran ..
I second that. Some things I know for sure are that it made my fuel pump quieter and gave be about 1 1/2 mpg better on average (in gas tank vs. just gas, same gas station every time) It also seems to provide better acceleration when in the crankcase, but that is probably because it thins the oil a little. I'd love to know what it actually does!
Would you use fuel cleaner before or after an oil change ?????
good research... one thing that could have been changed, to be more precise with the carbon removal test, that you did with the muffler. Would have been to correctly mix the ratio of the additive to gasoline, and THEN letting it sit in a bowl......because testing the additive alone may not have the same affect, as testing with high quality gasoline mixed in.
Thanks. This was totally informative. Data free of baloney. Clues me in and helps me decide what to do. Again, thanks.
Good info, thanks! Is using Premium or Plus grade gasoline worth the extra price? What about premium gasoline stocks with additives already in them like Shell V-Power, Chevron Techron, etc?
Use whatever octane is recommended by your manufacturer, no need to go to higher grades if your engine won't have a performance benefit from it.
I agree with EE -- use regular grade unless it's required for your car. Even then it's questionable. I had an HP Saab Turbo for which 93 octane was recommended. I ran it on 87 for 300,000 miles. Ran great, no knocking and fine performance.
Engineering Explained great video, as usual. I would love it if you did a video on straight cut gears or "dog boxes." you could even throw in strait cut diff's in the same vid! not to bribe you or anything, but I could provided you some support if you did this... maybe Mr.Lincoln could convince you? 😂
My car manual says Regular 87 is OK , but I've noticed that when using Regular, the engine oil seems to acidify very quickly, and the smell of combustion residue in the oil becomes noticeable. This seems to happen very quickly. And once it happens the oil is ruined and needs to be changed. Whereas when using Premium 93 gasoline exclusively, the oil stays clean for a long period. The combustion residue of the cheaper gas will be significantly greater than premium gas. While Regular Gas may not directly damage your engine due to knocking , it will significantly decrease the life-span of your oil. So using Premium Gas is actually beneficial, regardless of what your vehicle manual suggests is acceptable.
I am with the channel owner. Use what the car maker prescribes for your car.
Most cars will run just fine with any grade fuel, because for modern engines there are electronics to adjust the fuel injection for a wide range of fuel grades and operating conditions. With a higher grade fuel the engine will not gain more power, but a lower grade fuel may cost you a few hp which most of the time will not even be noticeable. There is a lot of fluffy marketing from car makers but they do not have any benefit by recommending a fuel grade that is not the best for an engine.
- The superpremium - platinum - viagra100 fuels that are sold like champagne are propaganda only. There is no car in the market where the electronics are adjusted to this.
- Avoid pumps that may have stale fuel, some Regular pumps are frequented very rarely!
I once had a 5 Liter Mustang with really terrible cold idle (about 200,000 miles). Maybe twice a year I put the Gumout cleaner in the tank and the difference was night and day. Made the last year or so with the car a lot more livable!
Liquimoly (MoS2) is the best oil additive you can add to any engine.
Invented last century and proven in the WWII, is far the best real anti-friction additive, increasing millage per gallon, engine life, lowing friction and temperature, extending the oil life twice and other benefices.
I used it for over 20 years in a large number of gas/diesel vehicles and I never had a engine problem. Motorcycles beware cant be used in engines with yellow metals (bushing).
Very under rated in many countries specially in the US.
Mr E - Just added a 300ml bottle to 5 qts of Royal Purple 0-20 on my 2015 Scion tC. I've had a 2011 and a 2006 and have ran RP on both (alone, though) and the engine performance was noticeable. Also, the engine was quieter and "smoother" per se. I added a 300ml bottle to the RP and I must say it is absolutely great stuff. I can't say how well it would work with using another oil such as M1 or Pennzoil but I am now a fanboy of MoS2. Great stuff.
MoS2 is the best but keep it away from yellow metals.
Archoil AR9100 Friction Modifier!
One thing to ponder on these cleaners, is that are they really needed? Look at it from another point of view, that the carbon build up doesn't cause any issue with the actual piston head or cylinder head as they are static surfaces.
The carbon building up does increase the compression ratio, which will increase the power that each cylinder can produce, and carbon is an insulator, so it will not create any hot spots on those static surfaces, which reduces the possibility of detonation.
I can see the benefit of cleaning out the injector nozzles for a uniform spray pattern and better combustion, and carbon removal on the valves to insure a nice clean seal.
I would be interested in a test where you had a dyno test before and after to see the difference, and maybe a view of the valves be removing the fuel injectors.
Thoughts?
I remember that red gas we had in the 80's
give this man a TROPHY
Its funny I was just getting some fuel like 2hours ago and wanted to know more about these products on the shelf, then I wondered if this guy had done a video on it and BAM. Law of attraction
After trying most brands of cleaners, I'm most impressed with RED LINE. Any comments, sir??
in your test, you soak the part in the additive or the additive mixed w gasoline? Also what's the effect of burning rather than soaking?
Yes, i was thinking the exact same thing. Wouldn't getting the product heated (combustion proces or forced (injected) onto the valves) have a significant improvement in the overal effects of the product in comparison to just let is soak on the particals?
+J Segal In the beginning he said PEA was stable and did not change when burned.
Mark G So after combustion, the additive is left behind? Nope, that can't be correct. The point of an additive that "cleans" carbon buildup is usually that it in some way reintroduces the carbon into the combustion, by raising the temperature of the burn or maybe loosening the bond of the carbon on the surface or both. Anything not burned away makes things worse. The soaking would relate only to standing fuel, as in the tank. Some additives prevent corrosion or reduce water separation in tanks.
+J Segal The PEA doesn't burn. If it had to burn to work, then it wouldn't clean the intake valves. It just breaks the carbon loose and then it and the loose carbon gets forced out the exhaust.
It gets forced out as a gas or vapor, not as just chunks. If it dribbled out it would just redeposit in the exhaust. Knocking the carbon loose with a flammable agent allows it to be reincorporated into the burn and more fully exhausted. That's how carbon deposits are "cleaned" or removed. Technically, you reburn them, but more completely.
Which Trany is better a CVT or a Traditional trany? And could you explain the difference in both of them. I wasn't a believer of a CVT, until I got a 2016 Honda Accord. Honda has perfected the CVT, they have come a long way. Thanks for you time and keep up the good work.
use it before or after an oil change?
Before.
Don't want carbon in your new oil.
So where does all the deposit go? Does it get burned out through the exhaust or what happens to it? Do I have to rely on this everytime or do I use it once?
is there any risk of these cleaners doing harm to parts of the engine like gaskets, or the fuel pump?
+Wynton Sparks I second this.
+Wynton Sparks - I tested some cleaners, including the Gumout motor treatment, on some fuel line. Some of the cleaners did seem to affect the rubber; you can see the results on my channel.
Rubber gaskets in cars might not be made for this type of additives and could damage them in some way (make them weaker) , if you love your car and want to keep it in top shape for a long time try not to use additives too much , once a year or twice at most
Usually i'm increase video speed. But with this guy i can confirm information only with 75% decreased speed))
or just take your car to a race track every once in a while and floor it like you stole it, that'll get er cleared up pretty quick
Rashid Al-Riyami
Thats called the Italian tune up.....
I doubt there is evidence that the “Italian Tune Up” is of any benefit for modern properly maintained engines.
Thats why i love older and cheap cars... ill never want a brand new car that i will have to sell my ass to get it fixed...
Ill always ride nice older and cheap cars so i can drive them like i stole them every once in a while :)
@@kirkp_nextguitar if its properley maintained it doesnt need anything else... 😂
actually the conclusion was inclusive... in theory it could work because the temperatures are reached to rip the carbon molecules a part.
That's good research, but will any of it help me get bigger muscles at the gym?
Ok so SAE says high quality fuel only has the least deposits on a new engine vs all the cleaners including PEA.
So just buy top Tier already. Got it?
Jason, you'd make a great auto shop teacher.
+Engineering Explained - What would be considered " High Quality Gasoline"?
+johnathan wood At a minimum something considered "top tier." Here's a list: www.toptiergas.com/retailers/
+Engineering Explained - I have to say, the that site seems like BS. According to that site just about every fuel station in my area is top tier... which with tests I have done... I know is not true. I have had about 160 used vehicles now.. So I have had the opportunity to use many different fuels in many different vehicles. With my testing, I have found that Chevron gives me more miles and more power when I drive. As fuel staions like Arco, have made my vehicle's mpg go down. With the same driving. Going from one station to another, I can deffinetly feel a difference. Especially with used vehicles that have lots of miles.
+Engineering Explained - Also, I wouldn't rate all those stations the same. I have filled up gas cans before and payed for exactly one gallon at different stations and been given different amounts of fuel. One pump didn't even pump out a drop of fuel until the total went to almost $1.
+johnathan wood Such a gas pump should be reported.
If that was state side, report it, fuel station owners can face felony charges for not maintaining the pumps, and pumps are supposed to be inspected yearly in most states, by a state authorized company for accuracy.
I saw a video from project farm where he ran antifreeze through a two stroke engine. It cleaned the heck out of the cylinder head, the valves, and the piston. He said he doesn’t recommend using this method though. I’d love to see a video from you on this subject.
I've been driving many different vehicles for almost 40 years, and never once dumped a fuel additive in the tank... Pure snake oil.
That’s why you’ve driven many and not 2
This just popped up on my feed. Jason, you look so young & fresh faced!
Ah those were the days 🙂 Love ya work 👍
How about some one putting seafoam to test by using it on a high mileage engine and see how much horsepower is restored after using it.
Could you do a test of FSi or GDi intake spray cleaners? Not necessarily a 'which product is best' test but more an 'are they worth using' and 'what to look for' test. Keep up the great work!
what is techron from chevron?
It also uses PEA, though I don't know what all of the additives are.
+Engineering Explained What do you think about the lucas fuel injector cleaner? I hear that it is the best injector cleaner to use. Would you recommend using it on the V6 VTEC? I'm just wary of using any additive in my engine. Am I being too paranoid?
+Engineering Explained what is price of this aditives ??
+Ivan Bender Like $5-$10 bucks at your local auto parts store.
+Engineering Explained Basically techron is sea foam??
I would think when using additives in a attempt to clean carbon of the valve the additives would maybe make a bit more difference on multiport injection engines vs direct injection? I'm not mechanic...but It just seems like additives would have less of an effect on direct injection. Maybe/maybe not.. again, no mechanic... I had an old mazda I use to occasionally dump in some 44K (along with basic maintenance) and even with high mileage the engine would purr like a kitten. Recently became an owner of a TSI engine and have been reading up on carbon build up issues with those engines. It's all very interesting.
Thanks for posting this vid...I enjoy your work.
more additive reviews!
Excellent, greetings from Honduras, Central America
OK, so you clean the deposits, but does this make any practical difference? Also, a good way to clean carbon is the good old Italian tune up. None of this stuff in bottles is worth buying.
It can give you a few HP back on old cars if you use it sometimes. So it's worth using it maybe twice a year
I’ve been using GumOut on my 150,000 miles car with only a Direct Injection engine.
After watching this video I’m glad it’s not just a placebo effect but an actual result for using the fuel cleaner.
This video really helped me bring back the MPG and mostly better engine performance of my car especially when you also watch and follow his italian tune up test vid which I really like because you no longer need to rev the engine high gear per gear, just cruise in that specific rpm for a while and the heat just burns those deposits. :)