BG44k question

[louiegz]

I just got my car from the dealer and one thing they did was fuel induction service with a BG fuel service kit. I have a can of BG44k that I was going to use before I had any idea that I would be doing this. Would it be redundant if I was to use it now, considering that I hade this service, or should I wait until the BG44k has something to clean?

[maxnix]

I bet the "fuel induction service" was the the induction fogger kit, so the fuel lines were untouched by any cleaner. Only the rail flush service would clean the fuel lines and injectors.

[AlabamaDan]

How often should one use this BK44 stuff and what makes it so much better than the stuff you can buy at AutoZone? I mean it's $17 vs $4.

[nuQ]

not an expert (sure on will write in soon), the active ingredient in BG 44K is "techtron"???. a much higher concentration in the 44k than what u can buy off the shelf. i put a can in with 1/2 tank of gas. then hit the highways with MANY WOT runs,,0-100 on the ramps and many 55-100+ runs. about 175 miles of this. noticable difference!!!

[Q45tech]

Which tells you how bad the gas is* if a detergent and an antideposit solvent mixture cleans it and it get dirty again so soon.

* or that your driving style around town is optimium to leave deposits.

[szh]

the active ingredient in BG 44K is "techtron"???.

Since you asked, correct spelling is "Techron".

Z

[szh]

FWIW, I have had no "improvement" with BG44K in the past - search for my old posts on the topic. My 1995 Q45 performed very well, and did not have any issues where the BG44K made a difference that I could perceive. The car ran just beautifully and beat the pants of plenty of people on the road!

Some time before I sold it, I had the plenum and "plumbing" cleaned when I had the gaskets replaced for oil leaks, and this did not make a difference either. The tech remarked that all the places he went into, looked very clean even before he started ... may have had something to do with the fact that I used to do occasional rail flushes!

My conclusion being: if you keep your plenum clean (or get it cleaned), you do not need the BG44K.

Z

[elwesso]

I think the bigger difference is the rail flush..

When I use BG44k i usually get about 15mpg, and normally I get 13mpg..

That said, my driving leaves deposits, plus our gas sucks (I cheap out, i goto econo-stations ), but I WOT it often...

Its kind of a catch-22... If you drive in the city, it leaves deposits and you get bad mileage, but to clear the deposits you have to WOT it, which also reduces mileage.....

That said a rail flush is in my future...

Z.. What kind of gas mileage did you get in your Q..?? City driving..

my cycle is a lot of stop and go, with weekend WOT blasts, little highway. Always gets to operating temp (driven for at least 10 mins continuously each day)

FWIW, the active ingredients in BG44k are XYLENE and TOLENE (I think I spelled that rihgt) They are heavy petroleum distallates and run about 100ish octane....

Its the same stuff in all the different brands, but BG44k has the highest concentration of it, thus its more expensive...... So basically youd have to use about 4 bottles of the cheap stuff in order to equal BG44k..!

[elwesso]

BTW, plenum cleanliness shouldnt have much effect on gas mileage, only a small amount if any.. Hardly noticeable

[AZ94Q]

Wes,

You get some lousy gas mileage

I drive at WOT frequently as well..

94Q with 146,000 miles... I have had the knock sensors done.. that's about it.. I would hardly call my Q the pinnacle of maintenance..

On avg I get around 18 mph with a good mix of city/freeway driving.. If I had to go all city with max traffic, I couldn't see getting less then 15... I don't know if I've ever averaged 13 mpg..

My friends 99 XJR averages around 13 in traffic..

He has 370 HP/390 TQ, and a 5 speed transmission..

Something is def up with your gas mileage..

[Q45tech]

The carrier xylene and toluene are just the solvents and are components found in gasoline. The main cleaning components are a group of detergents similiar to Techron just at a higher concentration.

It is just a little more cost effective to use 1 can of BG 44k than 4-5-6 bottles of Techron in a tankfull.

[elwesso]

AZ- I think a lot of it has to do with throttle tip in.. I often find myself at WOT at 30mph and it barely accelerating..... Id think it might be better to downshift to use less power, even though it is more RPMs.

I think I could squeeze out 15 if I really tried. I konw im not too far off because I still get 20-22 on the highway, at 75. I need to get a rail flush!!!

[szh]

When I use BG44k i usually get about 15mpg, and normally I get 13mpg..

Z.. What kind of gas mileage did you get in your Q..?? City driving..

On my 1995 Q, with my usual commute 75% highway, 25% city would get about 17 to 18mpg fairly consistently. In normal city driving, without too many WOT's, I would get almost 15mpg. With extended highway driving, at a steady 70mph (cruise control enabled), I'd get almost 25mpg.

Z

[Q45tech]

Injector open time and fuel pressure are the only controllable factors to mpg. Ignition advance is selected based on load and rpmFuel pressure from high vacuum [idle/cruise] to no vacuum [WOT] only varies by what amounts to a 13% flow change.

During acceleration the TPS voltage and rpm - relay the volumetric efficiency and the MAF trims and backs up the results.During cruise [steady speed] the O2 further refines the injection by +-20%.

You can chose 90 fuel flow time steps [in 0.1 milisecs steps 2-11 millsecs] and 10 pressure steps [34-44 psi] all by your foot on the accelerator .

[elwesso]

This city driving cycle will be good to find out on, Im about ready to fill.....

If my gas mileage isnt up to snuff after a rail flush, Im gonna post a new thread..

[elwesso]

I think I may try adding BG44k to 1/4 tank and running it until empty... Good idea????

[redmanfx]

I have noticed a little difference in my engine idle and road performance since I used a can of BG44K. Of course I have been doing alot to the engine since I got it, but I do think it made a small difference as compared to what the of the shelf Techron products at your local gas station and autozones would do. My ride was quiet, but now it's even quieter. Runs smoother when it ran smooth to begin with.

I have some city type driving combined with hwy driving so mine needs the cleaning at regular intervals. Stop and go to work about 15 minutes away. Not the optimum driving conditions for the Q but, I'll compensate with good care.

Wes, I'm terribly sorry about your mpg! Something aint right there. I got you beat by about 5-6 mpg bud and my engine is ancient compared to yours.

I'll continue to use the BG44K every 3 or 4 months and monitor it's affectiveness. I think the Sea Foam in the oil a couple days prior to an oil change helps as well. But then again you guys are the experts.

red92 Q45a

[elwesso]

My driving never gets me above 50... OI think im only about 2mpg off, and that can be fixed with a timing check and rail flush!

[Rex]

My 2 cents ...

1) I don't think running the tank to or near empty (in the summer) is ever a good idea for the Q.

2) BG44K helps slow/prolong the build up and if it has not been used for a long time you can't undo any of the build up with a simple additive.

3) High concentration (1 can to 3/4 tank or 2 cans to a tank) will help with fuel mileage due to higher burn efficiency of the BG44K.

These are my unjustified ramblings and should be taken as nothing more than that .

Edited for readability

[elwesso]

Rex. I agree...

Maybe Ill hold off on my BG44k until a rali flush...

[SFBayQ45]

Can any shop perform a rail flush? If yes, would a rail flush at the dealership recommended over other alternatives since they have the right equipment for the Qs (or all Infinitis for that matter)? According to one of Wes' thread, a Consult hook-up and power balancing test is recommended at the same time, right? I'm going to try one of Q45tech's suggestion and pour a can of BG44k into each full tank of gas and repeat the process 3 times consecutively in order to clean my injectors, so I'm hoping to find some leads as to whether I should do the rail flush first. According to Dennis, my CA gas is deficient/lacking in additives that is required for Q engines due to more stringent emisions regulations and build-up occurs in greater frequency than in other states. What are your thoughts?

[elwesso]

I would do the rail flush... 3 cans of BG44k is 3/5 of the way to a rail flush and you dont really have cleaner injectors...

Get the rail flush THEN go for the BG44k... As soon as I do Jesda's plugs and rack bushings im off to the NISSAN dealer for a rail flush.....

[psychic_mechanic]

The BG 44k should only be used with a full or nearly full tank, otherwise it is bad for seals and pumps. It is better to run the stuff through over a period of time (full tank) rather than in higher concentration.

[SFBayQ45]

The BG 44k should only be used with a full or nearly full tank, otherwise it is bad for seals and pumps. It is better to run the stuff through over a period of time (full tank) rather than in higher concentration.

psychic_mechanic - So would you recommend not to add a can of BG 44k into each full tank three times in a row? I certainly don't want to do this if it's going to do harm to the seals and pumps. I'm taking an 400+mile out-of-town trip and my local shop can't squeeze in a rail flush before I head off this weekend, so I was planning to do the BG suggestion if ONLY it's advisable.

[Falkdesigns]

I put a bottle of Lucas Fuel Treatment in at my last fill up and noticed right away the car was a bit more peppy, with quicker throttle response. The car ran smooth as can be anyhow, but I definitely noticed it. Cheap too!!

[Q45tech]

Take some gaskets and seals and anything concerning fuel system and soak them in a sealed bottle with 100% BG44k for a week and test them.............other than the triamine detergent there is nothing in BG44k that is not found to some percentage in conventional gasoline. Just for drill do the same with Techron.

But you can use too much like a 11 ounces in 2 gallons, as the engine was not designed to run on 95% toluene/xylene mixture it will probably vapor lock in the fuel rails unless cold.

[Q45tech]

Notice Lucas is a primary oil [polymer lubricant] [lube upper cylinders][ not really a detergent carrier] designed for diesel fuel but usable in gasoline at low concentrations.

http://retailers.lucasoil.com/...9.pdf

They found it didn't do any harm so they decided to market for gasoline.

"The {{REDLINE}} SI-1 has not been submitted specifically to BMW for approval, though it would be suitable for use. The SI-2 is a less concentrated version available in 4 ounce bottles and is recognized by BMW as being equivalent to BMW Part # 88 88 6 900 307.

BMW EVALUATION OF RED LINE SI-2 from the tech report.Because of the significant driveability problems BMWencountered with intake valve deposits, they investigatedfuel properties and many different additives to help control these deposits. They found very little correlation between deposits and fuel properties. The only way to insure freedom from intake valve deposits was to use additives designed to control these deposits.Red Line SI-2 was evaluated in this program and was shown to not only have excellent intake valve de-posit control properties, but controlled engine tests showed SI-2 to be free from harmful side-effects. The parameters measured were engine sludge, ringgroove coking, piston ring, cam and bearing wear, aswell as oil thickening (BMW Report # EA-4 358/88).The SI-2 when compared against untreated gasoline inBMW's 730i 100 hour engine test. Deposit formationwas reduced by 94% compared to the base fuel.

The best application of the SI-1 would be a full bottle initially to 20 of fuel, then a maintenance dose of about 1.5 ounces to every 10 gallons of fuel there after. This is more effective than using a full bottle every 5000 miles as deposits can build up on injectors in between treatments, the cleaning of intake valves and combustion chambers take a number of applications to completely remove, a strong dose doesn't fully clean them."

[Falkdesigns]

Good to hear abot the Redline since I've used a bottle of that too. I'll start using that regularly.

[Q45tech]

If I was going to use a fuel additive [for deposit control] I would pick: BG, Redline, or Techron.

This may scare you about Lucas products:http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/...s.htm

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/...3.htm

[Falkdesigns]

That is scary! But I figure first of all, the bottle I used was very small, and second, I work at SIMPSON Racing and a LOT of racers use Lucas (as well as Amsoil and Redline) so it must be decent stuff. Anyhow, I'm going to be doing my first oil change soon and I will be doing an engine flush with Amsoil Engine Flush then filling with Amsoil Series 2000 oil. I swear by Amsoil, from my experience it's the best oil in the world - pricey though. I'm also planing on using Amsoil Synthetic transmission fluid when I do the flush/filter change. And I'm gonna use a can of thier T/B cleaner to clean the MAF and TB.