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Does fuel injector cleaner affect Oil Analysis

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by srivenkat, Oct 24, 2012.

  1. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    Folks,

    I am planning to send the oil at 10K miles for Oil Analysis. But I would also like to use Redline SI or Regane Complete on the last tank before the oil change.

    So my question is would Redline/Regane have an impact on Oil Analysis or does Oil Analysis has a way of "separating" things out.

    Thanks.
     
    #1 srivenkat, Oct 24, 2012
  2. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

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    Well if any fuel goes into the oil at 10k is a very bad news regardless of using fuel additives or not. Also what is your reason to do this on the last tank before oil change ?
     
    #2 szgabor, Oct 24, 2012
  3. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    Fuel ALWAYS gets into the oil. No seal is perfect. This has been studied and proven over and over on the Bob is the Oil Guy forum.

    A normal fuel analysis always shows some fuel. I imagine a Prius would have more, because the engine cycles on and off, so the oil does not get hot enough to burn off the fuel, through the PVC system.

    It is recommended to do it right before an oil change for this very reason. Purge the additive from the crank case where is does not belong.
     
    #3 Jonny Zero, Oct 24, 2012
  4. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    According to what I read on BITOG, the answer is yes. The only additive found not to alter the UOA results, is the Chevron Techron in a bottle.
     
    #4 Jonny Zero, Oct 24, 2012
  5. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

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    OOPS I was wrong just checked my own UOA ...

    5,000 .2%
    20,000 .5%
    30,000 .8%

    so fuel goes in ..... can you (anyone) tell what is some, or normal, or "not a problem" level ??

    Never used or even considered additives. Most major or all ??? gasoline has those ...
     
    #5 szgabor, Oct 24, 2012
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  6. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    Some will tell you the stuff the gas company put in is diluted and inconsistent. They rely on the truck driver to push the right button to get the right stuff dumped into the tanker truck, so it might be a hit and miss, so use your own for insurance.

    That said, I use a bottle of Gumout Regane in the tank before most oil changes with my Camry. 160K miles, never made a difference, or had any fuel system issue. Not sure if I will do it to the Prius. But $6 every 10K is CHEAP insurance.
     
    #6 Jonny Zero, Oct 24, 2012
  7. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    Speaking of Gumout Regane Complete, I have used it in my Prius as well as my Camry Hybrid and one thing I noticed vis-a-vis Redline SI is that I don't feel/see any difference with the Redline whereas the engines purr when I use Regane. I am curious what is it in Regane that causes this difference.

    Are there any reasons we should approach the Prius cautiously?
     
    #7 srivenkat, Oct 26, 2012
  8. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    I happened to miscommunicate in my original post. My Prius is at 45K currently and I meant to refer to the 10K OCI.
     
    #8 srivenkat, Oct 26, 2012
  9. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    Well, I also wrote to Blackstone and here's what I got back [edited for brevity/privacy]:
     
    #9 srivenkat, Oct 26, 2012
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  10. Jonny Zero

    Jonny Zero Giggidy

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    Part of me thinks the SULEV has very sensitive CATs and sensors could easily be damaged with the wrong stuff in the fuel. The other part of me thinks it will be a-OK.

    Go figure.
     
    #10 Jonny Zero, Oct 26, 2012
  11. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    That is actually incorrect. There is an old chevron study on techron that shows that oil viscosity is altered after using techron. The cleaners OP mentioned also contain techron.

    This is exactly why it's recommended to do it just before an oil change.
     
    #11 Former Member 68813, Oct 27, 2012
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