View Poll Results: Should I use a fuel injector cleaner for my Maxima?
Yes
114
77.55%
No
33
22.45%
Voters: 147. You may not vote on this poll
Fuel injector cleaner?
09-02-2007, 06:19 AM
#44
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 19
264,000 miles And used cheap gas all the time
I have 264,000 miles on my 96 max and never had a problem. And I've allways used cheap gas.. But I did use some cheap gas from exon and it made my car run funky. So I went back to my no name dealer . Point is some cheap gas is better than others. Funny top name gas such as Shell Exon and other 86% gas is not good in my car but the no name (hafners) I use make my car run good..But not as good as the top grade does.But thats just to much money. I never use fuel cleaners.Just gas line anti freeze.Because I live in the snow belt.
09-02-2007, 08:32 AM
#45
People like you who use cheap gas on engines like these are just plain retarded... These cars were made to run on premium says it in the handbook and on your gas tank. I don't know but people like you who use cheap gas on a car like a maxima... it just pisses me off for some reason. O and your 264,000 i can bet you you did not drive it from 0 so you have no idea what tlc the other owner gave it.
09-02-2007, 11:50 AM
#46
i did a fairly large report on discount gasoline in college. pretty much all gas is the same. you only have few(sometimes only 1 like hawaii) refineries that make all gasoline for your area. they refine it and add detergent before it goes to the storage. all their gas is mixed in and held in the same storage tanks.
after its picked up by the exon or shell truck they add in some extra detergent. the interview i had with a shell gas owner said a gas truck hold up to 100,000 gallons and they add in about an extra 1-2 liters of detergent(usually same stuff from the refineries). its comparatively a very marginal and miniscule amunt. all gas has to have enough detergent to PREVENT deposits and is randomly tested for having the proper amount before going into the storage tanks. its requried by the epa for air quality reasons. if the gas doesnt pass these test before going into storage, it has to be sent back and costs the refinery a bunch in logistics. to prevent this, they add more detergent than required by the state to make sure every batch passes.
if you buy shell, your paying an extra 10-20 cents a gallon for marketing.
i dont only buy discount or "premium gas" i just fill up where i can find the good price. if im close to home there is chev and 76 close to my house at good prices. close to work is an albertsons express gas. i go with where ever is convienient. the vq was designed in the early/mid 90's when gas quality was a little more questionable. in CA at least, 2 other acts have been passed since then to up the quality of gas statewide.
discount gas is not always cheaper. just so you guys know when to buy what if your trying to save a few bucks, discount gas retailers will usually be more expensive as gas prices are falling, and cheaper when prices are rising because of the way they hedge their futures contracts.
-my recommendation, use a can of chevron to clean out your system, then just use whatever gas u can find at a good price. repeat once every year or so just for peice of mind.
if you need to use techron every 6 months and have noticeable results, there is probably something else wrong with your car.
for the max, the more important thing is to use 91 octane, not gas with alot of marketing and gimicks.
after its picked up by the exon or shell truck they add in some extra detergent. the interview i had with a shell gas owner said a gas truck hold up to 100,000 gallons and they add in about an extra 1-2 liters of detergent(usually same stuff from the refineries). its comparatively a very marginal and miniscule amunt. all gas has to have enough detergent to PREVENT deposits and is randomly tested for having the proper amount before going into the storage tanks. its requried by the epa for air quality reasons. if the gas doesnt pass these test before going into storage, it has to be sent back and costs the refinery a bunch in logistics. to prevent this, they add more detergent than required by the state to make sure every batch passes.
if you buy shell, your paying an extra 10-20 cents a gallon for marketing.
i dont only buy discount or "premium gas" i just fill up where i can find the good price. if im close to home there is chev and 76 close to my house at good prices. close to work is an albertsons express gas. i go with where ever is convienient. the vq was designed in the early/mid 90's when gas quality was a little more questionable. in CA at least, 2 other acts have been passed since then to up the quality of gas statewide.
discount gas is not always cheaper. just so you guys know when to buy what if your trying to save a few bucks, discount gas retailers will usually be more expensive as gas prices are falling, and cheaper when prices are rising because of the way they hedge their futures contracts.
-my recommendation, use a can of chevron to clean out your system, then just use whatever gas u can find at a good price. repeat once every year or so just for peice of mind.
if you need to use techron every 6 months and have noticeable results, there is probably something else wrong with your car.
for the max, the more important thing is to use 91 octane, not gas with alot of marketing and gimicks.
09-02-2007, 11:58 AM
#47
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,391
please dont make me post my MPG figures since april or so to prove that shell gives the best MPG from ANY gas i have tried in Toronto.
if you buy shell you're a smart smart man, sunoco is good too, their gas is the cleanest wit htheir ethanol content, but does not provide the best mpg
if you buy shell you're a smart smart man, sunoco is good too, their gas is the cleanest wit htheir ethanol content, but does not provide the best mpg
09-07-2007, 07:28 AM
#49
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 30
Why do we have to use fuel injector cleaner? Is it because of the cheaper fuels we use? I live in Pa. and I was just reading in the paper the other day that the State of Pa. does not check the octane rating here so they could be charging you for 93 octane when in fact you could only be getting 87 octane. What a bummer.
09-07-2007, 02:11 PM
#50
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Vineland, New Jersey
Posts: 12
Originally Posted by IlyaK
I use Gumout Complete every 3k miles. Never have any problems.
I also use Gumout Fuel injector cleaner but not the 3k one ..the normal every fill-up one works well for me...but then I also use Gumout Octane booster as well and my Max roars on the road with no problems ...and YES these liqiuds work well to maintain your car in the long run!!
09-14-2007, 09:28 PM
#51
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: FL
Posts: 704
Why do we have to use fuel injector cleaner? Is it because of the cheaper fuels we use? I live in Pa. and I was just reading in the paper the other day that the State of Pa. does not check the octane rating here so they could be charging you for 93 octane when in fact you could only be getting 87 octane. What a bummer.
Wow, that is a bummer. I use fuel injector cleaner because when I had my Chevy Prizm, the ethanol in the fuel was clogging my injector cleaner, the injector cleaner helped out a lot. My Dad swears by it and I've started using it on my Maxima and it seems to help.
11-12-2007, 09:46 PM
#57
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 6,190
I wouldn't put that crap in my gas tank. You have a plethora of options that are better than Seafoam for cleaning fuel systems.
Chevron Techron, Gumout Regane, LubeControl FP60, BG44K to name a few.
Chevron Techron, Gumout Regane, LubeControl FP60, BG44K to name a few.
11-16-2007, 07:01 AM
#58
http://iecoklahoma.com/fick.aspx
Anyone care to comment on this setup? It goes directly to the fuel rail but doesnt cost $300 like the dealer.
Anyone care to comment on this setup? It goes directly to the fuel rail but doesnt cost $300 like the dealer.
11-19-2007, 09:25 AM
#60
please dont make me post my MPG figures since april or so to prove that shell gives the best MPG from ANY gas i have tried in Toronto.
if you buy shell you're a smart smart man, sunoco is good too, their gas is the cleanest wit htheir ethanol content, but does not provide the best mpg
if you buy shell you're a smart smart man, sunoco is good too, their gas is the cleanest wit htheir ethanol content, but does not provide the best mpg
11-22-2007, 08:50 AM
#62
Personally, I wouldn't use a fuel injector cleaner unless my car was showing symptoms of dirty injectors, like rough idle, uneven power delivery, etc. As long as you are using a Top Tier rated gas and the car is running fine, save your money.
11-24-2007, 11:37 PM
#63
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
I have not voted in this poll because the proper answer was not an option. The proper answer is not a "Yes" or a "No" but rather: "It Depends." It depends on which cleaner you are talking about -- as mentioned above -- there are great differences between them. It also depends on the condition of your engine and your driving style. I personally believe that a "clean-up" dose of fuel system cleaner is a good investment for keeping your engine clean. I personally use Techron, and can not speak about the other cleaners mentioned in this thread. Because of problems using a cleaner can cause with your motor oil, I always do my "clean up" dose about 500 miles before I plan to change my motor oil. And these doses should normally be done every 7 to 10 K miles or so.
Having worked in the oil industry for 35 years, I've learned that one needs to be careful making blanket statements like Noob made above.
It is true that in many locations in the USA all brands of gasoline come from one or two terminal locations -- and generally out of the same terminal tank for a single grade of gasoline. When this is the case, gasoline made by a number of companies are all mixed together in that tank and must meet specifications set by either the pipeline or the terminal operator (as well as government specifications on vapor pressure, etc). But there are locations were this is not the case. Although there are not many such locations -- they do exist. The industry practice is to ship all grades of gasoline without an additive package or any ethanol blended in the product. The blending of additives and ethanol occurs when the gasoline is loaded into a tank truck for shipment to a gas station. Each oil company has their own additive injection facilities at a terminal and the terminal company usually has the facilities for the blending of ethanol -- it this blending is done there at all.
Noob is correct that there are minimum government standards for the volume of detergent blended into gasoline. But these standards generally do not require enough detergent to keep most new fuel-injected engines clean. Some companies blend more than the minimum, but many only blend the minimum required. As I said in another thread, I don't know which companies are now blending more than the minimum. See my post #38 here:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....29#post6090129
. . . it should be known that gasoline is homogenous and chevron, exxon, and all the other gas companies use the same storage stations to hold their gas(its all mixed together when it gets to storage). chevron sell gas that was refined at an exxon/mobile refinery and vice versa. all modern automitve gas is refined and has enough detergent to meet emissions and deposit standards so using cleaner every 3 months probably a bit much esp since it can be harmful to "soft parts" like others have said. esp in california where gas is even more regulated, its not so important to use cleaner that often.
It is true that in many locations in the USA all brands of gasoline come from one or two terminal locations -- and generally out of the same terminal tank for a single grade of gasoline. When this is the case, gasoline made by a number of companies are all mixed together in that tank and must meet specifications set by either the pipeline or the terminal operator (as well as government specifications on vapor pressure, etc). But there are locations were this is not the case. Although there are not many such locations -- they do exist. The industry practice is to ship all grades of gasoline without an additive package or any ethanol blended in the product. The blending of additives and ethanol occurs when the gasoline is loaded into a tank truck for shipment to a gas station. Each oil company has their own additive injection facilities at a terminal and the terminal company usually has the facilities for the blending of ethanol -- it this blending is done there at all.
Noob is correct that there are minimum government standards for the volume of detergent blended into gasoline. But these standards generally do not require enough detergent to keep most new fuel-injected engines clean. Some companies blend more than the minimum, but many only blend the minimum required. As I said in another thread, I don't know which companies are now blending more than the minimum. See my post #38 here:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....29#post6090129
Last edited by SilverMax_04; 11-25-2007 at 01:13 PM.
11-25-2007, 01:20 PM
#65
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
While this is not desirable, it certainly should not cause premature wear in the engine. It appears that more scientific studies are needed to clear up the facts about the effects from using higher doses of fuel injector cleaners.
11-26-2007, 08:58 AM
#66
BG 44K
my 1998 GLE, A/T, has 224,000 miles. I bought it w/ 100K. I've used the complete BG system that most dealerships and independent shops use, costs anywhere from $100-150 and it works. Both times, 50K apart, I've had the service done I've seen dramatic improvement in acceleration and fuel economy. Also, I only use BP or Mobil 93 octane unleaded.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
11-26-2007, 01:08 PM
#67
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
IMHO, the BG treatment you describe should only be used when you buy a used vehicle that obviously has fuel system deposit problems because the previous owner did not do the more frequent clean-up steps that I recommend.
11-26-2007, 05:23 PM
#69
Uh...don't do that. The detergents in ATF aren't any better suited to cleaning injector deposits than a dedicated fuel injector cleaner and no telling what ATF might do to the rest of the fuel system.
11-26-2007, 08:26 PM
#70
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
Agree. In the real old days (in the 1950s and 60s) it was standard practice to put a little diesel fuel in the gasoline -- to lubricate the top of the engine. That is not done any more -- fuel injection is much more sophistocated than an old carburator.
01-18-2008, 10:14 AM
#71
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1gRzFwqu3CM
what would u guys recommend for me?
i was thinking about chevron...
what would u guys recommend for me?
i was thinking about chevron...
01-18-2008, 10:47 AM
#72
Apparently the Big Three use Chevron for all their testing. That's doubly significant because there's no Chevron distribution in Michigan, so they have to have it brought in at big expense. I'd say it's a safe choice.
From what I've heard:
- Chevron is the best overall brand
- Shell V-Power has the best additive package of any premium gas, but some Maxima users don't like it as much (not that subjective impressions are really meaningful)
- Amoco/BP Ultimate is the best of the rest, and has received better reviews than Shell V-Power for Maximas (again, not that subjective impressions are really meaningful)
- Other Top Tier Gas brands (www.toptiergas.com) are next in line, followed by Sunoco and Exxon/Mobil
From what I've heard:
- Chevron is the best overall brand
- Shell V-Power has the best additive package of any premium gas, but some Maxima users don't like it as much (not that subjective impressions are really meaningful)
- Amoco/BP Ultimate is the best of the rest, and has received better reviews than Shell V-Power for Maximas (again, not that subjective impressions are really meaningful)
- Other Top Tier Gas brands (www.toptiergas.com) are next in line, followed by Sunoco and Exxon/Mobil
Last edited by d00df00d; 01-18-2008 at 10:50 AM.
01-18-2008, 11:29 AM
#73
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
Back in the 90s and before, when I was working for Amoco, the Big 3 all used Amoco products for testing -- including Indolene test fuel. At this time Amoco was using Chevron's Techron fuel injector cleaner in all grades of commercial gasoline. I suspect that BP has their own cleaner now that they own Amoco.
I can't speak about what is happening today, but I doubt if any of the Big 3 is paying to move Chevron product from their closest refinery in the Gulf Coast up to Michigan. I suspect that the BP refinery at Whiting Indiana (previously the Amoco refinery that supplied Michigan) is still supplying that fuel.
I can't speak about what is happening today, but I doubt if any of the Big 3 is paying to move Chevron product from their closest refinery in the Gulf Coast up to Michigan. I suspect that the BP refinery at Whiting Indiana (previously the Amoco refinery that supplied Michigan) is still supplying that fuel.
Last edited by SilverMax_04; 01-18-2008 at 12:02 PM.
01-18-2008, 11:42 AM
#74
Interesting.
The claim I cited about Chevron was actually from Chevron's website a year ago. I just figured they couldn't claim it unless it wasn't somehow true, but I don't know much beyond that.
The claim I cited about Chevron was actually from Chevron's website a year ago. I just figured they couldn't claim it unless it wasn't somehow true, but I don't know much beyond that.
02-04-2008, 11:52 AM
#77
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
- The quality and treat level of fuel injector cleaner in the gasoline you burn.
- The level of the gasoline blending components in the gasoline you burn that tend to cause deposits in fuel systems and engines.
- The way you drive your car -- higher engine RPMs tend to reduce the formation of deposits.
Since I (and most likely you) can't answer these questions definitively, a periodic treatment with Techron (or comparable fluid) is a component of good maintenance practices. I do my treatments just before I change motor oil. But I would not recommend doing a treatment more frequently than every 7,500 miles or so. If you change your motor oil every 5,000 miles, I would suggest a treatment just before every other oil change.
