Running a good fuel system cleaner

I run chevron exclusively & use a bottle of gumout one & done right before oil change and another middle of an oci.

 

We have Chevron gas stations up here, but no Techron for us. I might have read it was due to Chevron digging in their heels, not wanting to make a metrified and/or french label?? Anyway, been trying this Canadian Tire Vintage, once every 5~6 tanks:



MotoMaster F1 Extra-Strength Fuel Injector Cleaner, 473-mL | Canadian Tire

It claims to have PEA PolyEtherAmine.

It goes on sale for half-price every so often (price drops to $7), and the 473 ml bottle (whadaya know: 16 oz, aka 1 pint) is good for 5~6 doses, on a Prius size tank. The fractured metric instructions say to use 1 oz for 16 liters (aka 4 gallons, approx).

The trick to efficiently filling the little measuring bottle: loosen the small bottle's cap, keep the larger bottle's cap tight shut, squeeze the larger bottle. The liquid kinda "siphons" up into the small measuring bottle.

You need to do 3 oz (approx), and the measuring bottle only accomodates 2, so you get to do that little excercise twice, entertaining all those waiting in line behind you.

 

You can't trust ANYBODY any more.
What the labels and the marketing say is in the pumps might not be at all........and you have no way to tell.

Some stations might not really have a filter in that metal coupler in the hose either.

 

True, no company specifies how much exactly PEA is in the bottle, just “contains PEA”.

 

According to wiki article on Techron, and I would suspect they're just quoting from Chevron, PEA is 20~49% by weight:

Techron - Wikipedia

Haven't a clue what that would signify, maybe someone does.

 

I use top tier gas and I purchase Techron from Costco by the case. I've never experienced a noticeable increase in FE after using it, which is once a quarter. To me, it's mostly a placebo. I just use it as preventative maintenance and to give myself a peace of mind.

 

Costco just replaced the 6-16 ounce bottles/case of regular Techron with 2-20 ounce bottles/case of concentrated Techron. The 16 ounce bottle was to be added every 1000 miles while the 20 ounce bottle is to be added every 3000 miles.

 

Not to split hairs, but the 16 ounce bottle was safe enough to be added every 1k miles. And Techron would be thrilled if customers followed that schedule. But it was not the recommended interval on the label.

On a separate note, you should add an ounce for every gallon. To me, that means adding 10 ounces prior to a fill up. But that's probably too detailed for most users.

 

I use exclusively shell gas which is top tier for detergents. I still use a bottle of Techron every 3k to 5k miles in all my cars. I keep my cars long term and Techron helps prevent fuel system problems.

I’ve lost a few fuel injectors on my race cars over the years and it doesn’t take very long to burn a piston when the injector stops working properly.

Paying full price for Techron is crazy. I watch the pricing at my local advance auto and get it when it’s buy one get one free.

 

AND.....you need to read the label a bit closer.
The 20 ounce bottle probably is NOT intended to have it ALL dumped into a small gas tank like the Prius has.

And my personal opinion is that most every company on the face of the earth tries to convince you that you should use more of their product than you really NEED.

 

Not as crazy as paying full price for Seafoam.

 

I'm a newbie on this site but I'd like to share my latest experience. I own 2010 Prius that used to get nothing but Premium gasoline until September of 2016. My husband passed away and he swore Premium kept the engine cleaner. We lived in a very small town so he advised me to use the 'Chevron close to the dealership', because they will likely use the Premium (more so than the general public that doesn't want to pay the extra cost) and they're using more gas therefore it's fresher. My husband passed in September 2016 and I continue to buy Chevron however I reduced the grade to regular to save $. I haven't had a bit of trouble, averaged 47 MPG and recently turned 100,000 miles. I use my car to make the bank deposit for my boss and 2 weeks ago, I was very low on fuel so my boss gave me his Valero credit card. I stopped and filled my Prius up with Valero Regular grade. I keep a close eye on MPG because I try to out-do myself with a better MPG but I noticed the Valero was staying around only 43 MPG instead of the usual 47. The next day I was driving in a nearby town and all of a sudden, it was as if my car died, except I still had steering and brakes. The Navigation read... "Check Hybrid System" and some lights were lit up on the dash. I pulled over, turned her off. Started her up with the same lights showing and "Check Hybrid System". I called my dealership and they had me drive to their location even though I had no acceleration. After I merged onto the freeway I got behind a big-rig and drafted as best I could. Got to the dealership and by the codes the Inverter got overheated and failed. Toyota repaired the inverter with 7 new parts and after receiving the car back I noticed I was getting approx 43 MPG. It was relatively new tank of gas, so thought maybe driving under that condition was bad on fuel economy. Continued to drive back & forth to work and my car seemed kind of sluggish. Then this last Monday it was time for a fill up so I went to the nearest Chevron and filled her up. Guess what! I'm back to 47 MPG and no more sluggishness. I wonder, if I hadn't used another cheap gasoline, if my Inverter wouldn't have over-heated. I'm open to any thoughts on this and interested in any replies. I'm back to LOVING MY TOYOTA and have scheduled the engine coolant replacement, transmission serviced and new air-filters this Saturday.

 

Valero is really cheap gas(ish). Any 7-11 type of place is just the cheapest they can find.
I worked for Mercedes and we'll put a fuel sample and within seconds the water would separate from the gas and a lot
of times there would be "things" floating around in it.
Best to stick with the better places, shell, cheveron, sunoco, etc. You just need regular. Getting the higher grade is
not needed for the Prius and really won't hurt, but it won't hurt either!

 

I would suspect that if you buy from Costco, you are getting Costco fuel that they buy to their specs.

 

Chevron in their technical documentation tells the user not to treat the gas more than two times in an oil change cycle. This prevents the product from diluting the oil.

 

So run it twice just before changing the oil.