The other day, Dad and I took my Shadow in for service at a Honda Dealer to get the carbs synched and the mixture adjusted. Well what turned into a routine maintence thing, went to a repair of completely tearing apart the fuel system for cleaning. I always used a fuel additive(I won't mention names) that was highly reccomended to me from another forum i used to belong too.

The Honda dealer had to completely disassemble the fuel system from the carbs to the fuel pump. The engine was so gunked up with this fuel additive that they said it smelled up the shop for a day and the mechanic told me personally that he thought he was working on a Kenworth. I was completly embarrassed and felt so stupid of this.

I got the bike back today, rode her home and she runs 100x's better. Don't know fuel mileage improvements just yet. I need to ride it more to calculate that. So my days of fuel additives are over for sure. I might use Seafoam every now and then because i've had great results with it and they have developed an excellent reputation. I'm running a can of it through the truck as we speak and i will do another can of it via the brake booster line to ensure all that other fuel additive junk is out of there!

All in all, like I said, I won't be using anymore additives and i don't reccomend any of them but 1, Seafoam. -Mike

 

um... if you had a bad experience with a fuel additive, why wouldnt you want to mention the name?

i'd like to know, so that i can avoid it!

 

x2

 

x3... glad its not seafoam, I just used a whole bunch of that stuff in the truck.

 

x 1 million for me and all the others who want to know!!!

 

Called Fuel Power FP60 www.lubecontrol.com

I just ran a 2nd can of Seafoam via brake booster hose in my Ranger and wow the smoke! I knew it was coming so i didn't think much of it. But wow the Ranger runs alot smoother and has more giddy up for sure!

Anyway, from now on i won't be using additives for a long time in the bike except Seafoam once every season. -Mike-

 

well... how often did u run an additive it.. cuz you cant run an additive in it every time you fill up. itll destroy your fuel system

 

"This product will not only clean but protect a vehicle’s fuel system by leaving a thin protective coat of oil over vital fuel system parts including fuel pump, gas tank and fuel injectors."

my guess is the long term use caused the problem.

if your going to use anything in your bike use an octane booster.

 

How much were you using.. recommended application is 1ounce per 5 gallons.

I have used that additive for years with no problems... maybe its the combination
of too much and a bike?

 

someone said on anther site that it might because the bike has a small bore engine compared to the cars bigger bore...

 

I was using it at every fill up per reccomended by LubeControl. Also using it at 1oz per 5gallons.

My opinion is, even if you do use it at every fill up or maybe accidentally use too much, it shouldn't do a damn thing to hurt the fuel system in anything period. -Mike-

 

Why were you using it to begin with? Was there some problem it was correcting?

 

i only use bg products

 

x2

 

I was using it because it was highly reccommended(sp?) to me from another forum I used to belonged too. www.bobistheoilguy.com

Fuel Power claims that Fuel Power provides a thin layer of oil to help lubricate the parts for better mileage, cleanliness and longer lasting fuel components. Previously before I started using the additive, there was nothing wrong with the bike but it did pop and sputter alittle bit on decel. Fuel Power did decrease these problems and the bike did run alot better with Fuel power in it.

Fuel Power did nothing to increase my mileage but sure as hell made the bike run better. I don't have personal proof to back this up but it is the truth. I also noticed after awhile just recently before I took my bike for service, it developed a vibration on the engine at high speeds 80+mph. Keep in mind, this was after I have been using Fuel Power for a couple of years now. The bike never did this before so I thought maybe something in the carbs was screwing it up. That's when i was convinced to take the bike to get it checked out. Now since all the fuel system components were cleaned, put back together and retuned, the bike as mentioned before runs so much better and does not develop this vibration anymore. Even at 90mph which I don't normally run my bike at anyway. This was just for testing purposes only. -Mike-

 

I run FP on and off in my ranger and using it in my wifes 2001 Sebring helped fix an EGR problem. I have had no problems and it actually helped my B2 pass emissions in Jersey. The EGR fix was as follows. I got a code that the EGR was functioning improperly, so I took it out spent hours cleaning all the carbon out of it and then put it back in. I reset the computer but 3 days later the comp threw the same code. I put some FP in filled the tank and left the check engine light on 2 days later the light went off the car runs better fuel mileage improved and that was 2 months ago.

I think that the constant use along with the small components of a bike lead to the problems. I will not stop my occasionaly usage and am amazed at your story since I spent about a month's time researching FP finding anything I could and came up with nothing negative. I don't blame you for stopping using it and would prolly throw out mine if the same happened to me.

Lets all remember though "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing"

 

Hey if FP works for you man, more power to you! different strokes for different folks.

I Agree completely that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I am pretty convinced this wasn't my case as I was always consistent about proper measurements of FP. Both in my Ranger and my Shadow. I've even ran FP through the lawnmower a couple times. I know overkill but if it used to work great for me so why not!? Well I was just told why not after I got my bike back, lol! -Mike-