[captainjacksparrow]

Hey everybody.

This question has been asked many times on this forum, but I hope it wont be a problem if I ask a similar question again. So...

Do diesel treatments, injector cleaners and turbo cleaners really worth the money, do they really clean fuel system and injectors as they state? I have done some research and looked what are most highly rated ones etc. But just want to ask my friends from TalkFord, what You can say about them and which fuel additive would You recommend for Mondeo MK3 TDCI common rail system? And (might sound dumb) that the main ingredient that does this so called cleaning in them is the jet fuel?

Anyone used any of the following? What can You say about them?

1. Millers Diesel Power Ecomax 500ml (Highly rated on Halfords and Amazon with a good number of reviews)

2. Forte Diesel treatment (also has few good reviews)

3. STP diesel treatment (any good?)

4. Forte Turbo Cleaner fuel additive (How can this clean turbo if its supposed to be poured in the fuel tank?)

5. Is there is really a difference between injector cleaner and diesel treatment in general?

5. What is Your favourite brand of fuel additives and what are Your opinions on them?

Thanks

 

[mr zefect]

Ive used many but the best one is millers eco max dont no if it cleans but it defo gives you more power and a few more mpg's.

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[mark0627]

Disclaimer: I have never used one so far....

However... I have thought about doing it and spent some time digging around various threads looking for recommendations. It seems that GT244 is highly recommended by anyone that's used it although it is more expensive than the ones you've listed.

 

[marksimy72]

hi capt i do recomend millers used it a couple of time. first i gave it a double dose 100ml to 50L of fuel. did notice a difference bit more to mpg an it ran smoother. dont use it all the time around every 3rd fuel up. i also tried different fuels( loads of debates on this also ) tried bp supermarket etc. found 1 what my car seems to run on nice which is texaco supreme. but on the millers would give it a try its not too expensive plus it lasts quite a while.

mondeo mk4 zetec tdci 2008 plate

 

[mike wilson]

I put a half bottle of Redex in the tank about every fifth fillup on my MkII 1.8TD.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_194101_langId_-1_categoryId_255221

It did 207,000 miles without one spanner being put on the engine except to change oil and filters. It still did 50+mpg, when asked, the day it left me.

Did the Redex help? I have no idea.

 

[Spare Wheel]

I put a half bottle of Redex in the tank about every fifth fillup on my MkII 1.8TD.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_194101_langId_-1_categoryId_255221

It did 207,000 miles without one spanner being put on the engine except to change oil and filters. It still did 50+mpg, when asked, the day it left me.

Did the Redex help? I have no idea.

That variant of Redex (as opposed to, say, the 'Gold' product) primarily claims to improve the fuel Cetane number. I use a small quantity (a splash) continuously, but I can't really say that I know whether it helps, or not, as really I'm primarily looking for cleanliness and lubricity, and that's not really where the product centres its claims. I mean, more Cetanes are nice, if you have fuel of doubtful quality, but I am unconvinced that more Cetanes helps once you already have enough (ie, if you start with decent quality fuel).

3. STP diesel treatment (any good?)

STP have a 'twin pack' of a one off cleaner and a use continuously product, that they sell as an 'MoT pack' or something. tried it when I first got the car and it seemed OK (but I don't really have a reference as to how it was before, but I bet the previous owner only did the minimum).

5. Is there is really a difference between injector cleaner and diesel treatment in general?

5. What is Your favourite brand of fuel additives and what are Your opinions on them?

And, to the question 5s, yes and i use the cheaper redex, primarily becaise that's cheap and because I used to use redex on petrols (the smaller sizes are cheaper in supermarkets, but they don't tend to sell the big ones).

I've also tried Carlube Diesel Injector Cleaner, and that seemed fine (but, its a 'one off' type product, and given that these products tend to have warnings about mixing, that seemed more appropriate for a 'one off' 'Birthday' type of treatment than anything else...certainly seemed to see 75 mpg on the motorway more often, having used it, but the motorway was a bit up-and-down and I was probably looking at the instantaneous mpg more than usual...)

 

[riggers]

captainjacksparrow, on 07 Mar 2014 - 1:56 PM, said:

4. Forte Turbo Cleaner fuel additive (How can this clean turbo if its supposed to be poured in the fuel tank?)

Good question.

And if that's the claim for that one - sort of leaves you questioning the validity of the claims of the others, doesn't it?

 

[PURPLE_2L_LX]

How much cleaning can anything do after a spell in the combustion chamber?

 

[BunkerMan]

I've thought that too. Wynns do a DPF cleaning additive and was wondering how exactly it would work after the stuff has been burnt.

Figured that pH levels might have something to do with it, increasing acidity or alkalinity of the exhaust gasses to attack the carbon, similar to how stuff like Mr muscle would dissolve deposits. However, it again comes down to how effective that could possibly be in such a hostile environment.

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[captainjacksparrow]

captainjacksparrow, on 07 Mar 2014 - 1:56 PM, said:

4. Forte Turbo Cleaner fuel additive (How can this clean turbo if its supposed to be poured in the fuel tank?)

Good question.

And if that's the claim for that one - sort of leaves you questioning the validity of the claims of the others, doesn't it?

Indeed, actually do to this product, I started this thread.. It is very interesting to hear what others say and to know if I should give a shoot )

 

[captainjacksparrow]

I've thought that too. Wynns do a DPF cleaning additive and was wondering how exactly it would work after the stuff has been burnt.

Figured that pH levels might have something to do with it, increasing acidity or alkalinity of the exhaust gasses to attack the carbon, similar to how stuff like Mr muscle would dissolve deposits. However, it again comes down to how effective that could possibly be in such a hostile environment.

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I wonder, could it actually do more damage than any good, especially for the injectors? Or I am totally of topic there? The main ingredient is jet fuel in most of them. Though this mean higher temperatures? Yes or no?

Sorry if this sound lame, I still a newbie when it comes to engines hehehe.

 

[messed up]

give diesel rhino a try, i'm using it, it's good stuff, google it.

 

[HighlanderUK]

i have used miller's on occasion with MK2/2.5 Focuses, but its just coost the Cetane fuel number, don't think it does much cleaning.

on the other hand since switching to diesel from my MK2.5 onwards, i used BG244 each year to clean out the system as much as possible and judging by the crap that came out the exhaust, it did its job, MPG went up slightly and idle was good too. This year with my MK3, i have been trialing Archoil's product and it seems to be very similar and i have so far just used half a bottle and filled the tank (it's a consentrate) and cheaper than BG244

there are similar petrol stuff as well, i get these from this site -- http://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/section.php/99/1/diesel-engines

 

[PURPLE_2L_LX]

Even Mr Muscle has to be applied directly. Spray it on and wipe it off and it will do very little

if anything.

Nasty stuff also. Unless its changed you could get a nasty skin burn if left on the skin for more

than a few seconds.

Been cleaning the BBQ with the stuff you pour into a bag. I put a non stick tray in there and left if

for about 3 days. Its stripped it to bare metal.

Similar issue if pumped or sprayed through an engine though. Little contact time for it to actually

do its job.

 

[SoundsDigital]

I must confess that I and many friends in the trade always considered these to be snake oil. But the results don't lie. Forte has convinced most of the trade. Their catalytic converter cleaner has turned many an mot failure into an easy pass.

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[mike wilson]

I put a half bottle of Redex in the tank about every fifth fillup on my MkII 1.8TD.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_194101_langId_-1_categoryId_255221

It did 207,000 miles without one spanner being put on the engine except to change oil and filters. It still did 50+mpg, when asked, the day it left me.

Did the Redex help? I have no idea.

That variant of Redex (as opposed to, say, the 'Gold' product) primarily claims to improve the fuel Cetane number. I use a small quantity (a splash) continuously, but I can't really say that I know whether it helps, or not, as really I'm primarily looking for cleanliness and lubricity, and that's not really where the product centres its claims. I mean, more Cetanes are nice, if you have fuel of doubtful quality, but I am unconvinced that more Cetanes helps once you already have enough (ie, if you start with decent quality fuel).

It is called "Fuel system cleaner". 8 -) It does contain 2-ethylhexyl nitrate, a standard cetane improver. It also contains what I assume is benzene or a derivative from the description of "petroleum naptha heavy aromatic" and also naphthalene. Neither of them are known for their ability to dissolve carbon but they should dissolve any oily residue that is helping the carbon to attach to the engine parts. Oddly, there is nothing listed that explains why it is black. Odd, as the most likely ingrediant would be some form of carbon........

I agree with your point about using "good" fuel.

 

[mike wilson]

The reason that the majority ingredient in all of these products is essentially the base fuel is to provide some accuracy in dosing. It's easier to put half a bottle of the equally-dispersed ingredient into the fuel tank than, say, three drops from an eye dropper. Plus you would balk at paying for said three drops on their own....

 

[daleclose]

The only system I know of that runs completely separately to the fuel is terraclean system. The fuel line is disconnected and run on the cleaner etc. Is said to be some kind of miracle cleaner had mixed results and decided to have mine done. 150k on the clock with a de cat but went through emissions test even with a dicky injector so certainly never did any harm

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[marksimy72]

got a quote for terraclean. not sure if its worth it tho cars only done just under 47000.

mondeo mk4 zetec tdci 2008 plate

 

[The Guv.]

In terms of DPF cleaning, with the BMW it has a regen DPF which increases exhaust gas temps to regen the DPF over a distance at a given speed (generally motorway driving).

Therefore I would suggest that the cleaners maybe do the same thing, increase the temperature of the exhaust gases? Still, I don't know how effective this would be, I think the BMW does it's regen quite often. Although I haven't really noticed it myself, some say that they can hear a distinctive tone in the exhaust when regen is taking place.

Just a thought... And I guess the turbo cleaner would be based on the same principle?