Anyone have any comments on the use of diesel treatments and additives, such as those that claim to reduce emissions, clean the system and improve the health of a vehicle? In particular im curious of there effects on older vehicles as all the reviews i read tend to be for more modern vehicles.
Technical Diesel treatments and additives?
- Thread starter Snailman
- Start date
Currently reading:
Technical Diesel treatments and additives?
Older diesels, with mechanical injection, have a tendency for the injectors to gently contaminate, which results in poorer atomisation of the fuel, the burn is less efficient as a result, so uses more fuel and makes more smoke. A good brand name fuel system cleaner can reduce or remove the contamination, restoring some of the efficiency, and reducing the black smoke.
If there's less soot, EGR valves have an easier time too, taking longer to foul up, but fuel additives will not clean an EGR valve.
If it claims to clean the injectors, good. If it claims other nonsense, they're adding BS.
Redex and STP are established brands.
My brother has run a lot of old diesels over many years. Using additives has cleaned them all to some extent, making him easier (less unpleasant) to follow in traffic.
Additives for petrol engines do less work.
If there's less soot, EGR valves have an easier time too, taking longer to foul up, but fuel additives will not clean an EGR valve.
If it claims to clean the injectors, good. If it claims other nonsense, they're adding BS.
Redex and STP are established brands.
My brother has run a lot of old diesels over many years. Using additives has cleaned them all to some extent, making him easier (less unpleasant) to follow in traffic.
Additives for petrol engines do less work.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I had a Golf 140 GTD its turbo stopped boosing properly, and I spent a fortune trying to find out why I met a garageowner near where I worked who corectly diagnosed the issue and also said that there was a big problem with this engine that VW were aware of but not fixing. He strongly recommended additives (Redex) and said he believed it would reduce the soot that was interfering with the variable vanes of the turbo and prevent the problem recurring. I think it helped but have no idea of the science if there is any. I do believe the garage man who had worked for VW for 30 years before setting up himself was a genuine and knowledgable engineer and that his advice was probably valid. I felt that there was a smoke reduction when used with my Bravo 1.6D.
theoneandonly
Established member
I will only comment on my vehicles both "modern" a 2010 skoda fabia 1.6 CAYC Engine and a 2017 Ducato. I monitored the Injector variances before and after cleaning with liqui moly diesel purge Injector cleaner. The skoda results are below the Ducato has better results on 3 Injectors but tother is dodgy? So I think it does clean Injectors but it is intended specifically for that. There are other products in the range with simular names
theoneandonly
Established member
There is one member here with a 2017 twin egr Ducato that doses with Miller additives each fill up and has the cleanest injector variation i have seen.