# Fuel additives **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [April 8, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887 "2009-04-08T18:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nathan\_detroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@nathan\_detroit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/nathan_detroit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/1 "2009-04-08T18:49:45Z")
I have an '03 Ford Explorer with 91,777 miles on it. Can you recommend an over the counter fuel additive to help burn off any build up? ---
**Author:** ![jayhawkroy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jayhawkroy/32/33_2.png) [@jayhawkroy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jayhawkroy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/2 "2009-04-08T18:54:10Z")
I liked to use Techron every couple of years or so, to keep the fuel injection system fairly clean. What build up do you have in mind, and where? ---
**Author:** ![NYBo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nybo/32/17281_2.png) [@NYBo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/NYBo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/3 "2009-04-08T18:54:11Z")
Sure. Regular pump gas from a high-volume gas station. Nothing more is usually needed. If you insist, and you have a driveability issue caused by a very small amount of deposits, SeaFoam may help. Are you having a problem of some sort? ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/4 "2009-04-08T19:08:32Z")
I drop a can of Sea Foam or Techron in once in a while - I frankly don’t know that it does anything (others will say not to bother), but I don’t have any fuel system problems. ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/5 "2009-04-08T19:20:30Z")
Keep in mind that if the build-up is in the throttle housing, a fuel additive won’t help. You might need to manually clean the throttle if you have a build-up problem. Gunk brand seems to have a lot of varieties. They have a variety for larger vehicles like yours. Techron brand is highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/6 "2009-04-08T20:56:41Z")
What makes you think you need to burn anything off? Those additives are generally Billy Maze type products. It sounds good, but does nothing you need. Modern fuels have all the additives any normal engine needs. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/7 "2009-04-09T00:32:10Z")
Why would you have deposits? Fast escapes from the only permanent floating crap game in New York should burn any deposits up quickly. ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/8 "2009-04-09T02:03:39Z")
I have a 2000 Ford Explorer with 180,000 miles on it. I run a tankful of Techron maybe once a year. Cheap insurance. However, no fuel additive will clean a dirty throttle body. Last year, I cleaned the throttle body after the gas pedal got a little sticky. I used a Napa brand throttle body cleaner that was sensor safe. I removed the throttle body to clean it out a thoroughly as possible. Cleaned out a lot of build-up on the backside of the throttle plate. The gas pedal immediately worked smooth again. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/9 "2009-04-09T13:09:14Z")
> I have a 2000 Ford Explorer with 180,000 miles on it. I run a tankful of Techron maybe once a year. That’s got to be expensive…A 12oz bottle of that stuff costs about $3…8\*) ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/10 "2009-04-09T15:34:46Z")
Not only is it expensive, but it ignores the instructions on the bottle. It sounds like overkill to me. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/11 "2009-04-09T15:55:47Z")
Let’s see…15 gallons would take…carry the eight…160 12oz bottles to do such a stunt. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fuel-additives/28887/12 "2009-04-09T23:31:16Z")
In over 40 years of car ownership I’ve never put an additive in the tank and never had a fuel system problem, even after hundreds of thousands of miles on some vehicles. Gasolines already come with all the additves you need for any modern car. I do find that additives help in the tanks of my snowblower and lawnmower. Those dirty running intermittantly operated engines can get gummed up, and 1 to 2 oz per gallon of carb cleaner does help.