mavtais

iTrader: (12)

My old faithful 1990 Honda Accord LX with >225K miles hasn't had an oil change in over 6 months. I recently changed the oil, and added the four cylinder formula (small can) of Engine Restorer to the oil. We then drove it from Fresno to Magic Mountain to Santa Monica and back to Fresno on one tank of gas!!!!
The old Accord has never gotten gas mileage like that before. I'm the second owner, and I had it since 1998! The motor purred all the way home, but like it always did, it struggled going up the Grapevine due to lack of hp/tq. But hey, it's an Accord.
The Z is now at 33,000 miles. I've just completed oil change #11 and I'm seriously considering using Engine Restorer. What do you guys think?

nofeardude87

iTrader: (11)

so what does it do exactly? does it clean all the sludge?

D15na

iTrader: (7)

i was under the understanding that it somehow bonded to the cylinder walls.. the effect is like putting new rings in, i believe

nofeardude87

iTrader: (11)

well if it clears out the sludge...it can also do harm to a car because the sludge will just move around somewhere else and possibly clog vital engine parts. However, if it worked for you you must have not had that much sludge or you didn't put so much of the chemical in to loosen all of the sludge.

Shabba2

iTrader: (1)

Engine Restore is for older cars like your Accord or my 280zx with 265,000 miles on it. I would not recommend using it on your low mileage 350. It works (I've used it on my Datsun and it uses less oil and holds better oil pressure) but only on cars that NEED it...

FastZ33

iTrader: (29)

just do it and tell us what happens lol

streetracer

iTrader: (1)

i have heard that when the restorer works it cleans the engine and the debris clogs the lines. thats why its not advisable. my source is skimpy, though. so don't take my word for it.

CaliTouring

iTrader: (5)

how about use the restorer before an oil change. drive it for a little bit then change the oil so the slug is drained?

streetracer

iTrader: (1)

yeah I guess that makes more sense. i guess i would not run it many miles though. just a couple.

Darshu

iTrader: (3)

Yeah these kinds of additives are meant for engines that aren't running well. If your car needs it, great -- but if it's running fine, don't do it.

Like if your grandpa takes nitroglycerin pills for his heart, you wouldn't take a handful and expect your ticker to perform any better.

gNaRKiLL

iTrader: (17)

Coworkers used this stuff as well, they were seeing actual mpg gains of 20-30% with this stuff on their trucks that are about 10 years old. I would only run it a thousand miles or so at a time especially the first time so that you can get the initial gunk out fast and then continue to do it for a few more oil changes.

They said it started leveling out after about 3 oil changes.

CONANN

iTrader: (1)

i dunno what it is,
but i wouldnt use it on my z!

mavtais

iTrader: (12)

Hmmm.. pretty good idea, but Engine Restorer is not big on reducing sludge. It reseals walls. Like resleeving. (D15na said something to that effect earlier). Therefore if you only leave it in for a little bit, then it might not get a chance to do its job.
That's probably the best analogy I've heard. I called my buddy who is a tech @ Nissan and he said that he would try to hook me up with some Nissan-approved "engine conditioner" which is typically used during the 30k mile maintenance (which costs like $700 in total - change all fluids and mostly labor).
So it might be settled that I'll only use the "engine conditioner" and hold off on Engine Restore. But it depends on what the bottle says on the "engine conditioner" stuff. I'll let you all know what it is if I get some.

MyZFiona

dont do it.. engine restorer is for highmileage cars that have lost alot of compression... what it does, is pretty much swell up your gaskets to bring back compression... and once you use it.. u have to continue using it.. there have been incidents where this product made cars leak more oil... i would not rec.... for a low mile car...

mavtais

iTrader: (12)

My buddy from the dealership was able to come through for me. He gave me a kit with 3 bottles of MOC products:
1. windshiled washer solvent
2. fuel-injector cleaner
3. motor-oil conditioner
and two battery-terminal protectors
http://www.mocproducts.com/

So this stuff that we pay extra money for from our dealer is nothing more than OIL treatment?! What about the engine itself?! This stuff sounds less useful than Engine Restorer. It works on the oil, and not the motor. I thought it was actually important, but now I see that it's just whatever. Has anyone else used MOC products besides my local dealership?

mavtais

iTrader: (12)

anecdotal evidence would really help. Story from a friend/coworker/exgirlfriend's experience or something.

MyZFiona

when i was 18 i was a manager at a jiffy lube.. and we always had customers who come in with major oil leaks, from the main seal and valve cover gaskets.." these were all cars with high miles" and when i asked if they ever used any oil treatment... Engine Restorer.. that they bought at the nearest parts store came up 7 out of 10 times.. dont get me wrong... but most people who use this stuff, apply it to older,highmileage cars.. and u can feel a difference, but after a 1000 miles or so... no difference..

mavtais

iTrader: (12)

Your anecdote sounds like it was a mechanical problem to begin with. No prevention could have stopped it. I'm looking for preventive maintenance. To make my motor go 300k without needing new gaskets or a rebuild. To make my motor run even better than now. I still don't see enough logic behind why not to use Engine Restorer. I'm trying to make sense of this; please explain how Engine Restorer caused these leaks.

D15na

iTrader: (7)

for cleaning sludge on my honda, i always pulled a vaccum line on the plenum, and stuck the hose in ATF so it sucked into the motor, then you beat the **** outof it until it quits smokin, then change your oil asap