Can anybody comment on effectivness of all those fuel treatments. i know that it gets pretty gross in the fuel tank after a few years and all that slime goes through the pump and filter. So will fuel treatment do anything to help fuel pump last longer?

 

A lot of people here recommend Chevron Techron Concentrate additive. I usually run a bottle each year. It's the concentrate, not the Progard.

The way I see it, buy good gas, use techron every so often, change the fuel filter every 30k, and it should be fine..

 

ProGard's OK too. It's basically Techron Concentrate with a mild fuel injector cleaner.

 

I've had good results with fuel injector cleaners, the kind you put in the gas tank. I recommend it where there is a clear indication of an injector problem. I don't recommend it for use as a preventive measure.

IMHO all name-brand fuel injector cleaners are equally good at cleaning injectors. Techron claims to also clean carbon deposits from the stems of intake valves. Certain engines -- older four cylinder Toyotas in particular -- have this problem. I've never heard of it in the VQ30DE engine used in our 4Gen Maximas. For this reason I would not pay the higher cost for Techron.

If your principal concern is prolonging the life of your fuel pump, forget about fuel system cleaners. To help that pump last a long time just avoid running out of gas. The pump is cooled and lubricated by the gasoline which runs through it. When a pump is run dry it is harmed, and the damage doesn't always show up right away.

 

According to Steve Thomas, NNA's lead tech for the Q45, Techron is about the only fuel additive Nissan recommends. Some fuel additives (such as one or more found in Unocal gasoline) actually do more harm than good and are specifically not recommended, at least not in 5th Gens.

I'm not arguing the point, Daniel. Your opinion is highly regarded around here and rightfully so. I'm just passing on what was passed on to me.

 

I always thought Progard was just diluted Techron Concentrate. That's why it costs less than Techron Concentrate. $7 vs. $10/bottle.

 

I'm not sure about that. Techron comes in 12 and 20 oz sizes. The Pro-Gard I purchase comes in a 16 oz size. If Techron 20 oz is $10.00 and Pro-Gard 16 oz is $7.00, then they're about the same on an ounce for ounce basis.

 

Anybody have experience with Redline? I've been running it for maybe 25K miles now (1:20 ratio on fillups). No problems. I'll check out Techron meanwhile...