Are gasoline additives worth the money? I use “Caseite-Fortech” in My gasoline to supposedly lubricate the cylinder heads as well as the valves for longer engine life and more MPG. Am I wasting my money ???
Yep.
Agree; today’s gasolines have all the additives you need. They have lots of detergent to keep things clean.
The lubrication of the valves (Stems & seals) is the job of the lube oil. Hardened valve seats do not need lubrication; years ago leaded gas provided lead lube, but the valve seats were not hardened.
So, as tex says, it’s a waste of money.
It appears to me that those who regularly seek out and use the additives such as Caseite in their cars are the ones that take fastidious care of them. And when their cars seem to continue to run well for many years and many miles they give the additives too much credit and themselves too little. Caseit won’t damage anything and may be just what the engine needs from time to time to last forever and it won’t break the bank. If it’s part of your maintenance routine go for it. But the bean counters are very certain that such additives are just snake oil.
BTW, I add a bottle of ??? to my gas at every oil change. Have for years.
Are gasoline additives worth the money? YES
I wasting my money YES
But not the way you think.
Gasoline has all the additives usually needed. Adding more is just going to make money for the guys selling the stuff and not help your car. Some of the stuff sold can even cause damage.
The fuel, oils and other fluids available for today’s cars just don’t not need any help.
Use a Top Tier gasoline, synthetic oil, follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, check oil and other fluid levels once a week. AND READ YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL COVER TO COVER.
Happy Motoring
Cylinder heads don’t need to be lubricated.
The parts inside the cylinder head do.
The spinning parts, like the cams and lifters, are taken care of by the motor oil.
The valve stems are also taken care of by the motor oil.
The valve stem seal strips off most, but not all of the oil, as the valve is pushed into the combustion chamber. The fuel being injected into the combustion chamber also provides a bit of lubrication, but more importantly, cooling, to the intake valves.
Your fuel additive isn’t going to lubricate the valves any additional amount over what the valves already receive from the fuel and the engine oil.
Your additive might actually be damaging to the catalytic converters and the oxygen sensors in the long run. That is a better reason to discontinue use, sooner rather than later.
BC.
I have a rule of thumb that I almost always follow: I never use additives. The only additive I have ever used, gas or oil, is Drygas. I lived in Alaska and forgot to fillup for the weekend so I had condensation in my gas tank on Monday.