Does anyone have any input on injector cleaners or cetane boosters in the new ford pickups? I was trying to get a little extra fuel mileage on an upcoming trip but I dont want to waste money either. Do these cleaners or octane boosters really work? Will they help with fuel mileage and clean the fuel system? Thanks for you help. To all that have replied to my threads, I appreciate your input and/or help.

 

Techron works as a great cleaner, either as an additive or if you buy Chevron or Texaco, it is already in the gas. Octane boosters don't pay for themselves. Besides, if it is tuned for 87, that is what it needs.

 

Cooker: I normally don't comment on additives because you will get thousands of different opinions... But I will share my personal experience... We bought my sons 08 with 170K miles on the odometer... 3/4 of those miles were highway miles back and forth from Oklahoma to Houston... My wifes company she works for owned the truck it was a salesman pickup... He never added any fuel additive what so ever... 2 months after we brought the truck home I new I needed to have the fuel filter changed and spark plugs changed... I had been reading horror stories on the spark plug changes... Due to either bad fuel being used or no additives being added to the fuel...

I bought 2 bottles of Redline SR-1

http://www.frsport.com/Redline-60103...z_p_14649.html

Added 1 bottle and filled tank to 1/2 tank... {Tank is 30gallon} Drove around town till almost empty... {Did this 2 times}--->No highway miles!
I feel a cleaner needs to soak for hours within all the parts... Not just flushed through the whole system at a fast rate...As is at highway speeds...

Then ran one bottle of Techron through the system in the same manner....
Then within the next month and still today before the spark plug changed I started adding to every tank...
1. Marvel Mystery Oil @ a 500:1 ratio---> 3oz per 10 gallons

Then as for a bit of extra lubrication to the fuel I also add
2. Pennzoil Premium Plus Marine TC-W3 2 cycle Synthetic Blend Oil @ 850:1-->1oz per 5 gallons

I have these already pre-mixed so I just add one bottle before every fill up...

Anyway... When I took the truck into the mechanics shop to have the plugs changed and fuel filter the mechanic was flat out scared to death to even attempt to change these plugs... He new with 170K miles those plugs would probably be welded to the head with carbon... He told me to expect a bill close to $900 or $1k he expected to break off every plug which would cost me an extra $100 per plug... He told me to call him around 5pm to see how far he was into the extraction...

3 hours after I dropped the 08 off at his shop he called me back and told me the job was completed and that he had never seen nothing like this... He was in total shock... Every plug came out fast and easy... Needless to say he was almost speechless... When I picked the 08 up... He asked me what I did to prep the 5.4L before bringing it in to him... I told him exactly what I did... He said the plugs were worn but very clean and had a slight red tint to them--->MMO I'm assume... He did say he was going to recommend the Redline and Techron to his 5.4L customers before they bring their autos in for plug changes and just for a routine maintenance....

He also commented this was the first 5.4L plug change that he had done without a broken plug... within his 27 yrs of being a mechanic... Esp on a truck with 170 miles and still the stock plugs being in the engine...

I'm by no means telling you to use Redline or Techron... I'm just sharing my personal experience which happened only a few months ago...

Here are {MY} top 3 Fuel Additives...
1. Redline SR-1
2. Chevron Techron
3. Gumout Regane Complete Fuel System Cleaner & Regane {High Mileage}

Mind you this is all just my personal experience and opinion nothing more...

You have many options out there... Do all work? No!

Do your research---> Here is a decent place to start

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...oard=37&page=1

As for Boosters? If you engine was not designed to run on premium fuel? They are a waste of $ in my eyes...

Good Luck
SyN

One more note: I did bring the truck home and we did change the oil after the plug change... Due to the fact if any fuel dilution did occur? I didn't want that mix circulating through out the 5.4L...

 

Is your 08 an early one with the two piece plugs? If it had the one piece, they would come out without breaking every time!

 

Bluejay: Build date shows 09/12/07 It was the 2 piece plugs within the 5.4L when taken out... The mechanic said he installed the newer style plugs so I or He if we replaced them again would not have to worry about this problem...


3-valve 5.4 L and 6.8 L engines built before 10/9/07 and 3-valve 4.6 Ls built before 11/30/07 found in many 2004–2008 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles have an issue with difficult to remove spark plugs which can cause part of the spark plug to become seized in the cylinder head. The source of the problem is a unique plug design that is made with a 2-piece shell, which often separates, leaving the lower portion of the spark plug stuck deep in the engine. Ford acknowledges this issue in TSB 08-7-6 as well as earlier TSB's----> {Notice the engine build dates}

Yes I forgot to explain: The mechanic replaced all the boots... The old boots were black... Like I said my case is very very rare... Maybe all those highway miles really never gave the carbon time to build up? I have no idea nor do I care... Oh by the way... Get excited!! My engine is not an 08 engine!

ROFL: I knew I should have just posted my top 3 fuel additives and been done with it...

 

Chevron Techron or Berrymans b12 or Gumout with Regain....all are good.....

 

Thank you for your time and great thread.

 

Don't get to excited lol. The 2008 engines DO NOT have any issues with broken plugs soo.....

O8's were redesigned. Pre-08 -04 are the fun ones.

 

Reason I didn't try with my 04. Read about too many stories of them breaking and pieces falling in. No way....

 

Remember if the cop boots are brown on the 3 valve heads...the heads were the redesigned ones that take the standard looking spark plug without the protuding heat sheild....

brown cop boots are good

black cop boots are a possible disaster waiting to happen...

 

You sure you don't have the brown cop boots????

 

If you have no environmental concerns, you could use a few gallons of either xylene or toulene (available at Sherwin Willams) which are basically paint thinners with your next fill up. Both are octane boosters which will definately clean the injectors, but unfortunately they are both cancer causing agents.

 

Marc: Have you used either of those within your engine?

 

Yes, however I used both as an octane booster mixed with equal amounts of Sunoco 94 octane to achieve the required octane rating in both my Lightning and '03 Cobra which were highly modified. I discovered their injector cleaning atributes clearly by accident. Both are commonly used in SVT World.

Warning: Both are cancer causing agents...

 

The changeover wasn't till mid-year 2008, so you will find 08's both ways.