Of course, deposits have no place in the fuel system of your engine. Not only they can hinder an exact injection that is related to the engine’s performance, but they can also have a negative impact on fuel consumption. Less power with a higher consumption is of course exactly what you definitely don’t want in a vehicle.
In the context of calgary used cars, if you’re considering purchasing a used vehicle, it’s essential to pay attention to its maintenance history. Regular use of fuel system cleaners or additives by the previous owner could be a positive indicator of proper maintenance and care for the fuel system.
The deposits in the fuel system arise, contrary to the opinion of many, not only in older cars but also in newer vehicles, which are mainly driven in city traffic in the low-speed range.
Fuel system cleaners are off the industry side, therefore they are so-called engine additives, which are also available under the name fuel system or catalyst converter cleaner, as well as diesel additive.
Dozens (and maybe hundreds of catalyst cleaners’ tests) have already been done on the Internet, and there are literally a few normal ones that I relied on – for example, these guys were trying to determine the best catalytic converter cleaner on the market.
Although I got the idea from them, I decided to make my own test.
The fuel additives added to the tank before refuelling not only clean the entire injection system and the valves but also ensure that fuel is saved, as the fuel is precisely atomized and metered within the injection system is guaranteed again by removing the contamination.
In addition, the engine additives, thanks to the rust protection and antibacterial effect they contain, ensure optimum rust protection even when the vehicle is parked for a long time and prevent the development of fungi and yeasts in the pipe system.
In this article, I will tell you the results of my test that I carried out with three test products from different manufacturers.
Catalytic Converter Cleaner Test – The Preparation
In today’s review, I would like to introduce three popular products used by many car enthusiasts. In addition to the Cataclean fuel system cleaner, which was the first to be tested, I will take a close look at the DURA LUBE and, last but not least, the Hi-Gear HG3270 catalytic converter cleaner.
Vehicles and workshops simply belong together and everyone who runs a workshop or pursues his hobby as a screwdriver has more than one vehicle at the door. In my tests, as you already know, I always use an older vehicle (a Ford Fiesta, which my colleague uses to cannibalize) in order to be able to test the products in practice.
In today’s test, the product presents me with a big problem. After all, how should I test an engine system cleaner under good test conditions if four vehicles don’t start with the same prerequisites?
In other words: the same engine, the same mileage and the same driving behaviour, as well as sufficient kilometres, travelled in city traffic and at low speeds? Right, that just doesn’t work.
But since I still want to take a closer look at these products, I decided to simply use three different vehicles and just name them vehicles 1, 2 and 3.
As test criteria, I will document the following criteria in their current state and then again after using the additive:
- Engine noise (smoothness, volume)
- Fuel consumption (before and after)
- Driving behaviour (more or constant performance)
I will test the three products themselves for their handling and dosage.
Cataclean 120007 Complete Engine, Fuel and Exhaust System Cleaner
Is the state of vehicle 1
- Engine noise: Normal engine noise with smoothness in need of improvement when warm;
- Fuel consumption: 28 MPG combined;
- Driving behaviour: normal torque from around 2500 revs.
According to the manufacturer, the Catacleanc fuel system cleaner is suitable for removing operational contamination and resinification in the entire fuel system from the tank to the combustion chambers. The product is recommended for all gasoline engines, including catalytic converters, turbo, FSI and TFSI. Equipped with a filler neck, the fuel system cleaner can easily be added to the inside of the tank before refuelling.
The 375ml is enough for a tank capacity of 21 gallons. The cleaning of the fuel system is carried out over the period of the tank contents. According to the manufacturer, the additive should be added to the fuel tank 1-2 times a year during customer service.
Cleaning result of Cataclean catalytic converter cleaner
Engine noise: Significantly improved running smoothness and associated quieter engine noise. Due to the fact that the test conditions are kept simple and can therefore be influenced by external factors, such as B the outside temperature, the result may have been falsified.
- Fuel consumption: the same at 28 MPG.
- Driving behaviour: Here I notice a clear improvement compared to the previous state.
- The engine starts to accelerate much earlier.
Conclusion
The product can easily be poured into the tank thanks to the screw-on funnel. The engine’s smoothness has noticeably improved, but fuel consumption has remained unchanged. The system cleaner test also showed a noticeable improvement in pulling through.
DURA LUBE Severe Catalytic and Exhaust Treatment
Is the state of vehicle 2
- Engine noise: Normal engine noise with slight uneven running when warm
- Fuel consumption: 33 MPG combined;
- Driving behaviour: Subjective, somewhat sluggish between 2300 – 2900 revs.
In contrast to the previously described Cataclean fuel system cleaner, can be dosed depending on the application. If the additive is regularly added to the fuel tank, the manufacturer recommends a dosage of 1 ml of DURA LUBE per 1 liter of fuel.
With a quick cleaning of the injectors and fuel system, the dosage of the product can be increased to 5 ml to 1 liter of fuel. In this case, 250 ml i.e. the whole bottle, is added to the fuel for every 13 gallons of fuel.
The additive can also be easily poured into any fuel tank thanks to the tapered neck of the bottle.
Cleaning result of DURA LUBE
- Engine noise: Improved smoothness when warm. Here, too, it cannot be ruled out that the result depends on external factors such as the outside temperature at the time of the test.
- Fuel consumption: Slight improvement to 35 MPG.
- Driving behaviour: Here I also notice an improvement in the pulling behaviour. The engine reacts noticeably faster to acceleration processes.
Conclusion
The system cleaner comes in a small, compact bottle and is easy to fill up. There was a noticeable improvement in all three test criteria, which indicates the good cleaning properties of the product. Nevertheless, all values are subjective snapshots here too. If things have to go faster, the product can be dosed accordingly higher, which I personally find very good.
Hi-Gear HG3270s EZ Emissions Pass and Catalytic Converter Cleaner
Is the state of the vehicle 3
- Engine noise: Audible uneven running when warm
- Fuel consumption: 26 MPG combined
- Driving behaviour: With regard to the performance of the vehicle, nothing negative can be ascertained here.
The 300 ml can is intended to remove unwanted deposits from injection nozzles and inlet valves and is intended for a tank capacity of 75 liters. Like the Pro Tec fuel cleaner, the petrol additive comes in a can with a screw-on attachment. This means that the cleaner can be poured into the fuel tank quickly and easily.
Cleaning result of the Hi-Gear HG3270s
- Engine noise: Improved smoothness when warm. Here, too, it cannot be ruled out that the result depends on external factors such as the outside temperature at the time of the test.
- Fuel consumption: the same at 26 MPG
- Driving behaviour: Consistent
Conclusion
The Hi-Gear HG3270s has shown an effect on the smooth running of the motor. The fuel consumption and the driving behaviour were not improved in my personal test.
Conclusion
Lowering the emission levels of your car is worth striving for from an ecological point of view alone. With an effective exhaust gas cleaner, you can even do it yourself for just a few euros a month. The best thing is, you also save a lot of money in the long term: on the one hand, through reduced fuel consumption (more miles per tank) and, on the other hand, through the elimination of high repair and maintenance costs.
You save many hundreds of dollars for the exchange of a defective catalytic converter, particle filter or other parts of the exhaust system of your vehicle in a motor vehicle workshop. You don’t have to grab expensive premium fuels at the pump to do this.
All three products apparently made a difference in the system cleaner test, even if the results were within limits under my own personal test conditions. Since all three products cost around $20, everyone has to know for themselves how often they want to use an additive.
For a longer service life of the engine, however, the products can be extremely helpful, as they prevent rust and counteract bacterial contamination. Due to the fact that the product can be dosed in different ways and it apparently improved all three test criteria in the test, I would recommend the DURA LUBE catalytic converter cleaner.