Recently purchased Triumph America that has been garaged for a long while. It runs without a problem, but I think it would be a good idea to add some fuel treatment/injector cleaner. Is this a good idea? Any product recommendations?
It is mostly snake oil........ One of the best fuel solvents is.......fuel. A high mileage poorly maintained engine might have carbon deposits in the injector tips and in the cylinder head and valve seats but I suspect your bike would benefit most from a fresh tank or two of premium fuel being run through it to shift gummy deposits. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/33200/fuel-additives-are-waste-money Diesels can benefit from a slug of paraffin/kerosene to improve solvent content (which is what you mostly pay for at a premium price in diesel injection cleaner)
Diesels - different story but many still benefit from being flogged on the motorway to blow the soot out that urban driving never shifts.....DPF or not (and they benefit too.) Don’t forget ‘marketing’ is about perceptions of value......not necessarily substantive delivery of value! We convince ourselves we haven’t been conned!
I have. I did. And if I ran a diesel I would dose with half a pint of paraffin in the run up to my MoT .......
For what it's worth, I agree with DD. I use the Lucas product in all of my vehicles (every 4th or 5th tank). If your vehicle is running all right, you won't see the difference. I bought a 2008 Honda Rebel for my wife in 2015. It only had 800 miles on it and the carburetors were gummed up. The bike would barely run. I added the Lucas product and the motor ran perfect after about 15 minutes. I had the same experience with an old Honda generator. It was a pain to start and ran rough. After 15-20 minutes running on the Lucas cleaner, it started running smooth and was easy to start later. I'm a believer.
I was of the opinion it was snake oil, until I put some n my daughters MG ZR. Couldn't find anything wrong with it, but didn't pull right. Believe the car had been sat around for a few months. Few tanks of fuel with redex added and it was running good. Could have just let the fuel eventually clean it out, but believe the redex expedited the cleansing of the fi system. Cost £12 for three bottles, not a huge gamble.
Don't forget add some mentholated spirits if it's been sitting in damp conditions With half a tank of fuel ! Moisture will condense out of the humid air and this will block any small opening/jet in the fuel system ! You only need a 100 to 250 milliliters to a tank full , it's hygroscopic so aids in dispersing the water more evenly through the fuel !!
I am happy for folk to believe what they will and to frequently be wrong. I am good at being wrong. Ask my wife...... Ron knows it was the Redex wot did it not the tankfuls of fresh fuel...... I just know that apart from Chevron with its patented Techron (about the only major fuel producer to market the stuff) that the stuff dumped into forecourt ground tanks gets dosed with solvents and detergents anyway. This is not rural Mongolia. Premium fuels ALREADY CONTAIN the same stuff. So, if adding more at extra cost helps you sleep at night...... fill your bedtime booties. https://www.shell.co.uk/motorist/shell-fuels/shell-v-power/shell-v-power-unleaded.html https://www.esso.co.uk/petrol Octane boosters and stabilisers are a different story. We were talking dirt.
One example is not scientific, I can only report personal experience. The car was 'flat' through the rev range, ran it for a month or so, no change, banged redex in and it gradually improved over the six or so tankfuls, to becoming a wee flying machine! I don't believe in the use of these additives long term make any difference. But in a vehicle that has stood, or only being used on short journeys over a long time (our MG only had 50k miles in 14 years of continuous use) I believe that there is a benefit in using it to 'clear the pipes' Personal choice, but for the price, worth a shot imho. Look forward to others feedback.
