Fuel system cleaners differences.

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At Autozone.
Seafoam $9.99
The new lucas deep clean $9.99 ( anyone got any opinions on this?) it's new....I think.
Berryman B-12 $3.79.
Is this a BIG marketing or a quality gap?...
 
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I like Seafoam, but only buy it on sale for $6-7. $9.99 is way to high. That is $80 a gallon for the stuff. I use it more as a stabilizer for storage.
 
You can get B-12 cheaper at Walmart.

Personally, for fuel system cleaners, you want something with PEA and that means Regan, Techron, Redline, 3M etc. Neither Seafoam nor Lucas have PEA in it. The best value for money is Regan from Walmart or Techron when you buy one get one free deals from auto stores. For 3M, you are better of ordering directly from 3M but then you pay shipping. It is one of the more potent cleaner on the market. It is also cheapest if you order in bulk to spread the shipping cost.

Does anybody know for sure if LubroMoly has PEA in it? Its fuel system cleaner is very expensive though.

- Vikas
 
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Seafoam is just Naptha, light oil and Isopropyl alcohol. If you are using it as fuel system cleaner, skip the oil and you can make your own seafoam for pennies.
 
Originally Posted By: BBDartCA
Seafoam is just Naptha, light oil and Isopropyl alcohol. If you are using it as fuel system cleaner, skip the oil and you can make your own seafoam for pennies.


Unfortunately, you are going to have a hard time getting pure isopropyl alcohol (or any other relatively small alcohol for that matter) since isopropanol is an azeotrope. The routine distillation used to produce it always contains water. I don't like the idea of adding water to my gas tank or crankcase, no matter how small the concentration.

-Techniker
 
I've used all 3 and never really noticed a difference except when I used Seafoam on an old 88 Dodge aries that had 6 month to 1 year (if not longer.....) possible (wasn't gonna take any chances...lol) stale gas in the tank.

Before I even cranked it over out of the ladies drive way I added Seafoam to the tank because I heard of it's "rejuvination" properties.....on the way home I topped it off with mobil 87 aki.

As far as marketing vs. quality....it's really hard to say. As noted Seafoam is Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol, without the water), light oil, and naptha. I've used Berryman B-12 in my previous 07 and 08 Kia's and didn;t really notice a difference.....BUT the can does tout some very stout/strong additives/cleaning agents (Xylene, and Acetone to name the 2 primary.....) but it also contains some "Methanol" (often called "gas-a-hol") which some Owner's Manuals will say to stay away from....you'll also want to follow the can instructions very closely, I believe it's 1 oz of B-12 PER GALLON.....BUT the can will work for up to a 35 gallon tank.....so if you got a small compact car with less than 16 gallons, I'd be careful so you don't over-dose your fuel system....I know some people say Acetone is bad for the fuel system since it can degrade the rubber and plastics, etc.....but then there's the other side of the fence that says with the large dilution ratio, it shouldn't be a problem.

Bottom line, Seafoam AND Berryman's have been around forever...tried and testing for many decades
smile.gif
They should be safe if used according to the instructions....and at the intervals stated on the can. If I recall both Seafoam and Berryman's both have the typical 3,000-5,000 miles usage intervals.....

Haven't seen or heard of that new Lucas product though...with all this PEA "hoopla" lately though, I'm willing to bet it's just a re-packaged Lucas Fuel Treatment with a dose of PEA added to compete with the likes of Chevron Techron Concentrate, and GumOut Regane (both of which are readily available at big box discount retailers....).
 
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