[b58.brady1]

Just wondering what everyone recommends

[pbonsalb]

I would worry more about carbon buildup in the intake port and the backs of the intake valves than the I he the. Top tier gas is likely all the injectors need. C mg waning carbon is done by pulling the intake manifold, walnut scraping the goo and walnut blasting. Chemical treatments can also help — basically introducing solvent into the intake manifold after the throttle body. Some are better than others.

[b58.brady1]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I would worry more about carbon buildup in the intake port and the backs of the intake valves than the I he the. Top tier gas is likely all the injectors need. C mg waning carbon is done by pulling the intake manifold, walnut scraping the goo and walnut blasting. Chemical treatments can also help — basically introducing solvent into the intake manifold after the throttle body. Some are better than others.

I’ve had a little stutter before starting my car recently, had someone tell me it could be a good idea to do a fuel system cleaning that’s why i’m asking

[John in VA]

BMW endorsed Chevron Techron back in the day.

[pbonsalb]

Lots of injector cleaners. I usually use Lubrimoly Jectron or Redline S1, but Chevron Techron is the most popular. Let us know if it fixes your problem. Using top tier gas is the best prevention.

[chowser51]

Top Tier gas all the time. A bottle of Techron before an oil change and a bottle of CRC GDI before every other oil change (this is not a pour and go, it takes work)

[b58.brady1]

Originally Posted by chowser51

Top Tier gas all the time. A bottle of Techron before an oil change and a bottle of CRC GDI before every other oil change (this is not a pour and go, it takes work)

What are good stations? i know shell is recommended but i dont have one near me

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by b58.brady1

What are good stations? i know shell is recommended but i dont have one near me

https://www.toptiergas.com/

[qx]

I am not an expert but have seen bg 44k tested on other forums as another good option, but you need a funnel. Most folks seem to think high PEA content is best. I've used the redline, techron, and regain complete, but not bg, and I didn't try to take pictures along the way.

You might try a can/bottle you decide on, at two consecutive fill ups and high rpm driving (warm engine, of course), a third untreated fill up with normal driving, and then an oil change.

[b58.brady1]

Originally Posted by qx

I am not an expert but have seen bg 44k tested on other forums as another good option, but you need a funnel. Most folks seem to think high PEA content is best. I've used the redline, techron, and regain complete, but not bg, and I didn't try to take pictures along the way.

You might try a can/bottle you decide on, at two consecutive fill ups and high rpm driving (warm engine, of course), a third untreated fill up with normal driving, and then an oil change.

So i should use it on two fill ups? i’ve always heard once every oil change but i probably haven’t ever had it used on my car so that would make sense

[qx]

Originally Posted by b58.brady1

So i should use it on two fill ups? i’ve always heard once every oil change but i probably haven’t ever had it used on my car so that would make sense

My rationale was:

• Many do this once a year as maintenance
• You are trying to solve a problem
• Some product instructions say no more than two treatments per oil change
• Many that use these products preventatively recommend doing so last or second to last tank before changing oil

[ShocknAwe]

Top tier gas has these as additives so doesn't really matter, anything techron or something knocking off techron. Don't use Lucas products.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by b58.brady1

So i should use it on two fill ups? i’ve always heard once every oil change but i probably haven’t ever had it used on my car so that would make sense

If you have not been using a top tier fuel it is time to use a fuel injector/engine deposit cleaner and the only one I use and recommend is Techron and use it *twice*.

That is treat a tank with a dose of Techron according to the instructions on the bottle then next fill up repeat the treatment.

Thereafter ideally you should use a top tier gasoline. In my M8's owners manual Shell V-Power is recommended and Shell V-Power is a pretty darn good gasoline.

But Porsche favors -- or did at any rate -- Chevron gasoline which has Techron in it. And after a switch from using a non top tier fuel in one of my Porsche cars the engine perked up after going through a tank of Chevron Supreme.

I don't know where you are in Missouri but down here in Benton County AR top tier stations are not numerous and there are not a lot of brands to select from unlike the way it was when I lived in northern CA.

I have used Shell -- IIRC BMW in my M8 manual recommends Shell V-Power -- and I have used Phillips 66.

For various reasons I'll not list to keep this post brief Phillips 66 is the station I most often use and the best Phillips 66 is about 10 miles from me. But I only fuel up my vehicles around every 3 weeks or so and trip to the more distant Phillips 66 station is not onerous.

I have switched both my M8 and my Ridgeline to top tier fuels after for the first ~6K miles fueling them exclusively with non top tier fuel and I was both pleased and surprised with the results after switching to top tier fuel. Given how the engines reacted to a tank of top tier fuel I have not bothered to use Techron.

[pbonsalb]

BMW recommends Shell like it used to recommend Castrol. Shell bid more for the contract to be BMW’s oil supplier. It is not that BMW engines are made for Shell fluids. But Shell does make good fluids, including gasoline. I would not say any one top tier fuel is better than another. I would say any top tier fuel is likely better than most non top tier fuels.

I have put only top tier fuels in my BMWs and Porsche and have never had an injector or fuel pump problem other than on a 2008 E61 535xi with N54 direct injection engine that was known for defective HPFP and injectors in its early days — no fuel issues with that car in the past 15 years other than carbon buildup in the intake ports that I walnut blasted and scraped away and probably should clean again.

The biggest problem with DI engines is carbon buildup in the intake ports, which occurs even with top tier gas. You can dump as much Techron as you want in the tank and it won’t stop the carbon buildup because it is injected directly into the combustion chamber and never passes through the intake ports. A minuscule amount ends up getting past the rings into the crankcase and is vented through the crankcase vent system back into the intake but it is not enough to make any difference. It is the oil within that crankcase vent that causes the carbon buildup. Fuel dilution of the oil is probably 1-2%; with 16 ounces of Techron in 2500 ounces of gas, there is not much Techron getting into the crankcase vent and Techron is designed to do its thing as a liquid under pressure, not as a gas.

There are solvents that may help clean the intake ports and valves, but they have to be sucked into the intake by engine vacuum. The usual companies make them. Some are better than others. Most do not spray long enough to do much, so using 2 bottles like the Redline S1 kit has may be best.

[Tejas1836]

Originally Posted by qx

I am not an expert but have seen bg 44k tested on other forums as another good option, but you need a funnel. Most folks seem to think high PEA content is best. I've used the redline, techron, and regain complete, but not bg, and I didn't try to take pictures along the way.

You might try a can/bottle you decide on, at two consecutive fill ups and high rpm driving (warm engine, of course), a third untreated fill up with normal driving, and then an oil change.

I think BG 44k is mostly naphtha and a stoddard solvent,
I don't see any PEA
https://www.lubri-care.com/msds/downloads/208.pdf

[qx]

Originally Posted by Tejas1836

I think BG 44k is mostly naphtha and a stoddard solvent,
I don't see any PEA
https://www.lubri-care.com/msds/downloads/208.pdf

They don't "market" it in msds (source via bitog)

Most of the time what you are reading on the label of a can or bottle is the major diluent (petroleum distillates, kerosene, mineral spirits, ect.) used to suspend the active ingredients. The active ingredients, in fact, may not be a regulated compound per se, and hence they may not be required to list.

Edit: Note that techron is very frequently buy one, get one free

[Tejas1836]

I only use products with documented PEA such as Techron or Redline Si-1. Prefer the Redline as it has some corrosion inhibitors.

[Ugly Kar]

Originally Posted by Tejas1836

I only use products with documented PEA such as Techron or Redline Si-1. Prefer the Redline as it has some corrosion inhibitors.

RL also has over twice the concentration of PEA as Techron. It isn't cheap, but with RL you know you're getting what you pay for.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by b58.brady1

Just wondering what everyone recommends

Nothing.
Clogged injectors are NOT a problem as long as you use top-tier gas.
Direct injection prevents fuel from washing over the intake valves, where carbon build-up IS a problem. But fuel injector cleaners do nothing to mitigate it.

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I would worry more about carbon buildup in the intake port and the backs of the intake valves than the I he the.

Exactly right.
It's been decades since I bought and used fuel injector cleaners. They are pointless these days.

YMMV,
a