Hey, if you're a technician who works in a facility selling BG products I'd love to hear from you. I've contacted BG directly, who couldn't recommend any products & directed me to a local supplier, who looped me back to BG. I'd like to get some info from first-hand tech experiences rather than a salesman.
The car in question is a:
2003 Ford 4.6L 2-Valve modular, 160k miles
Pinging under heavy acceleration, and burning ~1 quart of oil / 1,000 miles
Otherwise in good condition.
I'd like to know more about:
-what type of situation each is marketed for
-which you'd recommend in this situation, (& if you'd recommend both, which one first)
SDS: BG 109 - EPR Engine Performance Restoration
SDS: BG 120 - Engine Purge
If I'm understanding it right, 120 is mostly just naptha & kerosene (which can mean a lot of different chemicals), so I'm leaning towards 109.
Misc info-
I had the timing cover off to replace the guides & tensioner arms. The interior of the engine was clean, no sludge, typical varnish. I'm an adequate parts changer, but not a technician/diagnostician. The car is in generally good condition, I've cleaned the TB, MAF, PCV, & removed & cleaned injectors off car, replaced plugs, fuel & air filters. Typical tune up stuff.
I'd like to do a before/after compression test for curiosity. Probably won't get around to it though. A dry before/after would be enough for some light anecdotal evidence yeah? These heads were supposed to be made post-stripped spark plug era, I've replaced the plugs once without incident.
The oil pan is coming off within a few months to replace a leaking gasket, I'd like to inspect the pickup anyway (the plastic timing chain guides/arms were broken & heavily worn)
I've run ~1 qt of water through a drip induction service already, it's helped tremendously w/ the pinging (used to ping at ~moderate throttle). I have plans for a simple sprayer & would like to run a couple gallons of H2O/H2O2/Meth through it on the road over the next few tanks of gas. I'm not too worried about O2's, they're on the long list for replacement anyway. I was considering a cylinder soak, but a) testing 109/120 seems like a fun experiment b) it's one more product to buy w/ questionable efficacy c) if 109/120 isn't enough, I can do it when changing the plugs a second time.
I don't expect any miracles from an engine flush etc., but it's time for an oil change, and I'd like to roll the dice for $15-20.
Some other information if it can help anyone in a similar situation:
-Most manufacturers describe oil consumption as normal, I think Ford's threshold is ~1qt/800miles
-There are many engine flush, intake/throttle body/valve/combustion chamber cleaners/decarbonizers marketed, the ones I found most evidence-based support for are:
BG Products (typically BG 44K for consumers)
Redline SL-1
Chrysler 4318001AD Combustion Chamber Cleaner
Johnson Evinrude Engine Tuner Tune-Up
Ford PM-3 Carburetor Tune-Up Cleaner
ACDelco X66P Fuel Injector and Upper Engine Cleaner
Products with PEA (polyether amine), which I believe is the (patented/owned) product in Techron
^ Techron Concentrate Plus (black bottle)
Gumout Regane
There are indeed a lot of testimonials for other products such as Auto RX, Marvel Mystery Oil, SeaFoam, Kreen/Kroil, Berryman's B12 Chemtool, LC20/FP60, Kerosene, Diesel, and many, many more. The information I've found has led me to spend my money on the others, and avoid these.
Additionally, you can look for engine oils containing high detergents. Good luck finding accurate information.
Typically recommended are:
-HDEO (Heavy Duty Engine Oils, typically marketed as for diesel engines)
-An oil containing high levels of calcium and magnesium
-The list of oils marketed as having 'high detergents' is as long as the list of fuel/engine treatments. You can try looking at used oil analysis' to try and get an idea of actual contents.
Some information on Top Tier Gas, which may surprise you. And a AAA study last month about gasoline, and more detailed info.
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/
http://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/top-tier-gasoline/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/associationcommunicationfiles/PDF/Fuel-Quality-Full-Report-FINAL-1.pdf
The car in question is a:
2003 Ford 4.6L 2-Valve modular, 160k miles
Pinging under heavy acceleration, and burning ~1 quart of oil / 1,000 miles
Otherwise in good condition.
I'd like to know more about:
-what type of situation each is marketed for
-which you'd recommend in this situation, (& if you'd recommend both, which one first)
SDS: BG 109 - EPR Engine Performance Restoration
SDS: BG 120 - Engine Purge
If I'm understanding it right, 120 is mostly just naptha & kerosene (which can mean a lot of different chemicals), so I'm leaning towards 109.
Misc info-
I had the timing cover off to replace the guides & tensioner arms. The interior of the engine was clean, no sludge, typical varnish. I'm an adequate parts changer, but not a technician/diagnostician. The car is in generally good condition, I've cleaned the TB, MAF, PCV, & removed & cleaned injectors off car, replaced plugs, fuel & air filters. Typical tune up stuff.
I'd like to do a before/after compression test for curiosity. Probably won't get around to it though. A dry before/after would be enough for some light anecdotal evidence yeah? These heads were supposed to be made post-stripped spark plug era, I've replaced the plugs once without incident.
The oil pan is coming off within a few months to replace a leaking gasket, I'd like to inspect the pickup anyway (the plastic timing chain guides/arms were broken & heavily worn)
I've run ~1 qt of water through a drip induction service already, it's helped tremendously w/ the pinging (used to ping at ~moderate throttle). I have plans for a simple sprayer & would like to run a couple gallons of H2O/H2O2/Meth through it on the road over the next few tanks of gas. I'm not too worried about O2's, they're on the long list for replacement anyway. I was considering a cylinder soak, but a) testing 109/120 seems like a fun experiment b) it's one more product to buy w/ questionable efficacy c) if 109/120 isn't enough, I can do it when changing the plugs a second time.
I don't expect any miracles from an engine flush etc., but it's time for an oil change, and I'd like to roll the dice for $15-20.
Some other information if it can help anyone in a similar situation:
-Most manufacturers describe oil consumption as normal, I think Ford's threshold is ~1qt/800miles
-There are many engine flush, intake/throttle body/valve/combustion chamber cleaners/decarbonizers marketed, the ones I found most evidence-based support for are:
BG Products (typically BG 44K for consumers)
Redline SL-1
Chrysler 4318001AD Combustion Chamber Cleaner
Johnson Evinrude Engine Tuner Tune-Up
Ford PM-3 Carburetor Tune-Up Cleaner
ACDelco X66P Fuel Injector and Upper Engine Cleaner
Products with PEA (polyether amine), which I believe is the (patented/owned) product in Techron
^ Techron Concentrate Plus (black bottle)
Gumout Regane
There are indeed a lot of testimonials for other products such as Auto RX, Marvel Mystery Oil, SeaFoam, Kreen/Kroil, Berryman's B12 Chemtool, LC20/FP60, Kerosene, Diesel, and many, many more. The information I've found has led me to spend my money on the others, and avoid these.
Additionally, you can look for engine oils containing high detergents. Good luck finding accurate information.
Typically recommended are:
-HDEO (Heavy Duty Engine Oils, typically marketed as for diesel engines)
-An oil containing high levels of calcium and magnesium
-The list of oils marketed as having 'high detergents' is as long as the list of fuel/engine treatments. You can try looking at used oil analysis' to try and get an idea of actual contents.
Some information on Top Tier Gas, which may surprise you. And a AAA study last month about gasoline, and more detailed info.
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/
http://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/top-tier-gasoline/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/associationcommunicationfiles/PDF/Fuel-Quality-Full-Report-FINAL-1.pdf
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