THX

iTrader: (1)

I was looking around for some engine cleaner type stuff at Wal-mart (Trak Auto is out of business) and the have a few products. One is Engine Brite which says cleans out the whole engine compartment provided you cover all the electronics. Does this cheap $1.25 can actually work or is there something better that does the job? I don't want my engine super shiny but I heard having all that dirt will cause the block to heat up faster and will run at higher temperatures which I don't want @ 170k.

Also, I'm now seeing all these engine "re-energizer" type chemicals that is supposed to clean out the internals of your engine and even help with restoring pressure to the cylinders by filling in "the gaps caused by normal wear and tear." Does this stuff actually work and will I see any better performance?

Thanks for any help.

THX

iTrader: (1)

I was asking some of my buddies and apparently they all like a chemical called Simple Green. I bought a $4 bottle today and I'll see how it works. Doesn't anyone else clean their engine?

medic

the stuff to clean your engine internals are not good from what I've read., I'd avoid them. if you want to have the inside cleaned, get a power flush done by a mechnic

simple green works well and is easily availible. you'll need to scrub some or do this several times to get off a lot of the crud. you'll need something like 303 or vinylx to dress the platic and rubber.

there's a product called roll off I've heard good things about, but never tied (availible online). no scrubbing needed, just wet engine, spray one and wait a few minutes, then spray off.

max107

I use Simple Green to clean my engine bay and it works great!

toddhudgel

Gunk Engine Brite, good stuff. Make sure engine is warm, but not hot. Don't let it dry on, scrub with scrub brush where you can.

IMO, and the opinion of many others, including Dupont, who manufacturers the "active" ingredient in Slick 50 and others, Engine re-energizer stuff doesn't work. Don't waste your money. Slick 50 and others reportedly can actually clog oil passages and reduce engine life. Nothing should go in your crankcase but good quality oil. If you are rehabbing a neglected engine (with very dirty oil, that turns dirty again soon after a change) then there is some stuff to help clean out oil passages, etc. Let me know and I'll give $.02 more.

Todd
New here, but highly opinionated. Looks like I'll fit right in

todamax

iTrader: (6)

Todd, How about letting loose with those extra $.02? I'm interested...

karguy

I cleaned 3 with Simple Green, worked great and smells good.

toddhudgel

Sorry this is so long, but you asked for it:

OIL SYSTEM
If a car has been neglected (the oil is either black, or starts looking dirty soon after its changed), the system is probably gunked up with residual crud, reducing critical oil flow inside your engine. If you change the oil, and 1000 miles later its dirty again, you need to do something. Dirty oil is BAD, even if it is fairly new dirty oil. To clean out the oil system on a neglected engine, buy a can of Berryman's B-12 Chemtool in the metal pour can. Follow instructions on back. I do it like this:

1. Drain oil, replace oil plug
2. Refill with cheap oil, add Berryman's per directions.
For you guys that think if a little is good alot is better,
don't try it here, you'll destroy your engine. Berryman's
breaks down the oil.
3. Run engine for a few minutes, I rev it up half way to redline and hold it 30 seconds at a time a couple of times.
4. Change oil and filter.

Now drive the car normally and check the oil every couple of hundred miles to make sure its still clean. If it changes color inside 2000 miles, go on to the next step. If your engine is already burning oil, has mediocre compression, or mediocre oil pressure, I wouldn't use Berryman's, just do the following:

1. Change oil and refill with 1qt of tranny fluid, and oil. If your system holds less than 5 quarts, cut back on the tranny fluid accordingly.
2. Drive car 1000 miles. Change oil and filter.
3. Repeat as necessary.

In a properly maintained car the oil should look almost as good after 2500 miles as the day you put it in.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
In A/T's when you change the fluid via the drain, or dropping the pan, you are only changing a small part of the fluid, because most remains in the mechanism. If it hasn't been changed properly, there are two ways (that I know of) to correct a tranny full of gook.

Method One
This is what I usually do:
1. Drain and refill
2. Drive 2,500 miles
3. Drain and refill
4. Drive 5,000 miles
5. Drain and refill, change filter
6. Drive 10,000 miles
7. Drain and refill, change filter
8. Follow recommended maintenance schedule after that.

If your fluid is particularly yucky, change mor often, and/or more times.

Method Two (requires putting car in gear while on ramps... DANGER)
1. Get 2 clean five gallon buckets
2. Pull the Trans lines from each end of the tranny cooler
3. Put a line in each bucket
4. Start car and drop in gear for just a second (with the e-brake on and foot on brakes, wheels chocked, etc.)
5. Check buckets to see which one has fluid in it.
6. Fill empty bucket (intake line) with the transmission's full capacity of fluid plus one quart.
7. Get someone else (someone you trust implicitly) to sit in car with foot on brakes and put it in gear. Keep intake line in fluid until bucket is almost empty.
8. Before bucket of new fluid is empty, put car in park, shut it off.
9. Re-attach lines to tranny cooler.
10. Get it off the ramps and check the fluid.
11. Re-check fluid and lines you messed after the first couple of drives.

BRAKES
Let me guess, you've never changed your brake fluid. You've probably never even heard of anyone doing it. Well you should change it every year or so. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time. Moisture in the system is the cause of many brake system failures, particularly master cylinders. The water settles out of the fluid and rusts the components from the inside out. Always use DOT 4. Never use DOT 5. DOT 5 is silicone based, doesn't hold up well to performance driving, and will ruin a system that has had normal fluid in it.

COOLING
In my experience Nissan does a great job with cooling systems. They seem to somewhat overkill the system compared to some other manufacturers. Use a good TWO-PART coolant flushing product and follow the directions. If your radiator is gooked up beyond flushing, don't replace it, remove it and take it to a radiator shop. You just saved $100.

SUMMARY
If you start with a decent car, proper maintenance is the difference between it being a 100,000 mile car and a 300,000 mile car. While you cannot undo neglect, you can restore the systems to the best possible condition, and avoid future problems by keeping it that way.

If your oil system is plugged up and your oil gets dirty between changes, getting it clean and keeping it clean may add 1000's of miles to its life.

If your Brake system has moisutre in it and is rusting internally, getting the moisture out and keeping it out may delay that inevitable failure by many 100's of miles.

DISCLAIMER
I am not a mechanic, but I play one in my shop, and on the internet. Your mileage may vary. Use this info at your own risk. Void where prohibited. Following these procedures on a badly worn and or abused system may cause a potential problem to appear sooner. No purchase necessary. Enter as often as you like. This tag is only to be removed by the ultimate consumer.

Good Luck. In my experience (3 Nissans) if you have major engine, transmission, or brake problems before 170,000 miles in a Nissan, its probably your fault (or the previous owner's) for not maintaining it.

Todd

THX

iTrader: (1)

Awesome! Thanks for the tips Todd, I went through each on of them. I plan on doing the A/T Fluid change, but let me ask some stupid questions just so I don't screw anything up;

1) How much new A/T fluid do you put in? I looked in the manual and it doesn't say, I assume you have to (ugh) check the dipstick periodically as you pour the new fluid in (would that be accurate).

2) What are your thoughts on flushing the tranny fluid? You know, drain old fluid, keep drain plug out and pour new fluid in and let that drain out. Then screw drain plug back in and put in more new fluid. Would that help get more of the old stuff out?

3) And when you say "refill, change filter" what filter are you talking about? Oil filter?

Thanks dood!

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

toddhudgel

No Prob, good luck. PLEASE be careful, and remember that screwing any of this up can do serious damage to your car.

medic

Tranny filter probably, don't see how oil filter is related to tranny fluid

ghostmax

iTrader: (4)

well, my pop's 560sel burns oil (about 1qt/1.5weeks) and i put in some Restore. the rough idle pretty much went away, but it still burns some oil. i'll add another can when i do the next oil change and see if it actually helped. but i still can't believe how much it helped the idle....pretty amazing.