Do fuel system cleaners actually work? Testing Gumout "All-in-One"

[dogfish246]

Hey guys,
We always hear about how people use fuel system cleaners to clean the engine but unless you have a dirty injector with a misfire, who knows if the fuel cleaners actually do anything?!?!

In this video I show before and after using Gumout "All in one" fuel system cleaner which claims after one use, you will see results.

Let me know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SoZnymBSC8

 

[BC backroader]

Excellent test video, dogfish246. I look forward to seeing your follow up with the second bottle. It would be nice to see if the product made any difference to the gunk in the throttle body, or the injectors, but I know looking at those before and after would be a lot more work.

Thanks for sharing this.

 

[dmanns67]

Awesome video I would not mind seeing a before and after video using Seafoam. I think a lot of us here have used the product before in either the gas tank, vacuum line, or atomized and sprayed driectly into the throttle body.

Have you tried Seafoam before?

 

[BlazingTrails]

I'm not 100% sure on this but I don't believe that fuel system cleaners are really designed to clean the pistons. They are designed to clean the fuel injectors and if used on a regular basis will clean them. If you want the pistons clean you will have to remove the spark plugs and pour in a little bit of seafoam or similar product and let it sit for a couple of days. some people mix tranny fluid and diesel together and pour in the cylinders,

In all fairness though the carbon buildup on the piston has no bearing on performance or longevity and is not a problem to begin with.

Just my opinion.

 

[IllogicTC]

Those crosshatches.

 

[Sir ffeJ]

Subscribed. Like to see how this turns out.

 

[dogfish246]

Thanks everyone! I am glad you guys are finding the video interesting and informative!

Excellent test video, dogfish246. I look forward to seeing your follow up with the second bottle. It would be nice to see if the product made any difference to the gunk in the throttle body, or the injectors, but I know looking at those before and after would be a lot more work.

Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks man! I am curious with the follow up myself lol. There would be no point to look at the throttle body because the fuel cleaner goes though the injectors, but the intake valves could be a good one to try and check!

Awesome video I would not mind seeing a before and after video using Seafoam. I think a lot of us here have used the product before in either the gas tank, vacuum line, or atomized and sprayed driectly into the throttle body.

Have you tried Seafoam before?

Thanks man! I will be making a video like this for seafoam as well! I have never used any fuel additive/cleaner before in any of my cars. I have used marvel mysery oil for lamwmowers though.

I'm not 100% sure on this but I don't believe that fuel system cleaners are really designed to clean the pistons. They are designed to clean the fuel injectors and if used on a regular basis will clean them. If you want the pistons clean you will have to remove the spark plugs and pour in a little bit of seafoam or similar product and let it sit for a couple of days. some people mix tranny fluid and diesel together and pour in the cylinders,

In all fairness though the carbon buildup on the piston has no bearing on performance or longevity and is not a problem to begin with.

Just my opinion.

The bottle of gummout showed specifically that this works on piston heads and it showed a piston head with a lot of carbon for their before shot and a really clean piston head for their after shot so I am just testing their claims. The bottle also says you will see the results on the first try so. But I think you are right with continuous use which is why I am running another bottle though my tank again.

Carbon buildup on the piston can cause problems becuase it changes the volume of the piston, weigh/balance, and also cause pre-detonation if bad enough. Small amounts dont cause problems though, as you said!
Thanks man!

 

[Chickenhawk]

It is snake oil unless it contains the active ingredient PEA (polyether amine).

It goes by various trade names such as Techron and Regane. So ALL the Gumout products are essentailly useless unless they are the ones containing Regane. Ignore all the other products.

One can buy what looks like the same product with the same name from Gumout but if it is not marked with containing Regane, it has no active PEA. Most people opt for the cheaper stuff because it is cheaper.

I put in a container of fuel system cleaner containing PEA in the gas tank every oil change and I burn nothing but Top Tier gas. Never had a problem and never will. (As far as a clean fuel system.)

The three most useless and oversold items in the world as far as auto parts go are fuel system cleaners that don't contain PEA, fuel filters (that have never solved a single problem) and nitrogen for your tires. (The BIGGEST consumer scam of the decade.)

 

[RedEnvoyDenali]

Just want to add my for your efforts, they are appreciated. Will need your method next summer since i have VW that is extremely bad and in need of a repair.

 

[IllogicTC]

Nitrogen is less likely to migrate through the tire, promoting more stable pressures. However, this is nothing that can't be done with a one-time purchase of a portable tire compressor, either. And at upwards of $30 or more per tire for nitrogen, it'd be a while before the minimal fuel savings (and potentially-reduced wear on the insides of the tire or rims from water vapor) even became apparent, and they may very well never materialize. It seems more of a boon for people running stock cars and the like, as they have to fine-tune their pressures and keep them there, and nitrogen doesn't expand as much as oxygen as the tire heats which helps there.

As for fuel filters, if it's time to change them it's not useless. But they obviously have a much different schedule than an oil filter, don't let the jokers at Jiffy Lube tell you otherwise!

 

[The_Roadie]

You've drunk a little bit of the nitrogen Kool aid, but there's time to correct that. All gases expand with temperature the same percentage. Dry nitrogen is the same as dry air. A tiny difference could exist if you put in humid compressed air, because the water vapor acts differently than classic gases. Modern tires are not more permeable to oxygen. Long since fixed with a membrane in the tire construction.

 

[Chickenhawk]

The Roadie is, of course, correct. Nitrogen molecules are within 10% of the size of oxygen molecules. (They are side by side on the elements table.)

This hoax has been perpetuated by the suppliers of nitrogen filling stations and nitrogen retailers for many years and has absolutely ZERO basis in science. Air is already 78% nitrogen, and the most one can get from a filling station is about 98% nitrogen.

Think about it ... if nitrogen molecules actually leaked less than oxygen molecules, then given time, the only air left in your tires would eventually be 100% nitrogen, and you get it for free. Anyone who tries to tell you nitrogen molecules leak less than air has no concept of the size of a molecule.

Most race teams use plain old air, and if they use nitrogen, it is because it is clean, dry and delivered straight to their pits in clean cylinders. The myth about NASCAR and drag racers started because nitrogen doesn't expand as much as air with large temperature changes, but one would need large volumes and HUGE temperature changes.

This is why airlines use nitrogen in airline tires. Wheel wells are tight fits and tires can go from minus 200 degrees at altitude to plus 300 degrees instantly upon touching down. This means that a tire accidentally filled with air might not retract properly after a balked landing.

Plus, in an airline fire, if a tire bursts, air will add oxygen to the flames but nitrogen will not.

As for fuel filters being the most oversold item on the shelves, fuel filters have rarely solved any problems. Yes, they need to be changed according to the manufacturer's schedules but unless one gets a very rare load of bad gas, they don't need to be changed anywhere near as often as some people recommend.

I have been a member of this and other forums for many years, and when one has a drivability problem, it is very common to hear, "I was told to try changing the fuel filter." In all those years, I have only heard of one instance where it helped.

If I did a lot of traveling in remote areas or was driving through areas where the quality of the gas may be questionable, I would certainly carry an extra one with me, not expecting I would need it so much as knowing the consequences of a plugged filter.

 

[IllogicTC]

On the subject of the fuel filter, I'd imagine a lot of its usefulness died out when manufacturers starting using a lot more plastic gas tanks, too. The possibility of water ingress in a metal tank of course invited corrosion and therefore rust flakes, not a problem with plastic.

I was going off a Popular Mechanics article regarding nitrogen, it's disappointing that even they were partially duped. I found another link on it here: https://powertank.com/truth.or.hype/ they went out and actually did tests and provided results.

 

[BlazingTrails]

:hijacked:

 

[Chickenhawk]

True, but how does one talk about one of the most oversold products on auto store shelves without mentioning others like fuel filters and nitrogen for tires. I think the bottom line as far as Gummout was concerned is that the only Gummout products containing PEA are the ones marked containing regane. Those are the only products I will use and trust.