Techron - The Cure for my Detonation

[GreenHornet]

I drive a 1996 Saab 900S (normally aspirated 2.3 liter 16 valve engine) which is impeccably maintained and driven in a "spirited" fashion less than 5% of the time.

My car (as all Saabs, whether turbocharged or normally aspirated) is rated for 87 octane gasoline.

I have, on occasion, used higher octane gas, but I travel alot on business through parts of the country where I perceive that it's better to buy cheaper 87 octane (as it has higher turnover in sales, which I believe corresponds to a lower likelihood of contamination from sitting in the tank at the gas station.)

In any event, I had recently been hearing some slight detonation when the car is lugging down low in first gear during hot weather, while running the a/c. I immediately began using premium to alleviate this situation, but I was eager to return to 87 octane gas, so I began to troubleshoot various things. The spark plug gap was checked and verified to be within tolerance. That led me to my next step, which was to try and get rid of any combustion chamber deposits whch might be causing the problem.

A tankful of 87 octane Chevron gasoline, with a large bottle (good for treating 20 gallons) of concentrated Techron in my 15.75 gallon gas tank, and all detonation is gone.

Completely gone.

This is amazing - I knew that these solvents were powerful, but I had no idea that a single tankful would make such a difference.

I am now a confirmed Techron fan - in fact, I'll research this forum for awhile to learn if there might be something even more effective. But in the meantime, I'll be adding a big bottle of this stuff to my tank at every oil change (5,000 miles.)

This stuff really works for curing detonation.

 

[arkainzeye]

take a look at this stuff..

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpConsumer.htm

 

[Jelly]

Congrats!

My top three:
Redline SI-1
Chevron Techron
Gumout Regane

 

[MAJA]

I will add to Jelly's list. Try "Fuel Power". There should be a link at the top of this page. I agree that Techron is good stuff, but "FP" is a little more economical. Just another option for you.

 

[T-Keith]

Sounds like you had some kind of deposits creating a hot spot in your combustion chamber. Sounds like it worked well for you.

 

[GreenHornet]

After recently lending my car to my Dad for a weekend of moving boxes and stuff to his storage facility from the house, I get a check engine light when driving to work yesterday.

My Saab dealer tells me that it is the O2 sensor, which needs to be replaced (and I won't even tell you how much that cost. It's heartbreaking.)

Anyway, after finding out that I replaced the O2 sensor, my Dad asks me "Gee, do you think the BG 44K ruined your sensor?"

It turns out that, prior to returning my car to me, Dad put a bottle of that stuff in my tank only two weeks after I used a big concentrated can of Techron. He was only trying to be helpful.

In any event, can anyone tell me if this may have been a cause of my sensor going bad? Has anyone heard of a fuel system solvent harming sensors like this before?

 

[greenjp]

All 3 of my cars (and my motorcycle) are on a every 5k miles diet of Techron. The Saturn is at 185k miles and zero fuel system problems ever. The Saab (a 9-5 Aero which does call for premium gas btw) only has 17.5k and is getting it's Techron regularly.

Never heard of a gas additive harming sensors. However, while I was out of the country, my wife let a shop do a power flush on our Civic's fuel injection system, and immediately afterwards the catalytic converter went bad. I am convinced it was because of chemicals from the flush, though of course there's no way to prove it

jeff

 

[brianl703]

I have never heard of any fuel system cleaners causing damage to an O2 sensor.

I routinely spray B12 Chemtool into the throttle body of my cars with the engine running as a way to clean the intake manifold and intake valves, and I have NEVER had any O2 sensor problems due to that.

Bosch recommends replacing O2 sensors every 100,000 miles on 1996 and newer vehicles, so if you have about that mileage your sensor may have died of old age.

Next time, you may want to consider using a "universal" O2 sensor if the dealer part is ridiculously expensive (more than $100). Nearly all O2 sensors are the same, available in 1-wire, 3-wire, and 4-wire, with the difference being the connector at the end of the wires.

A universal O2 sensor is one that you splice to your existing connector. The Bosch universal O2 sensor comes with high-quality Posi-Lock splices.

Here is a link to Bosch's website about oxygen sensors. It is quite informative:

http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/OxygenSensors/HeatedSensors/

 

[c502cid]

As much as I hate using universal anything, you are right on about the Bosch universal connectors. Top, top quality way to splice the wires together.