Gumout tech rep phone conversation

[JHZR2]

Hi,

I have been using FP/LC for a while, and am happy with it. I am continuing to use it, but after reading a number of success stories about using gumout regane on here, I figure I might give it a try.

Ive been using FP in all my cars, and they all run well. I have a 98 chevy s-10 ZR2, which has a slight shake at hot idle. It is a 90 degree v6, but I just wanted to try this stuff to se eif maybe it would help. I dont know how or why, the truck uns great, but its worth a shot.

So I stood in wal-mart, looking at the products. I called the phone number on the bottle, and immedoately was connected to a tech rep.

He stated that the large size combustion chamber cleaner, all in one, etc are NOT the same product. He said that the highest levels of PA are in the regane bottle.

He also advised strongly against using it more than once every 3-5000 miles.

He said that the all in one (including fuel system lubricant) would be the best bet if my shake was due to injectors (I think he thought that my issue as an idle speed that didnt stay constant though), as the regane is mainly for combustion chambers. It says it cleans injectors on the bottle, but he said the other products were better for injector-related cleaning.

Just thought Id relay me conversation.

JMH

 

[JHZR2]

wow, my typing there was really poor... I make more typos than I do correct words.

BTW, fuel power, shock and regular doses, over a few thousand miles have not made the shake go away. I think its the nature of the beast, but we shall see.

JMH

 

[Michael Polutta]

Slight shake? How are your motor mounts?

 

[JHZR2]

theyre 48k and 6 years worth of mostly highway, someoff roading. Should I expect them to be bad? Is there a good way to check them?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[Mud]

If that is the 4.3 liter engine, they are well known for not having a dead-smooth idle. Don't know exactly why, though.
Fortunately, the idle quality does not impact the reliability of this engine - it's a good engine.

 

[iceberg]

Mine shakes a tad at warm idle too. I also use FP. Not worried about it it has been doing it since I got it. New cap rotor plugs wires pcv fuel filter nothing helped it wife doesn't complain so I don't care.

 

[GT Mike]

Agreed on the 4.3L not having a butter-smooth idle. All of the S-10s, Blazers and Jimmys at the dealership that I drive on a somewhat regular basis never ran totally smooth.

BTW, I have a brainstorm for more power on these engines...

Ever look at your throttle body? There's a large "wing" welded to the bottom of the throttle plate that apparently makes for a more progressive throttle opening. All that would have to be done is that wing removed and the two holes in the throttle plate welded (or even epoxied) shut (A guy could even take a couple small sheet metal screws and tap them into the holes in the throttle plate and grind the tips flush, and that should work perfectly.), and there's an enormous restriction taken out of there. It would also improve tip-in throttle response. I don't know if there's any aftermarket companies that make high-performance throttle bodies for these engines, but this single simple thing IMHO should be worth about 5-10 HP, and make the whole engine feel much more crisp and responsive.

 

[JHZR2]

around the last year or two of the s-10s production, there was all sorts of rumors of a GM powertrain high performance intake/throttle body that somehow managed to pull up to 70 hp more from this engine. The GM concept/showcar was making about 265-275 hp, and there was lots of excitement.

Nothing ever came of it of course.

Im going to have a search to see if folks have modified their TBs in such a way to eek more power out.

Thanks,

JMH

 

[GT Mike]

I'll volunteer to do some crude testing on this idea. I have an extra TB sitting at the shop that I can mess with, and when it's done, I'll slam it on this '97 Jimmy we have on the lot and see what happens. They look very easy to change...Maybe even simpler than my 3800!

 

[Mud]

Mike, there is a similar mid that has been done to Crown Vic TB's. I will see if I can find a link to it.

EDIT - sorry, never mind, I think this a totally different setup. Dunno what I was thinking

 

[opus1]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mud:
If that is the 4.3 liter engine, they are well known for not having a dead-smooth idle. Don't know exactly why, though.
Fortunately, the idle quality does not impact the reliability of this engine - it's a good engine.

---

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that it's because the 4.3L is a 350 V-8 with 2 cylinders cut off.

 

[Reg# 43897]

Exactly. A 90 degree V6 block is inherintly unbalanced versus a 60 degree V6...

 

[tblazed]

Since 1989 the GM 4.3 V6 has a balance shaft supposedly to smooth out the vibration at idle. Reason I know this - I have an '88. It vibrates at the specified 600 RPM idle speed. And again at about 1200-1500 RPM. After reading this, I can stop being bugged by that now, thinking all this time the balance shaft they put in the next year mine was built fixed the problem.

 

[GT Mike]

I'm not sure where the info on the 4.3 having a balance shaft since '89 was from, but I can tell you for almost absolute fact that the 4.3 V6 VIN "Z" never had one. Ever. The 4.3 VIN "W" and "X" had them and also offered central port fuel injection as opposed to TBI.

I just ripped apart a 4.3 "Z" out of a '94 C1500 and there was no balance shaft in it. The engine had never been replaced either...The original owner bought the truck brand new and this was the first time it had needed somewhat major service (intake gaskets).

Unless GM had an older block that got stuffed into the current assembly line back in '94, I'm confident in saying that the "Z" engine never had a balance shaft. I haven't seen one yet.

Edit: Even if your '88 would have had a balance shaft, you'd still most likely not notice the difference at idle speeds. It's designed to help higher speed harmonics and make the engine feel less "thrashy" in the upper RPMs. I have experience with this...My mom had an '88 Jimmy with the 4.3 and at engine speeds approaching redline, it always felt like it was going to vomit a crankshaft. My dad's '92 Jimmy with the 4.3 "W" engine felt much smoother in the upper revs, but still had the infamous idle shake. In fact, his actually seemed worse than the older one.

 

[tom slick]

I agree with GT Mike on the vin "z" 4.3 not having a balance shaft. those engines were literally the 5.7 with 2 cyls removed. the later models with CPI had the balance shaft.

 

[JHZR2]

well, just let me add this. I put in a bottle of regane into a half-tank of gas in my truck. Drove it about 110 miles, and by the time I was at the destination, the idle shake had all but gone away!

Since then I put some gulf gas in, and it was still mostly gone. Changed my oil to gc, and put some FP in with about 6 gals when topping up before going home, and it has returned somewhat.

Still much smoother since I put in the regane, at all conditions, hot/cold idle, etc.

I like the regane stuff!

JMH