When to first use PEA additives?

[gfh77665]

I like to occasionally use a maintenance dose of either Techron or GumOut Regane. I always use the 3000 mile concentrate. After buying a new vehicle, when is the best time to start, and what intervals? I run name brand Top Tier fuels only, and drive about a 50/50 city/highway mix. Thanks

 

[Olas]

IMO you should add a maintenance dose of PEA based cleaner to every tank, to maintain cleanliness and stop deposits before they form. Second best approach is to add half a bottle to a tank every 6 months Without sending your fuel for analysis so you know exactly how much of what detergent is present in your pump fuel, it's worthwhile to spend the money on the chemistry and keep your inlet tract nice and clean.

 

[kschachn]

I've only ever used a fuel system cleaner once, and that was on my BMW when it had a rough idle. That turned out to be a pushed-back pin in one of the injector plugs. Other than that I've gone over 425K and 20 years in my old Sienna and nearly 300K in my other cars without using any, so I really don't see the need. None of my vehicles have any discernible operational issues and I don't always purchase fuel at Top Tier stations.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I dose my new vehicles at 5K with Gumout One and Done and followup with a maintenance dose about every 10K miles. It can be found for $10 a bottle on Amazon, eBay, or Walmart.com, you just have to watch for it to list at that price.

 

[Rand]

I use the techron concentrate every 3000-5000 miles.

 

[BAJA_05]

Peace of mind -- why not run Complete System Fuel Cleaner from day one. I run a bottle of Techron Complete Fuel System Cleaner every 3 thousand miles in all my vehicles in signature. Started using it in the brand new Jetta in signature at 3000 miles. I keep a maintenance log/book in the glove box and mark "everything" down -- mileage/date service performed. I periodically check the book/log to stay on top of things with all vehicles. Dale

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by kschachn

I've only ever used a fuel system cleaner once, and that was on my BMW when it had a rough idle. That turned out to be a pushed-back pin in one of the injector plugs. Other than that I've gone over 425K and 20 years in my old Sienna and nearly 300K in my other cars without using any, so I really don't see the need. None of my vehicles have any discernible operational issues and I don't always purchase fuel at Top Tier stations.

I never use Top Tier gas and I've used PEA cleaner twice. When my wife says her RAV4 is losing its pep, I add PEA and the pep comes back. Did that twice. Still has the original injectors in it. Maybe PEA is more beneficial for engines that are not used much.

 

[Starman2112]

Top Tier fuel has all the additives you need.

 

[burla]

I used redline si-1 1/2 bottle every tank during one oci, when I changed the oil it was way too chemically smelling. and as we see in boroscope thread, simply isn't necessary. With current info and the right PEA additive, I say 2 bottles a year run concurrently towards the end of one particular oci. If you see the info on the net, not all PEA pour ins work, some work and MOST don't. We need more guys with a 20 dollar boroscope testing this, as we see when guys do this, it simply reveals the ones that work and the ones that DONT work. everything else is talk.

 

[benjy]

PEA cleaners is a good product, BUT does nothing to clean the intake valves in a DI engine, but its noted that cleaner injectors is better no matter what kind, top tier fuel i always use + own NO DI vehicles by choice!!

 

[burla]

The redline boroscope thread, that user uses amsoil PI and religious use of tw-c3 along with Shell premium grade gas, and his piston tops looked like the dark side of the moon. Just saying, there is one way to verify your gas strategy and it's pretty easy, a simple 20 dollar boro, everything else is talk.

 

[burla]

Mind you his hemi only has 61k for mileage as well.

 

[csandste]

Use Top Tier plus Techron or Gumout every 5k

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

I use it when I'm taking long trips say 300 miles one way. Gets it out of the system so as to lessen the affect on the oil and the engine being up a operating temp for a period of time I believe it makes it more effective.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

I use it when I'm taking long trips say 300 miles one way. Gets it out of the system so as to lessen the affect on the oil.

What affect does it have on the oil and how does it manifest itself? I have 10+ UOAs where I ran Gumout and there was zero difference between those and UOAs where no Gumout was used.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

I use it when I'm taking long trips say 300 miles one way. Gets it out of the system so as to lessen the affect on the oil and the engine being up a operating temp for a period of time I believe it makes it more effective.

A counter opinion would be that the PEA might work better, at a slower rate. Instead of using it for a 300 mile trip (approx 5 hours long), letting the cleaner soak-in, over a matter of one week to accumulate 300 miles, might be a better cleaning solution. I'm not sure which method would be more beneficial.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

I use it when I'm taking long trips say 300 miles one way. Gets it out of the system so as to lessen the affect on the oil and the engine being up a operating temp for a period of time I believe it makes it more effective.

A counter opinion would be that the PEA might work better, at a slower rate. Instead of using it for a 300 mile trip (approx 5 hours long), letting the cleaner soak-in, over a matter of one week to accumulate 300 miles, might be a better cleaning solution. I'm not sure which method would be more beneficial.

Manufacturers say to use the PEA when you are driving around town/various speeds. They say it is much less effective when the vehicle is run continuously at highway speeds. And this makes a lot of physical sense given pressurization and the known mechanism of action of PEA. Funny this exact question comes up. I have a few hm vehicles I drive/maintain and have learned their "PEA" dosing requirements. IT's 3 to 5k and it is based on their thermal burn, not aboslute mileage. Meaning - My SUV which averages 15mpg needs it about every 3k (burning 200 gallons of gas). Her Lexus, which gets around 26 mpg on average, doesn't need it but every 5k or more. Or every - wait for it - ~200 gallons of gas burned. See a pattern? I have played with this over years and it is VASTLY cheaper to buy Costco or other cheap gas, run it for 1,000s of miles, then add a bottle of Gumout Regain or Techron (each seem to work just as well). Now interesting, I am now maintaing for an elderly neighbor a 2016 Subaru Outback. He has only 16k on it. I have dose it with PEA and found no difference in performance or fuel consumption like I do with our high mileage cars. So a data point is that a new car with lower miles, which is really the OP's question - it does not seem to matter yet. That said, I'd likely set a pattern of running a new car to 10k, then adding a bottle of Gumout or Techron every 5k after that and monitor performance and MPGs. Another set of data: This summer we bought a used 2003 1.7l Civic for a new driver (16 year old). I have only now started fault-testing it and driving it daily to get it ready for him. 1st tank - (w/Techron) - 30mpg. 2nd tank (techron again) - 32 mpg. 3rd tank (no additive) - 36 mpg. Car has 183k miles on it, was very well maintained by a prior mechanic, but clearly the additive had a lot to say about fuel system efficiency and cylinder efficiency.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by 2015_PSD

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

I use it when I'm taking long trips say 300 miles one way. Gets it out of the system so as to lessen the affect on the oil.

What affect does it have on the oil and how does it manifest itself? I have 10+ UOAs where I ran Gumout and there was zero difference between those and UOAs where no Gumout was used.

Oil dilution Has you fuel dilution never varied or is it always O or less than .5