The Truth About Fuel Additives

---

Fuel system treatments such as SeaFoam or Chevron Techron can help your car run better temporarily, but they are not a complete solution. If you are using a fuel system cleaning treatment from a bottle, you have already admitted that you have an issue in your fuel system. These treatments can do many things, such as help clean your combustion chamber, and lubricate and clean your fuel pump. But there are 2 problems with products like these and we will go through them below.

Although these fuel “do-all” treatments can mask a problem, they can not truly solve the problem. The recommended treatment intervals for these products are often, every 3000 miles or less! These chemicals can provide a temporary improvement for running issues, but they can not truly clean the injectors. The deposits that they clean out are minimal at best, and any positive results you do get will come back after a number of miles. This is why they recommend treating every 3000 miles, to keep covering up the problem and to sell more product. Our cleaning process truly cleans the injectors, by reverse or back-flushing fluid the injector from the nozzle back out of the inlet pushing any debris back out the intake where it came from. This all happens in a warm ultrasonic cleaning bath to insure the best results possible. Our full test and clean also includes replacing the internal filters inside the injectors themselves. No amount of in-car cleaning or flushing can clean debris from these tiny filters.

Most fuel system treatments contain some sort of solvent EVEN IF THEY SAY THEY DON’T! The Material Safety Data Sheets tell all. If you read these sheets they will almost all contain some sort of solvent or another. But that is what I want right? I’m trying to clean my fuel system after all! That’s where the confusion comes in, you want to clean your INJECTORS. These products can do more harm in the long run than good. Contaminants from your fuel pump and fuel filter can be pushed down your fuel system and into your injectors where they will cause the most damage and can make the problem worse, even causing a stuck wide open injector. Emulsification of water can also be an issue with additives. Additives with alcohol will emulsify or “encapsulate” the water found in your fuel (see “Ethanol in Fuel”). This means that little bottle of fluid you just poured in your tank will take the separated water from your fuel and send it all through your entire fuel system, along with all the consequences.