People Say I'm Full of Crap About Fuel Additives, Well Watch This

Summary

In this video, a mechanic with 46 years of experience explains how modern fuel injection cleaning systems work, emphasizing the inadequacy of old additives for today's vehicles. He highlights the challenges posed by ethanol-blended gasoline and direct injection systems, recommending Gumout for their polyether amine content. The mechanic also demonstrates diagnosing a 2007 Toyota Corolla's sluggish acceleration, ruling out common issues before suspecting a clogged catalytic converter. After testing, he finds the issue lies with dirty fuel injectors, which Gumout resolves after a short drive.

Takeaways

• 🚗 Modern fuel injectors and engines require specific cleaners that work with ethanol-based gasoline.
• 🔧 Old additives like seafoam, designed for two-stroke engines, are ineffective for modern vehicles with direct fuel injection.
• 💧 The main cleaning ingredient in Gumout is polyether amine (PEA), which effectively cleans engines, particularly gasoline direct injection systems.
• ⛽ Ethanol in gasoline can cause corrosion, but modern additives like Gumout have corrosion inhibitors to protect the engine.
• 👀 Using a boroscope to inspect engine carbon buildup before and after using cleaners helps verify their effectiveness.
• 🧪 Testing additives on modern cars with boroscopes shows that Gumout can significantly reduce carbon buildup.
• 🔋 Troubleshooting car performance often involves checking basics like the battery, alternator, air filters, and spark plugs.
• ⚙️ A clogged catalytic converter or lazy oxygen sensor can cause acceleration issues, and it's important to test components properly.
• 🔍 Advanced diagnostics tools like OTC scanners provide more detailed information than standard code readers.
• 🚙 Dirty fuel injectors can cause sluggish performance, but cleaning them with additives like Royal Purple can restore engine efficiency.

Q & A

Why do old fuel additives like Seafoam not work well with modern cars?

Old additives like Seafoam were designed for two-stroke engines and do not work well with modern gasoline, which contains up to 10% ethanol. Additionally, they are not optimized for modern gasoline direct injection (GDI) systems, which can lead to carbon buildup in engines.

What is the primary cleaning ingredient in modern fuel additives like Gumout?

The primary cleaning ingredient in Gumout is polyether amine (PEA), a nitrogen-based cleaner that is effective at cleaning carbon buildup inside engines, particularly those with gasoline direct injection systems.

How does ethanol in gasoline affect modern engines?

Ethanol can cause corrosion in the fuel system and may negatively affect engine performance, leading to complaints about cars running poorly. Modern fuel additives contain corrosion inhibitors to prevent ethanol from damaging the fuel system.

What tool does the speaker recommend using to check the effectiveness of fuel system cleaners?

The speaker recommends using a borescope to look inside the engine, allowing users to visually inspect carbon buildup before and after using fuel system cleaners.

What issue was found with the 2007 Toyota Corolla in the video?

The 2007 Toyota Corolla experienced sluggish acceleration. Despite multiple trips to dealers, the problem remained unresolved. The speaker conducted various tests, including checking the battery, alternator, air filter, spark plugs, and running live data diagnostics.

What was the significance of testing the oxygen sensor in the Toyota Corolla?

Testing the oxygen sensor was important to determine if there was too much pressure in the catalytic converter, which could indicate a clog. However, the test showed that the catalytic converter was not clogged.

What role did the MAF (mass air flow) sensor play in the diagnostics process?

The MAF sensor was checked to see if it was reading correctly, as improper readings can cause acceleration and fuel trim issues. In the video, the MAF sensor was determined to be functioning properly.

What conclusion did the speaker come to regarding the fuel injectors in the Toyota Corolla?

The speaker concluded that the fuel injectors were likely dirty and slightly clogged, causing the vehicle to run lean and affecting acceleration. After adding a fuel cleaner and test-driving the car, the long-term fuel trim improved, suggesting that the issue was related to dirty fuel injectors.

How did the speaker test for a clogged catalytic converter?

The speaker tested for a clogged catalytic converter by removing the oxygen sensor and attaching a pressure gauge. If there had been significant pressure, it would have indicated a clogged catalytic converter, but the test showed almost no pressure, meaning the exhaust system was not restricted.

What was the final solution to the Toyota Corolla's sluggish acceleration problem?

The final solution was likely related to dirty fuel injectors. After adding Royal Purple fuel cleaner and driving for about half an hour, the fuel trims improved, suggesting that the cleaner helped resolve the issue by cleaning the fuel injectors.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Introduction to Modern Fuel Injection Cleaning Systems

The speaker explains how fuel injection cleaning systems have evolved over the years due to changes in gasoline and car technology. He highlights the inefficacy of older additives like Seafoam for modern vehicles, especially those with gasoline direct injection systems. Modern fuel cleaners, such as Gumout, contain polyether amine (PEA) as a nitrogen-based cleaner, which effectively removes carbon buildup and protects the engine from ethanol-related corrosion.

05:00

🚗 Diagnosing a Sluggish 2007 Toyota Corolla

The speaker discusses the issues with a sluggish 2007 Toyota Corolla and the steps taken to diagnose the problem. Despite previous efforts by dealerships, no solution was found. The speaker begins the diagnostic process by checking the battery, alternator, air filter, and spark plugs. After ruling out these components, he connects a scan tool, which reveals a failed engine immobilizer system, but this isn't believed to be the cause of the acceleration problem.

10:02

🛠 Deeper Analysis of the Toyota's Fuel and Sensor Data

Using a more advanced scan tool, the speaker examines the Toyota's fuel trims and spark advance. He identifies a discrepancy in the mass airflow sensor readings, leading him to suspect a clogged catalytic converter. After testing the catalytic converter's pressure and finding no issue, the speaker delves further into the live data from the fuel system, discovering potential issues with a lazy oxygen sensor and slight richness in fuel trim.

⛽ Cleaning the Fuel Injectors and Improving Performance

The speaker decides to address the vehicle's fuel injector issue by using Royal Purple fuel cleaner. After a half-hour test drive, the fuel trim improves significantly, indicating that the injectors were dirty and causing the sluggish performance. He concludes that dirty fuel injectors often cause hesitation in acceleration, offering a simple but effective solution.

Keywords

💡Fuel Injection Cleaning Systems

Fuel injection cleaning systems are tools or additives used to remove carbon buildup and other residues from an engine’s fuel system. In the video, the presenter explains how modern fuel injection systems, particularly in cars with gasoline direct injection, can lead to carbon deposits that require advanced cleaners to maintain engine performance.

💡Ethanol

Ethanol is a type of alcohol commonly blended with gasoline to reduce emissions. The video highlights that modern gasoline contains up to 10% ethanol, which can cause issues in engines if not properly accounted for by the additives used. Older additives like Seafoam may not work well with ethanol-rich gasoline.

💡Gasoline Direct Injection

Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is a technology that delivers fuel directly into the combustion chamber, leading to greater fuel efficiency. However, the video notes that GDI engines are prone to carbon buildup, which can affect performance. Modern additives are necessary to clean these deposits effectively.

💡Seafoam

Seafoam is an old-fashioned fuel additive originally designed for two-stroke outboard motor engines. The video critiques its effectiveness in modern engines, particularly those with ethanol-blended fuel or GDI systems, as it lacks the necessary additives to handle these newer conditions.

💡Polyether Amine (PEA)

Polyether Amine (PEA) is a nitrogen-based cleaner commonly used in modern fuel additives like Gumout. In the video, the presenter explains that PEA is highly effective in cleaning carbon deposits inside engines, especially those with GDI systems. It is also mentioned in the context of Shell gasoline’s 'nitrogen-powered' cleaning technology.

💡Corrosion Inhibitors

Corrosion inhibitors are chemicals that prevent the oxidation and rusting of metal surfaces. The video discusses how modern fuel additives, like Gumout, contain corrosion inhibitors to prevent ethanol in gasoline from corroding fuel systems, addressing common complaints about ethanol-blended fuels.

💡Borescope

A borescope is a tool used to visually inspect hard-to-reach areas, such as the inside of an engine. In the video, the presenter recommends using a borescope to check for carbon buildup before and after using a fuel system cleaner, offering a practical method to visually verify the effectiveness of the cleaner.

💡Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor

The Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor measures the amount of air entering the engine to ensure proper fuel-to-air ratio. In the video, the presenter checks the MAF sensor on a sluggish 2007 Toyota Corolla, noting that a faulty or dirty MAF sensor can affect engine performance.

💡Catalytic Converter

A catalytic converter reduces harmful emissions by converting exhaust gases into less harmful substances. The video includes a test to see if a clogged catalytic converter might be causing the poor acceleration in a Toyota Corolla, explaining how pressure buildup in the exhaust can be a symptom of a failing converter.

💡Fuel Trim

Fuel trim refers to adjustments made by the engine control unit to balance the air-fuel mixture. The video shows how the presenter uses a diagnostic tool to analyze both short-term and long-term fuel trims in the Toyota Corolla, identifying a potential issue with fuel injectors based on unusual fuel trim readings.

Highlights

Modern gasoline contains up to 10% ethanol, affecting the effectiveness of older cleaners.

Many modern cars have gasoline direct injection systems leading to carbon buildup.

Old-fashioned additives like Seafoam are not as effective with modern ethanol-blended gasoline.

Napa and the pale oil in Seafoam are great for two-stroke motors but not modern cars with ethanol.

Polyether amine (PEA) is a nitrogen-based cleaner effective for modern engines with direct injection.

Gumout uses PEA to clean engine internals, especially where carbon buildup occurs.

Ethanol can corrode engine parts, but anti-corrosion inhibitors can prevent this damage.

Using a borescope to inspect engine cleanliness before and after using a cleaner.

A 2007 Toyota Corolla case study where dealerships couldn't diagnose the issue.

Checking the battery and alternator as they can create problems if not functioning correctly.

Inspecting the air filter and hoses for any issues that could affect engine performance.

Examining the spark plug for any signs of misfiring or poor engine performance.

Using a scan tool to read error codes and live data to diagnose the problem.

A failed engine immobilizer system code was found but was not the cause of the acceleration issue.

Fuel trim readings were inconsistent, suggesting a potential clog in the catalytic converter.

Testing the oxygen sensor for proper pressure to diagnose a potential catalytic converter clog.

The oxygen sensor test showed no pressure, indicating a free-flowing exhaust system.

Using a high-level scanner for more detailed diagnostics on the Toyota Corolla.

A new mass air flow sensor was tested, but the car still ran poorly.

Dirty fuel injectors were identified as a possible cause of the hesitation during acceleration.

Using Royal Purple fuel system cleaner to address the dirty fuel injectors.

A half-hour drive after using the cleaner showed improvement in fuel trim readings.

Transcripts

today I'm going to show you how modern

fuel injection cleaning systems work now

I've been working on cars for the last

46 years so I've seen a lot of changes

in both the cars and the gasoline that

goes in them so needless to say cleaners

that worked 45 years ago aren't going to

work that good today for two main

reasons first modern gasoline has up to

10% ethanol in it and second many modern

cars like this Volkswagen have gasoline

direct injection systems that often lead

to carbon buildup inside the engine now

if you're using an oldfashioned additive

like seafoam it doesn't have the

additives they're going to work with

alcohol and with gasoline direct

injection systems all that well it's

called seafoam for a reason that was

originally used for two-stroke outboard

motor engines but today even most

outboard motor engines are fourstroke

engines so if you want to keep your

engine and fuel system clean you need an

additive that can work with fourstroke

motors and with g gasoline that has

ethanol in it now the Napa and the pale

oil that's inside the seafoam works

great on two-stroke Motors they need oil

and the gas anyways to make them run but

if you're driving a modern car

especially if it has gasoline direct

injection and the fuel has a lot of

ethanol in it you need an additive

that's made just for that a modern car

with Modern Gas not an old motorboat

engine now the main cleaning ingredient

in a gum out is polyether amine or pea

it's a nitrogen-based cleaner when you

see those signs at the the Shell gas

station that say nitrogen power it's the

same stuff that they're using it'll

clean the inside of your engine really

well especially if you have a gasoline

direct injection where the carbon

buildup often occurs if you don't have

enough cleaner and it also has corrosion

Inhibitors so when you pour it in the

gas tank it keeps the ethanol and the

gasoline from corroding your system now

I've had a lot of complaints from my own

customers saying they hate that gasoline

that has ethanol because it makes our

cars run poorly it can actually corrode

stuff but if you have anti-corrosion

Inhibitors in it it won't hurt your car

now I know some people are going to say

hey why should I listen to that guy what

does he know what he's talking about

well actually I don't believe what most

people tell me either so you can do what

I do use the stuff and test it I use my

boroscope to look inside the engines

once you take a spark plug out to see if

the stuff's actually cleaning you don't

have to buy a real expensive one you can

get them for 80 or 90 bucks nowadays

they're all made in China just do like I

did take out a spark plug just put it in

a hole and look inside before you use

the cleaner then run two or three tank

FS full of gas with a can of this stuff

in and then check it out with a B scope

again to see if it's clean here's a

before picture with the Piston all

clogged up with carbon and here's the

later picture where you can see it's

much cleaner so if you're like me and

you want your car to last forever you

might try some of this gum out

multi-stem

cleaner now here's an oddball one we got

a 2007 Toyota Corolla and it doesn't run

right it accelerates very sluggish and

the weird thing is he took it the

various dealers and they all said they

can't find what's wrong with it so let's

see if they were screwing them around or

whe there's something that even I can't

figure out now theoretically it's had

spark plugs air filters everything I

don't I don't trust anybody but I'm

going to start by checking a battery and

alternator many problems can be created

by lack of power from the alternator or

battery so cheapest battery you can get

from AutoZone check the old battery

since it's not a very expensive one who

knows now says 520 cold cranking amp so

set it up for that in vehicle battery

post top post regular H cranking amp got

to put it way down to 520 and let's see

what it says good battery okay now we'll

check the alternator so start it

up that's working fine so we know it's

getting correct voltage to everything

now let's just take a general overview

of the engine make sure they weren't

lying about the air filter now that's

clean okay all the hoses are hooked up

there's no loose hoses anywhere that's

all on so we'll take the stupid Beauty

cover off everything looks pretty normal

so far so let's check out his spark plug

we'll take the number one out that's the

one in the front of the engine they

don't give you enough working room so

you got to pull the wire off and that's

always fun on these you got to squeeze

and pull there we go all right that's

out of the way now we get a spark plug

socket pull out the spark

plug and we'll examine it pretty much

normal color gray there's no so or

anything on it all we'll measure with

feeler gauges it's 44,000 of an inch if

the Gap was wrong it can run wrong but

it's gapped right and it's running fine

so there's nothing wrong with that so

we'll put this back together nothing

obvious showed wrong so we'll plug in

the scan tool see what it says it's

reading all the information now it knows

what it is so we'll do a network scan

this Baby's only got 118,000 that's not

much for a Toyota Corolla now it does

have one failed module let's see what it

is it has a Cod for failed engine

immobilizer system well that can't be

making the car not accelerate right

that's immobilized system that in the

key the chip in the key has to match the

computer if it doesn't the car will not

start it starts it just has no

acceleration so that's not the problem

so we'll switch over to live data in

this case you're better than a computer

the computer hasn't found any failure

but it doesn't accelerate right the

computer's only going to trip code

sometimes it has to go as much as 25%

plus or minus the normal data which hey

if it's 23% you can feel it running poor

but it won't trip any codes we're going

to start looking at the data short term

it's subtracting fuel but longterm it's

adding fuel it's odd cu the fuel trim is

kind of squirly let's try to figure out

why look at the spark Advance rub it up

a

little well that's working goes up when

you accelerate and goes back down when

you go back to idle taking a while to

get back down but that's cuz this I got

all this data and the data isn't going

to refresh fast enough this case the

math sensor 2.03 G per second how you

really want to test it is turn the AC

off put it and drive and see what it

does now it's idling it's saying 2.39 G

per second 2.34 this is a 1.8 L engine

it should be reading closer to 2 or 1.8

than 2.34 now one thing that can cause

loss of acceleration and weird fuel

trims it's a clog cataler converter so

we got to gauge we're going to take out

an oxygen sensor and see if it's got too

much pressure if it does the Catal

converter is starting to clog up now as

we look down conveniently there's an

oxygen sensor right here we got an

oxygen sensor socket and we're going to

remove it they're usually pretty stock

so I'm going to use a real Long Bar

extension bar to get it Loose there it

goes and we can unscrew it take the

socket off now put it up here we'll

unscrew it and you can see the sensor's

pretty new they tried a new sensor and

it didn't fix but did they test it I

don't know we're going to put in the

oxygen sensor tester then we'll tighten

the socket to make sure it's sealed

right you got to have it tight you won't

get a right pressure read now it's nice

and snug you can screw the gauge in and

now you can see the gaug is hooked up

and we'll start the car start it

up give it a few

revs and we see it has no pressure at

all now we'll rev it up and see if it

[Music]

changes as you can see the gauge moved a

little but it means nothing if you have

2 and 1 half three four 5 lbs pressure

the cat's clogged up but this stays

pretty much at almost no pressure at all

meaning the exhaust system is free and

it's not restricted so it's not there we

remove the gauge in the socket adapter

then I use my magnet to pull it out I

use the magnet so I don't burn my finger

so I'll blow into this

one and you can see it moves I blew in

it so the gauge is working fine so now

we're bringing out my big boy My OTC

highlevel scanner see if it gives us

more information we can use since the

math sensors already been changed and

then it's got a nip and denil one the

correct one for the car it's not that he

said he had the map sensor change made

no difference it still ran poorly let's

see what Bosch has to say we go to

Diagnostics Auto ID going to do all the

mode 9 data and mode 6 data it's a much

more specific machine so we get a lot

better information start it up and do

data stream since we're having problems

with the running we're going to do

engine transmission now we'll start with

all data items just to get a general

overview now as we look the longterm

fuel trim it's adding fuel so long term

it is running rich even though now the

short term it's actually subtracting a

tiny amount of fuel the ignition Advance

is 14 that's normal we'll rev It

Up goes back up and then we let go goes

back down you notice on the previous

scan tool took a while for the ignition

timing to go back down cuz it's a

cheaper tool this BOS one is much better

it refreshes quicker hence when we took

our foot off the gas it went back to

normal timing like it's supposed to fast

not the car that's doing it that was a

scan tool differential looking at the

rest of the stuff got to refresh the

screen now and we can see it idle it's

1.96 2 G per second that's normal at

idle now when we bring it up to about

2500 rpm in

neutral It should read about 7 G per

second we'll get it up to 2500 there it

is so it's reading right there I got it

down a little it's hard to keep it up

but that's working it's going up and

down like it should now that is a new

Toyota nip and Deno mass air flow sensor

but you can't trust anything tested it

that's work let's check the air fuel

sensor the monitor Sensor 2 Bank One

sensor two Bank One Sensor One all right

we're going to check that stuff as you

can see the one that we checked before

the air fuel sensor Bank One sensor one

that's has voltage but the Bank One

Sensor 2 it's not changing at all there

it is it goes zero it seems to be lazy

rev it up it's not moving like the other

one eventually does so we might have a

lazy oxygen sensor but let's go further

now looking at the fuel system we got a

long-term fuel trim it's adding so it's

running slightly lean now it shows no

misfires at all so this is a real

quandry it's running just slightly lean

I'm guessing the fuel injectors are just

kind of old and warm a lot of times you

can clean them going to try some of this

Royal Purple throw it in a gas tank and

see what happens got the nice funnel so

it fits right in so in this case the

funnel got stuck so you got to stick

your finger in and then pull it out well

isn't that just cats me out there there

it goes you can always wiggle them out

I'm start her up go for a good half hour

drive and we'll leave it in second gear

so it'll rev higher and burn quicker

we'll let a ticket about say 4,000 RPMs

for about half an hour of drive while we

driven around now house let's check the

fuel trim now and you can see the

long-term fuel trim has gone to

0.8% that means it's only adding a tiny

amount of fuel instead of about 5% it

was adding before so it's fixing it now

that was only a half hour drive as you

drive longer can even do a better job

dirty fuel injector seems to be one of

the biggest problems in this vehicle now

you know something as dumbass slightly

dirty fuel injectors that don't spray

enough fuel or don't make the perfect

conle shape can make your car hesitate

when you try to take

off so if you never want to miss another

one of my new car repair videos remember

to ring that Bell

[Music]